Film vs. Digital

 

There have been countless articles about this topic, so I'll keep this one short.  The digital medium has indeed come a long way, even in the last two years.  The cameras, sensors, processors, options and digital-specific lenses are at a point now (Feb 2007) where the decision to switch entirely to digital is a very tough one to ignore.  Not only just about mega pixels, but the way in which the newest generation of digital cameras process light is extraordinary, if not just a little expensive.

 

I entered the digital age first with an HP Slide Scanner in 2002 and then in 2004 with a Canon Powershot G5 digital camera.   While being a light "Prosumer" grade camera, it has offered me a glimpse into the possibilities (and also takes one helluva shot as well).  Some of the pictures in this website were in fact taken with this camera and have produced some terrific results.

 

As of May 2007 I am now employing a Pentax K10D for all my work.  Shooting slides on my ZX-50 since 1996 has taught me how to take a good picture and breaking myself in with the digital Canon G5 was sure a big help.  Making the jump to a D-SLR has proven to be an easy one.  Just the other day my nine year old asked me "Dad, can we have a slideshow?".  I responded that the days of the slideshow are behind us.  Unless of course, I buy a digital image projector.

 

So, is digital better than film?  Is film better than digital?  I'll not put forth an answer here because I  think today (May 2007) there is no clear-cut winner.  Although, my 100% move to digital though may give some insight into my preference.

Below is a quick comparison of Scanned slide film (@ 2400 DPI, master TIF file size of 3200x2100) with the 5mp Canon Powershot G5 (2592x1944).  Each set of five pictures was taken within minutes of each other.  Keep in mind the quality of the film version is dependent on the quality of the scanner; in this case, the scanner is "pretty good" but not the quality of a Tango 11,000 dpi drum scanner.  You be the judge.

 Comparison

Slide Film Digital (5mp Canon G5)

   

   

  

  

  

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