|
|
|
The Cost of Electronic Imaging
by GEORGE REIS Just a few short years ago, it was very easy to think of electronic imaging as too expensive to get in to. After all, we were seeing $30,000 cameras, $15,000 film scanners and $15,000 printers. In addition, we had to add in the cost of a computer, software and the print media at $3.50 or more per 8 x 10. With print costs so high, and the initial investment more than the cost of updating our EP--2 to RA--4 (print processing upgrades), it was easy to just stick with what is familiar. The justifications to enter into electronic imaging had to be based on non--cost areas (Cal--OSHA compliance, a cleaner/safer work environment, better quality results, etc.) At that time, the printers were slow, so we couldn't use efficiency or labor savings as a justification. In short, the chances of convincing our command staffs that electronic imaging would be a good investment were slim, fat and none (ever wonder why a fat chance and a slim chance are the same?). Well, times have changed! As with most technology, quality and speed have increased and prices have gone down. More competition has also entered the arena giving us more options. High quality dye--sublimation printers now run in the range of $6,000 to $10,000 for near photographic quality. Print media is down to under $2.00 per 8 x 10. And, the printers will output in less than 90 seconds! Consider that we can eliminate most of our Cal OSHA problems, eliminate the smell of photo chemicals, create a cleaner/safer work environment, add a variety of capabilities, etc. in the deal, and the justification becomes easy! But, we do need to add a bit more equipment. A high quality, fast slide scanner and a host computer are needed to make this whole thing work. 486's and Power Mac's are now easily available starting in the $2,000 to $3,000 range all ready to go. And, many agencies are putting these machines in most divisions anyway. Slide scanners start at less than $2,000, but to get one that handles high quality scans rapidly, $7,000 to $8,000 is a more realistic price range. So, let's see what we have. A slide scanner (for inputting negatives and slides), a computer with a bit of imaging software, a dye--sub printer. For only $15,000 to $21,000 we have set up an entire electronic imaging workstation! No more chemical mixing! Sell the RA--4 processor! Sell the enlargers! Sell the mini--lab printers! And, welcome a clean life in the digital imaging world. What you are still doing, however, is shooting with a conventional 35mm camera and processing the film. Although I highly recommend using digital cameras for latent fingerprints, I don't think the day has yet come to change to digital cameras for our day--to--day crime scene photography. We need a camera that offers higher resolution than a Quicktake for a much lower price than a DCS420! We also need wide angle capabilities. (Are you listening camera manufacturers?) If you haven't yet entered the digital imaging frontier, it is worth taking another look. Before long, the frontier will be settled and we will find ourselves chained to outdated wet processes that damage our health and just don't allow us the speed or capabilities of digital imaging.
I have only brushed the surface in this brief article. I stayed away from
my frequent topic of electronic imaging in the latent world. I didn't discuss
in--depth any of the equipment or procedures. And, I skipped the areas
of storage, networking, mug shots, color copiers, court displays, crime
scene drawings, report writing, computer composites, surveillance tape
enhancement, combining images of different types, etc. It is indeed an
exciting world in electronic imaging. But, it is up to each one of us to
enter this world!
This article was originally published in “THE PRINT” |