Digital Photography and Its Importance in a Crime Scene Investigation

When it comes to an investigation of an incident location, the purpose of the digital camera and digital photography is to record evidence that will be admissible in court. Crime scene photography has been around almost as long as the camera itself. Criminologists quickly realized that this technology enabled them to freeze time - which creates an incontestable record of an incident location, a piece of evidence, or even a body.

Today, forensic photos are essentials for investigating and prosecuting a crime. This is because most evidence is transitory: fingerprints must be lifted, bodies must be removed and examined, and homes and businesses must be returned to their normal state. Photos help to preserve not only the most fleeting evidence, like the shape of a blood stain that will soon be mopped up, but also the placement of items in a room and the relation of evidence to other objects that are in the room.

Today, digital photography is in the mainstream of camera use. Digital cameras are extremely easy to use and they offer a host of wonderful features. These cameras plug into a PC via USB, so you can upload your pictures easily for archiving, editing and printing. This type of camera makes it simple to share pictures both online and in print. The cameras with resolution in the four-to-five mega pixel range are capable of producing great professional-quality images.

The advantage of digital cameras is the ability to take several pictures at no extra cost and then printing only the best ones. Cameras that were meant for automatic point-and -shoot photos, with a 3x zoom lens will serve casual shooters as well as loyal hobbyists much of the time. Digital cameras with less than one mega pixel are not expensive, but they usually lack important features.

Cameras with higher resolutions of 7, 8, 10, or even more pixels give you the latitude to create larger prints, or to stop and edit images with photo-editing software without destroying quality. All digital cameras have a built-in computer and all of them record images electronically. Since film still produces better picture quality, crime scene investigators have not completely replaced digital with film.