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Digital or Film?
"Dollar for dollar no
other capture device can match the information density of film" |
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The
future is finally upon us and we have gone "All Digital." For those that
prefer film for what ever reason we still retain all of our film
capabilities too. The articles below, with updates illustrate the transition
to today's all digital photography and may be of interest to you to read. To
see the precise differences between film and digital both pro and con please
follow this new link, which may help you understand and decide what is best
for your job; Digital & Film Options for the Client This article below was written in 1999, please also see periodic updates at the bottom. Last year [1998] I lost a job because the first and last question a printer's rep asked me was "do you have a digital camera?" In that case his client had instructed him to find a photographer with a digital camera and there was no way of reasoning past that. At that time we had no digital cameras. This may seem strange since over 95% of what I shoot becomes digital once I scan it, manipulate and tweak it on the computer and output it to a digital printer, film-writer, inkjet or press ready file. Why don't I have a digital camera? |
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| The digital revolution is upon us and I
have fully embraced the convergence of the technologies that this has allowed. You may
have noticed from this site the diversity of products and services we offer, all because
of this convergence. It not a far step to create a web site, layout an ad or brochure or
even make a video once the elements are scanned and accessible to the tools a computer
offers and combined with some sound design principles. But only recently have I
entertained the idea of obtaining a digital camera. Here is why. |
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| Dollar for dollar no other capture
device can match the information density of film. Film is cheap. And it is ideal for
"data acquisition". This is because I can shoot a subject from a variety of view
points and at a later date determine which was the most ideal composition and exposure for
a given purpose. You may argue that you can do the same with a digital camera and here is
where the truth comes out. A digital camera which is fast enough the capture and store
multiple images will offer such a low density of information i.e. file size, resolution,
detail, etc. that it is very limited in what it can do. Images cannot afford to be cropped
and can only be used within very limited size restrictions. Additionally the images from
these cameras suffers from compressed contrast, that is the shadows are darker and the
highlights are lighter than film or your eye can detect, much like a video camera. |
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| Now
cameras are available which overcome this limitation. They record so much information that
several are in fact superior to film. Yes, amazing as that sounds, they actually can
record more information and produce larger higher resolutions than most any film. But the
current trade off is that they are relatively large, need to be directly connected to a
computer, are somewhat slow as they must save all of this information and here's the
killer, they cost tens of thousands of dollars. There are sound applications for these
devices, but not within my client base. Even worse, their prices are only going down, but
not fast enough. It's the old paradox, it's cheaper if you can afford to wait. Don't buy a
computer now, wait ten years, they'll be way faster and way cheaper then they are now. Soon the prices on this level of
digital camera will fall into a sensible range. In the meantime the quality of the
consumer and "prosumer" products is quickly reaching up to meet them. Film will
indeed be around for a few more years. At this time it is still the best value I can offer
my clients. We back up on to CD-R all of our scans and digital files, but even more economical is my file system which contains all of the film from the jobs that I've shot in the last 12+ years. Give me a job number or date and I'll find the shot in 2minutes or less. Last year we did invest in a digital video system and upgraded our workstations to edit the results. This camera also shoots digital stills and so I now have a digital camera. This year we purchased a high-end film scanner so we can bring our scans in-house. The new scanner produces nearly 100Mb files from the medium format film we use on most jobs. This results in higher quality and lower prices for our clients. I will likely buy a high-end "prosumer" digital camera this coming year as well. The benefit will most likely fit shots for planning shoots, comps, and product shots that we know are going to be used on a smaller scale. So we, like many imaging professionals are in a state of transition, where various issues and concerns must be weighed. In the end we will use what offers the best value and highest quality to best suit our clients needs. More important than deciding
whether you are for or against digital cameras is to recognize where they currently fit
best in the process. From there it will be a slow but steady migration to an all digital
world. But don't give up on film just yet. |
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So what's your view? Let me know. John@Proshooter.com |
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