Despite the current hegemony of digital technology in the photography industry, the debate over whether film photography is better or digital photography continues. Some insist on the uniqueness of film color reproduction and admire the characteristic grain, others persist: a digital photograph can be given any look through processing, and longing for film is nothing more than a nostalgic weakness.

The editors of Bird In Flight collected the most common arguments from both sides and, together with photographer Roman Pashkovsky, conducted an experiment, the purpose of which was to clearly demonstrate the difference between digital and film photography. To do this, they compared photographs taken with the same settings on two cameras with similar technical characteristics: digital Nikon D800 and film Nikon F100 (both with Nikon lens 50mm f/1.4).

Film (left), digital (right). Settings: f/2.8, 1/1600 s, ISO 100.

Advantages of film

• Since shooting with film comes with additional costs, the photographer approaches each shot thoughtfully and doesn't mindlessly click the shutter. The inability to immediately view the footage introduces an element of mystery into the process.
• Everyone can afford to buy an inexpensive film camera and start shooting today.
• Films, especially negative ones, have a much greater photographic latitude (dynamic range) than digital. Simply put, it is better to shoot contrasting and difficultly lit scenes on a negative - the picture will look more realistic. The advantage will be obvious if you use high-quality Fuji Pro film series with sensitivities of 160, 400 and 800 units and Kodak Portra, with sensitivities of 100, 160 and 400 units.
• Those who shoot on film can use rangefinder cameras - they are compact and have a quiet shutter. Digital analogues appeared back in 2006, but are more expensive.
• Grain, unlike digital noise, does not spoil the picture, but sometimes, on the contrary, gives it an artistic look.
• Film cameras are less energy-consuming, so their battery life is noticeably longer.

Film (left), digital (right). Settings: f/1.8, 1/320 s, ISO 100.

Disadvantages of film

• Film, developing, scanning frames - all this costs money.
• The process of obtaining a fingerprint is quite labor-intensive.
• If a photographer does not have his own laboratory at home, he always depends on a developing studio.
• Film storage requires special conditions.
• For further use of a film frame in programs, it must be digitized, and scanning always leads to a loss of image quality.

Film (left), digital (right). Settings: f/5, 1/640 s, ISO 100.

Advantages of numbers

• Digital cameras do not waste time rewinding frames, so they work faster and are better suited for shooting reports, sports and other dynamic events.
• You can store incomparably more photos on a memory card than on film, and it itself does not take up much space.
• Images can be viewed immediately.
• To edit a photo, you don't need to bother digitizing it. In addition, most DSLRs can save images in RAW format, which allows you to adjust settings after shooting.
• Many digital cameras can shoot video.
• Digital shooting allows you to control photosensitivity and white balance - parameters that, in the case of film, are strictly tied to the photographic material.

Film (left), digital (right). Settings: f/2.8, 1/400 s, ISO 100.

Disadvantages of numbers

• The cost of the camera is usually higher.
• Budget digital cameras do not convey the gradation of bright parts of the image well and make the photo too contrasty.
• The matrix needs to be cleaned periodically. Otherwise, small particles accumulate on it, which are noticeable in photographs taken at long exposures.
• If your hard drive is damaged, your photo archive may be destroyed. Films suffer less often.

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Comments:

Dmitry Nikolaev

Well, only the negative has a large photographic latitude, because of this, tonal compression of the image occurs. With a slide it’s the other way around - a small input range and a huge output range. Regarding resolution, a modern full-frame camera will still produce more details than a 35mm film camera (it all depends on the scanner). Plus film processing: most of the laboratories have closed, the rest work only with the S-41 process and only with 135th film, for those who develop bw or 120th big city only a few people, not counting those who, like me, for example, manifest on their own. There are only a few reasons to tinker with film: black and white and medium format. Well, yes, the process, of course - it’s really addictive, it’s worth trying at least for the last stage, when you take the spiral out of the tank after washing, plop it into the wetting agent and unroll the film with pictures that came from God knows where)

15.12.2015 - 02:49:06

Sergey Kirillovich Vinogradov

I'm an old, washed-up film-maker. Before digital, I shot on film for thirty-five years. I still look at my film camera and my hands reach out to take it, not the digital one, with me. And only rationalism wins: I take film very rarely. I am ready to argue with some statements. For example: “Film cameras use less energy, so their battery life is noticeably longer.” This is not true. The Minolta a707si film DSLR, for example, guarantees the owner 25 films from one battery. This means about 900 frames. The Sony DSLR-a580 digital SLR allows you to take more than 1000 (one thousand) frames on a freshly charged battery. At least one flow level. there are several other comments, let's say the matrix size is not mentioned, despite the fact that the film is always FF, and this is a very serious argument in favor of the film. Then the current film is AS A RULE scanned or re-photographed on a digital digital camera and then processed in FS. Further. The cost of photographic films and their processing has almost tripled over the past year and has become very difficult for a novice amateur, who is now cheaper to buy a not-so-cool digital camera and begin to hone his photography skills on it. The cost of old film cameras has also increased today and amounts to 600-800 US dollars. Based on this, it is clear that some of the authors' recommendations today... at least for this time, are outdated. I cannot recommend the article for social networks, I don't want to be disappointed.

27.12.2015 - 05:26:17

Vitaly

I have already had occasion to speak out on this topic, which has now become a topical one, somewhere here. Let me say this again. Perhaps this will be useful to someone.
It would seem that no one else but me could sing hosannas to film, praising its merits and advantages over digital. Well, judge for yourself, I have more than forty years of work with film and optical printing, hundreds of prestigious exhibitions all over the planet together with almost all the masters of world art photography, as well as the highest world awards in the field of photography, and much more.... And therefore, I think it is difficult to suspect me of amateurism or bias, and let someone who has achieved more in photography throw a stone at me after what I say next.
The Great Digital Revolution has happened! She freed the masses from the shackles of photographic routine. People now have cameras in their hands with fantastic capabilities that could not have been dreamed of just recently. And it depends only on you whether they will become a simple instrument for recording the surrounding reality or an instrument of creativity. It seems like - create, invent, try!
But no! There are also people who, contrary to the obvious, still talk about the superiority of film over “digital”, about the romance of a dark bathroom with a red lantern, about some mythical “noble film grain”.
In response to these maxims, I want to say the following. Of course, even today there are areas of photography where film is preferable to digital. However, these types of photography are far beyond the needs of not only ordinary amateur photographers, but also the vast majority of professionals. And if someone does not see the qualitative superiority of “digital” even in the work of experienced craftsmen, then he should contact an ophthalmologist.
In our time, photographing on film is justified only out of curiosity. In all other cases - clean water stupidity, just like going to another city on a cart. Today this is the lot of all sorts of enthusiasts who have not seen the era of analogue photography, and fixated and mossy mastodons who do not want to adequately perceive reality.

05.01.2016 - 21:42:29

Sergey Sergeev

I’ll warn you right away - I’m not a professional photographer, but an electrical engineer by education and an IT specialist by profession. Well, and an amateur photographer with over 30 years of experience. I use both digital and film equipment (if anyone is interested, everything is on my resume).
And, this is my personal opinion, as a technician - of course, purely theoretical - in practice everything is somewhat different and more complicated (or, conversely, simpler :-)).
Theoretically, a digital Bayer matrix will never produce the same picture as photographic film. The reason for this is as simple as 5 Soviet kopecks. This reason is the single-layer matrix. The matrix consists of individual photodetectors, each of which perceives only 1/3 (!!!) of the color information of the image area. The remaining information is interpolated. That is, in reality the matrix registers only a third (!) of the color information from the light flux incident on it! The rest is “thought out”, calculated by the camera processor (RAW converter) using some algorithms! The digital camera “lies” to us by more than 60% (but, for the sake of truth, it lies skillfully! :-)) That’s it, curtain! This is the main and insurmountable (as far as I know) on currently, reason.
There have been attempts to make three-layer matrices (Foveon X3 from Fuji and some other from Nikon). But other problems arise there, which, as far as I know, have not been resolved so far.
Concerning practical side question - here you, dear photographers, know everything better than me - and, dear Vitaly, (see previous post) is absolutely right.

Film photography is making a comeback. Film manufacturers are expanding factories and purchasing new equipment. There is an increasing interest among photographers in analog photography. Many young people don’t even know how to work with film. This is a completely unusual experience for them. Let's figure out what's good about shooting on film and what difficulties those who decide to take up the old technology will have to face.

1 Film cameras are durable and practically never become obsolete

Many companies have been producing the same model of film camera for decades and do not update its technical part. Devices like the Nikon FM2 or Leica M2/M3 can easily last you a lifetime and won't require upgrading. Thanks to periodic maintenance, even cameras that are half a century old can work like new.

2 Available use of different formats

Film technology is much cheaper than modern digital cameras. You can try shooting not only on 35mm film, but also in smaller or larger formats. Cameras such as Yashica, Pentacon 6, Mamiya and Kiev88 will cost quite a bit, but you can still get wonderful bokeh and amazing detail on large formats.

3 Skin tone and colors

Good film such as Fuji Pro 400H and Kodak Portra produce amazing skin tones. This is the most vibrant film in terms of color. Each type of film has its own unique characteristics. Nowadays many photographers are trying to imitate Photoshop effect film, its color and character.

4 The use of film technology forces improvement

Digital photography is forgiving, and automatic modes allow you to take the guesswork out of it. Working with film, you learn so many subtleties about photography that would never be revealed to you with digital technology. You will become more accurate, warmer, learn to anticipate moments, better build a composition, understand the depth of field and focus area, and, of course, learn to see light and use a light meter to select the optimal camera settings.

5 A good film camera never loses its value

High-quality analog photographic equipment does not lose its value over the years. Digital technology is becoming cheaper every year. New models are released very often and obsolescence, as well as the emergence of more advanced models, depreciate the value of digital cameras of previous years.

6 Learn to work with photos in a darkroom rather than in Lightroom

By developing film and working with a photo enlarger, you can achieve various effects, similar to what you do in image editors with digital photography.

7 Feel

We all know how music lovers feel about recordings on vinyl records. They say vinyl sounds more organic than CD. Many photographers try to imitate the texture, grain and color rendition of film, but replicating its wide dynamic range and capturing the same detail is nearly impossible digitally.

8 The film allows you to concentrate

After a day of shooting with a digital camera, we come back with 1000 RAW photos that still need to be processed. From these, you can select a maximum of a hundred pictures that are suitable for at least some use. All the work of sorting and editing will take a lot of time. After a day of shooting on film, you will receive about 40 photographs and each of them will be thought out, weighed and taken with maximum efficiency. Film requires virtually no processing, regardless of whether you digitize it or print it on paper.

Advantages:

• appearance
• You will become a better photographer
• Film saves your time
• Film photography is accessible if you know what you're doing
• Stunning bokeh, colors and dynamic range

Flaws:

• Old cameras are difficult to repair due to lack of spare parts
• You have to work hard to get good shots.
• Requires more effort to get photos

Many professional photographers prefer to work with film. The disadvantages cannot outweigh all the advantages for those who are interested in taking really good pictures. Even cinema is returning to film.

One question remains unanswered: who can use film cameras, and for whom are these devices completely unsuitable?

If you are a sports photographer or photojournalist, then shooting on film cannot be best choice. But for anyone who wants to shoot great portraits, landscapes or architecture, no better choice than analog photography.

A recent experience in which he had the opportunity to compare film and analog photography in high resolution. Let's find out what the difference is between the two options.

“For a recent project I was tasked with photographing a Hot Rod. It was interesting from the very beginning, because this car is quite rare in my area. The owner asked for his dog to sit on the fender of the car and for the image to be huge. 100 megapixels is too little for him, he wanted three times more.

A medium format digital camera can produce 100 megapixels from a single frame. These cameras are not that easy to rent where I live, and they are very expensive. I decided to stitch a panorama using digital reflex camera Canon 5D Mark III with Canon 100mm Macro lens and Nodalninja panoramic head. I also shot with analogue equipment - I took my large-format Linhof Master Technika camera with Kodak Portra 160 VC film.

To stitch a panorama with a dog, it was necessary to take the right frame with the animal. It was more difficult to shoot with the Linhof Master Technika, having parameters of 1/18 sec and F/11. Fortunately, the dog turned out to be quite calm and patient. I only used 4 sheets of film.

In the end I got enough resolution with both cameras - each image is about 300 megapixels. Linhof - with one frame (scanned in high resolution), and Canon - with 24 separate frames.

After several hours of work, I came up with two versions. I had to tinker with post-processing because there were midges stuck in the grille, one tire was a strange color, and the tread grooves were filled with pebbles and grass.

Finished digital photo:

Finished film photograph:

For fun, you can compare 100% cropped images:

Number

Film

Number

Film

Number

Film

The client ultimately chose the analog version. The car looks much better on it. I am sure that similar cameras were in use when this car was just launched.

With the advent of the era of digital photography, many loudly declared that film was virtually dead. After all, modern digital technology provides the photographer with many opportunities. The entire shooting process is automated, and even a person who is far from photography can take high-quality and interesting pictures using a compact or SLR digital camera. However, today there are still many people who prefer to shoot with film cameras. It can be said that rumors of death film photography turned out to be somewhat exaggerated. Why is film still popular? What makes her so special? What are the advantages and what are the main features of film photography? This is what we will try to figure out.

With the advent of digital photographic equipment, all photographers seemed to be divided into two camps. Some say that film photography is just a relic of the past and that using digital technology it is much easier to obtain high-quality images. Others believe that film photography has several important advantages over digital photography, and therefore remains very relevant to enthusiast photographers. In fact, there are not many differences between digital and film photography, because they both use a light-sensitive element as a means of capturing the image. Only in film photography this element is a mixture of crystals deposited on a transparent film, and in digital photography it is the camera matrix.

Thus, the difference between film and digital photography comes down to the way photographic images are recorded and stored. In film photography, light passing through the camera lens is focused on the surface of the film, causing a change in the optical density of the silver salts in the photosensitive emulsion. This main photosensitive element of photographic film, when exposed to light, changes its characteristics in proportion to exposure.

Proponents of the opinion that film photography is reaching its end last days, there are many arguments. Firstly, with the help of digital photographic equipment you get the finished result much faster, because there is no need to work with film, each time looking for negative materials for the desired frame, and then developing the film in a darkroom or at home.

Secondly, the shooting process itself is much more convenient and faster. The user of a digital camera can compose the frame and have full control of the picture based on the LCD display. If necessary, you can quickly adjust the exposure and the necessary settings and immediately see the result on the screen. You can also immediately see the photos you just took and delete the ones you don’t like.

Third, the advantage of digital photography over traditional film photography is that all captured images are stored as digital code. This means that digital photographs can be easily stored in the camera's memory, saved on various media, and transferred to a computer, other cameras or printing devices. Photos can be easily printed as many times as you like if they are saved digitally.

With film photography it's different. Photos you like are usually stored in photo albums, but often there is a need to restore lost or slightly damaged photographs. This requires reprinting the photos. This means that the photographer also has to store an archive of film negatives, which must be handled very carefully.

In addition, modern digital cameras are certainly superior in functionality to their film counterparts. Many functions and special shooting modes have already been invented for a wide variety of situations. It is enough for a photographer to turn the wheel on the camera body and he can take high-quality pictures in any lighting conditions.

The quality of digital photographic equipment and optics for it is also constantly growing. With each new model of digital camera, the size and resolution of the light-sensitive matrix increase, the shooting speed and the number of available settings increase. Many also believe that digital photography is cheaper than film photography, because there are no costs for purchasing negative materials, developing and a good scanner.

To summarize, we can say that digital is captivating, first of all, for its efficiency and simplicity, the ease of storing and placing finished photographs, as well as the ability to correct the results obtained using software. It seems that the advantages of digital photography are obvious. Why are there still people who prefer film when there is a seemingly simpler, faster and more convenient way to get high-quality photographs?

Advantages of film photography

The efficiency and simplicity of digital photographic equipment is more suitable for commercial photography and for those amateurs who do not want to spend too much time and effort on their passion for photography. Traditional film photography today is more focused on photographers who love creativity and experimentation. With a film camera, all the work is done by the photographer himself, which means he must thoroughly understand how it works physical process creating a frame and how correctly he should adjust the exposure. Accordingly, here the photographer is much more involved in the process of creating a picture, which helps him better understand the basics of photography.

Film forces the photographer not to click the shutter in vain. Here it is not possible, like digitally, to click a hundred pictures and then choose the one that turned out best. In film photography, you have to check every shot, analyzing and thinking through every detail. Thus, film photography forces a person to think and analyze every future photograph, as a result of which he grows in his skill.

Because nothing in film photography can be easily removed or erased, the photographer begins to appreciate each subsequent frame much more. He learns to measure exposure more accurately and monitor the construction of the correct composition. Working with a film camera allows you to practice basic skills and learn how to photograph in the full sense of the word, and not just by pressing the shutter button.

In addition, film photography is very disciplined for the photographer, since he cannot see the end result before it is shot. Thanks to this, you inevitably try to shoot more productively, so as not to make mistakes in the little things. The joy of anticipation from developing film is also that strong emotional moment that makes photographers turn to film again and again.

Until recently, there was a widespread belief that film photography was superior to digital photography in terms of the quality of photographs. First of all, this is justified by the fact that the standard frame available in film photography has a 35 mm format and its size is 36 x 24 mm. In digital photography, a light-sensitive matrix is ​​used, the size of which is smaller than the format of a standard frame on film. And, as you know, the smaller the physical dimensions of the photosensitive matrix, the lower the quality of the photographs and the fewer details in the picture. The matrix sizes of many digital cameras are smaller than the standard frame format of 35 mm film, or the cameras simply have a truncated matrix. However, many modern digital cameras have already been able to catch up with film cameras in this regard.

Another explanation for the advantage of film photography comes down to film's greater resolution and wider dynamic range. However, here too, digital photographic equipment last years took a significant step forward. As for the dynamic range, which characterizes the smoothness of tonal transitions in a photographic image, film negatives really exceed the capabilities of photosensitive matrices. However, when printing negatives onto paper, the dynamic range is significantly narrowed, as a result of which some details are lost and the image overall becomes more monotonous.

All these advantages of film photography, associated with the use of a standard frame, higher resolution or wider dynamic range, of course, depend on the specific model of photographic equipment. However, almost all photography enthusiasts, when looking at film photographs, note their incredible color rendition and amazing detail, which gives a real presence effect. With the right choice of negative materials and proper settings of the scanner using a film machine, you can obtain photographs that are superior in quality and color saturation to frames from digital matrices.

However, this difference is mainly visible in larger photographs, where soft, smooth transitions between colors, an abundance of detail in the shadows and in highly lit areas, and excellent image contrast are clearly visible. If we're talking about about a standard photograph measuring 10x15 cm, then it is virtually impossible to discern a serious difference between film and digital photography. Many adherents of film photography believe that the combination of colors on film is more artistic and complete than in digital. Thanks to this, film photography seems to acquire a certain “vitality” and spiritual warmth.

The fact that in film photography photographs also need to be developed is for many a significant disadvantage compared to digital. For others, developing photographs is no less exciting a process than the shooting itself. In addition, developing and printing images provides the photographer with a lot of opportunities for various experiments. There are those people who simply go crazy from developing their films in a dark bathroom. Therefore, developing photographs, if desired, can also be considered one of the advantages of film.

Of course, the fashion for film photography continues due to the fact that for many people it is a subject of nostalgia for earlier times and the works of old masters. Film photography is also popular among young people, because in our time, when almost every second person has a digital camera, a film camera in their hands is something that makes them feel original and unusual.

Thus, the film still retains its relevance for many reasons. Of course, it has practically left the professional segment, but remains interesting to many amateurs. For those who love to learn, experiment, comprehend the basics of photographic skill, as well as those who try to understand the entire technology of photography as such.

With the advent of digital photography, film photography lost its position among both professionals and amateur photographers. In many ways, this is justified - the advantages and accessibility of digital photography are known and undeniable. But even now film photography is not dead; it has a stable number of supporters. Moreover, many amateur photographers, especially young ones, want to try their hand at this. I am sure that there would be much more of them, but I am stopped by the well-established opinion that film photography is not only a difficult matter, but also very financially expensive.

Let's try to refute these claims. Of course, photographic film and paper are not cheap now, but if you analyze it, it turns out that in the Soviet Union taking up photography required large financial costs, but there were millions of amateur photographers in the USSR.

Let's try to “assemble” a set of photographic equipment typical for the average Soviet amateur photographer.

Let's start with the camera. Many people probably remember that perhaps the most common cameras in the 70-80s were the FED or Zorki, which cost 60-80 rubles. Zenit in those days was almost “space”, not only did it cost 100-110 rubles (Zenit E) and 140 (Zenit TTL), but it was also difficult to buy - times were scarce. And many, including me, were generally content with scale cameras - Smena-8M for 15 rubles, Smena-Symbol for 23 rubles or Vilia-Auto. I don’t remember how much Vilia cost, I think it was about 40 rubles. I will not consider medium format at all due to the fact that photo enlargers for medium format were practically unavailable; for example, Azov cost 700 rubles. And the cameras themselves were very expensive, except for the Amateur - this one cost either 20 or 30 rubles. And Kyiv-60 for 690 or Salyut for 900 rubles were naturally “out of reach.”

Photo enlargers were also not cheap, although they lasted for decades and were passed on from generation to generation. Most of my friends had either the simple UPA, or Leningrad. I got a Smena from the 60s from my father. I don’t remember exactly how much the cheapest photo enlarger cost then, but in my opinion, 15-20 rubles.

Well, and more examples of prices from our Soviet past - exposure meter Sverdlovsk - 47 rubles, Jupiter-9 lens - 140 rubles, photo tank 1 ruble 50 kopecks, black and white film - 35 kopecks, fixer - 15 kopecks, developer - 20 kopecks.

And note that all this is for domestic products, I can’t even imagine how much some imported film, for example Illford, or a Nikon F3 camera would cost if they were on sale then.

Film photography in 2017

What is the situation today? Well, at least no worse than in the USSR! How much money will it take today to try film photography - from shooting to developing and printing photographs?

Of course, we are considering a starter kit to try. After all, perhaps, after shooting and printing the film, you will understand that this activity is not for you, so you should not resist and buy expensive equipment right away.

To start testing, you can consider domestic cameras - Zenit, Zorkiy, FED. Such a camera in good working condition costs from 500 to 1500 rubles. Where to buy - you can look at Avito or Newmolot - there is no shortage of such cameras. The only advice is that you should not consider cameras that have collectible value - FED-NKVD, Zorkiy-2, Zorkiy-3.

When purchasing, be sure to check the condition of the shutter curtains and the operation of the camera at all shutter speeds. If your camera has a built-in exposure meter, check it too, at least visually. The lack of an exposure meter in your camera will not cause you any inconvenience now - if you have a smartphone, install the exposure meter application on it.

All other equipment - a photo enlarger, a photo tank, etc. can be bought for about 1,500 rubles on the same sites where you look for the camera.

As a result, for 2-3 thousand rubles you can easily buy a camera, shoot film, develop it and print your first photo! The main desire!