If you’re looking into buying a new camera, read Part 1 of this series for advice on choosing the brand of the camera. This post will explore the two different types of cameras: digital, or film?
In our digital era, it may be very tempting or reflexive to choose the digital option. After all, what is better than a device that can immediately display pictures after its capture, where millions can be stored or deleted without any financial investment? Truth be told, there might be more to the film cameras than you think! As the cliche goes, never judge a book by its cover, or a camera by its functions. Let us embark upon a time-travelling journey…
2. Type of Camera: Digital or Film
Photography is as much about the subject matter as the feeling the photograph gives its viewers. Digital photograph may have its merits, but never underestimate what film can bring to the table. Here are some characteristics of the types of cameras:
Digital
- Easy storage: An SD card and a computer is all you need; errors can be made without pain.
- Easy manipulation: Whether it be Photoshop, Adobe Lightroom, or Instagram, the quality of the picture can easily be changed. Anyone can become Andy Warhol.
- Cheap: That is, after the purchase of the camera. There is no need to pay extra for taking pictures.
- Crisp and clear images: Cameras are incredibly powerful these days. The smallest ant on a tree can be captured a mile away. However, mood and atmosphere of images is less distinct.
- Compact and light: Or, it can be, depending upon the type of digital camera.
- Consistent and for every occasion: Great for travelling, birthday parties, afternoon tea. Not to mention underwater snorkelling and mountain-scaling. Pictures are consistent in quality.
- Everyone’s using them: Social media websites can easily share your pictures without wait, but photographs are more generic and there is less of an appreciation for image quality (twenty pictures of the same sandwich, anyone?)
Film
- Atmosphere and mood of images: Nostalgic- and vintage-styled; with personality.
- Requires film: This is a no-brainer. Films cost money and most cameras can only take approximately 30 to 35 pictures with a standard roll of 35mm film. However, there are many different types of film that can be explored!
- Spontaneous: Quite frankly, you have no idea how your photographs are going to turn out, unless you’re really familiar with the workings of your film camera.
- The wait: Film requires time to be developed. Though it might seem irritating to take every roll of film to London Drugs or Costco to get it developed (which usually takes around three hours), a lot of film camera lovers really anticipate this wait. Christmas every day, I guess. Also, the scanning process takes quite a while and can get pricey. It’s a good idea if you buy a $50 scanner off Ebay and D-I-Y!
- Appreciation for photography: Once you have a limited amount of resources – assuming you don’t have the finances to get a thousand film rolls – you’ll start to think about what you really want to capture. Image quality increases drastically. (Instead of those twenty, blurred pictures of that sandwich, you’ll have a gourmet-worthy one.)
- Less people are using them: If you want to be different, go for it!
“For me, the camera is a sketch book, an instrument of intuition and spontaneity.” – Henri Cartier-Bresson