ABSTRACT
For the documentation of crime scenes, a digital single lens reªex (SLR) camera is the appropriate type of camera to use versus a digital point and shoot. An SLR camera contains mirrors and prisms that allow the photographer to see the image in the view™nder as the lens captures the image. The lens is removable from the body of the camera, which makes the digital SLR camera very versatile. For example, an investigator may require the use of lenses with varying focal lengths or, when focused on in™nity, the distance between the ™lm plane and the optical center of the lens. For a 35-mm digital SLR camera, a normal lens is 50 mm, a wide angle lens is less than 50 mm, and a telephoto lens is greater than 50 mm; a macro lens captures subjects 1:1 or life size. Further, this type of camera has the ability to capture images in several types of modes: program, aperture priority, shutter priority, and manual mode. The multiple modes of the camera allow the photographer to capture images based on the characteristics of the subject matter. Moreover, a photographer is capable of maximizing the depth of ™eld of evidentiary items with a digital SLR camera. Depth of ™eld is the zone of focus in a variable range in front of and to the rear of the subject matter. The vast majority of the time the goal of the crime scene photographer is to maximize the depth of ™eld when capturing images. In contrast, digital point and shoot cameras are not capable of the desired versatility required to accurately and properly document crime scenes.
