Fresh on the photographic landscape are two digital compact cameras that both claim to capture high dynamic range HDR images. Current photographic wisdom point in the direction that all digital cameras will move towards increased HDR capture. The two current compact contenders are the 9.3 megapixel Ricoh CX1 and the 12 megapixel Fujifilm FinePix F200EXR.
Each camera uses a different approach to achieve higher dynamic range capture. Ricoh’s CX1 shoots a burst of two images. The camera’s firmware then blends both exposures and saves a single JPEG. Fujifilm’s FinePix F200EXR uses a single-shot approach: Sensor pixels are reconfigured to have varying sensitivity. Firmware interpolates and creates a single JPEG.
Do these cameras capture higher dynamic range better than other compacts on the market? Yes, they do. Are they real HDR images? No, they are not. Both manufactures have cheated in order to claim the HDR capability. In reality both cameras save finished images as JPEGs
The premise behind HDR photography is that you create a 32-bit HDR file. However, these two compacts do all the heavy lifting of tonemapping and exposure blending in hardware and present the finished image. If you take the point-and-shoot camera at face value then these cameras are doing exactly what they’re supposed to do, take the hard work out. Yes, they create high dynamic range photos that even grandma can pull off, but they’re not real HDR images, yet.
Certainly other manufacturers will respond to the HDR challenge. In time cameras will able to record images that match what the human eye can record.
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“In time cameras will able to record images that match what the human eye can record”……………
What’s taking them so long?
Cameras have been around how long?
Of course, we’re all still waiting around for decent affordable 60″ hdr monitors.