Gone are the days of photographers sitting in a darkroom developing their beautiful photo masterpieces. They used film and chemicals to develop their photographs, which was a very time consuming process. Fortunately now, we can enjoy the digital camera. It can capture an image with arrays of photo sensors that are processed by computer software. Prints are now easily made on a printer by firing tiny jets of different colored ink or dyes onto special photo papers. What a marvelous and time-saving invention this was.
Now let's explore the differences between digital and analog. There are many, and digital seems to win hands down if you are looking to save time and money.
- With digital we can share our instant photos online on social network websites such as Facebook and Myspace, LinkedIn, Snapchat, etc.
- You can email your photos to anyone and not ever have to print a single one. It is now very easy to share photos online.
- Create your own art gallery. If you are a professional photographer you can instantly share your works of art online.
- Print all your photos at home or online – it is less costly than film by far.
- Create instant flyers, presentations and newsletters easily using your digital files.
- Most iPhones and smart phones have cameras which can take high resolution photos.
- Digital photos can be easily edited in Photoshop or other software programs to remove any spots or blemishes on the photos.
- With a digital camera, you can always view the photo on the camera screen instantly and delete those you do not want to keep.
- Within seconds you can go from camera to computer and begin to share your photos right away.
- Photos are stored on a removable media card which can be used over and over again. Some have a 16gb storage capability.
Now let's take a look at some of the analog cons:
- With analog, you have to wait until your film is developed to view your photos.
- It will cost you money each time you have to develop film.
- When sharing photos, you first have to scan the photo, then edit and then print it. This is very time-consuming.
- The quality is not as good when you scan a printed photograph.
- It takes more time and effort to create digital files from photos scanned on your computer.
- Analog is a major problem, because you do not get to view your photos right away. Unless, of course, you are a professional photographer and you are going to have your photos professionally printed. On the other hand, the average person wants to view the photos as soon as possible.
Here are some pros to using analog:
- With film you get a physical paper photo instead of just a picture on your computer screen.
- If your computer crashes you still have that photo, but with digital it's lost forever.
- Photographers enjoy developing in a darkroom. If the electricity goes out they can still develop their photos.
- Professional photographers also claim that "film" photography just looks better.
- Film cameras are not as expensive as digital cameras.
It is much more cost effective and less time consuming to process your photos using a digital camera, no doubt about it. But some photographers out in the field still prefer film over digital. As time goes by, using film cameras, if there any left to purchase, will be a thing of the past. As the saying goes, "All good things must come to an end."