Monday 21 December 2020

Digital V/S Analogue Technology

 In today’s fast paced world, where everything happens at the click of a button, digital cameras have turned out to be a real advantage.  The technology has replaced heavy, bulky camera equipment and long, tedious film developing processes that were not just time consuming but also heavy on the pocket. Digital cameras are credited for taking the art of photography to the masses, which was once restricted to the technically sound people only.

Digital cameras produce digital images that can be stored in a computer and displayed on screen. In addition, editing of digital data is easy, and a lot of experiments can be done for creativity with numerous editing softwares.

While digital technology has made life much easier, still professional photographers prefer analogue cameras, primarily for better picture quality. Analogue photography refers to clicking photos using an analogue camera and film. In a digital camera, the resolution is determined by counting the number of pixels within a given area, whereas in a film camera, analysis of a film’s resolving power is calculated through angular resolution. Such technical knowledge and training is necessary for ones who are interested in this field. Film and television institute AAFT of Marwah Studios is one such platform that provides a full-fledged technical training on both Digital and Analogue through its cinematography courses.

Talking about the comparison between the two forms of photography, digital photos have less noise/grain than film. Whereas, traditional film photography forces the photographer to plan a shot and execute it well. In fact, a large format film is still the best choice for landscape photography, and given in the right hands, photos from film are superior to digital ones. Prints made from digital photos on home photo printers don't have the shelf life of professional prints made from film. Also, digital photos are more susceptible to manipulation. The film school of Marwah Studios, AAFT School of Cinema has come a long way in imparting advanced knowledge of Digital and Traditional photography.

Despite their respective advantages and disadvantages, digital and traditional photography are complementary arts. They have their respective places in the lives of amateur and professional photographers, and while the transition to digital technology is here to stay, there will always be takers for film cameras, who look for a more personal and enjoyable experience.