tunalegs
Pretended Artist
I've always been a bit annoyed by the term "analog photography" - which seems to lift the term analog from electronics. Since analog electronics preceded digital electronics, it seems that many believe that photography which is not digital, must be analog.
But so far as a I can see, even though some film cameras contain analog circuitry, the images themselves are not made nor formed electronically, or even mechanically, by any sort of analog mechanisms.
It seems to be the term is a non-sequitur. A camera which is digital is not analog - therefore (and here is the fallacy) a camera which is not digital must be analog. Hence analog photography.
And if you use the word analogue - in the other sense of something being comparable to something else, then digital photography would be film photography's analogue, not the other way around.
Am I missing something really obvious here?
But so far as a I can see, even though some film cameras contain analog circuitry, the images themselves are not made nor formed electronically, or even mechanically, by any sort of analog mechanisms.
It seems to be the term is a non-sequitur. A camera which is digital is not analog - therefore (and here is the fallacy) a camera which is not digital must be analog. Hence analog photography.
And if you use the word analogue - in the other sense of something being comparable to something else, then digital photography would be film photography's analogue, not the other way around.
Am I missing something really obvious here?
defconfunk
n00b
Analogue means a continous spectrum of states vs digital's two state system.
It refers to the medium, not the device.
Records and magnetic audio and video tapes are also analogue.
It refers to the medium, not the device.
Records and magnetic audio and video tapes are also analogue.
Godfrey
somewhat colored
Magnetic audio and video tapes can also be digital recordings. Analog and digital refer to the encoding of the data, its representation, not the recording medium. Binary digital is only one form of digital representation (the most common, to be sure); there are others.
BTW, digital camera sensors are also analog devices. The information captured by a sensor's photosite is an analog voltage level, which is encoded as a discrete integer number with an A->D converter.
There are a lot of misnomers in the nomenclature of photography. Like "crop factor", "full frame", and "APS-C" format applied to digital sensors, amongst others.
G
defconfunk
n00b
Godfrey, you beat me to my revision.
I was going to edit my post to say "digital's discrete state system", not two state.
And yes, DAC and other digital media record to magnetic tape. Would you prefer I get really specific and say "records, reel to reel, audio cassette, and VHS tapes"
This may help the OP:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Analog_device
I was going to edit my post to say "digital's discrete state system", not two state.
And yes, DAC and other digital media record to magnetic tape. Would you prefer I get really specific and say "records, reel to reel, audio cassette, and VHS tapes"
This may help the OP:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Analog_device
tunalegs
Pretended Artist
Interestingly the page linked to has this to say: "There is quite a bit of controversy in the photographic world as to whether or not a film camera should be considered an "analog device" since the photographic film isn't a truly analog recording medium and requires chemistry to process an image."
It is interesting that film cameras do however feature analog devices both mechanical and electronic- but that still doesn't make film analog.
Godfrey
somewhat colored
Quoting the dictionary:
The recording of light onto film is an analog process as the recording medium is a 'continuously variable physical quantity', the density of exposed silver halide crystals, and remains encoded as an analog value ("how much light does this concentration of crystals absorb when a light is shined through it?" where the density is a real-valued quantity). So, while a little awkward, "analog photography" does make sense, although "film photography" makes more sense.
"Digital photography" makes sense as "photography in which the capture of light into images is represented by discrete numerical values."
G
Godfrey
somewhat colored
If you consider the exposure of an individual silver halide crystal to be binary (exposed/not exposed), sure, but the representation of a film image is created by converting billions of silver halide crystals into the residual silver grains by chemistry, and then looking at the image formed by the aggregate as a randomly distributed light absorbtion map of the result. This can only be considered a binary thing at a very microscopic level.
Digital photography uses a regular (x,y) array of photosensitive elements to capture the amount of incoming light, and each of those elements is assigned a discrete numerical value. Those values are then illuminated together to simulate a continuous tonal/color spectrum after quite a lot of mathematical 'chemistry' is performed.
G
Godfrey
somewhat colored
No need. I think the concept is clear enough.
Ko.Fe.
Lenses 35/21 Gears 46/20
Man, where I live we call gasoline as gas and electricity from nuclear and gas as hydro.
Even more, in officially metric country I have to deal with funny inches, acres and F...ahrenheits!
This is where real anal...og is!
Even more, in officially metric country I have to deal with funny inches, acres and F...ahrenheits!
This is where real anal...og is!
Koolzakukumba
Real men use B+W
I blame digital photography for the confusion. Before digital, we just had "photography". When digital came along, there was absolutely no need to add any modifiying pre-fix to photography. It should just have remained "photography" and the newcomer should have been "digital imaging" or "digital photography". It's ridiculous that we've ended up with "analogue photography" and completely unnecessary.
Chris101
summicronia
I don't think most people say analog photography (or 'analogue photography' if you are not into the whole brevity thing.) If we need to differentiate, we say "film photography".
Godfrey
somewhat colored
We have had microphotography, photomacography, forensic photography, documentary photography, medium format photography, subminiature photography, large format photography, kirlian photography, medical photography, x-ray photography, cyanotype photography ... and so on ... for one and three-quarter centuries. Adding film photography, analog(ue) photography, and digital photography is a minor issue.
Technology changes. Keep up. ;-)
G
tunalegs
Pretended Artist
Wouldn't analogue be even less sensical than analog?
shortstop
Well-known
I think the term analog photography is opposed to digital photography. as the "non-digital photography" already existed before digital, I do not think proper to call it analog. to distinguish it from digital photography should use an attribute that already possessed. film photography for example. The French use the term "argentique" as opposed to "numerique". I think they are right.
Koolzakukumba
Real men use B+W
The point is, in case you missed it, that something which exists and hasn't changed has no need of a new description. It is the newcomer, in the shape of digital imaging, that needs to be differentiated. That has everything to do with logic and nothing to do with technology. Analogue (it's a 19th century French word so I'll stick with the proper spelling if you don't mind) photography is a redundant term.
Godfrey
somewhat colored
Just like Rollei renamed the Rollei 35 to Rollei 35T after the Rollei 35S model was introduced ...
G
Koolzakukumba
Real men use B+W
That's an individual company's marketing decision and nothing to do with what we're talking about as you well know!
tunalegs
Pretended Artist
I will just refrain from using the "A word".
John E Earley
Tuol Sleng S21-0174
I just refer to them as "good" and "evil" photography. Take your pick which one is which.
btgc
Veteran
People invent fancy terms to hide bare facts of photography and gear fondling.
Personally I fondle both technology stacks yet realize it so call it whatever you want
Personally I fondle both technology stacks yet realize it so call it whatever you want