SOMETIMES the old-fashioned ways are the best. It turns out that photographing forest canopies with digital cameras rather than old-fashioned film can produce misleading results.
Forest researchers use cameras with "fisheye" lenses to obtain a 180° view of the canopy. They then process the images on computers to measure structural details and the amount of light that penetrates the canopy. This reveals things such as the age of the forest, or changes in vegetation due to climate change.
In the past, researchers used photographic film and special high-quality lenses to take their pictures. But many have now switched over to digital cameras, says Gordon Frazer, a postgraduate student at the University of Victoria in British Columbia. This is because digital cameras are quicker and easier to use, and also because the scientific lenses for film cameras are expensive and difficult to obtain.
But forestry scientists now often use digital cameras ...