why do people think film is bad?

Question

why do people keep saying that film cameras arent made anymore and that film is dead, it is not, they still make cameras and it provides a better image than any digital camera ever invented, sorry not really a question just a vent of annoyance thankyou

Answer 1

I have used film extensively in the past (print, but mostly slides) and switched to a digital SLR in 2002.
I have used both for some time, but the last film I have put inside my camera is still there unused.

Digital is indeed more practical than film, which motivated my switch.
- you can shoot more than the customary 36 views
- changing CF cards is more practical, faster and safer than changing film
- you can review your photos immediately
- you can change ISOs without having to change your roll of film
- photos are easier to retouch and put on the internet (no tedious scanning needed)
- photos from my 6Mpix DSLRs look sharper than the slide scans I have done (both on a screen and on print)

But I find the digital media lacking on some points.
- digital sensors are unable to render some of the colors I was getting with slides, especially in skies (bright blue skies, overcast ones). Photos taken on the same day with Provia 100F film and digital are really different and the slides are far nicer.

- Apart from some nice tries from Fuji (the S3 camera), no make has yet addressed one of the major problems with current sensors: the limited exposure latitude. Digital is still slightly inferior to slides and way inferior to print film (especially black and white) in that respect. The result is generally washed out skies and trickier exposure as the sensors are unable to record details in shadows and especially highlights.

Answer 2

it's not a question of film versus digital... it should be film OR digital. Use the right tool for the right job.

Film won't be going anywhere anytime soon. I can still get plenty of Super8 movie film which is considered a dead format by most everybody. There aren't even any new manufacture of consumer Super8 movie cameras, but the film is still available.

Digital lets me do things I can't with film, but film also lets me do things I can't with digital.

I can still load a 50 year old camera with film I purchase today, but good luck finding a computer system that reads many of the digital memory formats of today 50 years from now.

Neither is 'better' than the other in any concrete way since it is subjective.

Forget venting, and just get back to shooting!

Answer 3

I'm sorry but you are 100% wrong about film. I had a high end film SLR camera. When digicams came out, a measly 3 megapixel camera was able to get far better pictures. Today, things are at a point where it is trivial for the average person to get professional quality pictures. The difference in what people used to get and what they get now is rather dramatic. So much so that you will not get comparable quality pictures without the absolute highest quality film cameras supported by special equipment (stuff we take for granted with digital cameras these days).

Film isn't dead, exactly. But it is neither used commonly by consumers or professionals.

Answer 4

i really understand your frustation towards the decision of the manufacturers of films such as kodak and fuji to not continue making films anymore. i luv films too even though the cost is rather high overall. however digital cameras now are on par with film in terms of quality and provides much more manipulation options as well as much faster workflow necessary in this era. thats why people switch to digital photography. for the currently unbeatable convenience. juz dun care about people condemning film and do use it as long as it still lives. it may juz be a matter of 5 more years till film become extinct.

Answer 5

A lot of people think digital cameras are better than film because you have the option of deleting poor quality photos, whereas you are stuck paying for processing before you know if they are even pictures you'd want with film.

Answer 6

I hope film never dies....film photography is a wonderful art.
But consider where you actually see photos...sure people flip through their albums at home and hang a few pics on their walls, or occasionally actually go to a photography exhibit, but most of the time when you see a photo it is in a magazine, newspaper, online, etc. It makes sense to start with a digital image for these media.

Answer 7

The trend is moving toward digital because of the convenience and ease.

Yes there's still film.. but I disagree about the better image. I was a newspaper photographer for several years and LOVED it when we switched to digital. The colour saturation, the hues and what you could do with the digital camera were equally on par with film.

But if you like film. Use film.

It's still your choice.

Answer 8

I have both a film and digital SLR. I prefer to use film because to me film is photography. Film produces better results for me. I am not a professional photography, but I love film and could not imagine photographing without it. There are so many things film can do that digital cannot.

Answer 9

Digital is better. You can take more pictures, print them more cheaply, and discard those pictures you do not want.
With film, you cannot guarantee what a picture will look like till its developed.

Additionally, to those that think film is not going anywhere, they are starting to digitalise cinemas, the one place film has held out in. Image quality is better in the high quality digital cameras than film in my opinion, and you can do so much more with them.

Answer 10

I think it's just the ease of the digital camera. I know that when I had a regular film camera I NEVER got them developed. Now I can just pop it into my computer, load em up, and print them off myself.