The Digital Darkroom

Not so long ago -- in fact, just a couple of years back -- digital cameras were clunky, expensive, and worked more like computer hardware than actual cameras. Sure, you could snap a digital picture with one of those first-generation cameras, slap the photo onto your PC, and email it to a friend. But prints tended to look like those grainy, MTV-style shots, with washed-out colors and ragged edges -- definitely not ready for prime time.

But digital photography has come a long way. Today, for less than $1,000, you can buy a slick digital camera with first-class resolution, capable of producing bright, crisp images. This new generation of digital dazzlers offers all the features of top-of-the-line 35mm cameras, such as zoom lenses and manual controls. Plus, a digital camera can do some things that are beyond the scope of any film-based camera, such as delivering the instant gratification of viewing your photographs on a color LCD -- and now you can email those (nearly) pixel-perfect prints to a coworker.

The big advantage for the fast-forward world of work is that digital photography is nearly instantaneous. There's no waiting for film to develop and no need to order extra prints. Just preview the photo through the camera's built-in color screen, take the shot, and download the image onto your computer.

Once you've got a digital sharpshooter, you can quickly drop photos into a PowerPoint presentation, beef up a Web site, or update a company brochure. And with the right digital add-ons, you can fix flaws like demonic red-eye, crop your images, and pop the photos into a Web page within minutes. Try doing that with your old 35mm Canon SLR.

Are digital images as sharp and clear as those produced by top-notch 35mm film cameras? Not quite. But everyone except for Ansel Adams wanna-bes should be happy with the results. That's why we've assembled an up-to-the-minute digital darkroom, from cameras and scanners and photo-editing software to camera-ready computers and printers -- to give you a clear picture of today's options.

Step 1: See and Shoot

Today's digital cameras are "megapixel," meaning that they come packed with more than 1 million pixels versus the 500,000 pixels of previous models. Using memory cards instead of film, scores of so-called filmless models are priced anywhere from a couple of hundred dollars to a few thousand. At minimum, expect to pay about $400 for an economy-class camera with 1,024-by-768-pixel images and both optical and color LCD viewfinders.

Digital cameras in the $400 price range will add some dazzle to a PowerPoint presentation or email-bound marketing collateral. Typical models at this price are fully automatic, point-and-click cameras. Just don't expect to find features like a through-the-lens (TTL) viewfinder or manual shutter adjustment.

If you're looking for a camera that will help you juice up your sales or marketing pitch, check out the Toshiba PDR-M3. An exceptional value, the pdr-m3 comes with a 3x optical (versus fuzzy digital) zoom lens and delivers sharp, 1,280-by-1,024-pixel shots. This model is an upgrade from the popular m1, and it now uses rechargeable lithium-ion batteries. One drawback: You'll have to wait nearly five seconds between shots for the camera to store each image.

Coordinates: $399. Toshiba America Inc., www.toshiba.com

A digital camera in the $700-to-$1,000 range comes equipped to help you build a Web site or to show off a prototype you're designing. These cameras deliver sharper images (with resolutions of 1,280 by 1,024 pixels or greater); they also include such features as improved contrast and white balance (to keep colors accurate under different lighting conditions), 3x optical zoom, and greater manual control over exposure and focus settings.

A good pick for all-purpose business use is the Olympus d-620l. The d-620l is one of the more flexible and accurate filmless cameras in its price range. Its top resolution of 1,280 by 1,024 pixels (or 1.4 megapixels) is below that of many of the similarly priced 2-megapixel cameras. But image quality depends on more than just pixels, and this model's high-quality, 3x zoom lens and TTL optical viewfinder actually deliver sharper photos. And the Olympus is a quick shooter: It can fire off as many as five frames at one-third-of-a-second intervals. If you want higher-resolution images and don't need a TTL viewfinder, consider Olympus's 1,600- by-1,200-pixel c-2000 Zoom model.

Coordinates: $999. Olympus America Inc., www.olympus.com/digital

If you want to tinker with aperture and shutter speed, and you need uncompromising photo quality, only a digital camera that costs $1,200 or more will do. Most models in this price range are compatible with 35mm camera lenses, filters, and external flash equipment. They can produce 1,600-by-1,200-pixel images -- sharp enough to print in this magazine.