Film Vs Digital

[ErrantWanderlust]

Sorry to resurrect an old post, but I had to throw in my two cents. My workflow is far, far faster and easier with digital. That being said, I shoot film about 90% of the time (6X7). I then digitize it. Looking through a Vogue or similar fashion magazine, I estimate that at least half of the photographers are shooting film. The other half are using $30,000 MF digital backs. 35mm format digital just doesn't have the same atmosphere as a big piece of film. My biggest issue is the feel of the images, particularly the inability to do any real selective focus with a postage size CCD. A normal 35mm lens will never look like a normal 110mm lens. Any differing opinions?

-Tim

[R_Fredrick_Smith]

Originally Posted by ErrantWanderlust

Sorry to resurrect an old post, but I had to throw in my two cents. My workflow is far, far faster and easier with digital. That being said, I shoot film about 90% of the time (6X7). I then digitize it. Looking through a Vogue or similar fashion magazine, I estimate that at least half of the photographers are shooting film. The other half are using $30,000 MF digital backs. 35mm format digital just doesn't have the same atmosphere as a big piece of film. My biggest issue is the feel of the images, particularly the inability to do any real selective focus with a postage size CCD. A normal 35mm lens will never look like a normal 110mm lens. Any differing opinions?

-Tim

In my opinion there is no real way you can tell just by looking at the photos as printed in the magazine whether they were shot in digital or on film. Also I see no relationship between focusing and whether the camera is film or digital. The focusing is done without consideration of that factor. In other words focus is achieved before the photo the sensor or film is exposed to the light.

Cheers,
rfs

[ErrantWanderlust]

Selective focus, as in narrow depth of field. The smaller your sensor, the shorter the focal length for a given angle of view. Therefore, a 35mm size digital SLR will have a greater depth of field for any given aperture setting. Depending on what you shoot, that may be a benefit. For me, it's not.

[Viajero]

That selective focus / depth of field argument only applies if you yank a lens from your 35mm body and use that same one on your APS-C or APS-H DSLR.

Given the same constraints (ie: distance from the subject), you will either use a different focal length to get the same image size on the sensor (thus cancelling out the DoF effect) or keep the lens and increase your camera to subject distance (to get the same target image size) and increase the DoF.

Remember, DoF is irrespective of focal length, it is a function of distance, f/stop and hyperfocal distance. What changes with varying focal lengths is field of view, and since field of view is inherently smaller in the typical DSLR this has the effect of making shorter lenses seem like longer ones.

[ErrantWanderlust]

With all due respect sir, you are incorrect. A lens with a longer focal length will have a much narrower depth of field at the same focusing distance. For example, a 35mm lens ("normal" for say, a D2X) set at F/2.8 and focused to 2 meters will have a depth of field of about .4 meters. A 110mm lens (normal for an RZ67) also set at F/2.8 and focused at 2 meters will have a depth of field of about .1 meters. Your argument of DOF with the same image size only applies to lenses on the same camera system.

-Tim

[Viajero]

Look, I don't want to get into a flame war over this. I had to educate myself on this topic as well. Do a web search on Depth of Field. There is an overwhelming amount of stuff on this topic on the internet. You will be surprised at how your assumptions are challenged. I was.

[ErrantWanderlust]

I've read the same documents you have, and I don't think understanding them fully. We're talking about the difference between a medium format camera and a 35mm format digital. I assume you've never used a view camera, or we wouldn't be having this conversation. I think you'd have a hard time convincing people that a 300mm normal lens has the same depth of field at a given aperture as your Canon. Take a look at this website:http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tut...h-of-field.htm. It mentions what your talking about, but understand that we are not changing focus distance in our scenario. We are talking about the depth of field of a 110mm lens focused to the same distance as a 35mm lens. Use the calculator at the bottom of the page. I'm not trying to start a war either, but I like to educate people when I'm able.

-Tim

[RobArtLyn]

Originally Posted by ErrantWanderlust

We are talking about the depth of field of a 110mm lens focused to the same distance as a 35mm lens.

Except that you wouldn't do that. If you focus the 110mm to the same distance as the 35mm, you will have a different picture because the 110mm lens has a much narrower field-of-view. You claim that you are talking about a situation where the focus distance remains the same with both lenses. However, if you do that, you are taking two different pictures. When I switched from 35mm film to APS-C digital with the same lenses, I didn't continue to stand in the same spot to take pictures. I backed up. For the discussion to make sense, you need to be talking about taking the same picture, i.e., the subject is the same size in the frame. To do that with the 110mm you will need to back up. Note in the table half way down the page that the depth-of-field remains virtually the same as the focal length increases and the focus distance increases as well.

[Viajero]

Try this site:

ttp://www.wrotniak.net/photo/tech/dof.html

I've used view cameras since 1975, and over the years have owned four or five of them from medium format up to 8" x 10".

[ErrantWanderlust]

Rob:

I would be focusing them at the same distance, because a 110mm lens on a Mamiya RZ67 provides approximately the same angle of view as a 35mm lens on a DX2. Same angle of view, different cameras, totally different depth of field. I'm comparing medium format to digital, not 2 lenses on the same camera. I am fully aware that a long lens and a short lens on the same camera will provide the same DOF if the subject size is the same. We're talking DIFFERENT CAMERAS with far different film/sensor size. Please guys, read my previous posts and think this through. Better yet, borrow a medium format camera and see for yourself.


-Tim