For the past few years, digital cameras have revolutionised photography. The photography become more popular as more people has been inspired and sharing the passion for photography. And there are still some of them asking the question if digital photography is better then film.
I have been using film cameras and the digital ones too. For me, the most important criteria was the quality of the printed photograph. Film provides superior quality enlargements, even though darkroom printing has all but died out. These days, you can get a high-resolution scan from the original film, and print photos digitally. This process gives you a better quality enlargement than a print from a digital camera. And I am talking about big enlargements here – A2 and larger.
But let’s face it, how many of us will ever print a photo larger than 8×12 inch? Or in fact, how many of us ever print the photos at all? The day of the photo album has passed. Most photos today will only exist as digital files. We share them in emails, on websites, use them as screensavers. For many people the idea printed photo is little more than a novelty.
So what does film has to offer? Not to much. Except the high cost of developing and printing (you have to pay for each exposure, even the bad ones). There is a long delay between taking the photo and seeing the result. And if you want to use your photo for any practical purpose, you will probably have to scan it to turn it into a digital file anyway.
Does this mean the digital photography is better than film? In the modern world demanding speed and convenience, yes. You can take all the photos you like at no cost, and see the results instantly. You don’t have to pay to print photos you don’t want, and you can simply delete your unsuccessful images from your camera.
But that is still far from perfect. You already know that digital files are not as good as film for very big enlargements. And there is more to it. The quality of a digital print is a little flatter than a film print. It may have plenty of colour and detail, but for all its advantages, digital photography lead to compromises in quality.
The solution for this, is editing program. It is not difficult to fix your photos to a standard that is as rich and three dimensional as a film print. So where does all this leave us? Is digital better than film? For your purposes, most likely yes. If you are not going to print large, high quality prints, there is really very little reason to stick with film (other than nostalgia). If you are shopping for a camera, make it a digital and take the time to learn how to use it. Photography (film or gigital) is still about focus, aperture, shutter speed, composition and lighting. The digital vs. film debate means nothing, if your camera is switched to auto all the time. Oh, and get to know your computer…you’re going to need it.