“Oh, you’re a photographer? Aren’t you glad photography is so much easier now with digital?”
– Everyone
As a photographer, it seems I’m asked that question at least once a week these days. There’s no wondering why. Take one step into a typical consumer gadgets store like Circuit City and Best Buy and you would be hard pressed to find a film camera. In fact, the last time I was in a Ritz Camera, one of the nation’s largest camera/photo chains, they did not have a single film camera. I actually had to go to a camera store to find a film camera the last time I wanted to check them out.
“Oh c’mon guys, it’s so simple, maybe you need a refresher course. It’s all ball bearings these days.”
– Fletch
Just like the great Fletch quote, it’s all digital these days. Digital TV. Digital music. Digital movies. Digital phones. Digital radio.
Let’s set the record straight, just because something is “digital”, it does not automatically make it better than analog. Many audiophiles will tell you the fidelity from vinyl albums far surpasses what CDs are capable of reproducing. If you take it one step further into the world of mp3′s, the audio quality is actually far worse as a result of all the compression that’s applied to the “digital” files. So, while the audio quality might be higher from vinyl, carrying an iPod around in your shirt pocket is far more convenient if you want to listen to your music on the go. There are trade offs and the world of photography is no different.
So, I’ve decided to take on the Top 3 myths of digital photography to help settle the score. In no particular order:
- Digital photography is cheaper than film photography
- Digital photography is easier than film photography
- Digital photography is faster than film photography
And, lest I get ahead of myself, I believe all three myths are false. Stay tuned and I’ll tell you why! In the mean time, check out my previous post questioning if digital really was better than film.
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