Film v Digital: what drives your choice

[shadowfox]

I'll weigh in here with my usual concern. Has anyone here on RFF seen a well-done b&w or color print made from film along side the same image made with a digital camera? I'm not talking about looking at images seen on the web. I'm talking about looking at the images side-by-side on a wall in front of you, at normal viewing distance? And I'm not talking about silver prints here. I'm talking about both images produced with the same ink jet printer.

I can't say I've done this experiement precisely. But I have work prints up on the wall here in my office. Some of them are from a digital camera and some are from film cameras. I've never been able to see any clear pattern that reveals the digital images from the film images.

I would admit that b&w images printed as silver prints are normally recognizable, but I've also seen some amazing b&w ink jet prints that didn't strike me as being 'digital' at all. It seems that digital cameras, computer software, and ink jet printers have brought us close enough that its truly hard, if not impossible to tell the difference. At least to me.

Okay, here's my take on this (B&W only, I don't really give a lot of thoughts about printing color photographs).

I have seen in person both excellent digital print (some new artist that I don't remember the name of) and film print (a collection of Ansel Adams prints).

Do you know what I take home with me after viewing those prints? not "which one is better" but "how can I get there? in terms of consistency, tonality, size, etc."

Of course the quality of the print matters in that it must meet or exceed my standard, but for me, it does not determine whether I should print in the darkroom or from Photoshop.

I deliberately choose to print using enlargers because I like the process. I like to experiment with different grades (both filters and papers), I like to guess the exposure for a new negative, I get excited if my guess is close to that nice, crisp, black and white print. I like to burn and dodge and sketching the strategy so I can replay it again to make another print. I just love the craft.

 

[semilog]

I deliberately choose to print using enlargers because I like the process. I like to experiment with different grades (both filters and papers), I like to guess the exposure for a new negative, I get excited if my guess is close to that nice, crisp, black and white print. I like to burn and dodge and sketching the strategy so I can replay it again to make another print. I just love the craft.

Awesome. I don't have the time to go back to doing this now -- but someday, I hope!

 

[Turtle]

I'm passionate about creating images - whether that's on film, digital, tintype, etc.
I'm more skeptical of the supposed passion of a photographer who only gets excited when working with one particular medium. That sounds to me like someone who's more interested in the process than the results.

Sure and I largely agree - 10x8 and ULF photogs can be terrible for this - Azo or nothing!

But, another view is that an appreciation of the merits of one medium for you, and its exclusive use, can merely reflect that there is no reason to use anything other than what you prefer. I prefer film. Would I shoot digital if film went away? Yes. Do I shoot digital while I can still shoot film? No. Why? I think silver prints look so much better that I feel film is worth perservering with and also because the process has am impact on the creative process and experience of shooting, managing the images afterwards. While I recognise the end result matters more than anything, a great end result is harder to find you way to when the journey makes you miserable.

I hate computers. I work on them all day. Luckily I prefer the look of film images by far, but when digital beats silver prints you can bet I will shoot in the simplest way possible to emulate the simplistic workflow of analogue. Where possible.

 

[jsrockit]

Plus I haven't seen any COMPACT digital camera that makes a digital file as good as my own scans of 35mm. Sigma DP2 excepted-and the RD-1 is not a compact.

Expensive, but the X1 is a contender.

 

[jsrockit]

Interestingly, only a handful of people mentioned smaller, less complicated kit as a reason for choosing film/RF. Maybe that's taken for granted.

For me, the digital cameras I use are just as simple and small as my film cameras.

 

[NickTrop]

No, no, no, Nick! Old ladies riding unicycles - film, puppies - digital.

C'mon Frank, let's not start another thread on this old - "old ladies riding unicycles film or digital" debate! :bang:

 

[narsuitus]

So I'm trying to work out which are good applications for digital vs film, large vs small camera.

Since I have never been satisfied with the quality in the black & white images I get from small format cameras (film and digital), I prefer to use medium or large format film for black & white. I would love to use a medium format or large format digital camera but I cannot justify the expense.


When I need to use a camera with an interchangeable view finder, I prefer to use my 35mm SLR because my digital SLR does not have an interchangeable view finder.


When I need a faster firing rate, I use my 35mm SLR because it is faster than my digital SLR.


When I do not need to worry about battery failure, I use a battery independent film camera.


When I do not need to worry about the cost per image, I use a digital camera.


When I need to complete an assignment in a short amount of time, I prefer digital.


I use film when the final product is a slide.


I use digital when the final product is a digital image.


I use a silent digital when I need a silent camera.


Since I do not have a bulk film back, I use digital when I need to take a lot of shots before reloading.


I use a digital when I need to shoot both still images and motion pictures.


I use film when the customer requests it.


I use digital when the customer requests it.

 

[narsuitus]

If I want a color image and a BW the next. I can't do that with a film camera unless I carry 2 of them.

You can do that with a film camera if you shoot sheet film instead of roll film.