January 21, 2004

Why digital cameras = better photographers

From BBC News comes a great introductory article on why Digital Cameras turn out better pictures than film cameras especially for beginning photographers. I switched from film (old Nikon F2 system) to digital (Nikon D1X) last year and would not go back. The immediate feedback, the freedom from cost of film, the versatility of post-exposure color balance and exposure adjustment (using the RAW file format), plus the convenience of working in a digital darkroom as opposed to a wet lab make the choice overwhelming. I have a few gripes - the camera is not as mechanically solid as my old Nikon F2's, I dropped it about 18" onto the sidewalk and it required about $1K in repair. Still, the current crop of film bodies (F5) have the same issues so this is more an issue of complexity than shoddy manufacture. Anyway, on the the BBC article: bq. Digital cameras don't only eliminate the cost and hassle of film processing, they should help do away with bad holiday snaps and see us all become better photographers. And more: bq. Having retrieved your photos from the chemist, you dart into a damp shop doorway and hurriedly rifle through the prints one by one, hoping to magically rekindle memories of a recent holiday. bq. And what do you get instead? A disappointing crop of pictures which bear little resemblance to the mental snap shots you filed away at the time. Exposure problems, poor focussing, bad composition, flash flare and "red eye" are the most common problems experienced by amateur snappers. And more: bq. While some professionals still swear by the quality of film over digital, the new format is taking over. As more and more holiday-makers pack a digital camera in their suitcase, disappointing pictures should become a thing of the past. They go on to give some examples. Good article for someone interested in getting a digital camera but not too sure what the differences are beyond the "numbers"... Posted by DaveH at January 21, 2004 10:20 AM