Konica Minolta SLR User manual

FEATURES
SECTION Comparison of 10 digital SLR cameras
for orthodontic photography
D. Bister, Faranak Morderai and R. M. Aveling
Department of Orthodontics, Guy’s Hospital, London, UK
Digital photography is now widely used to document orthodontic patients. High quality intra-oral photography depends on a
satisfactory ‘depth of field’ focus and good illumination. Automatic ‘through the lens’ (TTL) metering is ideal to achieve both
the above aims. Ten current digital single lens reflex (SLR) cameras were tested for use in intra- and extra-oral photography as
used in orthodontics. The manufacturers’ recommended macro-lens and macro-flash were used with each camera. Handling
characteristics, color-reproducibility, quality of the viewfinder and flash recharge time were investigated. No camera took
acceptable images in factory default setting or ‘automatic’ mode: this mode was not present for some cameras (Nikon,
Fujifilm); led to overexposure (Olympus) or poor depth of field (Canon, Konica-Minolta, Pentax), particularly for intra-oral
views. Once adjusted, only Olympus cameras were able to take intra- and extra-oral photographs without the need to change
settings, and were therefore the easiest to use. All other cameras needed adjustments of aperture (Canon, Konica-Minolta,
Pentax), or aperture and flash (Fujifilm, Nikon), making the latter the most complex to use. However, all cameras produced
high quality intra- and extra-oral images, once appropriately adjusted. The resolution of the images is more than satisfactory
for all cameras. There were significant differences relating to the quality of color reproduction, size and brightness of the
viewfinders. The Nikon D100 and Fujifilm S 3 Pro consistently scored best for color fidelity. Pentax and Konica-Minolta had
the largest and brightest viewfinders.
Key words:
;
Refereed paper
Introduction
Intra- and extra-oral photography are widely used to
document orthodontic patients at the start of treatment
and to monitor treatment progress. The ideal character-
istics for intra- and extra-oral photography for dentistry
and orthodontics in particular, are reproducible magni-
fication of the images, good depth of field and
consistent, homogenous illumination. Ideally, all the
above characteristics should be standardized within one
series of images, as well as consistent over long periods
of time.
1,2
‘Depth of field’ is defined as the zone of acceptable
sharpness, and extends in front of and behind the point
of focus. For good depth of field in intra-oral photo-
graphy a small aperture (such as f522) should be used.
Consistent exposure at such settings can best be
achieved by automatic ‘through the lens’ (TTL) meter-
ing.
1
These settings should either be factory pre-set or
should be easily programmable.
Although there are a large number of digital cameras
advertised for use in dental imaging, only Single Lens
Reflex (SLR) cameras consistently fulfill all the above
parameters. Additionally, SLR cameras allow for ‘best
preview’ of the proposed image as the viewfinder shows
the object, as it will appear in the eventual image.
In the pre-digital era the ‘Yashica Dental Eye’ was
produced for intra- and extra-oral photography. This
SLR camera had a 100 mm macro-lens, which was
permanently fixed to the body with a built-in ring-flash. A
macro-lens allows for distortion-free imaging at close
range with high depth of field. The aperture settings were
automatically adjusted when changing the focus from
intra- to extra-oral photography, and was thereby very
user friendly; no changes in camera settings are necessary
between intra- and extra-oral photography. It was also
reasonably priced. The ‘Dental Eye’, however, will not be
made available in the digital format. In this article, this
camera was used as reference, as it had all the above-
mentioned ideal properties for dental photography.
1
Digital SLR cameras have only recently become more
affordable. SLR cameras are now subdivided into two
groups: professional and ‘prosumer’. The professional
group is more expensive, but usually has a range of
advantageous features over the ‘prosumer’ group such
as:
Journal of Orthodontics JOR3338.3d 11/7/06 19:16:38 The Charlesworth Group, Wakefield [phone] - Rev 7.51n/W (Jan 20 2003)
Journal of Orthodontics, Vol. 33, 2006, 000–000
Address for correspondence: D. Bister, Department of
Orthodontics, 22nd Floor, Guy’s and St Thomas’ Foundation
Trust, Guy’s Hospital, London Bridge, London SE1 9RT, UK.
Email: [email protected]
#2006 British Orthodontic Society DOI 10.1179/146531205225021687

Nhigher pixel count (the higher the pixel count the
larger the image);
Nincreased dynamic range (reproducing lighter and
darker areas better);
Nadvanced color reproducibility (ability to reproduce
more colors);
Ntougher camera-bodies (which are better able to
withstand exposure to humidity and dust and are less
likely to break on impact);
Nlonger battery life;
Nfaster response time to turning the camera on and/
or shutter release delay (delay between turning
the camera on/pressing shutter release and actual
exposure);
Ncleaning the sensor on start-up (to remove dust
particles from the sensor).
However some of these features are also found in the
‘prosumer’ group; the Canon EOS 20 D is fast:
0.2 second response delay on turning the camera on
and the Olympus E1 has sensor clean.
Although other authors
2,3
have previously tested
digital cameras, no comprehensive review has recently
been undertaken. The professional group was not tested
as most of the above-mentioned features are not
necessary for dental photography.
For good illumination a macro-flash is ideal: it avoids
shadows from cheek retractors at close range and allows
for homogeneous illumination of the teeth. Ideally, these
macro-flash units should be strong enough for extra-oral
photography; thus, avoiding the need for a second flash
system. With regards to the macro-lens and macro-flash
the manufacturers’ respective devices were tested.
Aim
The aim was to assess 10 digital SLR cameras in the low
to medium price range (less than 2500 Jfor the body),
the so called ‘prosumer’ models (comparable to the
‘Yashica Dental Eye’) with manufacturers’ recom-
mended macro-lens and flash in terms of:
Nease of use (how many settings needed changing
between intra- and extra-oral photography, and how
easy these were to accomplish);
Nquality of photographs (color reproducibility and
pixel count);
Nquality of the viewfinder: size and brightness (brighter
and larger viewfinders allow easier focusing and
handling);
Nhomogeneity of light on the object and strength of
macro-flash (ability to take intra- and extra-oral views
with the same flash unit);
Ntime needed to recharge the macro-flash (time taken
between two photographs);
Nweight of the unit (including batteries, flash-unit and
lens);
Npricing (inclusive of macro-lens and flash, excluding
Value Added Tax).
Materials
The cameras tested (shown in Table 1) were single lens
reflex (SLR), with a macro-flash and a macro-lens, as
recommended by the manufacturer. The guide-number
for the flash-units represent their power: the higher the
number the more powerful the flash unit. One such
assembled unit is shown in Figure 1. The Fujifilm S 3
Pro was tested with a Nikon SB 29S Speed-light and
60 mm Nikkor macro-lens.
Standardization of focal length of the macro-lenses
was not possible. The choice of macro-lens was
determined by availability (Konica-Minolta and
Journal of Orthodontics JOR3338.3d 11/7/06 19:16:57 The Charlesworth Group, Wakefield [phone] - Rev 7.51n/W (Jan 20 2003)
Figure 1 Fully assembled unit with macro-lens and macro-flash
COLOUR
FIGURE
2 D. Bister et al. Features Section JO September 2006

Pentax only produced the 100 mm macro-lens at the
time of testing,); Olympus only produces a 50 mm
macro-lens, which takes magnification differences
between analogue and digital formats into account.
The lenses chosen for this study were kept as close as
possible to a 100 mm equivalent (for 36 mm analogue
film). Nikon and Fujifilm use a small sensor, which does
not fill the 36 mm film-area. A magnification factor of
approximately 1.5 applies. This magnification factor was
adjusted by choosing a 60 mm macro-lens for those
cameras.
Methods
Ease of use
All cameras were initially set on automatic mode
(factory preset); with the flash turned on. The intra-oral
exposures were taken at approximately 1:2 magnifica-
tion. The aperture selected by the camera was recorded
and checked for suitability, particularly depth of field.
Homogeneity of illumination was checked for suitability
by assessing shadows on the image. There is a reverse
relationship between the f-setting and the aperture: the
larger the number of the f-setting the smaller the
aperture and the larger the depth of field. These settings
were found to be too small for all cameras (the aperture
was too large, giving poor depth of field) and were
therefore changed to aperture priority mode; the
aperture was closed to at least f522, which gives good
depth of field (Figure 2). The camera was then used for
extra-oral photography and the settings changed again
until appropriate, in this case an aperture of at least f58.
The number of changes necessary between the settings
was recorded. The camera was only considered metering
‘through the lens’ (TTL) if the flash settings did not need
to be changed.
Quality of the photographs: Color-fidelity
For consistency, intra-oral photographs (front, right
and left lateral views) were simulated by taking pictures
of a demonstration-model (Ormco), against a green
background (Figure 3). A non-clinical method was
preferred to taking images of a patient: the 10 cameras
were not all available at the same time and changes in
oral hygiene may have influenced color consistency over
time. Even if all cameras had been tested on one patient
on one occasion the discomfort would have been
considerable. The white balance selection was auto for
all cameras. The images were subsequently downloaded
on a ‘SONY VAIO’ (Sony Corporation, Japan)
computer. The computer screen was adjusted to project
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Table 1 Cameras tested and specifications
Body
Canon EOS 350D
Canon EOS 20D Fujifilm S3Pro
Konica - Minolta 7D Nikon D100 Nikon D70s Nikon D50 Olympus E1
Olympus E300
Pentax *ist DS
Meagpixels (rounded figure) 8 8 12 6 6 6 6 5 8 6 Body (UK list price without VAT in Euro)
770 1243 2206 1409 1348 858 746 1226 919 858
Flash MR-14 EX MR-14 EX SB 29S R 1200 SB 29S SB 29S SB 29S SRF - 11 SRF - 11 AF 140 C Guide number 14 14 11 12 11 11 11 11 11 14 Macro Speed-light (UK list price without VAT in Euro)
490 490 466 490 466 466 466 662 662 515
Macro - Lens 100 mm 100 mm 60 mm Nikkor 100 mm 60 mm Nikkor 60 mm Nikkor 60 mm Nikkor ED 50 mm ED 50 mm 100 mm Macro - Lens (UK list price without VAT in Euro)
588 588 539 919 539 539 539 453 453 551
Unit - Weight (in grams inclusive batteries)
1612 1874 1891 2329 1765 1660 1605 1768 1688 1324
JO September 2006 Features Section Comparison of digital SLR cameras 3

the original computer generated color using
‘SpyderPRO’ by ColorVision
TM
(U.S.). The images
were also ‘anonymised’ and assessed by two operators
(F.M. and D.B.) for color reproduction. Neither of the
assessors were color blind.
Quality of the viewfinder
Quality of the viewfinder was tested without a
lens attached. The dioptre correction dial was set to
0. This corrector allows long- or short-sighted
photographers to avoid the use of correction aids, such
as glasses, by correcting the dioptre directly at the
viewfinder. For operators not needing any visual
correction a setting other than 0 may lead to a smaller
or larger appearance of the image shown in the
viewfinder.
Two bodies were held simultaneously against the right
and left eye of the examiner; the backdrop consisted of
five fluorescent light tubes. The cameras were then
swapped around to avoid eye dominance distorting the
findings. Two operators (R.A. and D.B.) ranked the
viewfinders for size and brightness independently, and
the consistency was 100%.
Quality of the macro-flash
A manual stopwatch was used to measure the time
needed to recharge the macro-flash between two
exposures (precision 1/10th of a second). This was after
the flash was initially charged and ‘tested’ with an empty
exposure. Two measurements were taken and the mean
calculated. It was also recorded whether the flash was
powerful enough for extra-oral exposures. Each unit
Journal of Orthodontics JOR3338.3d 11/7/06 19:17:06 The Charlesworth Group, Wakefield [phone] - Rev 7.51n/W (Jan 20 2003)
(
a
)(
b
)(
c
)
Figure 3 (a–c) Simulated intra-oral images
(a) (b)
Figure 2 (a,b) Depth of field at aperture 4 and 32; please note variation of focus on teeth
COLOUR
FIGURE
COLOUR
FIGURE
4 D. Bister et al. Features Section JO September 2006

was tested with new single-use standard AA batteries
(Duracell, NVSA Belgium).
Results
A summary of the results is presented in Table 2.
Color fidelity
For these results please refer to the section on individual
cameras in Table 2. All images were taken in JPEG mode.
User friendliness
Unfortunately, no camera produced satisfactory results in
the factory default ‘automatic’ mode. This is because the
manufacturers assume that the camera will be used for
normal photography and the ‘factory default settings’
reflect this: the aperture will be programed to be
comparatively open in order to give the flash unit an
increased range. Therefore, all cameras had to be adjusted
at least once (initially) before taking satisfactory images.
Quality of the viewfinder: Inter-observer
reproducibility
Quality and size of the viewfinders were scored with
100% consistency between the observers.
Quality of the macro-flash
Recharge times varied considerably and some of the
units were true ‘ring-flash’ units (Canon), whilst others
were more like ‘close range dual flash units’ (Nikon).
However, there was no discernible difference regarding
the homogeneity of the light.
Cameras
In the next section cameras will be discussed in
alphabetical order according to manufacturer:
Canon EOS 350 D and EOS 20 D (Canon Inc., Tokyo,
Japan). The Canon EOS 350 D has 8 million pixels
and has a plastic body. The camera has a small
viewfinder (7th place), which is not particularly bright
(6th). Handling characteristics are essentially identical
to the EOS 20 D (please see below).
The EOS 20 D, which has 8 million pixels, has a sturdy
magnesium-alloy body. The size and brightness of the
viewfinders were amongst the best (3rd and 2nd place,
respectively).
After initially setting both cameras to aperture priority
(f522) a second adjustment had to be made to allow
for adequate flash synchronization in this mode.
Unfortunately, the flash synchronization mode is hidden
in one of the sub-menus. However, once this was set up,
only the aperture had to be adjusted between intra- and
extra-oral views.
Both cameras were quite different in terms of color
reproducibility: the images of the canon EOS 20 D
appeared slightly blue on teeth and gums, and the EOS
350 D slightly red on gums but blue on the teeth, when
compared with the original model.
For both cameras the Canon MR-14 EX macro-flash
was used, which had a comparatively slow recharge time
(6 s) for the 100 mm Canon macro-lens.
Fujifilm S 3 Pro (Fujifilm Corp., Tokyo, Japan). This
camera is relatively new and has a variety of features,
which are different from all the other cameras tested. It
has ‘12 million’ pixels, of which half are dedicated for
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Table 2 Test results
Body
Canon
EOS
350D
Canon
EOS
20D
Fujifilm
S3Pro
Konica -
Minolta
7D
Nikon
D100
Nikon
D70
Nikon
D50
Olympus
E1
Olympus
E300
Pentax
*ist DS
Macro - Lens 100 mm 100 mm 60 mm
Nikkor
100 mm 60 mm
Nikkor
60 mm
Nikkor
60 mm
Nikkor
ED 50 mm ED 50 mm 100 mm
Flash MR-14 EX MR-14 EX SB 29S R 1200 SB 29S SB 29S SB 29S SRF - 11 SRF - 11 AF 140 C
Time for Recharge
(seconds)
6 6 no more
than 3
8 no more
than 3
no more
than 3
no more
than 3
449
Ranking Viewfinder
Size
7 3 626894 5 1
Ranking Viewfinder
Brightness
6 2 717863 5 4
Change of settings
between intra and
extra-oral photographs
aperture aperture aperture
and flash
aperture
and flash
aperture
and flash
aperture
and flash
aperture
and flash
nil nil aperture
JO September 2006 Features Section Comparison of digital SLR cameras 5

situations with little light and the other half are dedicated
for situations with normal and bright light, hence
increasing the ‘dynamic range’ of the sensor. However,
for all but the ‘maximum dynamic range’ settings only
half of the pixels are used, resulting in 6 million effective
pixels. It allows the user to take images in a variety of
modes: ‘maximum dynamic range’, ‘normal’, ‘film
simulation 1’ and ‘film simulation 2’. Images in all
modes were taken and individually scored for color
reproducibility. The best images were taken in ‘maximum
dynamic range’ and these were subsequently used.
In contrast to its predecessors (Fujifilm S 1 Pro and S
2 Pro), this camera works in manual mode only when
using a macro-speed-light and the settings of the flash
have to be changed between intra- and extra-oral views.
The camera is therefore not TTL when using the SB29S
as flash unit (Nikon Corp., Tokyo, Japan). The camera
does, however, allow true TTL metering when combined
with the SigmaHEM-140 DG iTTL ring-flash (Sigma
Corp., Kanagawa, Japan). The Fujifilm S 3 Pro and the
Nikon D100 are based on the Nikon F80 body; the
manufacturers specifications for the viewfinder are
virtually identical and were therefore ranked identical
for the viewfinder quality.
Color reproducibility was very close to the original
model, the images appeared slightly redder on the gums,
and the teeth had a slightly blue tinge.
The camera was tested with a 60 mm Nikkor macro-lens.
Konica-Minolta 7D (Konica-Minolta Holdings Inc.,
Tokyo, Japan). The exposures of this camera were
inconsistent when taking intra- and extra-oral
photographs in terms of lighting. The inconsistency
was caused by the flash, which allowed exposures before
full recharge. For assessment of quality of photographs
only correctly exposed images were allowed.
The color of the images appeared to put more weight
on reds than the model, all colors were stronger than the
original object.
Handling characteristics were very complex: in man-
ufacturers auto-setting (P) the aperture did not allow for
adequate depth of field. When changing to aperture
priority and f522, the macro-flash had to be separately
adjusted as otherwise underexposure occurred. When
changing to extra-oral photography both camera and
flash-settings had to be readjusted. The viewfinder was
the second largest, but brightest of all cameras tested.
The Konica-Minolta R 1200 Macro flash was the second
slowest to recharge, taking 8 seconds.
Nikon D100, D70s and D50 (Nikon Corp. Tokyo,
Japan). All three cameras were similar regarding their
handling characteristics: they work in manual mode
only when using a speed-light and both settings (camera
and flash) had to be adjusted between intra- and extra-
oral views. The cameras therefore do not use TTL
metering when using a macro-speed-light. All cameras
have approximately 6 million pixels.
The D100 had one of the smallest viewfinders, which
was also not particularly bright. The D100 images were
consistently scored closest to the original model
amongst all cameras, tending slightly towards orange.
The D70 images were slightly lighter than the D100
images, but equally acceptable.
The D50 has the smallest and darkest viewfinder of all
tested cameras and the D70s had the second smallest
and dimmest viewfinder. The D50 images appeared to
put more emphasis on the red and blue colors, thereby
appearing more vivid for teeth and gums.
All three cameras were tested with a 60 mm Nikkor
macro-lens and a Nikon SB29S macro-speed-light. The
latter had the fastest recharging flash in the series
(3 seconds).
Interestingly, all three cameras worked well when
using the SigmaHEM-140 DG iTTL ring – flash.
However, this was not scored as there are too many
camera/lens/macro-flash permutations between manu-
facturers available.
Olympus E1 and E300 (Olympus Corp., Tokyo.
Japan). The two Olympus cameras are virtually
identical in their handling characteristics. Intra-oral
photography at a magnification of 1:2 on P setting gave
consistently overexposed images. However, once the
camera was adjusted to aperture priority and f522, both
cameras took good images regarding the exposure and
depth of field. No changes were necessary when
changing between intra- and extra-oral photography.
In other words the Olympus Ring-Flash was powerful
enough to take extra-oral images at an aperture of f522.
Also, the camera turns the flash unit automatically on
and off. The Olympus E1 is a professional camera with a
magnesium alloy body, is environmentally sealed and is
a 5 million pixel camera. The viewfinder is somewhat
bigger and brighter than the one of the E300, but both
were in mid range compared with the other cameras.
The E300 has a less rugged design and has 8 million
pixels.
The E1 took slightly darker images than the E300,
but both produced slightly bluer images than the
original.
The flash used was the SRF-11 and the lens was a
50 mm ED macro-lens, both Olympus. The flash
recharge time was 4 seconds (medium range).
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6 D. Bister et al. Features Section JO September 2006

Pentax *istDs (Pentax Corp., Tokyo, Japan). This
camera uses the same sensor as the Nikon D100.
However, in contrast to the latter camera, the Pentax
images were strongly biased towards red. The camera
was also very ‘trigger happy’ causing multiple unwanted
exposures. The intra-oral exposures were good once the
initial change from factory preset to manual (f522) had
taken place. However, taking extra-oral views required
changes to the aperture settings. The viewfinder was the
largest of all cameras tested, but only mid-range when it
came to brightness. The camera is comparatively small
and was the lightest tested with 1324 g (including
macro-lens and flash unit).
The camera was tested with a Pentax 100 mm macro-
lens and Pentax AF 140C flash. The latter proved not
very powerful, so great care has to be taken not to move
too far from the patient for extra-oral views. Also the
recharge time was the slowest at 9 seconds.
Discussion
Ease of use
No camera matched the benchmark, the ‘Yashica
Dental Eye’, in terms of user friendliness. This bench-
mark camera requires four actions to take good images:
NSwitch camera on;
NChoose magnification;
NMove forward/backward until object is in focus;
NExpose.
Ease of use is particularly important for auxiliary staff,
who may have had little previous training for dental
photography. Only the two Olympus cameras matched
the above benchmark parameters after alterations of the
initial factory settings were made. All other cameras
needed a change of aperture settings between intra- and
extra-oral photography. It is interesting to note that
instead of changing the aperture from f522 to f58
between intra- and extra-oral images, one could also
change between modes: from aperture priority to
‘manual’ or ‘portrait’ mode as these modes often
automatically change the aperture. However, this was
not consistent between manufacturers. As changes were
necessary for all models (apart from Olympus) changing
the aperture is recommended.
Color reproducibility
Measuring color is complex—there are several systems
available to aid this process. To our knowledge only one
has been published regarding the impact of color fidelity
in orthodontics.
4
In analogue photography, color
fidelity was largely determined by the make of film,
but the flash unit, as well as the lens used also
contributed. In digital photography mainly the sensor
and the subsequent processing of the data determine the
color of the image. The difference in color reproduction
for digital cameras reflects the manufacturers assumed
customer preference for color weighting. The Fujifilm S
3 Pro exemplifies this best: the camera has two ‘film
simulation modes’, which allow the operator to choose
the weighting of colors. Generally, color profiling
cameras is often only achievable for specialist equip-
ment: even professional 36 mm SLR cameras edit or
‘color render’ images (ISO22028-1), thereby interpret-
ing/assuming the characteristics of a pleasing appear-
ance of the image. The color rendering will, among other
things depend on the format they are taken in (by
example JPEG or TIFF): the camera acts as a computer
‘translating’ the images on the sensor into the respective
format. In most ‘prosumer’ and all professional cameras
the user is able to bypass this process by downloading
‘RAW’ (unprocessed) images to the computer.
However, even when taking images in ‘RAW’ mode
some rendering will take place in the software used to
produce the images on a screen or printout. To undo the
‘rendering’ would therefore remove the images’ intended
characteristics. This investigation therefore abstained
from ranking the color reproducibility of the images and
only used descriptive terms to characterize the color
reproduction (for further information, see International
Color Consortium white paper
5
). Color adjustments will
have to be made for all cameras to produce images
matching the original object for color temperature.
In addition, for ideal reproducibility of color on
monitor and printer, an elaborate calibration process is
required. Monitors needs to be regularly re-adjusted as
color may change over time. For printers the color
fidelity may vary for different print-media and may also
vary with each new print cartridge. In this investigation,
‘SpyderPRO’ by ColorVision
TM
, a combination of
hard- and software was used, which allows the monitor
to express the original color generated by the computer,
to a high standard. However, even after monitor and/or
printer have been calibrated, in the end, direct compar-
ison between the object itself and its image will be
necessary. Although color temperature can be mea-
sured, the figures themselves should be treated with
caution, since a difference in the measurement does not
necessarily reflect an equivalent change in the observer’s
perception. This final comparison between the object
and the image will depend on a variety of factors: the
temperature of the ambient light, temperature and
humidity of air etc. It is also worth remembering that
about 7% of male and 1% of the female population in
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JO September 2006 Features Section Comparison of digital SLR cameras 7

the UK are colour-deficient.
6
Slight variations in color,
although occasionally important, are not absolutely
paramount to taking good orthodontic records. The
main aim was to test for ease of use and hence alteration
of images was not allowed.
It was often difficult for the assessors to consistently
identify the images and from this it was concluded that
there was little difference between the cameras.
Quality of the viewfinder
Testing the quality of the viewfinder requires all cameras
to be lined up and compared by holding two cameras
simultaneously against right and left eye. To our
knowledge, there is no other objective method to test
this feature. Brighter and larger viewfinders allow easier
focusing and handling, and it was surprising to see that
size and brightness of the viewfinder did not necessarily
correlate with the price of the camera.
Time needed to recharge the macro-flash
The fastest units were re-activated within a few seconds.
Although 6–9 seconds does not appear to be a long time,
to us, it is long enough to cause delay in workflow. The
units were tested with previously unused, standard non-
reusable AA batteries (Duracell), and flash-recharge
times may vary when different batteries are used.
It should be noted that most macro-flash units were
not particularly powerful and great care needed to be
taken not to move too far from the patient for the extra-
oral views, as underexposure may result.
Conclusions
It is very difficult to recommend a particular camera for
dental photography. Each of the tested models was
capable of taking adequate images. Some of the models
were easier to use than others. Considerable experience
is necessary to take adequate images for some cameras.
However, once the initial camera-settings were adjusted,
the user-friendliness of the Olympus E1 and Olympus
E300 were similar to the benchmark ‘Yashica Dental
Eye’. The change of settings was more complex for all
other cameras: Canon, Konica-Minolta and Pentax
cameras required aperture changes between intra- and
extra-oral photography. The Nikon and Fujifilm models
had to be manually re-set for aperture and flash between
intra- and extra-oral photography to produce best
results.
The cameras, which were consistently ranked best for
fidelity-fidelity, were among the most complex to use
(Nikon D100 and Fujifilm S 3 Pro). For ideal color
reproduction images of all manufacturers have to be
adjusted, so this parameter is not to be the most
important one when it comes to choosing a camera.
Other factors, such as robustness, environmental sealing
(water and dust protection—Olympus E1), weight,
viewfinder qualities and ability to clean the sensor from
dust at start-up, may all impact on the final decision-
making process. Finally, there is a significant difference
in price and this will undoubtedly play a role in the
decision making process.
Models are being replaced at a rapid pace, and
industry may eventually develop a digital SLR dedicated
for dental use, which is easy to use with the standard
settings, such as the ‘Yashica Dental Eye’.
Acknowledgement
We would like to thank Campkins Camera Centre,
Cambridge United Kingdom for their help and support
for this study.
References
1. Bengel W. Dentale Fotografie. Berlin: Quintessence, 2001.
2. Sandler J, Murray A. Digital photography in orthodontics.
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Journal of Orthodontics JOR3338.3d 11/7/06 19:17:41 The Charlesworth Group, Wakefield [phone] - Rev 7.51n/W (Jan 20 2003)
8 D. Bister et al. Features Section JO September 2006

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Journal of Orthodontics JOR3338.3d 11/7/06 19:17:41 The Charlesworth Group, Wakefield [phone] - Rev 7.51n/W (Jan 20 2003)