Film vs. Digital
During my time in Pearse College photography course I was introduced to film photography. I had to make a lot of mistakes, practice a lot and ask my mentors many questions to find out the pros and cons of shooting film versus digital. Here are the notes I’ve compiled on this topic.
Film
Less shots and film can be expensive -> need to make your shots count.
More barebones, less distracting features
Better skin tones than digital (portra)
More natural, smooth highlights and detail con be recovered
Grain can be aesthetic
Can create a ‘rose tinted glasses ‘ nostalgic feeling with film such askodak porta 400 or gold 200
Pastel colours look great especially with medium format
Expensive to maintain supply film and can be addictive
Great for improving your photography skills
Keeps you in the moment (thinking less about the previous shot and more on the next shot because you can’t review the images before processing.)
35mm film is great for street photography becuase of their compact body and lens size
Can differentiate oneself from the majority of photographers
Digital
LCD screen
More clinical looking (sharper)
Better shadow detail recovery
No reloading & continuous shooting
Faster to upload work
Cheaper to operate
More powerful editing possible with RAW files
Easier to learn and practice with for beginners
Supports autofocus
Red and blue can be too prominent on digital
Better in low light
In conclusion I’d say that digital is the more logical choice. Whereas film is the more emotional choice. I think great art is a combination of logic and emotion expressed through some medium. So if you’re going with logical choice you’ve got to bring some emotion to it. visa versa. For example one might choose a DSLR camera rather than a mirriorless before they feel more comfortable with a optical viewfinder rather than a LCD screen. Or someone might use a film lens on their DSLR becuase it suits their style, even though it might not be as techincally good. If you’re going with the emotional choice i.e film, you’ve got to figure out a logical workflow for; buying film economically, metering, shooting, processing, scanning etc.
I’d use either one depending on my goal or mood on a particular shoot.
Film portra 400 & canon AE-1 on the left, canon 5D mark iv on the right. (Both of these shots have been edited to even out the exposure somewhat)
Notice the detail in the highlight of this film image above. It has a natural and smooth rolloff to white. This give film an advantage in photographing golden hour skies or sillouhettes .
Subjectively, I think lens flares and artefacts are aesthetically pleasing in dreamy or abstract photos. This occurs because most old film lenses do not have the kind anti-glare coatings that modern lenses do.
