Digital Vs film

[Gliderparentntn]

I'm sure this debate will never end but with todays technology in digital cameras, can one say that in todays world digital images will produce better pictures on an overall basis over film?


I ask this for the purpose of building a new updated home theater system and am looking to replace my standard movies with the new Blu Ray formats in HD
on another thread I was told only a coulpe moves were actually produced using a true HD camera and everything else is still produced using film, and was told film still had a better picture than digital in movies.

[Karl C]

I'm sure this debate will never end but with todays technology in digital cameras, can one say that in todays world digital images will produce better pictures on an overall basis over film?

Film still has more dynamic and tonal range than digital. However, as manufacturers improve their sensor with better technology, I expect at some point in the future, digital will surpass the quality of film.

Personally, I think there is one genre where film will always beat digital - B&W. Also, MF and LF.

[Zansho]

Medium Format and Large format View Cameras are still being used today in film shoots. It's hard to beat the quality of a 4x5 Large Format View Camera with chrome film and a good quality scanner - resolution that'll beat just about anything short of a Hasselblad digital.

On one hand, Digital has the advantage of instant gratification - you can see your shots in real time, and make your adjustments on the fly. Film... you have to wait to see your results, and adjust way later before it even comes to "light" on paper. I like digital sometimes for soft proofing the image, then I shoot it with the Large format in film - mainly for product shots.

However, the bulk of my work is wedding and portrait. Can you imagine bringing a Large Format Cambo or Toyo View camera to a wedding? Jeez, I'd go nuts composing all those bellows adjustments, focal planes, and adjusting my focus for just one shot. Digital SLR is where it's at. :D

[sandro9mm]

I love my film toys so much :) especially in love with lomo

but yeah today, I kinda prefer the tone color depth of the film... but I can always imitate that feeling in photoshop

[sjones]

Digital photography is still at its infancy stage, and it will be interesting to see how it progresses over the next decade, let alone beyond that. Still, affordable digital systems, and I'll arbitrarily define that as up to US$3,000 (which is beyond my personal budget), are limited to DSLRs and compacts. It is questionable if certain systems, including the medium format Holga, the TLR, or large format, will ever make the digital conversion.

For the vast majority of photographers who only shoot digital, the loss of these systems as an option is likely inconsequential. However, I look forward to trying most of these cameras, as they each add a different approach to the photographic process, which to me is as important as 'getting the shot.' I can point an SLR at a stranger on the street, but it's a bit easier to do with a rangefinder. I would assume that using a square format 6X6 medium format would pose its own set of unique compositional considerations, and no, cropping precious resolution from a digital shot would not be the same.

To be sure, I'll be looking to see how digital quality advances, but a digital rangefinder that produces black & whites with the depth and resolution of its film counterpart and for, say, under US$1,200; probably not for some time.

[Wilt]

Unfortunately all comparisons done between digital and film dwell solely on resolution, and ignore other factors. This is like comparing MP3 files to analog records on the basis of frequency range only...and ignoring the fact that digital music on MP3 is horridly compressed. Similarly, film in larger (medium, large) formats has a range of tonality and color reproduction which is only approximated in the narrow dynamic range and 4096 levels of intensity in digital images.

OTOH, for noise free high ISO shots, nothing compares to digital!

Also B&W digital shots are laughable in quality, compared to silver halide prints!!!