Why Film?

As digital photography increasingly gains popularity, and digital cameras become more affordable everyday, we inevitably ask, “Does film still serve any purpose?”

A Hong Kong photographer asked this question in an Internet forum. The response he got from the forum members may surprise you. Many photographers still shoot film. (Read the thread here.) They believe that film remains superior to digital photography in some areas, one of which is dynamic range.

What is dynamic range? For the average “gearheads” who know little beyond megapixel, dynamic range can be a new concept. Imagine this: you shoot a landscape picture with a digital camera. If the trees are as green in the picture as in reality, but the blue sky is rendered white, we say that the digital camera has limited dynamic range. Film is said to have wider dynamic range and can handle this condition better.

Film is also useful in taking long exposure shots, such as the star trails image shown below.

In taking a star trails image, the film has to be “exposed” for an hour or longer. You can’t do this with a digital camera, yet.

Furthermore, if you love black-and-white photos, film remains the better choice.

Technical superiorities aside, some photographers simply love the experience associated with film photography. For example, a member of the forum just mentioned say:

好似等個 BB 出來, 睇下仔定女

[Developing film] is like waiting for a baby to be born, and wanting to know whether it is a boy or a girl.

With a digital camera, you can review the images just taken on the tiny LCR. Alternatively, you can upload the images to a computer and view them on the monitor. This is very convenient. Unfortunately, you also lose the excitement of waiting, anticipating and suspense that you have with film photography!