Two seemingly unrelated events will shake the world as we know it. The first and most significant event is the creation of an artificial organism. Two biologists used the knowledge of the technology of synthetic biology to create a bacterium with an artificial genome. This creature has no biological ancestors and is designed on the computer. A small step maybe, but it will have dramatic consequences for humanity.

Not so dramatic but certainly very significant is the fact that Apple overtakes Microsoft as the greatest technology firm. Computers are rapidly fading out the public sphere and handheld mobile tools take over. The touchscreen will become the dominant way of interacting with digital technology as the iPhones and iPads demonstrate. What we need to do with computers will be put in the cloud and programs will be no longer needed on the computer. The handheld can just activate in the cloud what functions are needed.
Given the small gap between modern handhelds and a digital camera, where the display is becoming the main command center of the tool, we may expect that sooner or later the touchscreen with finger movements will be incorporated into cameras. That would force the disappearance of all the buttons and wheels on a camera and clean up the camera design. More functions can even be incorporated as the finger can sweep effortless over the screen. Then we have the ultimate in digital technology: one finger commands the digital camera. Remember that digital is from digit is from finger. Les extremes se touchent.

Digital images are as artificial as the results of synthetic biology and there enough realistic images made with POV-Ray or even Photoshop that have no roots in reality. A creature without ancestors is artificial, and so is an image representing reality without being grounded in the real world. The impossible body shapes of fashion models and even film stars are only the beginning of a trend to create one’s own reality with cameras operating as computers or computers operating as cameras. These images will crowd the cloud and physical reality will become the artificial world.

Photography has always been the champion defender of the factual and true representation of physical reality and in science it still is. In our culture however photography is now even more artificial than painting. Recent ads from a camera manufacturer show this attitude: you see a person with a picture from a realistic scene and the ad asks: why settle for less: create your own reality!.

My test results with the Leica S2 indicate that you do not need any postprocessing to do to get outstandingly good prints. The same is true with the M8/M9 with some restrictions. The old ideal with AgX technology to go straight from the negative to the print withut human manipulation is still possible with Leica cameras and the Leica technique even invites you do take this route. The trends sketched in this article indicate that this technique is really needed to avoid becoming the last of the Mohicans in defending the true depiction of the real world and to set a landmark next to the world of the artificial.