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I get this question a lot, so I thought mostly for my own benefit I should keep a list of why I stick to film today.
I find it amusing that here we are in 2006 and I just bought a new film camera. The future is now and I really just can't
be bothered by it. Here's why:
Archiving Lots of people with way too much time on their hands have mastered the science behind keeping all of their images archived in digital format. Well, okay, we'll see how well they mastered it in about 20 years. The point is that digital requires a lot of babysitting. You need to keep backups on multiple media types since we all know how often digital things of all variety just vapourize. I don't have the patience for this kind of tedious computer work; I love the fact that with film you just throw it in some sleeves in a binder and you're done forever. Film will last longer than you or I and that's all that really matters. Expense People argue until they are blue in the face about which is more expensive, but for me digital is more, hands down. I have a cheap computer so to go digital I'd need a new computer, photoshop, tons of harddrive storage, memory cards, batteries, etc. Put that all together and you're well into a few thousand dollars. I just shoot slide film, get the same or better quality and pay $15/roll. I shot about 40 rolls this year so that's $600 in film costs, spread over the course of the year. Big deal. And anybody who says I can shoot more with digital is lying. I treat film as a basic personal necessity like food or clothing, I don't budget shots at all while I am shooting. After a shoot I have no clue how much I used, I can usually ballpark it pretty well but have frequently been under by as much as about 10 (on a 36 roll). Wide Angle I got a 24mm f2.8 lens used for $130, including shipping. Try getting something that wide and fast for digital, good luck! If you tell me I could just get a full frame dSLR then see above. Fast Normal Lenses There is no digital normal lens that is both fast and cheap. Sure you can get a 35mm prime, but it sure won't be fast and cheap! The 50mm f1.4 is my go-to lens and as such mandatory for me. I dislike slow zoom lenses. Power & Storage With digital you need to plan ahead and carry extra batteries and memory. Travelling for extended periods poses serious power and storage issues. With film you carry what film you need, can always buy more on the road, and batteries are $5 and last for months. Outright Sexiness In case you haven't looked at my gallery, I should tell you I'm a huge nut about night photography. I have this inexplicable streetlight fetish. I love the fact that when I look at my slides on a light table they have the same luminous glow that the original scene had. I just love the look of slides. I know it's the most impractical way to look at pictures but there's just something about it. Nobody said I had to be rational about this. Prints and computer monitors just can't reproduce that glow. If you're more of a black and white fanatic then I shouldn't have to tell you that traditional silver black and white methods also have an inherent sexiness that is hard to catch with digital prints.
January 3, 2006 |