By Aaron Raisey

Last week we examined the economics of film vs. digital cameras and came to the conclusion that in the long term, there might be very little between the two. This week the question of convenience between film and digital comes into focus. With two very important exceptions, there is very little difference between actually using comparable digital and film cameras, and there are also a couple of important peripheral considerations.

Before we examine the differences, how are they similar? On either camera the photographer must make a few choices before taking the shot. For example, what mode shall they shoot in (aperture priority, manual, full auto, etc.), or do they need to apply any exposure compensation? These decisions are common to both types of camera: make decisions, compose and shoot. Not much difference in convenience here.