Digital v Film Photography

This debate has been going on since the concept of digital photography was born, and given that digital photography is still very young in comparison to traditional film based photography this debate shall be going on for some time yet.

Here are some pros and cons of digital and film based photography:

 

Aspect	Film Based	Digital
Cost (cameras)	Film based cameras are no longer produced, and older cameras are still holding their prices.	As newer models are coming out the prices of older models is dropping.
Cost (developing and printing)	Films are not re-usable and have to be replaced.  Films have a shelf date and are best stored in a fridge. No computer or printer is required.     Developing and printing of films is still expensive and prices are not falling. The whole film has to be developed at once, so partly used films often cost the same to be processed as fully used films.	Memory cards are re-usable, to a limit (about 10,000 times) Memory cards have no date limit. Unless you already own a computer and a printer these costs have to be considered.  Some printers today can print direct from the camera (pictbridge) or from the memory cards. Depending on the type of printer and print costs, printing can be cheaper. You can print only the images that you want printed and other images can be stored and used later if required.
Cost (storage)	Prints and negatives need careful storage (especially in the case of negatives).	Digital photographs can be stored on internal and external hard disks and on DVDs and CDs.
Taking the photographs	Photographs can be taken both on location or in a studio. If a different ISO is required then the photographer has to replace the film with the correct ISO rated film.  Changing it back if required later. If a lower shutter speed is required then the photographer has to use a support for the camera, e.g.. Monopod, tripod, etc	Photographs can be taken both on location or in a studio. If a different ISO is required the photographer simply changes the ISO in use.   Most digital cameras and SLRs feature some type of anti-shake technology – either camera based like the Pentax range of cameras, or lens based like the Canon range, reducing the need for camera supports.
Colour Reproduction	Because film based photography uses emulsions every colour is reproduced accurately.	Because digital photography uses sensors they can only capture a limited about of the colours (the gamut) in the final image.  The normal colour space SRGB captures less colours and tones than AbobeRGB.  Although by using HDR (Higher Dynamic Range) technology more colours and tones can be reproduced.  Also by using a RAW format (DNG, PEF, RAF, CRW, CR2, NEF, etc) a 16 bit image is captured instead of a compressed 8 bit image which will retain more tonal range.
Reviewing of the  photographs	Photographs can only be reviewed once the film has been processed, therefore cannot be reviewed whilst the photographer is on location.  Some labs will produce contact sheets, but these can be expensive. Camera settings have to be recorded, if required, at the time of exposure.	Photographs can be reviewed instantly either on the cameras LCD or better still on a laptop (if available) whilst the photographer is on location.  So the photographer can easily re-shoot an image if they find it necessary. Digital photographic images contain meta data with all the camera settings embedded into the image.
Editing the photographs	For editing film based photographs you would need access to a darkroom and specialist equipment and knowledge. Unless a duplicate is made of the negative only the developed photograph can be edited and if multiple copies of the edited image are required then a photograph of the edited print has to be made.	Today there is a wide range of photographic editing software from the free GIMP and Paint.net to Adobe Photoshop CS5 software. Non destructive editing can be carried out using layers so they do not affect the original image.
Printing of the photographs	The photographs are usually printed as part of the development service provided by various outlets, although these are becoming less and less common place.	Photographs can be printed at home or via specialist labs, such as DP Colour Labs. Care must be taken to ensure that the colours and tones are correctly reproduced and this usually involves colour calibration of the equipment used.  Also with some of the older 3 colour printers (Cyan, Magenta and Yellow in addition to black) not all the colours and tones may be available.
Sending of the photographs	Prints can be sent via email, but only after they have been scanned in to a computer using a scanner. Otherwise prints must be sent via the post.  They can be sent via DVD if they have been scanned in to a computer using a scanner.	Images can be sent via email to any where in the world within minutes of being taken. Photographs can also be sent via the post either on DVD or as printed photographs.