Digital Imaging vs. Film

Is film dead? On many forums the debate currently rages. New entries into the photographic ring don’t understand the debate or why anyone would want to take pictures where you couldn’t immediately see the image or quickly and easily upload the photos to your computer and share them with the world. That’s a good question. As a photographer who originally learned on film I am intimately familiar with the incredible flexibility of digital photography compared to that of film.

Can a digital camera, even a $150 Canon rangefinder take the place of my once cutting edge Nikon F3. In a word, no. However it’s sheer ability to take easy pictures means it’s a valuable addition to any photographer’s tool kit. Oddly I have yet to meet any photographer who freely admits to using such a camera, as if there were some stigma attached to it. It’s no longer true that the image quality is unacceptable for all situations, and with a little experience and creativity the lowly $200 digital camera can’t be used by serious artists. In fact, I find the size, simplicity and wide angle macro to present certain photographic opportunities one would never see otherwise.

I decided to do some actual ‘work’ with my daughter’s Canon Powershot A540.
info about the A540

A summary of my findings:

• the form factor vs. an SLR is much better for odd angle and special effect type shooting. It’s very easy to get the camera and it’s little lens within inches from the subject buy using your arm as a stand-in boom. An SLR with it’s bulk and (save a couple models) needs to be glued to your eyeball.
• The nature of a rangefinder and the short focal length of the lens as well as the lack of a flapping flip up mirror lowers the usable shutterspeed by several stops. I have gotten very sharp images hand held with the Canon at 1/8 while at the widest zoom.
• In a public social setting a small rangefinder is very inconspicuous where an SLR would make the subject very nervous.
• The consumer digital camera has evolved quite substantially. The current crop of $200-$400 are capable of producing incredible images if you are willing to take control and think creatively.
• The small size and power consumption make for some pretty nice battery life.
• Shooting black and white allows for incredible low light stuff.

That’s all cool, but for professional photographers, can a $200 camera really be used for anything?

I think yes, but not for everything. A little tiny camera with a built in zoom and decent wide angle. Some can shoot RAW files. Some are even aimed at pro users. The Canon G9 for example is a camera after a photographer’s heart.

View example photographs here:
flickr.com gallery – Canon Powershot A540

More details when my test drive is complete.