"Our film development service ended May 1, 2012. Should you still have prepaid credits for film development remaining in your account after May 15, we'll refund ..."

This is one of many of such announcements being made today everywhere. Why such a trend in this time in the history of the camera? The digital age makes its debut in the history of the camera. It is literally like running a comb through wavy hair and having it turn out straight. The comb here affects every hair on the entire head. For the world of cameras, this represents merely a tiny lock in the scheme of world events today, nonetheless, an extremely important one.

Up to the mid 1970s, perhaps more accurate to put this figure ahead one decade, the single lens reflex camera (all of the point & shoot and 35mm roll film cameras) has enjoyed a half a century of unprecedented reign within the kingdom of the camera. Alas, roll film cameras an even further span back in time.

Star Trek! Lost in Space! Batman!

At one time, the communication device was a thing from science fiction adventure, until Apple and IBM would indeed, make them quite possible. The digital world, within a generation, has literally changed the planet. This is true in all phases of photography. The 1980s marked a tremendous growth in digital technology and brought about the age of the digital single lens reflex camera.

Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, technology soared with the coming of the World Wide Web.

It offered affordable camera outfits that was as easy as Plug 'n Play. No more need for roll film or developing that came with it, thus many pharmacies and department stores are currently terminating their film-developing services. During the earlier part of the DSLRs reign, these outlets offered digital files of the negatives, and offered a choice, or both, the files on disk and the physical prints.

Today, modern printers can turn out photograph-quality prints on specially-formulated papers [please do not overload your household printer with cardstock, etc; know its limitations.] What could be done with film can literally be done with digitization and more.

What’s In Store for the DSLRs?

As was the case the older models of SLR cameras, when the DSLRs dawned on the market, they reached the point where the high-tech ones could be had at a buck apiece, the same is now true for the older model digital point and shoot cameras. This is especially true with cheap camera outfits that came with magazine subscriptions and the like. There are still many good ones out there going for top pricing. We are not yet completely out of the DSLR stages in the history of the camera.

DSLR photography offers much in the line of self-publishing with the professional-quality output these cameras are capable of rendering. It is indeed, the final step prior the current state-of-the-art cameras that no longer follow the DSLR designs. However, perfectly functioning DSLRs are an inexpensive alternative allowing very good quality photographic results on a shoestring budget.

To Recap the Above:

• The digital single lens reflex camera (DSLR) is a filmless version of the analog single lens reflex cousin (SLR.)
• The digital age completely revolutionized photography amongst practically everything else.
• The coming of DSLRs brought ease of use, much greater controls in file-processing and helped bring desk-publishing into the hands of the mass population.
• Today, DSLRs are an inexpensive alternative to the more expensive new-generation designs coming out.

Cameras are continuing to go strides in its almost limitless capacity to reach the edge of the universe and zero in on the most elemental particle. Currently, total digital imaging coupled with wearability is the running trend of today’s high definition sports cameras available.