How would he build the site? And exactly what would he put on it? More importantly, how would he translate his art into an online format without sacrificing the quality his work demanded?

As an experienced photographer and artist, James was well aware of the details and effort needed to produce fine photographic art. The subject, lighting, colors, focus—all must be combined with just the right balance to perfectly capture a precise moment in time. To do it well takes a skilled professional with a fine, trained eye. But as any professional knows, it also takes the right equipment.

James already had the eye and the expertise. His previous collections, like his coverage of the Gulf War, had won him acclaim and exhibitions in galleries across North America. And as a pro, James was used to the kind of quality equipment that pros use—with the sensitivity, picture quality, and responsiveness required to produce art. He needed the same features and quality, but he needed to find it in an all-digital format that would let him easily publish his material online. He wasn't sure such a camera was out there.

James turned to Olympus. Using our D-600L Filmless Digital Camera, James went to work in the fall and winter of 1998, taking the D-600L just about everywhere you can go in the San Francisco-Oakland bay area. Working the shores to the streets, James went looking to capture "the shot," that moment in time when his photographer's eye caught just the right material, in just the right conditions. From close-ups to landscapes, in bright light and near darkness, in all kinds of weather, James pushed the D-600L to photography's limits for nearly six months.

He was more than a little demanding. But when he was done, he had found "the shot." In fact, he'd found 50 of them.

Soon after, with the help of some friends and the D-600L's easy uploading ability, James built his site: James Radke Digital Images from the Web. He calls it the "first high-quality photo or art book published on the Web." How did it turn out? See for yourself.

As for the concerns James had harbored about a filmless digital camera's quality and capability for professional use, we think they've been pretty well answered by the D-600L—proving that if you're a great photographer, you don't need film to shoot the highest quality pictures and finest art.

You just need a great camera.