Film Versus Digital Photography

We are now at the point where film has become approximately completely obsolete. However, film had some advantages over digital photography that are maybe not completely understood. In this article, I will discuss the differences in the middle of film and digital photography.

Resolution

With digital photography, we are used to thinking of digital images in terms of the number of pixels that they are in dimensions. For instance, a particular image might be 900x440 pixels. This is because digital photography works by having exact color values for each of the pixels in a large shape. Note, however, that, at the end of the day, a digital photograph is made of a collection of atomic pixels, each of which is quadrate and made of exactly one color.

On the other hand, film does not have pixellation. Rather, the image includes shapes that approximate the way in which the light hit the negative. In other words, film is capable of including curves. At the end of the day, a pixellated image will be a series of steps approximating a curve, while a photographic image allows for true curves. This is not to say that a filmed image has higher resolution than a digital image; it is plainly that the thought of pixellation doesn't apply.

Image Production

One of the intelligent things about film is that the final photograph is absolutely the result of two detach photochemical processes. First, the light affects the negative, imprinting an image. Then, the light is shone on the film paper, causing the final image. This has the odd result that there are absolutely two places where film output can go wrong. On the one hand, there can be a qoute with the primary output on the negative. On the other hand, however, the paper itself may age or decay.

This has important results for film restoration. Often, restorers do not have entrance to the negative of the film or picture. Therefore, the image that they produce is absolutely the copy of a copy of a copy. However, when restorers have entrance to the primary negatives, they will be able to produce much higher potential restorations, as the negatives have the image of which the photograph is only a picture.

Digital photography, too, can go wrong in two places. First, it can go wrong in the actual creation of the digital file. The image will only every have as high resolution as that primary file, though it can finally be reduced. Second, it can go wrong in the printing of the file. Many citizen take high potential digital photographs and then print them off using a lower potential printer. As a result, the overall image potential is compromised.

Film and digital photography have some rather important similarities and differences.