… it’s changed a bit. Well, when I say it’s changed, film cameras are still alive and well, it’s just that when most people think of cameras nowadays they are thinking about digital. So, having got that out of the way, let’s look at it.
A film camera is essentially a light tight box. Two other things. There is a way of attaching a lens to one end of the box, and there is a way of attaching the film to the other end of the box. Here’s an interesting thought though. There is an extensive choice of film types one can attach to the camera, all with very different characteristics.
There is a choice of what black and white film one can use and the same goes for colour. Then there’s positive and negative as well. Also infra-red. So depending what film you use, you effectively have a different camera.
Now let’s look at digital.
The sensor built into the camera, is the digital replacement to the film. If one has the camera set to ‘point & shoot’ mode (as is most common), the image one ends up with is one that results from how the camera maker decided to set the camera in the factory. In other words the choice of image characteristic is his.
Of course, with more complex cameras, one is able to process the data externally in order to produce practically anything one may wish. But in the main, because people set their cameras to ‘point and shoot’, preset ‘in camera processing’ results in images that are very much factory pre-determined.
Modern cars are all looking the same nowadays, as are buildings and so much else besides. It is the shame that it is now up to the specialist to avoid the same happening to photography.