Photo Film Camera is Dying. Long Live Digital.

Canon has become the latest camera company to announce that the will discontinue manufacturing film-based SLR cameras. Earlier this year, Konica Minolta announced that they were leaving the camera business altogether. Kodak has dropped film cameras in favor of pursuing an all-digital approach. Nikon is the last holdout in manufacturing film-based SLR models but, with the commercial success of their digital SLR line (especially the new D200), it’s likely that they will be abandoning film altogether by the end of 2006.

One seems nostalgic witnessing the demise of film as a commonly used media in favor of digital technology. Film has only been around for about 150 years. It was subject to fading and corrosion. Processing was complex and costly. The photosensitive pigment was subject to graininess, especially with high-sensitive formulations.

Digital technology allows reusable media. Images may easily be transferred to archival quality storage. Resolutions are expanding to meet and exceed that found on film. Cameras can use many different ISO sensitivities without being vulnerable to grain size or color degradation. Pictures may be viewed on digital screens, TVs, iPods, and cell phones – virtually replacing photo album books. One of the most popular features is that you can see how your picture came out within about a second after you snapped it.

So next time you stop into your favorite restaurant or lounge, give a toast to the passing age of film cameras. Look forward to living in an age of digital photography that holds many surprises to exceed your expectations.

This entry was posted by Dr. Iz on Tuesday, May 30th, 2006 at 9:15 am