Digital or 35mm for best pic quality at important event?

Question

what is the best kind of camera for an important event?
a 6.0 MP Digital, OR a regular 35mm camera?

Answer 1

Whatever you're more comfortable using and are confident you can get good results with.

Color print film has enough latitude that your exposure can easily be a stop or two off and still allow great results. Digital needs to have the exposure right on for the best results.

Resolution wise, film could probably top a 6mp point and shoot. If you're talking about a 6mp DSLR, it could be equal.

Perhaps the most important thing for an important event, though, is having backups for your important equipment. When you're a budget limited college student, such as myself, film wins in this regard. I have 6 professional level film SLRs, all for the cost of less than the cost of a new Canon 30D or Nikon D80. If one of them gives out, I know I have another one that will get the job done. In that respect, for me, film far excels for important events.

Answer 2

35mm is not the "Holy Grail" of image quality for film photography. There is a technology older than 35mm film that is far better in quality - medium format - think Hasselblad, Mamiya, Yashica, etc. Medium format is better qualty than 35mm because the negatives are much larger - about 2" x2" - I could stand corrected on this as I'm not that familiar with Medium format. If your mom or grandma had a Brownie - that was medium format. Large format - often used for architectural photography has even better image quality. Anyone who attempts to compare film and digital from a quality perspective is out of perspective and focus [I'm trying to be polite]. The technologies of film and digital sensors are vastly different. For example digital sensors still have a long way to go to match the color saturation of ISO 100 film. It's the old story of apples and oranges. At the end of the day, it's not the tools, it's not the mastery of the tools. It's all about the result - the light, the subject, the composition, etc. A talented photographer can take a cover shot photograph with a drugstore box camera, while an over equipped, untalented buffoon can ruin any Kodak moment.

Answer 3

Film will give you better image resolution - but you will not use this if you are only going to print postcard sized prints or moderate sized enlargements. Even at 8inx12in for inclusion in an album, a 6MP digital is still going to produce good results.

The other quality issue is your own skills as a photographer. Are the elements of the event within your control, such as at a wedding? Or are they almost completely out of you control, like a graduation ceremony when about the only opportunity you will get to control everything is afterwards taking family and friends shots. Can you see the good shot, like the anxious moment before the culmination of the ceremony, and get a photograph of that moment? This takes practice and skill.

Despite my love of film, most of the key arguments for digital have already been made. Unless you are going to make big enlargements, buy digital and spend as much time as you can improving your technique.

Answer 4

If your one and only criteria is picture quality, there is no match to film.

However, since you are asking the question, I am going to assume that you don't have a lot of experience with film photography. (If you did, you would already know film is superior!)

The superiority of film also requires extreme circumstances to see - such as printing a poster-sized enlargement.

The digital might be your better option. Being able to check your results and shoot hundreds of pictures in a digital camera to be certain you capture the event might be more important to the superior technical quality of film. Especially if you are not well practised at film photography.

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Disclosure: I am the owner of www.lenslenders.com in Canada.

Answer 5

"It depends." If the 6 MP camera is a digital SLR, it would give you acceptable results if you compose and shoot the same way you would using film. 35 mm film would still probably be better, though. A 6 MP point and shoot camera would be out of the question.

Answer 6

Hello,

You can get great photos with both types of cameras. The advantage of digital is that you can check the photos immedietly on the LCD screen to make sure you got the shot you were going for. Also, you won't waste time changing film, you don't have to worry about film speed, you can change it from shot to shot and you can change the white balance as well. Also, you can change the lenses without worrying about ruining any film.

I would go with the digital.

Donna

Answer 7

Is the digital a point & shoot digicam, or a dSLR? If the event is low light, then use either film or a dSLR. A p&s digicam will give you poor performance in low light.

Otherwise, the images depend on your technique, no matter which type of camera you use. You can get great or terrible images from both or either.

Answer 8

Definetly digital because you can back them up to your computer and save them forever. And I think the quality is better...

Answer 9

my suggestion
go to yahoo shopping
digital cameras
digital camera GUIDE
be sure to check titles on the left side
the guide should answer your questions