ABSTRACT
The materials needed for photography include first the camera. The camera should give good results for your needs, be easy to use, and be easy to get used to. The characteristics usualy recommended are at least 4 million pixels, a macrolens or macro setting, and a flash. The choice is very large, and new models appear each month. If you already have one with the above characteristics it is not necessary to change it. If you decide to swich from a film camera to a digital camera, or if it is your first camera, make a comparative study on the Internet. Choosing a digital camera is difficult, considering compact or reflex camera, resolution, choice of lens focusing, macrolens, and type of flash (Table 28.1). You should test the camera to see whether it suits you and your needs at work. Many stores have their own website to help you make a choice. The author recommends www.megapixel.net, in English and French. It gives details of the characteristics and functions of each camera, with articles, photography tests, evaluations of more than 300 cameras, and details of the software used. The following example illustrates the extremely rapid evolution of this
technology, and explains why the author does not give a list of best cameras. In 2001, Galdino et al (Baltimore) recommended digital cameras with resolutions from 1.5 to 2.7 million pixels.1 In 2005, 5 million pixels were common; some photographers have told the author that this is unnecessary because the human eye cannot distinguish between 4 and 5 million pixels on the computer screen. On the other hand, the gold standard for resolution is still the 35-mm slide film, theoretically at 12 million pixels. A viewfinder grid screen is highly recommended to help the standardization of photos by taking the same anatomic landmark from one patient to another.
