Contax G2 - Digital vs. Film

Digital cameras are increasingly popular for a number of reasons--among them, the ability to preview photos on location and upload pictures to a computer without scanning. Still, for many photographers, film continues to have certain advantages over digital:

Freedom from obsolescence. With a film camera, quality is determined mostly by your lenses and film. The camera you buy today will take state-of-the-art pictures five years from now by using improved film emulsions. That isn't true of with digital, where you can't get the latest imaging technology without buying a new camera.

Unlimited image storage. With a film camera, you take every photo at maximum resolution--and if you run out of film, you can buy another roll at any souvenir stand. With a digital camera, you may be forced to sacrifice quality if you run low on storage capacity while you're exploring Pompeii or riding the Isle of Wight ferry.

Bottom line: If you need to preview images in the field, if you're taking pictures to use on a Web site and don't want to bother with film scanning, or if you want to e-mail vacation pictures to the folks back home, a digital camera is hard to beat. But for some people--especially serious photo hobbyists who grew up with film--a traditional 35mm camera still has its place.

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In this archived article:
Introduction	Test results
The camera	Related Web sites
The lenses	Digital vs. film

Also see:

The Ultimate Camera Bag for Travelers

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