what are the advantages of a film camera over a digital one?

Question

just that

Answer 1

On Nov. 17, 2007 I used a 30 year old film camera to take photos of my daughter's 30th. birthday dinner. I also used a 31 year old Vivitar flash.

If longevity is an advantage then score one for film cameras.

If instant gratification is an advantage then score one for digital cameras. (I usually have to wait a whole hour to get my prints.)

I'll freely admit that being able to change the ISO on the go is an advantage with digital cameras. So I carry 2 camera bodies, one with ISO 400 and one with ISO 160 or 200.

Many people talk about not having to pay for processing and printing with digital cameras. That is true - up to a point. It fails to take into account, IMO, the necessity of having a computer and the costs for it and the editing software which certainly isn't free*. If you want prints from your digital files then you either invest in a photo printer and ink and paper or you head off to Wal-Mart or Target and pay to have your prints made.

The only knock I've ever made against digital photography is my stated belief that it tends to emphasize quantity over quality in many cases. It encourages what I call "machine gun photography" - fire 300 rounds (exposures) and hope 10 or 20 are effective (images woth keeping).

I believe everyone should use whatever type of camera that gives them the results they want and stop rehashing the non-debate of film vs. digital.

If I've stepped on any toes so be it. As adults we should be able to amicably agree to disagree and be supportive of photography regardless of how the image is captured.

* Yes, I know there are "free" editing programs that you can DL but they are limited as to what you can do from what I've read.

Answer 2

It shoots film.

Answer 3

none that I can think of

Answer 4

Easy.
Photos taken with film camera will allways be more expressive than digital pictures. Even more when taking portraits of people or taking pictures of landscapes.

Answer 5

Film can be exposed for a longer period of time without producing what is called electronic "noise", which is a problem with digital sensors. It shows up in pictures as imperfections. If you are trying to take a long exposure, such as of stars, a slow film may give you better results than digital. There are also differences in tone and color that film is better at reproducing. That's one reason pro photographers are not ready to give it up. Enlarging a digital image also results in "pixelization", which makes your photo look as if it is made up of square tiles. The same thing happens with film, but it looks much worse with digital. The slower films have smaller grains, which enlarge much better than digital. The same photo taken with a digital camera and a film camera using slow film will enlarge much better in a film format than with digital. Advantage-wise, digital cameras allow you to take zillions of pictures and delete the ones you don't want without buying and reloading film, and you can do all your processing on your own PC. You can even order prints from home if you don't have a photo-quality printer, or put them on a flash drive and take them to Walgreen's and have prints in an hour or less. Over the long run, if all you do is take snapshots and occasional scenics or portraits, digital is going to be cheaper and the quality won't be noticably different from film. On a simply practical note, my 1972 Canon Canonet QL17 and my 1961 Petri Flex V can take pictures forever if all I have is film and just a bit of light, because neither one needs batteries in order to operate. Your high-tech digital camera, even with a truckload of memory cards, is only good for the life of the batteries, after that you will be asking to borrow one of my mechanical film cameras. I might say yes, I might say no.

Answer 6

With film, you're not limited by the number of pixals, thus you can enlarge without the pixalation affect.

An unretouched negative is historical proof of an event. There is no such proof with a digital photo.

With digital, you have no film processing charge, take as many photos as you want (or have the memory to hold), and the digital file is easily edited.

Answer 7

1) Nostalgia
2) Knowing you're in a dying group of photographers
3) Saying you're 'different'

And for some more serious ones...

Speed. Take 10 pics a second, no problem :)
Latency. When you take the pic, there is virtually no delay.
Resolution. This is a bit iffy, as the latest cameras probably have better resolution
Image Quality. Many digital cameras have various distortions.. Off colors, dark corners, etc... Then again, film guys have their distortions too. And you have to be picky about film...