Be very careful. Digital cameras have a lot of noise that has nothing to do with the actual reality. Using that as your barometer is likely to mislead unless you’ve got a very good camera (or just use a microscope).
Yep. I was an artist before I became a programmer, and one thing we were taught is that we have to learn to draw/paint from direct observation rather than from photographs. Cameras reduce so much from the real world.
And they are not good at certain kinds of colour subtlety -- even the Foveon sensors struggle with the colours of dim, diffuse light (sunsets etc.) and deep muted colours (the grey-green of ivy leaves for example).
