In recent years, digital photography has greatly impacted the photographic market.  While, Bow Valley photo is introducing this service to our customers, we will continue to use various types of film, in both medium and large format, in all cases where high resolution and/or a considerable degree of enlargement may be required.

We have done extensive testing and on-line research on digital photography and have found it to be unsuitable for most of our purposes.  This is true particularly where we must make several exposures, just seconds apart (as in most aerial photography) yet retain the excellent resolution that film will always provide.  Fine grain film in a 6X7 cm format would be the equivalent quality to a digital camera that has a 75-80 Megapixel capacity. 

Digital photography does have many advantages over film, but the choice should be based on the desired end product.  A highly publicized debate continues on the photographic web sites.  Some of the debate may be found  here and  here.   Arizona Highways Magazine has a great article on why it does not allow digital submissions which can be found here .

We have determined that using the best hand-held medium format digital camera presently available, the amount of memory required to quickly down-load 150 to 200 high-resolution exposures would require a permanent and very expensive installation in the aircraft.  Since, in many cases, Air Traffic Control allows us only 90 seconds over the target, acquiring even 10 to 20 exposures would not be possible.

The following example illustrates the depth and clarity achieved with standard medium format and film.  The Gazebo is the actual resolution taken from the original print.  Judge the quality for yourself!!

For those customers who require digital format for use ?in-house?, Bow Valley Photo has installed a high quality negative/transparency/print scanner.  This allows us to supply our customers with a CD of all or any exposure in a very short time.  Alternatively, we can email the images directly to you.

Like most photographic services, Bow Valley photo is occasionally asked to document sites or objects which are to be used as courtroom evidence.  There is growing concern among Lawyers and Judges, that digital images can be so easily manipulated as to falsify evidence and cause mistrials.  Excellent articles are available on the web concerning this problem.  Some of the best are here, here, and here.