The Giant Leap from Film to Digital

Film vs. Digital photography has always been a top debate amongst photographers.  They’re several pros and cons for each.  But as we all know, digital photography triumphed film.  Today I will be talking about old film technology and its progression towards the digital age. 



Image by Michele Clement



I would imagine most people now days don’t have much experience with film cameras because it is becoming more obsolete with modern day technology.  The way film records data is essentially the same as digital, but with different means of delivery.   According to “How Does Camera Film Work,” by Josh Baum; each film strip is coated with silver halide and silver nitrate.  Together they are layered with other chemical to make the film sensitive to light. The film is placed in the back of the camera.  When someone takes a picture, the shutter is released inside the camera exposing the film to light which records the image; it then goes through the developmental process in the dark room for print.  This whole process sound complicated compared to modern day photography. 



Image by Toni Frissell



Digital cameras work similar, the only difference is they have a digital light sensor in the back, rather than film.  Manipulating images, copying, and printing are very convenient factors with digital photography.  There are unlimited changes you can make in Photoshop, Illustrator, and editing software programs.  Film on the other hand produces a greater tone of value that you can’t get with any other means of photography.  To validate my statement, Ralph Gibson is a world renowned photographer who only shoots in black and white film.  His work has more texture and value compared to anything digital.  The two images above are great examples as well. 

Even though digital photography will continue to grow, film will never be completely obsolete.

What Is a DSLR Camera?

Welcome back everyone!!  Last week I talked a little bit about what you should look for when you decide to buy a digital camera.  I used the term DSLR quite a few times without thoroughly explaining exactly what it means.  Today we'll talk about the DSLR camera in a lot more detail and what features it has to offer.

The first question you might ask yourself is: What does DSLR stand for?  According to "The Digital SLR Guide," DSLR stands for Digital Single Lens Reflex.  To get a better understanding of how a DSLR camera works, you have to understand the anatomy of a camera. 

Here is a short diagram courtesy of digital-slr-guide.com that explains the anatomy of a DSLR camera:

Image from digital-slr-guide.com

1. Light passes through the lens and strikes a mirror (green)

2. The mirror reflects the light up to a focusing screen

3. Light passes through the focusing screen and enters a block of glass called a pentaprism (orange)

4. The pentaprism reflects the image so that you can see it in the viewfinder

5. When you take a photo, the mirror flips up and a shutter (blue) opens that exposes the digital sensor (red) to light.

If you look at picture above, the main difference is that red bar.  In the diagram it represents the digital sensor, whereas older cameras it would represent film.  Because there is a digital sensor that records the light into pixels, the camera now becomes interactive and editable like a computer.  So what features does a DSLR camera have?

I will use my DSLR camera as an example.   I own a Nikon D700.  It has countless features that take a long time to learn and utilize properly.  The main features that are most relatable to a computer would have to be the HDMI video capability, the LCD display screen, and the live view which would be similar to a computers web camera.  There’re a lot of other fun features. 

My favorite little feature on my personal camera is the virtual horizon feature.  Basically all it is a digital level so you don’t get cockeyed photos.  It just gives me peace of mind knowing that its level and I don’t have to change it later in Photoshop.  There are many more features, but that might be another blog.

I hope you have a better understanding of what a DSLR camera is and some of its capabilities.  If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at my website at: scovillephotography.com, or leave a comment.