How does digital compare with film?
• How digital cameras work. Functions common to all cameras. • How pixels, and resolution are related and how they work together. • How different file formats determine image quality. • White balance and basic color management techniques. • Memory cards and how to get the pictures out of the camera. • How to prepare a file for output, and different printer types. • Image editing software. What can be corrected after the exposure. • How to safely store and manage your images.
A. This has been brought up many times and my response is that digital defiantly is up there in quality with film IF the photographer knows how to shoot digital. Many advertising photographers have made a complete move to digital for many reasons. It is less expensive, turn around time is MUCH faster, the client can approve a proof right there on the spot at the shoot and also see how their product will look.
It is quite difficult to answer this question in an objective manner. The first challenge is bringing the film image to the PC so that the both digital and film images can be compared side by side. this introduces several variables: The choice of scanning hardware, and the parameters of the scanning software. The next challenge is that digital and film images fall apart in different ways at the limits. It’s probably fair to say that high end digital SLRs will produce images that rival or exceed 35mm film in most ways, except perhaps dynamic range, where Petteri Sulonen’s examples demonstrates some advantages for negative (but not positive) film.
