Urban75 Home About Offline BrixtonBuzz Contact

The Debate - film vs digital

Ditto. When I first started doing design the computers were a bit shit, and we did not have them at school, ten years later I use one every single day - always online.

I like to get my hands dirty again :)
 
Pie 1 said:
But it ain't film.
Nothing can touch the feeling you get when you flick on a light box and see a 5x4 trannie that's bang on, then you start looking at the depth in it through a lupe...it's almost alive.
Click to expand...

...at about £5 an exposure. I've been wanting to try LF though ever since I saw a 30x40 ciba print from an 8x10. OMG!
 
a thing of rare beauty
RSW-rise1.jpg
 
Film is lovely to work with when you have the time. It's probably more of an art form than digital....but digital is the speedy, clean, universal option.
I used to develop my own b&w film shots and loved the process. I loved the control that I had over every aspect of a photograph even before I clicked the button.
However I can see that digital has endless possibilities and the ability to manipulate images is endless.
For me though, I still think the art of learning how to take a good photograph starts with 35mm film.
 
Film forces you to think before and during the taking if a photograph. You have complete control (if you've a good camera) and you can decide what exposure, shutter speed, take pictures in the dark without flash, and afterwards in the dark room you get to create something unique.
Don't get me wrong...digital is brilliant but I love the photos I took with an old pentax. I also think if you've ever used a dark room and developed your own photos it's a very memorable experience. Something you dont get from digital. But that's only my opinion. I like the speed of digital but the romanticism of film gets me :)
 
bubblesmcgrath said:
Film forces you to think before and during the taking if a photograph. You have complete control (if you've a good camera) and you can decide what exposure, shutter speed, take pictures in the dark without flash, and afterwards in the dark room you get to create something unique.
Click to expand...
But nothing you've said there is different between film and digital :confused:
 
bubblesmcgrath said:
Film forces you to think before and during the taking if a photograph. You have complete control (if you've a good camera) and you can decide what exposure, shutter speed, take pictures in the dark without flash, and afterwards in the dark room you get to create something unique.
Don't get me wrong...digital is brilliant but I love the photos I took with an old pentax. I also think if you've ever used a dark room and developed your own photos it's a very memorable experience. Something you dont get from digital. But that's only my opinion. I like the speed of digital but the romanticism of film gets me :)
Click to expand...
I've noticed that over the last 7 years of using DSLRs, I'm more inclined to think beforehand about the image I want and, take it just with a single shot.
This is in part due to the shear size of each digital image from todays DSLRs, which impact downloading speed, storage and computer performance - but more importantly, it's saves me untold amounts of time faffing around trying to decide which exposure I prefere from 25 shots of the same scene.
So in this sense, your point is invalid for me at least.
 
I saw a set of photos from a club night during the early acid house era that Dave Swindells put up on flickr and linked to on facebook - he uploaded all 36 pictures from the film he took that night (he shot just the one roll of film) and remarked how different that was from today's situation with digital - every shot is really well composed and there's nary a duff one - plus he would have been much more discreet than these days when club photographers are lurking around snapping away for hours
 
RoyReed said:
stowpirate - don't be ridiculous! Either can be as easy or as difficult as you choose to make it.
Click to expand...

Digital in most cases is instant, especially if you have got a mobile smart phone with internet access. Also some of the digitals can now upload straight from camera. The whole concept of digital compacts, tablets etc with ability to display results instantly has made it very easy for those not really interested in serious photography. But yes if you want to fiddle or are taking time over your photography then digital can be more demanding. The OP was asking for opinions not really debate but anyway here we are in that old "film vs digital" debate again!
 
Last edited:
stowpirate said:
film film film FILMmm :thumbs:

Digital is too easy.
Click to expand...

I don't agree. You may miss out the whole "pissing around with chemicals" fun with digital, but getting a good image is still the same challenge, regardless of whether you're using a digital or a film camera. The only thing that makes digital "easier" (which isn't really the right word) is the much broader options for post-processing, but even then, you can still do digital post processing with images from film.
 
stowpirate said:
Digital in most cases is instant, especially if you have got a mobile smart phone with internet access. Also some of the digitals can now upload straight from camera. The whole concept of digital compacts, tablets etc with ability to display results instantly has made it very easy for those not really interested in serious photography. But yes if you want to fiddle or are taking time over your photography then digital can be more demanding. The OP was asking for opinions not really debate but anyway here we are in that old "film vs digital" debate again!
Click to expand...
Kodak made film that easy since the days of the Box Brownie - "You press the button, we do the rest". The only real difference is that it's not instant.

I'm absolutely NOT getting into the debate about film v digital. It's not a contest. Both are equally valid forms of photography, and as I've said before, you can make either as easy or as difficult as you want. And neither is inherently better than the other in any way.
 
ViolentPanda said:
The only thing that makes digital "easier" (which isn't really the right word) is the much broader options for post-processing, but even then, you can still do digital post processing with images from film.
Click to expand...

I was really talking about photography for everybody and not those who see it more as a hobby or job. Mobile phone to social media is instant with no processing normally taking place. Facebook and other social media sites are full of instant photos. I am also guilty of that sin :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Puddy_Tat
Digital Camera Recommendations
Replies
5
Views
590
Puddy_Tat
Puddy_Tat
editor
The Nikon full frame z5II looks to be incredible value
Replies
10
Views
801
editor
editor
editor
Pentax 17 - a new, half frame film camera for the Instagram age
Replies
3
Views
705
editor
editor
N
Free online digital photography courses?
Replies
2
Views
452
RoyReed
RoyReed
weltweit
Lets discuss Artificial Intelligence image and video generation.. indeed ..
Replies
24
Views
1K
Tankus
Tankus
Back
Top Bottom