Sarah Latour

Despite the instant gratification that digital imaging technology offers, many people are still clinging to the merits of the 35 mm film cameras and what these can deliver. Professional photographers generally advance two reasons why they choose film over digital photography. These two are the feel and look of the images rendered by film, characteristics most evident in movies. The differences are most noticeable in motion pictures that are traditionally film-based compared to video footages broadcasted over television. Film-based movies have more life, with the images and characters they deliver as living, breathing beings. Movie buffs would describe these as film having the soul which is absent in a digital image rendering. More depth could also be found in film because this medium captures more action, more light and much more richness than the digital-based output.

Seasoned photographers likewise describe this film advantage as the style or feel that can’t be found in digital images. Highlights are better held in pictures taken for instance by 35mm digital cameras. These highlights could be used to emphasize a main subject or express some subtle emphasis on a secondary subject, something which could not be done with digital photography. Color play also comes in when using slide film wherein the red colors come out particularly better than in digital. Every other color likewise tends to be more vibrant and deeper when captured on slide film than when taken with a digital camera.

Image quality is a third element wherein film is superior over digital technology. The real image captured by film cameras cannot be done by digital cameras essentially due to the differences in the two media’s technology. Technology based on silver halide is employed in film-based photography. The film base is a piece of plastic coated with an emulsion of silver solution that when penetrated by light turns dark and creates a negative which is then chemically developed. The captured image in the negative is next processed and printed in an enlarger. Digital cameras, on the other hand, work through an imaging chip capturing the light coming in and converting it to electronic energy which is processed and saved in a memory card to be read by a computer from which a print could be made. Images captured digitally are hence cut and dry, which quality-wise would not be suitable for large reproductions. This is because pixels recorded in binary code compose the images recorded digitally, and the number of pixels will limit the size that could be printed from the recorded digital images. With film, however, the image is recorded onto an analog celluloid strip with a sustainable capacity for much larger reproductions.

People dig digital cameras because these devices are easy and convenient to use. However, the digital cameras cannot match the freedom of versatility and creativity of the 35 mm film cameras. For these two reasons, film-based cameras are ideal tools to train on getting the perfect aperture and speed settings to specific shooting situations. Light metering skills could be honed through film-based cameras, unlike in digital photography wherein one can simply delete badly taken shots.

Cindy Rhyes

This is a simple and easy to use digital camera. It isn’t expensive and takes good quality images. It is for point-and-shoot purpose and for people who want to use the digital technology at a low price. This is a entry-level model from Sony and does a good job as a digital camera in its class.

Design
The camera has a simple designing and the build is rectangular which has silver metal touch finishing. The camera weighs 140 grams, which is convenient enough to carry around easily. The size is a bit on the larger side to fit into pockets easily but nevertheless it can be carried around with ease. The LCD display is large and bright, the zoom button is on the backside top of the camera, followed by the control dial, menu button, self-timer and delete button.

Key Features
The camera has a 7.2 megapixel resolution and takes decent quality images. It works well on the medium zoom and even on no zoom, but the maximum zoom isn’t that appealing but the images are bright. The red eye control does a fairly good job. The sharpness of the camera is commendable in this price bracket. The outdoor shots are clear and quiet crisp. Increasing the ISO (image sensitivity to light) to anything above 400 results in spotty images and this is the case with all the low priced digital cameras.
The camera is easy to operate and the functions are simple to use. The first image takes about half a second and it takes 5 images in almost 11 seconds. With usage of flash the first image takes around 1.50 seconds and 5 images in 15 seconds.

Cons
The camera performs well in outdoor conditions but the indoors are a bit disappointing. The flash of the camera is not powerful hence the images lack the brightness indoors. Increasing the ISO of the camera results in grainy images, which is the case with most entry-level digital cameras. The flash recovery is slow and this results in elongated time taken for images using the flash option. The design and look is very simple.

Conclusion
Overall this is a better digital camera than most in the same price bracket. There are no such evident flaws in this camera and it performs well. It is good for beginners and for people who just want to point-and-shoot. It isn’t expensive and hence is a good buy.

Monty Alexander