| The choice between digital or film cameras is an | | | | appears longer in focal length (more of a telephoto |
| extremely personal choice. Digital technology has | | | | look!). |
| made photography cheaper in the long run and easier | | | | Different brands have different multiplication factors. |
| than ever before. | | | | With a Nikon, you need to multiply the lens length, |
| There is an instant gratification with using a digital | | | | which is written on the lens (we will learn more about |
| camera to take photographs. You can shoot the | | | | this later) by 1.5, with a Canon it is multiplied by1.6. You |
| image, review, and know immediately what needs to | | | | can check online or with the manufacturer of your |
| be changed. This can be a lifesaver with landscape | | | | camera to see what you need to multiply your lens |
| photography; imagine being in a once in a lifetime | | | | length by. |
| location or having an especially delicate light. If you | | | | This is more of a problem with wide-angle lenses for |
| have made a mistake with film photography, you may | | | | digital cameras, as a 28mm wide angle becomes |
| not discover it until the roll has been developed. With | | | | smaller once the multiplication sum has been done. |
| digital, you know instantly. | | | | There are new, made for digital lenses being released |
| Digital cameras are also useful if you are a beginner. If | | | | to address the wide angle issue, but for now, they are |
| you can identify a problem with your photograph | | | | expensive to purchase. |
| instantly, you can then go ahead and correct it, or at | | | | When it comes to film cameras, there are still those |
| least try to. With film there must be a development | | | | that prefer the look of film images to digital. This is a |
| stage, and by then, you may have forgotten what | | | | personal preference, although film purists say they love |
| settings you used, and what the problem was. | | | | to zoom into an image and see the grains of silver as |
| Also the developing is cheaper and easier, provided | | | | opposed to a mush of pixels! |
| you have a computer and printer. Images can be | | | | With a film camera, there is the excitement of |
| downloaded, emailed and adjusted on programmes | | | | receiving a set of prints back and seeing how well you |
| such as Adobe Photoshop in an instant. They can be | | | | did. If you have a manual SLR camera, which does not |
| printed cheaply in a professional or online lab, or you | | | | require heavy rechargeable batteries, there is the |
| can print them at home on photo paper. There is no | | | | benefit of not having to carry spare power sources, |
| need to print every image, just the best of the bunch. | | | | as digital photographers have to do. You can easily go |
| The downside to digital? | | | | to a local store and buy standard fit batteries for your |
| Firstly there is the issue of preservation; there are | | | | film SLR camera. |
| many tales of hard drives crashing or being stolen, or | | | | Memory cards, which digital photographers must buy |
| of CDs that held thousands of images being damaged. | | | | to store their images on, can become corrupt without |
| Unlike film, where there is the negative to rely on, digital | | | | notice, which means that their images are irretrievable. |
| images are intangible and most of the time, stored on | | | | There is unlikely to be this problem with film, although |
| computers. | | | | developing labs do make mistakes and develop a roll |
| The answer to this is to always create back ups of | | | | badly. |
| your work. Another good idea is to upload them onto | | | | Also, when you are choosing a roll of film, you must |
| an online server or photo sharing site - this means that | | | | pick an ISO rating (more on this later). If you have a roll |
| if all your computers broke and you sat on all of your | | | | that has 36 frames and the weather conditions |
| CDs, a copy of the images still exist in cyber space. | | | | suddenly change, you cannot just swap the film over |
| With a digital camera you have to be careful that you | | | | to a more suitable type - you have to finish the entire |
| do not spend so much time editing an image, or | | | | roll first. |
| deleting unsuitable ones that you forget to actually | | | | Summary. |
| spend time taking a good picture. It is always worth | | | | To be realistic, at the time of writing (2008), digital is the |
| keeping images you think are poor at the time and | | | | way that many photographers are turning and the |
| take a good look at them on a full screen monitor as | | | | way the consumer market is going. Digital offers |
| you cannot always see the small details on the | | | | instant feedback and is easy to edit and easy to |
| camera's LCD screen. | | | | share. Film takes longer to process and processing |
| Another important point with digital cameras is that | | | | charges are going up since it is less profitable for |
| there is a 'magnification' factor. This means that if you | | | | companies to run labs. Film is unpredictable and |
| use a film lens with a digital camera, you may not | | | | although the element of surprise can be nice, in a |
| necessarily get the image you expect. This is because | | | | professional environment you may not have the |
| digital SLRs have a smaller sensor than that of a | | | | second chance if your shots do not work out. A digital |
| 35mm film camera negative (which is 24x36mm). So | | | | set up may cost more initially (since you would need a |
| using a film lens which covers the 24 x 36mm format | | | | computer), so consider both pros and cons before |
| on a digital SLR which has a 15 x 22mm sensor | | | | deciding. |
| effectively makes the image slightly cropped, or | | | | |