Step into the world of 35mm photography with the Photography Discussion Roundtable, heard every Monday evening at 7:00 PM ET on BrandMeister DMR Talkgroup 31266 — the MichiganOne Nets channel. This engaging net is your chance to explore the art and science of photography, ask questions, and sharpen your skills in a welcoming, knowledge-rich environment.
Hosted by James N8TMP, Bob KB8DQQ, and Rick AD8KN, each brings a wealth of experience to the mic. Bob and James are seasoned wedding photographers, while Rick adds deep technical insight and practical know-how. Together, they guide discussions on camera features, techniques, terminology, and everything from aperture to artistic vision.
Whether you’re just starting out or looking to refine your craft, tune in and join the conversation. Your next great shot starts here.
Film vs Digital: A Comprehensive Comparison of 35mm Photography
Historical Context
Film Photography (1880s-Present) The story of 35mm photography begins in the late 19th century. While photography itself dates back to the 1820s, the 35mm format emerged when Oskar Barnack at Leica developed the first compact 35mm camera around 1913-1914, though it wasn’t commercially released until 1925. This format used the same 35mm film stock originally designed for motion pictures. For nearly eight decades, film reigned supreme as the only option for photographers, with continuous improvements in film emulsions, color accuracy, and ISO sensitivity.
Digital Photography (1990s-Present) Digital photography’s commercial viability began in the 1990s. Kodak released the first professional digital SLR in 1991, but early digital cameras were prohibitively expensive and produced relatively low-resolution images. The Canon EOS D30 in 2000 and Nikon D1 series marked turning points in accessibility. By the mid-2000s, digital had largely overtaken film in the consumer market. The 2010s saw digital sensors surpass film in most technical metrics, with full-frame sensors becoming more affordable and mirrorless systems emerging as the new standard.
Technical Advantages and Disadvantages
Film Photography
Advantages:
- Dynamic Range in Highlights: Film, particularly negative film, excels at retaining highlight detail, gracefully rolling off bright areas rather than clipping them
- Organic Aesthetic: Film grain has a pleasing, three-dimensional quality that many find more aesthetically appealing than digital noise
- Color Science: Different film stocks (Portra, Ektar, Velvia) offer distinct color palettes that are difficult to replicate digitally
- Longevity: Properly stored film negatives can last over 100 years, while digital file formats and storage media evolve
- No Power Required: Mechanical film cameras can operate without batteries
- Slows Down Process: The cost and limitation of 36 exposures encourages more deliberate shooting
Disadvantages:
- Ongoing Costs: Film, developing, and scanning create perpetual expenses
- No Immediate Feedback: You can’t review shots until after development
- Limited ISO Flexibility: You’re locked into one ISO per roll
- Shadow Detail: Film tends to lose shadow detail more readily than digital sensors
- Scanning Workflow: Requires additional steps to digitize images for modern use
- Environmental Impact: Chemical processing and plastic film cartridges create waste
Digital Photography
Advantages:
- Instant Review: Immediate feedback allows for on-the-spot adjustments
- No Per-Shot Cost: After initial investment, shooting is essentially free
- ISO Flexibility: Change sensitivity shot-by-shot
- Superior Low-Light Performance: Modern sensors handle high ISOs with manageable noise
- Shadow Recovery: Excellent ability to pull detail from underexposed areas
- Convenience: No developing, scanning, or waiting required
- Video Capability: Most digital cameras offer video recording
- Technical Precision: Perfect exposure histograms, focus peaking, and other tools
Disadvantages:
- Highlight Clipping: Digital sensors tend to clip highlights more harshly than film
- Digital Noise: High-ISO noise can be less aesthetically pleasing than film grain
- Obsolescence: Camera bodies become outdated; files require ongoing migration to new formats
- Over-Shooting: The lack of cost per frame can lead to less intentional photography
- Battery Dependency: Requires charged batteries to operate
- Initial Cost: Quality digital bodies and lenses represent significant upfront investment
When to Choose Film vs Digital
Choose Film When:
- Creating fine art photography where the medium itself is part of the aesthetic
- Shooting in bright conditions where highlight retention is critical
- Working on long-term archival projects
- You want to slow down and shoot more deliberately
- Specific film stocks provide the color palette you’re seeking
- Shooting black and white for its particular tonality
- Teaching photography fundamentals without digital distractions
Choose Digital When:
- Working professionally with tight deadlines
- Shooting events where you can’t miss moments
- Working in low-light environments
- Budget constraints make per-shot costs prohibitive
- You need video capability
- High volume shooting is required (sports, wildlife)
- Immediate client proofing is necessary
- Precise technical control and instant feedback are essential
What Each Format Excels At
Film Excels In:
- Portrait photography (particularly skin tones with Portra 400)
- Landscape photography with challenging highlight conditions
- Black and white photography with rich tonality
- Creating a distinctive aesthetic “look”
- Archival permanence
- Teaching photographic discipline and fundamentals
Digital Excels In:
- Sports and action photography
- Wildlife photography
- Event and wedding photography (alongside film for some shooters)
- Astrophotography and extreme low-light work
- Product photography requiring technical precision
- High-volume commercial work
- Situations requiring immediate delivery
What Each Format Lacks
Film Lacks:
- Immediate feedback and review capability
- Cost-effectiveness for high-volume shooting
- Flexibility in ISO and white balance mid-roll
- Ease of sharing and digital distribution
- Shadow detail recovery capabilities
- Autofocus and modern technological assists (in older bodies)
Digital Lacks:
- The organic, three-dimensional quality of film grain
- Highlight rolloff characteristics of negative film
- The unique color science of various film stocks
- The tactile, mechanical experience of film cameras
- Proven century-long archival stability
- The enforced discipline of limited exposures
Conclusion
The debate between film and digital photography isn’t about which is objectively better, but rather which is more appropriate for your specific needs, artistic vision, and workflow. Many professional photographers now use both formats strategically: digital for client work requiring quick turnaround and high volume, and film for personal projects, fine art, or situations where its unique aesthetic qualities shine.
Film photography offers an irreplaceable tactile experience, distinctive aesthetic qualities, and enforces a disciplined approach to image-making. Digital photography provides unprecedented convenience, technical control, and economic efficiency for high-volume work. Understanding the strengths and limitations of each format allows you to make informed decisions about which tool best serves your photographic goals.
Film vs Digital Photography Quiz
Test your knowledge of 35mm film and digital photography
- When was the first commercial 35mm camera released?
- 1913
- 1925
- 1935
- 1950
- Which format generally handles highlight retention better?
- Digital sensors
- Film negatives
- They are equal
- It depends on the lens used
- What is a primary advantage of digital photography over film?
- Better archival longevity
- More organic grain structure
- Ability to change ISO shot-by-shot
- Superior highlight rolloff
- Which of the following is true about film grain vs digital noise?
- Digital noise is always preferable to film grain
- Film grain has a three-dimensional quality many find aesthetically pleasing
- They are identical in appearance
- Film grain only appears in color photography
- In which photography genre does digital have the most significant advantage?
- Fine art landscapes
- Portrait photography
- Sports and action photography
- Black and white street photography
- How long can properly stored film negatives last?
- 10-20 years
- 30-50 years
- Over 100 years
- Indefinitely without any degradation
- Which format typically performs better in low-light situations?
- Film photography
- Modern digital sensors
- They perform equally
- Vintage film stocks
- What is a disadvantage of digital photography’s ‘unlimited’ shooting capacity?
- It increases battery drain
- It can lead to less intentional photography
- It reduces image quality
- It makes cameras heavier
- Which format generally provides better shadow detail recovery?
- Film negatives
- Digital sensors
- Slide film
- Neither can recover shadow detail
- What must be done to share film photographs digitally?
- Nothing, film is already digital
- The negatives must be scanned
- They cannot be shared digitally
- Only black and white film can be digitized
Previous and upcoming Photography Discussion Roundtable topics:
| Date | Topic |
| 8/4/2025 | Welcome to the world of 35mm photography |
| 8/11/2025 | What is Aperture in photography |
| 8/18/2025 | What is the Golden Triangle? |
| 8/25/2025 | Top photo editing software available in 2025 |
| 9/1/2025 | What is Depth of Field? |
| 9/8/2025 | What is Bokeh in photography? |
| 9/15/2025 | Understanding Lens Focal Length |
| 9/22/2025 | What are leading lines? |
| 9/29/2025 | What is Back-Button Focus? |
| 10/6/2025 | 5 important photography facts that I didn’t know when I started |
| 10/13/2025 | How to shoot in manual mode |
| 10/20/2025 | The different types of lenses |
| 10/27/2025 | All about camera filters |
| 11/3/2025 | On-camera flash vs off-camera flash |
| 11/10/2025 | How to use tripods and stabilizers |
| 11/17/2025 | What is ISO? |
| 11/24/2025 | Film vs digital? |
| 12/1/2025 | How to find and organize your photos in a logical manner |
| 12/8/2025 | Understanding long-exposure photography |
| 12/15/2025 | Enhancing the sky in your photos |
| 12/22/2025 | Where and how to learn more about photography techniques |
| 12/29/2025 | DSLR vs mirrorless cameras |
| 1/5/2026 | The exposure triangle |
| 1/12/2026 | How to develop your own personal photography style |
| 1/19/2026 | Color theory (histograms) in photography |
| 1/26/2026 | Photography ethics in the digital age |
| 2/2/2026 | The future of film and where the analog industry is going |
| 2/9/2026 | How to build a portfolio |
| 2/16/2026 | Photography hints and tips |
| 2/23/2026 | How to take action/motion photos |
| 3/2/2026 | Explaining photography terms |
| 3/9/2026 | Macro photography hints and tips |
| 3/16/2026 | Landscape photography hints and tips |
| 3/23/2026 | Portrait photography hints and tips |
| 3/30/2026 | Night photography hints and tips |
| 4/6/2026 | F-stops and how to use them |
| 4/13/2026 | What are the AE-L, AF-L, and *-buttons? What do they do? |
| 4/20/2026 | White balance explained |
| 4/27/2026 |
Quiz Answers:
- 1925. The Leica I, designed by Oskar Barnack, was commercially released in 1925, though development began around 1913-1914.
- Film Negatives. Film, particularly negative film, excels at retaining highlight detail with a graceful rolloff, while digital sensors tend to clip highlights more harshly.
- Ability to change ISO shot-by-shot. Digital cameras allow you to change ISO sensitivity for each individual shot, while film locks you into one ISO for the entire roll.
- Film grain has a three-dimensional quality many find aesthetically pleasing. Film grain has an organic, three-dimensional quality that many photographers find more aesthetically pleasing than digital noise.
- Sports and action photography. Digital photography excels in sports and action photography due to instant feedback, high frame rates, superior autofocus, and no cost per shot.
- Over 100 years. Properly stored film negatives can last over 100 years, providing excellent archival longevity compared to digital formats.
- Modern digital sensors. Modern digital sensors handle high ISO settings with manageable noise far better than film, making them superior for low-light photography.
- It can lead to less intentional photography. The lack of cost per frame in digital photography can lead to over-shooting and less deliberate, intentional photography compared to the discipline imposed by film’s limitations.
- Digital sensors. Digital sensors excel at pulling detail from underexposed shadow areas, while film tends to lose shadow detail more readily.
- The negatives must be scanned. Film photographs must be scanned to convert them into digital files before they can be shared online or edited digitally, adding an extra step to the workflow.
Next week we’ll discuss:
How to find and organize your photos in a logical manner
