 | | Digital Vs. Film Photography
Although the price and convenience of digital photography has resulted in digital cameras outselling film cameras since 2002, we will never see film cameras become completely unavailable. Photographic film and equipment will continue to be an option for enthusiasts. Picture taking is an art form for many who would not think of going digital. They will use time and money to convert their end product to digital in order to share their photos. Much like digital users use time and money getting good prints of their photos!
Digital photography offers many advantages over Film photography;
- Pictures are available for instant review. Additional pictures can be taken instantly in the event of a problem.
- There are virtually no costs to capturing and sharing photos via email and storing on a computer without printing.
- Photos can be copied from one digital medium to the next without loss of quality.
- Ability to print photos at home using consumer grade paper or email photos to be printed professionally.
- Ability to capture hundreds of photos rather than changing film after 24 to 36 shots.
- Increasingly common anti-shake functionality. This allows for sharper handheld photos rather than using a tripod.
- A smaller sensor format which allows for smaller lenses, wider zoom lenses and greater depth of field.
- Ability to change ISO speed settings in the middle of shooting. In film photography the ISO speed is loaded so you must change film to change speeds.
- Ability to convert the same photo from color to black and white, sepia, etc.
- Stored digitally therefore there is no risk of fading or losing photo quality over time.
- Ability to manipulate photos usingcomputer software.
Disadvantages of Digital photography as compared to Film photography;
- Dependence on spare batteries or access to an outlet. Film cameras do use batteries but they tend to be smaller and not drained as quickly.
- Most digital sensors have less dynamic range than color print film.
- High ISO image noise manifests as multicolored speckles in digital images in contrast to the less objectionable grain of high ISO film. This speckling can be removed by noise reductioncomputer software however, the removal can cause a loss of fine detail.
- When highlights burn out they burn to white without details. If any broad area is over exposed the image looks very poor. This effect is similar on cheap pocket cameras. Film cameras retain a level of detail as they burn to white. This mimics our eye much better than digital. This is digitals greatest downfall.
Thus the comparison leads to a choice on an individual basis only. The user needs and skill level and the advantages and disadvantages to both types of photography need to be analyzed in order to choose the better method. If you were to try and purchase a digital camera that matched a film camera feature for feature it would easily be double the price even taking into consideration the savings on film. However, the convenience that digital photography offers may outweigh quality of each individual picture for some persons.
Digital technology has enabled a speedier process and a lot more room for error. However, the quality of a professional film photograph can not be matched for the price. Review of the advantages and disadvantages will help each user choose the better camera for their needs.
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| The Hundred-Year Lie: How to Protect Yourself from the Chemicals That Are Destroying Your Health
by Randall Fitzgerald |  | In the tradition of Silent Spring and Fast Food Nation, investigative journalist Randall Fitzgerald warns how thousands of man-made chemicals in our food, water, medicine, and environment are making humans the most polluted species on the planet. A century ago in 1906, when Congress enacted the Pure Food and Drug Act, Americans were promised "better living through chemistry." Fitzgerald provides overwhelming evidence to shatter this myth, and many others perpetrated by the chemical, pharmaceutical, and processed foods industries.
Plume (June 26, 2007)
Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.2 x 0.7 inches
Paperback: 304 pages | Consider This:- The average American carries a "body burden" of 700 synthetic chemicals
- Chemicals in tap water can cause reproductive abnormalities and hermaphroditic birth
- A 2005 study of lactating women in eighteen U.S. states found perchlorate (a toxic component of rocket fuel) in practically every mother's breast milk
- Lab tests have found that four common food additives-aspartame, MSG, and two coloring chemicals-interact synergistically to produce nerve damage. These additives are commonly found in junk food marketed to children.
- In the past few decades male sperm counts fell by 50 percent, women's tubal pregnancies increased by 400 percent, and girls eight years old and younger began experiencing puberty. Chemicals are redefining what is "normal"
| Editorial Review:
In 1906, Congress passed the US Food and Drug Act and, according to the author, this has led to the "Hundred-Year Lie" that our food and drugs have been investigated and are safe and that the additives and chemicals put in them may actually make them better than the organic, natural variety. As an investigative reporter, Fitzgerald is expert at using scientific documents, articles in science and environmental journals and expert interviews to support his case. He concludes that we cannot rely on the government, science or manufacturers to either protect us or predict the effects of the products we ingest. As a test, Fitzgerald had his own blood analyzed for toxins and, in spite of living in an area of California known for its pure water and air and careful eating habits, he was shocked to find many toxic chemicals in his blood. While many readers will not agree with his conclusion that "Merely by choosing a diet of pure foods and a lifestyle free of synthetics, we can detoxify ourselves and initiate the healing of many degenerative illnesses and diseases," this book will cause any reader to think about the effect of our own voluntary actions on the health of our bodies. His suggestions for practical steps one can take may prove useful as well, although in the paperback afterword, he fears that denial will prevent most people or governments from taking any significant action.
Reviewer: Nola Theiss (Vol. 42, No. 1) |
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