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Not long ago, digital photos were considered inferior.
Today, the discussion about whether digital photography
is better than film is largely an academic one. Digital
cameras have evolved to the point where the best models
record photos of excellent quality. Digital photos are
now used in any number of ways, including poster-size
enlargements, without concern about the photo appearing,
well, "digital."
Film is good but so are digital images. In most
quarters, the image quality debate is over; however,
significant differences between traditional film
photography and digital photography remain.
Advantages of Digital Photography
Digital photographys advantages are compelling for
photographers of every skill level.
Viewing through the LCD makes taking pictures
easier than ever
Digital is immediate. Because no developing of digital
photos is required, the small LCD screen built into most
digital cameras enables you to see your photo right
after you take it. You can judge whether the picture is
too bright or dark, whether your subjects eyes are
open, or whether the strange photography technique you
just tried actually worked. Used smartly, the instant
feedback offered by the cameras image review screen
saves time and makes you a better photographer.
There are other advantages to the immediacy of digital.
As soon as the picture is taken its ready to be
printed, edited, uploaded to a Web site, sent out in
e-mail, and more. Windows XP makes this process quick
and easy. Overall, the time-saving nature of digital
technology presents new ways to use photos that arent
practical with film.
Digital can be more affordable. Getting started with
digital photography is more costly, at both the consumer
and professional level. But if you like to shoot
pictures, or need to for your business, the initial
expense of digital is quickly offset by what you save on
film, development costs, print costs for all 36
exposures on the roll, and so on.
Digital means shoot, shoot, shoot. A digital camera
offers the freedom to take as many pictures as you want
as often as you like, without worrying about how much
its going to cost to develop all those photos. This
means you can concentrate on getting the best picture,
and not worry about the number of pictures you can
afford. And you can delete the obvious duds from your
memory card as you go.
If you take advantage of the growing capacity of memory
cards, deleting may not be necessary. While a film
camera must be reloaded every 36 frames at most, a
memory card can hold hundreds or even thousands of
photos, depending on its capacity.
Digital offers tremendous control. When youre just
getting started with your digital camera, youll be
grateful for its auto-everything mode. As your interest
in digital photography grows, however, you may wish to
occasionally slip off the training wheels to really see
what the camera;and you as a photographer;can do.
When you;re ready to take that step, your camera will be
too. All but the most rudimentary models offer a measure
of control over white balance (the look of the color in
the photo). Some even have a special mode for black and
white photography.
The ease with which you can adjust the white balance or
record your photos in black and white is like having a
number of different types of film loaded in the camera
at the same time. This isn’t possible with a film
camera, of course. But with digital it is, simply by
changing a setting.
You can also adjust the sensitivity of most digital
cameras to better match when youre outdoors in bright
light or indoors in dim light. All this makes it easier
to be creative, or to simply set up your camera
optimally for the sort of scene your photographing.
A film camera can offer the same flexibility, but it
means toting around a dozen or more different film types
and changing film often, even when the roll isn’t
finished. With digital, its just a twist of a dial or a
flick of a switch.
The possibilities of digital are endless. The photo is
taken, and a few seconds later its sitting on your
memory card. Moments after that it can be on your
computer. With Windows XP, your photo is then ready to
be shared as a print from your desktop printer, as a
poster or greeting card from an online print service or
as an attachment to an e-mail. It can also be published
to a Web page, written to a CD or displayed as part of
an on-screen slide show.
Advantages of Traditional Film Photography
The advantages of film photography are few. But dont
let the short list fool you. Films strengths may not be
numerous, but they are powerful.
Image quality doesnt depend solely on the camera. Even
a camera that is light on features can, with a lens of
reasonable quality and using high-quality film, produce
spectacular photos. A fancier camera with the same type
of film loaded wont necessarily produce photos that
look better. Put another way, you dont need a great
film camera to take great-looking photos. Image quality
is more a function of the film selected than of the
camera its loaded into.
By comparison, the image quality of a digital camera is
inextricably linked to the camera itself. And by and
large, the cameras that offer the best image quality are
also the ones with the most features. When selecting a
camera, its critical that you opt for one that has both
the features you want and the image quality you need.
Changing your mind later means more than switching the
type of film you use it means getting a new digital
camera.
Film provides a lower cost of entry to photography.
Digital is touted as being more affordable than film.
The truth of that is undeniable, but only when the
savings on film and processing are realized by shooting
lots of photos. If you only haul out a camera
occasionally, and take few photographs when you do, then
the cost of an entry-level film camera, as well as the
expense of film over an extended period, wont add up to
the cost of even the most basic digital camera.
Film cameras are easier. The relative simplicity of
film, and the years of effort camera manufacturers have
put into designing cameras for it, means that film
cameras are easy to learn and use.
By their very nature, digital cameras present a steeper
learning curve. The cameras are more complex, plus
theres often software to learn.
Digital is getting simpler all the time, but it will
take some time before its as straightforward as film.
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