Exposed! :: Digital Decisions

Choosing film or digital workflow

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Contents

• The look of film and digital
• The costs...
• Digital and Film Workflow
• Pro Perspective
• Homework: Digital vs Film Purchase Checklist
• Final Frame

Many photographers, professional and amateur, are switching to digital formats of capturing images. It has dramatically changed the photography industry. As with any new technology there are people who love the changes and others who don't. In this issue of Exposed! we bring to light some perspectives on both sides of the camera!

The look of film and digital

Savvy photographers are aware of the nuances of different film stock. They will use the specific film for specific purposes:

• Fuji Velvia for a punchy colourful clown portrait
• Kodachrome 25 for fine grained, true to life, archival, photojournalistic portraits
• Ilford Delta 3200 for a chunky grained, low light B&W wedding kiss

Like film, digital has a look all its own. I consider digitally captured imagery to be its own specific type of film. Its grain (or lack thereof) and colouration make it stand out from film based imagery. Digital capture allows for easy post production work (no scanning!) in the computer to obtain rich grain of Delta 3200 portrait or the punchy colour of Velvia. The downside to this digital transformation is the cost of adding the grain, subtracting the colour, or saturating the hues.

The costs...

It is widely suggested that entering the digital realm will save you lots of money - no film, no processing!! The cost of a film capture system, however, and digital capture system can be surprisingly similar if you factor in many elements:

• what is the capital cost of your desired digital set-up: camera, memory cards, super-wide lens (to make up for the small sensor), extra hard drive storage, laptop, photoshop, extra paraphernalia
• what is the capital cost of your desired film set-up: camera, film, processing, slide/negative storage, scanning (if needed).
• What is the expected depreciation of the equipment or... how long will it be before you need or want to upgrade? This, perhaps, was a problem for camera manufacturers in the pre-digital days - people were not replacing their film cameras enough!
• Are there opportunities for discounted prices on quality used equipment?
• What is the environmental cost differential - chemistry and film canisters (will they be recycled?) vs higher rate of obsolete and discarded digital cameras due to quickly changing technology?
• What are the differing costs of time dealing with digital files and analog (film) media?

Take a close look at your true costs if you have preconceived ideas!

Digital and Film Workflow

One big difference with digital shooting and film is the picture taking process.

With film capture the photographer is involved with the subject and picture at hand only. Editing comes later. However, one shortfall with film is the lack of easy confirmation that you captured the desired shot.

With digital capture you can have immediate feedback - which is an amazing benefit! However, most digital photographers create the image and edit at the same time - two jobs instead of one - this takes it's toll - lost chances because the photographer was looking at the screen instead of the world around them.

There have also been cases of photographers deleting important, never to be recovered imagery. Photo District News ran an article a few years ago on this specific subject (changes in shooting styles with digital vs film). Fascinating! One example they cited involved newspaper photographers capturing Bill Clinton with a new aid. An uneventful appearance so the shooters dumped all the pictures of Bill and his new aid except one - the "dinosaur" shooting his editorial work on film. Although everyone captured the flirting, the film shooter was the only one at the end of the day with pics of Bill and the first appearance of his new aid, Monica Lewinsky.

Pro Perspective

As a professional it is my job to create appropriate pictures for my stock clients. They don't care whether the photo was taken on a 1992 Nikon F4s or a 2006 Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II. They do care if the picture conveys what it should. The photographer's skill is far more important than the camera being used. I have seen people with cutting edge equipment take lousy photos and gifted photographers with toy cameras get amazing imagery.

Sometimes image delivery is vitally important. If you are shooting the US Tennis open and Roger Federer has to be on the front page in Toronto in 6 hours you had better be shooting digitally!

Sometimes file size is important. I got asked to submit slides recently for a project where the final product would be a single image blown up to 9 feet by 12 feet and viewed from 5 feet away. The client was not interested in anything digital - a transparency scanned on a drum scanner will give a better output in this unusual case.

For the professional cost is very important, too. It is important to weigh the true cost and feasibility of equipment. Sometimes a new, professional digital system is required. Sometimes a used professional camera body from a local shop or e-bay will save the photographer $thousands!

Homework: Digital vs Film Purchase Checklist

The following exercise is designed to help create awareness around your needs, desires and photo costs. Answer the following questions:

1. What would a digital camera offer you that you that you cannot get another way?
2. What extra costs ($ and otherwise) would a digital upgrade create?
3. What is your ideal camera set-up?
4. For your ideal set-up what is/are the:
• initial capital costs
• extra supporting equipment needed
• financing costs
• expenses (things that have a shorter life span - film, batteries, memory cards)
• expected depreciation - how long until you expect to replace the equipment
5. What is your film and processing cost per year?
6. Look on e-bay at the costs and features of used professional film camera equipment and compare these to the costs and features of new digital equipment. There are some exceptional bargains out there! Remember to check you local stores!

Final Frame

There will always be debate on equipment. Make the best equipment decisions you can with the information you have readily available. Then get out there with your camera! It's your interpretation of the scene that is infinitely more important than the equipment you use.

Take pictures. Have fun!