Digital Photography

The Switch from Film to Digital

Having been a film photographer since 1973, I have always been partial to the look of film. I firmly resisted the temptation of the switch to digital photography, believing the quality of film to be better, and for good reason.

In 1973, the fastest film was ASA (now ISO) 80, if you were shooting color, and Tri-X Black and White film (the same as you can still buy today) was ASA 400. A few years later, Kodak introduced Kodacolor 400, and it was the worst looking film ever. Although Kodak told us it was the only film we would ever need, and was ideal for outdoor use, it could not be used outside in bright sunlight without making anything that resembled sky look solid white. Kodak eventually improved the quality of ASA 400 film. Over time, all film improved. the fast films got better, even allowing for outdoor use. The slow, fine grained films got even better. Film has improved every year since, resulting in extremely high resolution prints and transparencies. The resolution of medium and large format film, in my opinion, are still unreachable by existing digital technology.

I traded a 4x5 view camera (an extra one) for a Digital Single Lens Reflex (DSLR) camera in 2005, and I haven't used my 35mm cameras much since! I only use 35mm film if someone needs a slide for projection. All of my 35mm lenses and flash units fit and worked perfectly on the DSLR.

That's not to say I no longer use film - note that it was an extra 4x5 camera I traded. I generally only use one large format camera at a time.

I still use film in many other formats - all larger than 35mm.

Digital Imaging - DSLR or Point & Shoot

Digital images are very forgiving in many ways. The rectangular pixels have an enormous capacity for enlargement, provided they start out small enough. There is a difference between the point-and-shoot cameras that most people use and DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex) cameras that are designed for the more advanced users and professional photographers. The difference goes beyond the fact that the latter are designed to utilize many accessories to enhance the user's experience. The imaging sensors are different.

A 10 megapixel (10 million pixel) point-and-shoot camera and a 10 megapixel DSLR will take entirely different quality photographs. Whereas the point-and-shoot will usually yield an excellent photograph, don't try to enlarge it much beyond 8x10, or the individual pixels will start to show up, giving you a through-the-screen-door look. The same image taken with most 10 megapixel DSLR cameras will be able to be enlarged to 16x20 or larger before the dreaded "jaggies" start to show up.

The reasons for this are many. First of all, you can only fit so much lens capacity into such a small package. Something has to go, and lens quality is probably it. DSLRs use high quality corrected lenses with many elements to correct distortions and lend flare. Most P&S cameras have much simpler and smaller lens designs, some made with molded plastic elements rather than highl quality glass elements. Next is the size of the image sensor. The smaller the sensor, the less overall resolution you will get from it. Just like film, the more you have to enlarge from the original information recorded, the grainier (pixelier, if that's a word) the resulting photo will look. Don't even think of building a tiny camera with a tiny flash 1/2 inch from the lens that will give you a natural looking picture. These are just a few of the reasons for the difference in quality you will usually get with a point-and-shoot digital camera. They have their place. Most consumers don't need a camera that takes a Sherpa guide to carry all of the accessories to get family and vacation pictures, and they are perfectly happy with the 4x6 prints they get from the drug store.

There are a few point-and-shoot cameras (1 or 2 from each of the quality manufacturers) that defy this rule, but you pay for the extra quality. They sometimes come close to the price of some DSLRs. These cameras are usually a bit larger and heavier than their counterparts, and some have the capacity for adding extra flash units to get the light away from the lens. These are very convenient, and I sometimes carry one as a backup camera, or even sometimes (perish the thought) leave the heavy bag at home and carry my trusty point-and-shoot!

Is a DSLR for everyone? No. The convenience of a point and shoot digital camera far outweighs the quality of output for many users. Some people will never enlarge their photos beyond 8x10, or only intend to print everything in snapshot size for an album. Some may only email their photos. For those people, a DSLR doesn't make sense.