bratz_starz_movie_making_studio1.jpgSince the introduction of digital cameras a few years ago, the debate between digital and film cameras has been ongoing. When the digital cameras were still a new thing, film cameras still had the advantage.

But, with continued development of digital cameras, that advantage has shifted. One of the major points was the cost of the cameras. About five years ago, I paid about $600 for a used Olympus on eBay. Today, I can buy a much updated version - new! - for only $350.

Only a few years ago, film held the high ground when it came to the sharpness of the end product, the printed photos. Photos made from film were sharper and clearer. At the time, most of the digital cameras were offering only 1-2 million pixels per square inch (1-2 mega pixels). Any digital camera offering better resolution was very expensive.

Now, a digital camera offering 5-7 megapixel resolution is common-place and at a much lower price. It’s at the 7-9 megapixel range that the digital camera can produce photos equally as sharp or sharper than those produced from film. Little by little, film has lost its edge.

We’re all familiar with the costs of buying a roll of film and, then, having it developed. If you had some shots that were too bright or too dark, you paid for those, too. The worst part was if you took a picture of some people and one or two of them had their eyes closed, you didn’t know it until later when you got the pictures back.

With a digital camera, you can avoid many of those situations. You are able to check the photo immediately on the preview screen and, if need be, take it again. Also, if you don’t want a photo you’ve taken, you can delete it right there on the camera.

In my opinion, one of the most wonderful things about digital photography is that you can download the photos to your computer. They can then be sent by e-mail to whomever you want them to go. Or, you can pull them into PhotoShop or any other photo program and change the size or shape for special printing. There are also photo printers that are designed to take the photos directly from the camera and print them on the spot.

Now, you can buy very inexpensive digital cameras for about the same price as the least expensive of the film cameras. After the purchase, your biggest expense will probably be the batteries needed to operate them. The photos will be, essentially, free! No film and no processing needed!

I see a day in the near future when you’ll have difficulty buying film for your old, outdated film camera. Fewer and fewer people will even know what film processing is, let alone know how to do it.

Another nail in the coffin of photographic film is the addition of cameras to cell phones. My daughter was involved in a car accident. Within minutes, she sent photos from her cell phone to mine showing the damage done to the two vehicles. I was able to transfer them to my computer where we could see them more clearly. That would have been impossible without the magic of digital photography.

I have loved film photography for more than 40 years. However, I am loving digital photography even more because of the flexibility it gives me.

Ed Hill’s first camera was a German Voitlander he bought while stationed with the U.S. Army in Germany about 45 years ago. Many cameras and thousands of photos later, Ed still loves photography, especially travel photography. He talks about it on his blog at http://www.EnjoyTravelPhotography.com

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