Moscow City Department of Education

Federal State-Funded Educational Institution

V.I. Churkin School №1522

Research Project

Will Digital Photography Kill Film Photography?

Submitted by Ivan Sipitsyn, 9 “A” Form

Guided by Supervisors:

Anton I. Gigolo, Zalina I. Tibilova

Moscow

2018-2019

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Table of Contents:

1. Introduction…………………………………………………………………3

2. Main Body…………………………………………………………………...4

2.1.How a Camera Works……………………………………………………4

2.2. Main Elements…………………………………………………….…….5

2.2.1. Sensor……………………………………….………………..……6

2.2.1.1. Digital Cameras……………………………………… …….7

2.2.1.2. Analog Cameras…………………………………………….8

2.2.2. Optical Element…………………………………………………...10

2.2.2.1. Park of Optics, Comparability…………………………...…11

2.2.3. Shutter……………………………………………………………..12

2.2.3.1. Aperture Shutter…………………………………………….13

2.2.3.2. Focal-plane Shutter…………………………………………13

2.3. Other Data and Parts……………………………………………………16

2.3.1. Sighting and Focusing Instrument………………………………...16

2.3.2. Resolution…………………………………………………………18

2.3.3. Light Sensitivity………………………………………………...…22

2.3.4. Dynamic Range……………………………………………………23

2.3.5. Costs……………………………………………………………….24

3. Practical Part……………………………………………………………….27

4. Conclusion…………………………………………………………………..31

5. References…………………………………………………………………...32

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1. Introduction

Photography is undoubtedly one of the most important inventions in history – it has

truly transformed how people conceive of the world. Photography lets us capture

moments in time and preserve them for years to come. The recent past has seen a

phenomenal transition from traditional film photography to digital photography. Since

the dawn of technology brought us digital sensors, film photographers have been

swapping their old systems for new ones. Are they right in doing so?

The world’s first digital camera was a huge device, and was used only to discover the

new type of recording the image. It was built by Steven Sasson, a Kodak engineer, in

1975. By 2005, compact digital cameras were very popular, but the arrival of a phone-

camera combination brought digital photography to the masses, because everyone

owned a mobile phone. As smartphone cameras improved, the convenience and quality

they could deliver were suitable for most people’s photo needs. Today, many of us have

a standard resolution of 8-12 megapixels, more than adequate to make perfect photos.

People have their phone-cameras with them all the time. Taking snapshots at sporting

events, concerts, birthday parties and anywhere else, has become very popular.

However, in the last decade, or even longer, film photography has been making a

comeback. More and more people are acquiring and digging out their old film cameras

to use in our modern, technologically advanced world.

Why is that? Is it similar to the fact that vinyl records still sell more than CD’s? There

is now a widespread controversy over the benefits and drawbacks of digital and film

cameras. The material and ideas presented in this research work are expected to bring

in a bit of clearance into this controversial and highly debatable topic.

Purpose of Research: to reveal some factual information about photography, types of

cameras and draw a conclusion whether film photography will be replaced by digital

photography in the future.

Terms of Reference: to examine the construction of both digital and film cameras, to

practically discern the data about digital and film cameras and make a conclusion.3

Methods: to define the basic working principles of both types of cameras and their

elements; to compare the data on digital and film cameras; to estimate the time needed

to make a shot with a camera and the time between two shots; to consider both, the film

image and the digital image; make conclusions.

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2. Main Body

2.1 How a Camera Works

The purpose of photography is to register an image. A camera has four basic elements –

an optical element, the shutter, the image sensor and a mechanical element, which is the

camera body. Light gets through the optical element to the shutter, which opens for a

brief period of time and gives light the way to the image sensor. The sensor registers the

light. All these 3 elements are located in the body of the camera that protects the

elements from unneeded light. A digital camera is the camera, where the image sensor

is a matrix of photosensitive semiconductor elements and the image records digitally.

An analog (film) camera is the camera where the image sensor is film or film paper and

the image is recorded chemically.

The easiest camera is the camera obscura – an ancient optical device. In its most basic

form it is, quite simply, a dark room or box with a small hole in one wall. On the wall

opposite the hole, an image is formed of whatever is outside. This image is upside-down

(inverted) and back to front (laterally transposed). On the wall, where the image forms,

a sensor that registers light can be located. The optical element here is a hole in the wall

and the shutter could be a panel in the body that slides or a cap of the optical element.

The camera obscura was used as a means to study eclipses, without the risk of

damaging the eyes by looking into the sun directly. The camera obscura box was

developed further into the photographic camera in the first half of the 19th century.

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2.2 Main Elements

2.2.1 Sensor

The image sensor in a camera is the element which records light. A lot in a camera

depends on the sensor, as it is one of the main and necessary parts. The main data of all

the sensors, both digital and analog is the size. Cameras come under several headings,

such as large-format cameras (more than 6×9 cm sensor), medium-format (under 6×9

cm, but more than 4,5×6 cm sensors), full-frame (24×36 mm sensors), small-scale

(under 24×36 mm). The format of the sensor has an impact on the size of the camera,

resolution, quality of the image, type of sensor used and its cost.

Large format cameras are really huge and are used only in studios or for special

shooting. Before the invention of film, most cameras were large-format. Despite the

lack of mobility and fast shooting, it has the best resolution and quality of picture. The

image has better deepness, because the image sensor collects more light. It uses special

lenses and bellows with diffusion sheet for focusing and sighting.

Medium format cameras are happy medium between the large format and the full-frame

cameras. They have quite a big, but mobile body, which weighs less than a large format,

but, however, more than a full-frame one. For its mobility, it is the best choice if you

want a big sensor. The quality of the image is worse than the medium format has, but it

is still very big. For focusing and sighting it uses many methods, all of which are better

than the large format has. Usually, they are built in arrangement with mirror and shaft

viewfinder or of clap-camera.

Full-frame cameras have been used since 35 mm film was first produced. They have a

very good ergonomic and light weight and can have quite a good or a very good picture

depending on the model. They were very popular from the 1950-s to 1990-s. The

quality of full frame image is enough high. Full-frame cameras are built in many

different arrangements. They were quite affordable and easily bought by most people.

They are used by all photographers and even each family may have a film full-frame

camera.

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Small-scale cameras are now the most popular ones, because all the phones with

cameras have the small-scale sensor. Also, small scale sensor is used in semi-

professional and cheap cameras. Image quality of phone sensors and camera sensors

vary from bad to enough high. Size of sensor is really small so size of gadget can be

small to. This made this type of sensor so popular within people who need snapshots.

2.2.1.1 Digital Cameras

Digital sensor is a matrix of cells with semiconductor photoelements – photodiodes.

Each cell collects photons and the elements register them. However, the element doesn’t

register the color. If we don’t want to have a color image, it’s fine, but if we want a

color image, we should separate the color. There are two most common technologies for

separating colors. Bayer filter technology has filters for each cell, which lets only the

selected color go to photo-element. It is the cheapest technology and the most common

one, but it has minuses, though. It loses about 2/3 of incoming light, which causes more

digital noise - a random variation of brightness or color information in images, and is

usually an aspect of electronic noise – disturbance in electronic signals. An alternative

technology is 3CCD – each cell has a dichroic prism, that sorts colors and 3 sensors

(one for each color), which is a better technology, because each element collects as

much light as it can. As a result, there’s less digital noise (but it appears unavoidable

due to nature of light). It is used only in expensive movie and television cameras. When

the signal is collected, it is operated and registered in the memory device. The speed of

these operations depends on the size of the signal and processor productivity and can

take splits of a second. The matrix is hard-placed in the body of the camera, it doesn’t

move and stays still (except for the events when the matrix is located on the image

stabilizer).

Nowadays, digital sensors occur in sizes from 9×11 inch (103 in^2) to 0.05 in^2 or less

(in phones). They have data like number of pixels, type of matrix, aspect ratio, noise-to-

signal ratio, light sensitivity and definition. The number of pixels has an impact on the

definition.

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The only existing large-format digital camera is LS911, which has 9×11 inch sensor and

12 MP, so one cell is extremely large. It is also monochrome, so we have a black &

white image (it doesn’t have any filters for separating colors and collects as much light

as it can). The image has a better depth and tone reproduction. However, the price is

overwhelming and only professionals can have an instrument like this.

Medium-format digital cameras also exist, but they are a bit more available for

customers. The price for them is also very high, but they have sensors, which give us a

color image with wonderful data.

Full-frame digital cameras are widely available to rich customers, who need a top

quality image, not as high as medium-format, though. The price for them is quite high,

but reasonable. It is widely-spread among professionals and pro-hobbyists.

Small-scale sensors that are located in amateur cameras may be close to full-frame ones

and have just a little worse data. They are widely spread among professionals, hobbyists

and starters. The sensors which are located in phone cameras have really bad data and

are used for snapshots only. Even if their resolution is quite good, they have an awful

depth of the image and tone reproduction. However, they could do something for you if

conditions are convenient and you know how to shoot properly.

Digital sensors are convenient for moving scenes or event photography. Also, they may

help you if you don’t want to develop film and wait until you see an image.

2.2.1.2. Analog Cameras

In this project we don’t need to describe digital-analog cameras or other analog

cameras, except film.

The analog sensor, like film, is a panel, paper or film that has photosensitive emulsion

on it. Photosensitive materials have the data like the size, the process of developing,

film speed (light sensitivity), definition, color and tone reproduction, the body (panel,

paper or film). Some photosensitive materials have much better data than the similar

digital sensor. Also, they may be produced in sizes from really huge to 8 mm. To take a

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shot, you need to insert the photo material into the camera and expose it. To take the

second shot, you insert new material and expose it again. The problem is reloading the

photo material. Once it is produced, you mustn’t let the light expose it, unless you want

to expose it. Then, if you want to save the image, you should take it out of the camera

and let it stay in complete darkness from the moment of exposure until the process of

developing. The photo paper and photo plates are loaded into the cases with a sliding

door. You load the case into the camera, open the sliding door, then expose the material,

close the sliding door and take the case back. This process take huge amount of time. If

we are shooting with film we take the loaded film holder, load it into the camera and

expose one part of the film. Then we reload the camera and the exposed film goes to

take-up spool, the new part of the film changes its place. If we are shooting with a 135

film, we have 36 exposures. When the last part was exposed, we don’t have any film

left. We spool the film back to case, open the camera and take it out. Reloading even in

the way like this takes much time. But there are also cameras that reload film

automatically. However, you still have only 36 or 24 exposure and need to reload the

film cases. It takes a lot of time and makes you take more actions than while using a

digital camera. But when you don’t need speed in your shooting, it forms a feeling of

importance to each exposure and you think more before tapping the shutter button. Also

after exposing we have film that can still collect light, however it already has image on

it (except film with moment processing which processes automatically and do not

require any lab or gadget which however has bad quality of image). Film should be

developed. Nowadays exists a plenty of processes. Processing time takes hours and

requires a lab (or at least needed equipment) and photochemicals.

So to sum up, digital sensor can take as many images as your memory device can take

in, when photosensitive material should be replaced after each exposure. film cannot

suit to some types of photography because it requires doing some actions, that can we

avoid while using digital camera. Also, you can collect film only after developing and it

takes a lot more time than collecting image files from memory device so it is really hard

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to shot on film if images should be placed in media just after event, isn’t it easier just to

insert memory card in computer, edit them and send wherever you need?

2.2.2. Optical Element

The optical element in a camera collects light and focuses it on the sensor. The simplest

optical element is a small hole. It lets only separate beams of light into the camera body.

All these beams form an image. The smaller the hole is, the sharper the picture.

However, when less light gets on the sensor, we should expose the sensor longer.

More common, but also a more difficult optical element is photographic lens or

objective. It is an optical system, which contain lenses, aperture and the body. It may

contain even mirrors for special aims. Also, to focus, most lenses contain a lens unit that

moves in the body. The simplest objective may contain even one lens. But it has a huge

number of aberrations, such as chromatic aberration and distortion. which can be

corrected while using some lenses in groups. In optics, aberration is a property of

optical systems that causes light to be spread out over some region of space rather than

focused to a point. Aberrations cause the image formed by a lens to be blurred or

distorted, with the nature of the distortion depending on the type of the aberration. For

example, chromatic aberration cause image to have color halation on the lines of

contrast. It appears because of different refraction index of different color rays, as a

result they do not focus in one point. [ Images 1,2 Application 3] Also, common

aberration is distortion, which wraps geometry of an image. [ Image 3, 4 Application 3].

The most important part of the objective is the lens. It focuses beams of light on the

sensor. In good glass objectives it is usually made from high quality glass to reduce

aberrations that occur unavoidably (however, in cheap and disposal cameras lenses are

made even with plastic). Also, aberrations may be reduced by placing lenses in groups.

One of the most important data of lens is the focal length. The focal length of

an optical system is a measure of how strongly the system converges or diverges light.

For an optical system in the air, it is the distance over which

initially collimated (parallel) rays are brought to a focus. In most photography and

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all telescopy, where the subject is essentially infinitely far away, a longer focal length

leads to higher magnification and a narrower angle of view. Conversely, shorter focal

length or higher optical power is associated with lower magnification and a wider angle

of view. The camera lens focal lengths are usually specified in millimeters (mm), but

some older lenses are marked in centimeters (cm) or inches. Due to the popularity of

the 35 mm standard, camera–lens combinations are often described in terms of

their 35 mm-equivalent focal length, that is, the focal length of a lens that would have

the same angle of view, or field of view, if used on a full-frame 35 mm camera. The use

of a 35 mm-equivalent focal length is particularly common with digital cameras, which

often use sensors smaller than 35 mm film, and so require correspondingly shorter focal

lengths to achieve a given angle of view, by a factor known as the crop factor – how

smaller or bigger the camera sensor is than 35 mm. Also, the camera lens covers only its

own field. With lens for a 35-mm camera you can’t shoot on large-format cameras,

because it has a bigger size of sensor. Nowadays, zoom-lenses have gained popularity.

They have a changing focal length. They have worse data than the ones with the fixed

focal length, such as substantial distortion and other aberrations, but they are suitable

for more tasks and you do not have to carry a bag full of lenses for each situation.

Also, an important part of a lens is an aperture. In optics, an aperture is a hole or an

opening through which light travels. The example of aperture may be a hole in camera-

obscura. The more aperture opens, the more light reaches the sensor and the less the

depth of field (DOF) becomes. The more aperture closes, the more DOF becomes, but

less light comes to the sensor, so we should expose the sensor longer. Today, the most

common aperture is iris diaphragm. It contains blades which move, forming different

diameters of aperture. To count how the diaphragm opens, people use f/numbers. It is

the ratio of the system's focal length to the diameter of the entrance pupil. With bigger

aperture more light travels on sensor so shorter shutter speed you can use.

2.2.2.1. Park of Optics, Comparability

Each camera system or camera has mount for lenses or in-built lens. Cameras with in-

built lenses are one of the most compact ones. The lens can be located in the camera 11

body or slide to the body of the camera. They have usually zoom lenses or lenses with

suitable focal length. They are mostly built for an average customer and the quality is

not so important. But when we want a good photo, we use good instruments. A camera

system is a platform with interchangeable components that constitute the core of a

system. Camera systems usually include a camera body and chargeable lenses. Each

camera system has its lens mount. In different systems it may be different. Also, there

are cameras without their own system, but with chargeable lenses. With the help of

suitable lenses, you can do more tasks. Lenses are produced for only a particular mount

and each mount has data like flange focal distance. It is the length from the sensor to the

mount of the objective. Only if you have the right flange focal distance can you focus

on the whole range of distances. That’s why there are several problems with using

lenses from different systems on cameras. You can use adaptors, though, but not all

mounts are suitable. The best way is using original lenses for mounts. Each mount has a

particular park of optics for many tasks and levels. In general, in the same data, old

manual lenses are much cheaper because they don’t have electronic control, motors,

vibrations regulation and stabilization systems and other stuff, which is sometimes

useless. Also, the glass quality in cheaper lenses is better in old lenses and old lenses

with fixed focal length are cheaper and more high-aperture. What is more, some best

lenses from the past do not have an adequate and close analog nowadays. However, old

lenses are not suitable for event, sport and some types of commercial photography when

people need speed and automatic usage of camera.

So to sum up, quality of most old lenses is enough good and some ones can beat

nowadays existing ones but they don’t have automatics in them so they are not suitable

for some types of shooting.

2.2.3. Shutter

The shutter is a device that allows light to pass for a determined period,

exposing photographic sensor to light in order to capture a permanent image of a scene.

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The camera shutter can be located in two positions: near the lens and aperture and near

the focal plane (just near the sensor). So, camera shutters fall into two classes: aperture

shutters and focal-plane shutters.

All of them range in the speed of shutter – the period of time, when picture is exposed.

It measures with the period of time 1/250s; 1/500s; 1/4000s; 1s; 30s. In most cameras

250 or 500 number shows that speeds are 1/250 and 1/500. If we need longer shutter

speed than we have, we use Bulb option or Time option. In the first option, the shutter is

opened while the shutter button is pressed. In the second option, the shutter opens while

you press the button for the first time and closes when you press the button for the

second time.

2.2.3.1 Aperture Shutter.

This type of shutter is located near the aperture plane. It is not so big, and constructive

aspects let it be built in the lens. Also, the back shutters and front shutters may belong to

aperture ones because they do not have critical difference. The back shutters are located

just behind the lens and the front shutters are located just in front of the lens. Their

benefits are that they expose all the surface of the image simultaneously, so while using

the focal-plane shutter it doesn’t give distortions to the image, low costs, ability or

shooting on large sensors, simple construction, and low vibrations during the exposure.

The minuses are that it’s difficult to use them with chargeable lenses, they can’t show

fast speed and aperture can’t open wide because the size of the shutter is limited due to

its construction. Usually, it consists of a mechanism with one or more pivoting metal

leaves which normally do not allow light through the lens onto the film, but which when

triggered opens the shutter by moving the leaves to uncover the lens for the required

time to make an exposure, then shuts. Usually, they are built in cheap, disposable and

clap-cameras. They do not have electronic motors to reload and shot (except disposable

cameras), because they are used only in cameras where speed of operating is

unnecessary. They are used mostly in film cameras.

2.2.3.2. Focal-plane Shutter.

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A focal-plane shutter is positioned just in front of the film, in the focal plane, and moves

an open part across the film until the full frame has been exposed. Focal-plane shutters

are usually implemented as a pair of light-tight cloth, metal, or plastic curtains. The

traditional type of focal-plane shutter in 35 mm cameras, pioneered by Leitz for use in

its Leica cameras, uses two shutter curtains, made of opaque rubberized fabric, that run

horizontally across the film plane. For slower shutter speeds, the first curtain opens

(usually) from right to left, and after the required time with the shutter open, the second

curtain closes the aperture in the same direction. When the shutter is cocked again the

shutter curtains are moved back to their starting positions, ready to be released. The

same technology was used in many soviet cameras (Zenit, Zorki, FED), because most

German factories after WWII were moved to Soviet Union. For shutter speeds slower

than a certain point (known as the X-sync speed of the shutter), which depends on the

camera, one curtain of the shutter opens, and the other closes after the correct exposure

time. As the shutter speeds faster than the X-sync speed, the top curtain of the shutter

travels across the focal plane, with the second curtain following behind, effectively

moving a slit across the focal plane until each part of the film or sensor has been

exposed for the correct time. Most modern 35 mm and digital SLR cameras now use

vertical travel metal blade shutters. They work in precisely the same way as the

horizontal shutters, but because of the shorter distance, the shutter blades must travel

(24 mm as opposed to 36 mm), the shutter blades can travel across the film plane in less

time. This can result in faster flash synchronization speeds than are possible with the

horizontal-curtain focal-plane shutter, and the shutter can reliably provide higher speeds

(up to 1/8000 of a second). One of the advantages of focal-plane shutters is that the

shutter can be built into the body of a camera which accepts interchangeable lenses,

eliminating the need for each lens to have a central shutter built into it. Another

advantage of the focal-plane shutter is that their fastest speeds are quite high: 1/4000

second or even 1/8000 second; much higher than the 1/500 second of the typical leaf

shutter. The main disadvantage of the focal-plane shutter is that a durable and reliable

one is a complex (and often expensive) device. The typical focal-plane shutter has flash

synchronization speeds that are slower than the typical leaf shutter's 1/500 s, because 14

the first curtain has to open fully and the second curtain must not start to close until the

flash has fired. In other words, the very narrow slits of fast speeds will not be properly

flash exposed. The fastest X-sync speed on a 35 mm camera is traditionally 1/60 s for

horizontal Leica-type FP shutters and 1/125 s for vertical Square-type FP

shutters. Modern FP shutters have increased X-sync to 1/250 s with the use of modern

materials and computer control, and 1/8000 s through electronic sleight of hand. Focal-

plane shutters may also produce an image distortion of very fast-moving objects or

when panned rapidly. A large relative difference between a slow wipe speed and a

narrow curtain slit results in cartoonish distortion, because one side of the frame is

exposed at a noticeably later instant than the other and the object's interim movement is

imaged.

Nowadays most professional digital cameras have vertical travel metal blade focal plane

shutters with very high (to 1/8000) shutter speed, high X-sync speed and very fast

curtains, so fast-moving objects don’t get distorted. They also have a motor to reload

and an electronic control unit, so the work of shutter is very fast. Nowadays digital SLR

cameras reached 12 exposures per second, even if they move the mirror. There is a

special type of cameras – report cameras, which were developed especially for sport and

reports.

Digital image sensors (both CMOS and CCD image sensors) can be constructed to give

a shutter equivalent function by transferring many pixel cell charges at one time to a

frame transfer shutter. If the full-frame is transferred at one time, it is a global shutter.

Often the shaded cells can independently be read, while the others are again collecting

light. Extremely fast shutter operation is possible as there are no moving parts or

any serialized data transfers. The global shutter can also be used for videos as a

replacement for rotary disc shutters. The electronic shutter can reach the speeds of

1/32000s, while the fastest electro-mechanical shutter existing can reach the speed of

1/16000s. In some cameras these two types of shutter are combined.

Most film cameras before the 1960-s had a Leica-type shutter that could speed up to

1/1000 (1/500 for most Zenits), and had to be reloaded after each exposure. After the

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50-s, technologies went far ahead and vertical metal blade shutters were produced.

Ordinary 35 mm film with top cameras could be shot with 4 seconds. That’s why report

cameras are now only digital ones. In general, it’s faster to shoot with a digital camera

than with a film one.

2.3. Other Data and Parts

2.3.1. Sighting and Focusing Instrument

In photography, a viewfinder is an instrument which is used to compose the image, and,

in many cases, to focus. In first cameras focusing and sighting were available through

the ground-glass. The ground glass was located in a focal plane instead of the sensor,

then the picture was focused and sighted and the ground glass was removed with the

sensor. It was one of the easiest optical viewfinders (before the developing

microelectronics all viewfinders were optical). Sometimes viewfinder was even like an

open sight of weapon with frame.

Then the viewfinder as an optical instrument, containing lenses, was commonly

integrated into a camera. Some cameras also had an optical rangefinder to focus on

object. Cameras with an integrated rangefinder and viewfinder were called rangefinders.

There were two or one sighting windows in a camera (some cameras had a coupled

viewfinder and rangefinder). The camera was held on eye-level and one eye was

looking into one of the windows. If instruments were coupled, focusing didn’t take

much time.

All these cameras didn’t have a mirror. Then mirror cameras were ranged by the count

of objectives for TLR (Twin-lens reflex) and SLR (Single-lens reflex) cameras.

A twin-lens reflex camera (TLR) is a type of camera with two objective lenses of the

same focal length. One of the lenses is the photographic objective or "taking lens" (the

lens that takes the picture), while the other is used for the viewfinder system, which is

usually viewed from above at waist level. [Image 1 Application 2]

In addition to the objective, the viewfinder consists of a 45-degree mirror (the reason for

the word reflex in the name), a matte focusing screen at the top of the camera, and a

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pop-up hood surrounding it. The two objectives are connected, so that the focus shown

on the focusing screen will be exactly the same as on the film. Most TLRs use leaf

shutters with shutter speeds up to 1/500 s.

The camera was usually held with one hand on the level of the stomach and another

hand focused. Focusing and sighting were easy, but it took much more time instead of

rangefinders.

Single-lens reflex (SLR) cameras view the scene through the taking lens. SLRs have a

mechanism which flipped the mirror out of the way when the shutter button was

pressed, followed immediately by the shutter opening. Instead of a waist-level

arrangement, a prism was used to allow the camera to be held to the eye. The big

advantage of the SLR was that any lens, or other optical device, could be used; the

viewfinder always showed exactly the image that would be projected onto the film. The

focusing and sighting through SLR is the fastest and the easiest (if operated

mechanically) due to ergonomic. That’s why most professional and semi-professional

cameras were SLRs. [Image 1 Application 2]

An electronic viewfinder (EVF) is a camera viewfinder where the image captured by the

lens is projected electronically onto a miniature display. The image on this display is

used to assist in aiming the camera at the scene to be photographed. It differs from

a live preview screen in being smaller and shaded from ambient light. Live view in a

camera is showing the picture on a big screen of the camera (mostly used in cheap

cameras and as addition to optical viewfinder or EVF). It is close to SLR in what you

see in viewfinder and where it is located. The advantages of EVF are that it shows

approximately how the scene will look under the chosen exposure, including white

balance, saturation, effects etc; shows 100% coverage of frame and cameras without

mirrors with EVF are much smaller than SLRs with mirror and prism. The minuses are

that you see pixels in the viewfinder anyway and the picture is not true, like in optical

viewfinders. The speed of glowing may not be fit for sport photography because the

motions are too fast.

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The focusing method in modern cameras is the same as in film cameras while operated

mechanically except of SLR with shaft viewfinder and TLR. The situation changed with

EVFs and live view, because cameras became more compact. For average customer live

view is much easier, however all types of cameras that require fast operating are SLRs

and if speed is unnecessary then sighting and focusing instrument are chosen due to

aspects of type of shooting.

2.3.2. Resolution

Most people equate resolution to the number of Megapixels, especially when comparing

digital camera qualities, but this is not entirely accurate. Image resolution is basically

the amount of detail an image can show. It is the quantification of the degree to which

two lines next to each other can be visibly resolved, or discerned from each other. If a

camera, film or lens can produce an image where you can see clearly defined edges of

the smallest details, the resolution is said to be high.

Thus, Megapixels then become a kind of unit of measuring resolution in digital images.

Resolution is determined by the size of pixels present in the image, and the more the

pixels, the smaller they are. However, naturally, this has to take the size of the area in

question as well. Plus, there are other considerations as well, such as the image

processing algorithms and interpolation of pixels, which we will discuss further shortly. 

Film resolution is measured in lines per millimeter, and these lines comprise pairs of a

dark and a light line, also known as line pairs per millimeter. Since film records details

naturally, there are no algorithms and computer interpretations to mess things up and

the details you see are extra-ordinary, especially with medium and large format sheet

film.       

Sharpness and Detail

The film naturally records the finest of details in a given scenario, which means you get

coarser textures as well as finer ones. Digital sensors are less responsive to fine details,

however, but are extra sensitive to the medium level details that they can see. These are

exaggerated by boosting the contrast which results in a highly sharpened image which is

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intended to make up for the lacking in detail and to give a false sense of sharpness in the

resulting image. This is one of the reasons film images look so much better to the eye;

the natural way it records the coarser details rather than heightened contrast is how our

eyes naturally respond to visual stimuli as well. 

RGB Resolution 

Except for Foveon sensors, all digital sensors are black and white, covered with red

green and blue dots. This means that each pixel does not have complete R, G, and B

information, with each color only covering one-third of the sensor. This translates into

one-thirds of the resolution for each color, which means that the megapixels states by

camera manufacturers for their products are grossly exaggerated. 

Since each pixel only has one-third the color data needed to be resolved, digital cameras

use something called the Bayer Interpolation firmware which helps them interpolate, or

guess at the values in between the pixel locations of each color to come up with

brightness value for any given color. So, if a camera states it can resolve at 25 MP, it

can usually only resolve at half, or sometimes even less than that, and the rest is a result

of interpolation algorithms and smoothing over. 

On the other hand, in film you have full R, G and B resolution at every point and get

endless amounts of color information and details throughout the image. So, you get the

same resolution for different colors being recorded, and the resolution you stated is the

resolution you get in the results.

The Real Resolution of Film

Thus, when we take all this into mind, what is the real resolution of film? It captures

more detail than any digital camera can, but this detail cannot be conceived in any

measure that can be easily compared with digital. When we zoom into a quality shot

taken with film and digital both, we can see the differences clearly; with film you get

the finer details of textures that digital will smooth into oblivion while maintaining

sharp edges to make us think the image is still sharp. 

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However, we still want to know what the resolution of film is in terms that we can relate

to, such as mega pixels. Kenny Rockwell gives us a nice, simplified formula to do this

which is quite helpful. Most films have an average resolution of 150 line pairs per

millimeter and we’ll use this as an example even though different films may differ. 

Now, 150 pairs mean 300 lines, or 300 pixels per millimeter in any direction. When we

consider the whole area of the film, we get 300x300 which are 90,000 pixels, or 0.09

megapixels per square millimeter. 

Now, this will be translated very differently for different sizes of film. When we look at

35 mm film, it has a surface of 35 x 24 = 864 sq mm. This means that a piece of 35 mm

film has 0.09 x 864 megapixels, which is almost 78 megapixels. And this is not the

digital camera pixel count which is really only 2/3 of that (we’ll count as ½), this is film

where each pixel would have full RGB rendition. 

A digital camera would have to be 156 megapixels to give you the same kind of

detail as 35mm film. 

And of course, this is just 35 mm; with medium and large format you get even more

detail, and the larger you keep going the possibilities keep skyrocketing. With medium

format 6x6 film you get 56 x 56 = 3,136 sq mm, which is 282 megapixels.

Large format 4x5” would be 95 x 120 mm, which is 11,400 sq mm, and 1026

megapixel, with full RGB data at each pixel. With 8x10 sheets or 203 x 254 mm you

have 51,562 sq mm and 4640 megapixel, which is insane.     

Output Method

While film itself might have a high resolution and an ability to capture endless detail,

what we end up seeing is limited to the quality of the output method. Recently most

people have started scanning their film digitally, and the scanner will only be able to

resolve the details up to its DPI or dots per inch rating. The film may have a lot more

detail to show, but this cannot be resolved by the scanner. 

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That being said, the scanners can resolve the fill RGB information available for each

pixel and can resolve as well as the film can up to the finest detail that they can respond

to. A lot of people tend to compare digital scans to digital cameras when comparing

resolution, rather than comparing film, which results in a declaration that digital, has

caught up, or that digital is better. The quality of the scans will no doubt depend on the

quality and abilities of the scanner, and if outdated low quality scanners are used, the

results will not be that great, just as a low quality monitor will display you 25 MP

camera results in a poor light.  

Output methods are not the only thing that affects the quality we see and get. Lenses

have their own lines per millimeter resolution ratings and play a huge role in whether or

not you can tap into the resolution potential of the camera. Another factor to consider is

your own ability. Your skills as a photographer need to be highly refined in order to

capture the amount of detail possible with film, and should also have the skills and

resources to make quality prints/ scans from these exposures. If you’re making

comparisons between film and digital, these factors need to be taken into account, and

your equipment, subject matter, exposure settings and other factors influencing quality

should all be controlled so that the details and resolution can be truly compared.

What we can take away from this is that the real resolution of film is endless. We can

try to quantify it, but the amount of detail it can capture can only be seen through the

various methods we use for output, that is scans and prints. With the advancement of

scanners, we have seen that film resolution just keeps better and better, with the scanner

unlocking more of the recorded detail. The possibilities are endless, and while we talked

about how the resolution does not make a great picture, it is kind of help to push our

limits and see how much better it can get. 

So, while you are shooting in places with big contrast of light (sports or reports) it is

better to shoot with a digital camera.

2.3.3. Light Sensitivity

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Photography is built on the three pillars of exposure: shutter speed, aperture and

sensitivity. Shutter and aperture are controls for adjusting how much light comes into

the camera. How much light is needed is determined by the sensitivity of the medium

used. That was as true for glass plates as it is for film and now digital sensors. Over the

years that sensitivity has been expressed in various ways, most recently as ASA and

now ISO.

The "normal" range of ISO is about 200 to 1600. With today's digital cameras you can

sometimes go as low as 50 or as high as 204,800. The number chosen has two important

qualities associated with it. First, it sets the amount of light needed for a good exposure.

The lower the number, the more light is required. The more light is required, the more

likely a slow shutter speed will have to be used. That means low ISOs, like 100 or 200,

are most often used in bright situations (like sunlight) or when the camera is mounted

on a tripod. If you do not have a lot of light, or need a fast shutter speed, you would

probably raise the ISO.

The other important quality tied to ISO is the amount of noise in the image. When you

shoot a film, as you use film with higher ISO values (often referred to as ASA then),

your images have more visible grain. Film grain is what makes the image, and higher

numbers resulted in larger grain, which was more obvious. Most people found visible

grain objectionable and so photographers worked to avoid it when possible. You cannot

change film sensitivity if your film is already loaded; each roll has sensitivity. Range of

film and film paper ISO is from 6 or less to 3200.

In digital cameras, raising the ISO means a similar decrease in quality, with an increase

in what is called "noise." It is the digital equivalent of grain and results in a sort of

"chunky" look to the image. Very early digital cameras had objectionable levels of noise

at ISOs as low as 800. Today, most professional and semi- professional digital cameras

can make good quality images at ISOs up to 1600 and above. However, several

variables affect this. While shooting on digital camera you can change ISO between

shots easily or let AUTO-ISO function work.

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One important factor affecting the amount of digital noise in an image is the size of the

pixels used on the sensor. Large pixels result in less noise than small ones. That is why

professional and semi- professional digital cameras perform much better at high ISOs

than compact cameras, as they have larger sensors and larger pixels.

In conclusion, digital cameras let you shoot better in dark places and you don’t have to

change film to change ISO.

2.3.4. Dynamic Range

Sometimes you might find yourself in a situation with plenty of light, such as outdoors

or in a well-lit school, and other times things will be so dim that you need to create your

own light with a flash or leave your shutter open for a very long time. However, it is

also quite likely you could end up taking pictures when there is a lot of light, as well as

a lot of shadows, then, it can get tricky to nail the shot you want. Fortunately, there’s a

term that can greatly assist you in these situations – its dynamic range. Knowing what it

means and how it can affect your photography will go a long way towards helping you

get the photos you are trying to create. There are actually two dynamic ranges you need

to think about. One is the dynamic range of the subject; the second is the dynamic range

of your camera.

The dynamic range of the subject is a measure of the range of light intensities from the

shadows to the highlights. In low light conditions the dynamic range (that is the

difference between the darkest and the latest part of the subject) is quite small. On a

bright sunny day that range is much higher and is often outside the range of the camera.

Different cameras and different sensors will have bigger or smaller dynamic ranges. As

long as the dynamic range of the subject does not exceed the dynamic range of your

camera, you will be able to get a perfectly exposed photograph.

If the subject dynamic range is bigger than the camera’s dynamic range, one part of

your subject will be either under or overexposed. 

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It is another theme how to expose the image while dynamic range of your camera is less

than the subject’s.

However, we can correct the lack of dynamic range by using photographic filters; you

can use them with all types of cameras, which lens have a filter mount.

While we are shooting on a digital camera, we can use the technology of High Dynamic

Range (HDR). This is a way of getting the best of both worlds by allowing you to

combine multiple exposures into a single image, using only the parts you need. Thus, in

a scene where there are extremely light parts as well as very dark parts you can take a

few separate pictures that are both under and overexposed, combine them using

software on your phone or computer, and end up with an image that appears to be

evenly exposed.

Anyway, it is better not to worry about the dynamic range while shooting. So, which

DR is wider? Most films now have about 13 stops DR, while digital cameras may have

from 8 to 15 stops. (a stop in photography is a measure of light, which is one f/number

or one shutter speed). Only good cameras have such a high dynamic range. While using

cheaper cameras, the dynamic range may not be as good as film. Film has the best DR

because the image was registered in analog way (by chemicals), it is the best DR for our

eyes, and it looks more realistic. But if we need to shoot the scene with a sky and low-

lighted ground, nothing will help us instead of HDR, because our eye see both

unexposed and overexposed spaces as normal ones.

2.3.5. Costs

Quite a big problem appearing when you start to shoot is the price. The price for

shooting with a digital camera is fixed – it is the price of the camera and the equipment

(lenses, external flashes, memory disks, tripods). The price for shooting with film

cameras includes the price of the camera, the equipment, film, developing and scanning

if we want to have a digital file that we can save on our computer and share. Also, there

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is an option of analog printing on photographic enlarger. The price of optical printing is

the price of photo paper and its developing. Usually, when photography is commercial,

we need digital files to publish them in the mass media. If we see photography as art,

then photos may be printed and shown on exhibitions. However, if we want to publish

an advert for an exhibition, we need to have some files in digital. Also, some

photographers publish their photos in social network. So, it’s difficult to skip the

scanning process.

The price for flagship cameras and the equipment for them may be 800,000 rubles.

However, for good professional equipment even 200 thousand will be enough. The

price for semi-professional is about 50 thousand rubles, including all needed equipment

even for special conditions of shooting. Hobbyists usually have starter-level cameras

and the price for them with stock lens is about 15 to 30 thousand rubles. The prices are

for the factory-new equipment.

Film cameras are various. They can cost from 500 rubles today to 800 or more with

lenses. Usually, cameras for hobbyists are from 500 to 7000 rubles. Good cameras with

equipment will cost up to 30 thousand rubles. Professional ones may cost from 40

thousand with all needed equipment. In general, external equipment and cameras are

cheaper because they do not have automatics.

The price for film is also a big question. It can be from 100 rubles to 1100 for roll of 35

mm film with 36 exposures. Its developing will be from 100 rubles in photo lab to 300

rubles. So the cheapest price for one roll is 200 rubles. The most expensive is 1400

rubles per roll. So, if we shoot professionally, it will be expensive to shoot many

images. Also, the price for professional scanning is quite high.

So, price for shooting with film depends on count of shots. With a digital camera, you

can shoot even 700 thousand images. If you shot it on film, it would be very expensive

and took titanic amount of time. That is one of the reasons why people have moved to

digital cameras. Otherwise, film has several times better data that digital camera cannot 25

reach. If we chose each exposure wisely and shoot not on the spot, the price will be

worth it.

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3. Practical Part

Terms of Reference: to examine the construction of both digital and film cameras, to

practically discern the data about digital and film cameras and make a conclusion.

Methods: to define the basic working principles of both types of cameras and their

elements; to compare the data on digital and film cameras; to estimate the time needed

to make a shot with a camera and the time between two shots; to consider both, the film

image and the digital image; make conclusions.

Estimating time needed to make a shot and estimating the time between two shots

The time needed to make a shot shows how fast you can capture the moment that you

see. Sometimes, actions take place very fast so they can already finish before you are

ready for a shot. In commercial and sport photography, it is necessary to capture very

fast actions, so you may have difficulty doing it if you have a slow camera. Let’s count

the time needed to make a shot for mechanical SLR film cameras and for modern

Digital SLR cameras (DSLR) with automatics. The result is: 10 seconds for DSLR and

30 seconds for SLR. If we set the exposure settings, then we will have 3 seconds and 7

seconds. However, if we used top report film SLR, its results would be the same as for

DSLR’s.

The time between two shots shows how often you can capture moments. The more

moments you can capture, the better it is. Nowadays, DSLRs can shoot up to 14 shots

per second. Top report SLR film cameras have just a little worse data (12 shots per

second). The time for mechanical cameras is about two seconds or more not counting

the focusing.

In conclusion, only top report SLR film cameras may compete with present-day DSLRs.

Also, by the time DSLRs appeared report SLR film cameras had already been in use by

professionals. So people started to choose digital cameras instead of film ones. In

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addition, 12 shots per second means that usual 135 type 35mm film could be used

within 3 seconds, while there’s nearly no limit for a digital camera.

Comparing Film and Digital Images

[Image 1 Application 1]

[Image 2 Application 1]

Images shot on Provia 100f slide film (E-6 process) with Zenit-E SLR and МС Мир

24Н 2/35 lens. Scanning 2000*3000 px.

[Image 3 Application 1]

Image shot on НК-2 soviet film (D-76 process) with Zenit-E SLR and Гелиос-44 2/58

with 13 blades of diaphragm and M39 mount. Scanning 700*1000 px.

As we can see, the film image has quite a good tone reproduction and wonderful

deepness, volume. Also, the dynamic range is close to our eye view even if there are

both dark and bright spaces.

All these films were 135- type, so the exposing space is 24*36 mm, which fits the full-

frame format.

We cannot say anything about the definition of the film because we see only the digital

scans with standard quality of scanning.

[Image 4 Application 1]

[Image 5 Application 1]

[Image 6 Application 1]

These were digital images shot with Nikon D3300 DSLR with 3,5-5,6/18-55 lens.

They all have quite a good tone reproduction, but their deepness is bad, there is no

feeling of volume in them. The colors are good, but not natural. The dynamic range is

quite natural here. There are both dark and bright areas.

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My camera has a 24 MP small-scale sensor (18*24 mm size), so as we can see, the

definition is quite good, but the size of the sensor and the count of pixels give an effect

on deepness and volume because each pixel is small and it collects a small amount of

light 2/3 of which is registered only. However, if we used top report DSLR or at least a

good camera with a full frame sensor, its result could be close to film’s one.

[Image 7 Application 1]

This is a photo made by a smartphone. As we can see, the quality is satisfying for the

size of sensor and all the data cannot even closely compete with a camera’s. However, it

is a perfect example of a snapshot, where a group of tourists is moving and you just

want to capture this spectacular view, and you do not want to worry about putting all the

exposure settings and just want to tap the button on your tiny gadget that fits into your

pocket.

In conclusion, the film image has very good data and the closest to our eye-view. A

digital camera may have just a little worse quality but still satisfying. And smartphone

cameras have enough quality to save in your memory the spectacular view that you

once saw.

Interesting Numbers

Usual 35 mm 36 exp. film can be shot within 3 seconds while using Nikon F-5 film

report SLR.

A digital camera would have to be 156 megapixels to give you the same kind of detail

as a 35mm film. Most films have an average resolution of 150 line pairs per millimeter

and we’ll use this as an example, even though different films may differ. Now, 150

pairs mean 300 lines, or 300 pixels per millimeter in any direction. When we consider

the whole area of the film, we get 300x300 which are 90,000 pixels, or 0.09 megapixels

per square millimeter. Now, this will be translated very differently for different sizes of

film. When we look at the 35 mm film, it has a surface of 35 x 24 = 864 sq mm. This

means that a piece of 35 mm film has 0.09 x 864 megapixels, which is almost 78

megapixels. And this is not the digital camera pixel count which is really only 2/3 of 29

that (we’ll count as ½). This is the film where each pixel would have full RGB

rendition. With a medium and large format you get even more detail, and the larger you

keep going the possibilities keep skyrocketing. With the medium format 6x6 film you

get 56 x 56 = 3,136 sq mm, which is 282 megapixels. The large format 4x5” would be

95 x 120 mm, which is 11,400 sq mm, and 1026 megapixel, with full RGB data at each

pixel. With 8x10 sheets or 203 x 254 mm you have 51,562 sq mm and 4640 megapixel.

The price for my Nikon D3300 is 30000 thousand rubbles with stock lens I use. Now

you can find Zenit-E with 2/58 lens for 3000 rubbles, so we have 27000 rubbles for

film. If we used Kodak gold film for 500 rubbles + processing and standard scanning

for 300 rubbles, we could shoot 33 rolls of film, which make up 1155 images if we lose

one exposure from each film due to technical aspects. If you do not spend the film to

capture everything you want and use it wisely, you will use these 33 rolls within 2

years. If we want a better quality, then we will have to buy Provia 100f film for 900

rubbles per roll and processing + maximum quality scanning for 600 rubbles and we

will have 18 rolls of film and 630 images.

64 GB SD card can fit 2133 photos in NEF (RAW) format from Nikon D3300.

Already processed film could be packed into a roll which takes 90*90*40 mm space,

what is 324 cm*3, 2133 photos is 60 rolls of processed film, so they take 19440 cm*3,

what is 19,5 liters. At the same time 2133 photos can fit small SD card.

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4. Conclusion

The main purpose of this research project is to answer the question whether digital

photography will ever kill film photography. In this project we analyzed all the

advantages and disadvantages of both types of photography. Thus, film takes more time

and money to work with, but it is worth it. You cannot work fast with film cameras

(except for the special ones), as it takes time to focus and frame the object, select the

exposure data and only then you can take a photo. However, there are automatic and

quite cheap compact cameras, but they have worse data and they are more for

snapshots. You should think wisely before taking each exposure, you have only a

limited count of them. Also, it’s not easy to collect photos from film. Digital

photography is more about shooting fast and collecting photos easily. You can capture

any moment you want and there are no difficulties. You can take a photo of whatever

you want and instantly share it with friends. Also, the speed of shooting is faster in

digital cameras. A nearly unlimited number of shots and speed made digital

photography leading in sport and event photography. Also, the equipment for most

cameras is automatic, which film cameras rarely have. Even just storing photos with

film is difficult because film should be in special conditions to save the quality and

wonder how much place takes 200 or more 1,6 m strips of film, it is just 7000 photos,

that can be saved in one folder on your

However, when people moved from analog to digital they lost one important thing in

photography – importance. The purpose of photography is to capture life moments and

show them to the viewer. You can read the image and understand it if it is made with

the feeling of importance. When people received a nearly unlimited number of available

shots, they lost the feeling of importance in photography. Only people who know all the

rules of photography and understand its purpose make perfect or good shots. With film

you should think wisely before doing each exposure and consider if it is worth it. When

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you shoot with a digital camera, the feeling of importance is lost. So, you will get lower

quality images than you need.

Thus, we can make a conclusion that film photography exists as a form of art that takes

time, money but the result is worth it. On the other hand, digital photography is very

difficult because you should keep in mind the rules and the main purpose of

photography. The result can be excellent or you may get many photos without any

sense.

Also, people need equipment and chemicals for film photography. Most cameras and

lenses that are in use now are second-hand and there are some places where we can

repair cameras, some companies even still produce cameras, so equipment will live. The

other question is production of film and chemicals. Films now are produced by Kodak

and Fuji mostly, chemicals buy other factories and people buy production so plants

won’t stop the production unless people won’t stop shooting film, which is making a

comeback. We can be sure that technical supply for film photography will live unless

for 50 years or even more.

In general, we cannot say which type of photography is better, but we can be sure that

film photography will survive as a special form of art.

5. References

1. Don Morley. The Focalguide to Action Photography / Don Morley – M.:

Focal Press. London 1978.

2. https://improvephotography.com/44172/focal-plane-shutter-affects-photos/

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3. https://www.lomography.com/magazine/336517-why-do-people-keep-

coming-back-to-film-photography

4. http://www.naturephotographers.net/articles0703/gt0703-1.html

5. S. Tolansky. Curiosity of Light Rays and Light Waves / S. Tolansky – M.:

Veneda Publishing Ltd. London 1964.

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