Despite digital being the prominent and popular photographic medium, I’m here to count the ways in which film is still better than digital photography. It’s a bold claim, sure, but it’s a subjective topic that is still worthy of discussion. It’s no surprise that digital technology is still, to this day, modeled after film and made to produce photos that look like they were taken with film. Things might be easier and more efficient with digital, but film is still where it’s at.
Film Looks Better
This is the area where the debate between film and digital photography is at its most subjective, but it’s also the area in which I think you’re likely to find more people giving the nod toward film. There is an undeniable aesthetic associated with film that all photographers seem to crave. It’s no coincidence that FUJIFILM cameras have their own Film Simulation modes, or that top-of-the-line photo-editing software includes baked-in film style presets. If imitation is the greatest form of flattery, then film must be feeling very flattered.
Film is More Fun
Not all sides of photography are meant to be fun, especially if you’re on the commercial end of the spectrum or you have looming deadlines, but for the hobbyists, the enthusiasts, and just any photographer with some patience and time, shooting film is a rewarding and enjoyable experience. It can be playful, especially if you’re just shooting for experimentation, but it’s also equally fun on the tech-rich, nerdy end of comparing films and developer types.
Film Forces You to Commit
You’re inherently more involved with the process because you’re forced to be. There are fewer crutches with film, so you have to stay keyed in to shoot film successfully. Beginning from the action of decisively loading your camera with a roll, to the development, scanning, or printing, film forces you to make decisions and commit to them. By forcing commitment rather than catering to indecision, film is a more holistic process that keeps you engaged and on your toes from pre- to post-production.
Film is Magic
For photographers of a certain age, many of us will remember our first time in a darkroom, watching a print develop before our very eyes. This is a beautiful experience that simply isn’t the same with digital photography. Whether it’s the nostalgia or just having a more physical and tactile experience, there is no contest if you’re comparing seeing physical images appear in front of your eyes versus just offloading a memory card onto your computer.
Film Encourages Experimentation
You can experiment and practice with digital photography, of course, but it’s such a mechanical process compared to the artistic possibilities when experimenting with film. With digital images, the experiment can often be solved in your head beforehand, and all of the technical metadata will be right there for you to examine in retrospect to help repeat the results over and over. With film, experimentation is an experience that’s part knowledge and part luck. With your guard lowered, film can make you feel more uninhibited and open to purer experimentation compared to forced creative solutions.
Film is Cooler
Honda Civic vs. Pontiac GTO. One is more reliable, more dependable, more convenient, and more efficient. And the other, it’s just plain cooler, and it always will be. Maybe that’s not a reason to choose a muscle car, and probably more of a reason to pick the modern compact car, but I’m pretty sure I know which one you really want to pick.
Film is Photography
Photography is so intertwined with film in a way few other industries are so connected to such a specific medium or product. It’s impossible to disassociate photography with film and its chemical history. Digital lacks the character of film, which, ironically, is part of why it’s so celebrated. Digital is a blank canvas whereas film is a masterpiece already full of character and expression.
I shoot both film and digital photographs—I started with shooting film and now am finally mostly a digital shooter, but I’ll always consider myself a film photographer first and foremost. Even if I’m not shooting film, specifically, I’ve always treasured and enjoyed the mindset of working with film most, even when digital was just an arm’s length away. There’s little room anymore to argue quality or make objective comparisons between the two mediums, because it’s true that digital is just that good. Maybe a drum-scanned 8 x 10" transparency is objectively better than a 100MP medium format digital file, but that wouldn’t be the reason I’d be working with a view camera over the latest and greatest digital camera.
What are your thoughts on the film versus digital argument? Is it relevant anymore? Is digital just so advanced that film is hardly a consideration nowadays? Or is film making a comeback because everyone knows it just can’t be beat? Let us know your take on this most pressing of issues, in the Comments section, below.
