Digital Blues
For over forty years of my photographic life I have used film (because there was nothing else). I now have a Canon Powershot G6, and I have to say it has a lot to commend it – biting sharpness and the ability to produce large prints. However I am not entirely happy with the dynamic range, which seems a little restricted when compared with film. The highlights are a bit brash, there’s little gradation of tone there. I had the opportunity to do m=some serious street photography with this camera but I was disappointed with the attenuated tonal range. The highlights were burned out.. There were some interesting shots but i despair of making them presentable. Maybe there is a moral there, don’t do any serious photography when you are testing a new camera (or film). On the other hand I have discovered that this digital camera is very forgiving of underexposure – a recent experiment taking shots of evryday scenes of no importance showed it was possible o get a decent image from an underexposed shot. So I have reasoned that I should perhaps use manual exposure on my next serious photo-shoot and underexpose by half or one full stop.
I would love to here from all of you out there who have encountered similar problems and have found a way to overcome them.
jotography
Hello David, I suffered the same “blues” when I started with digital in 2000. Like yourself, I found the change somewhat uncomfortable. However, pressing on with the “learning”, I found that digital actually has a higher dynamic range. Tonal range can be tamed by careful conversion and coaxing. Do please try out the different methods of converting to black/white. Shooting in RAW format is also very important. This allows you to “push/pull”
Other factors include the monitor in which we view the digital image. That should be calibrated. As it is with the “printer”, be it a lab or an ink-jet.
I still enjoy both film and digital. Still learning. The emotional impact and quality of your images are stunning. This is my tuppence worth. Keep enjoying, as I’m sure you are…..
david malcolmson
Hello ‘Jotography’. Many thanks for your reply.It reassures me that the problems with digitl photography can be overcome with patience and a bit of imagination. Like you I shoot RAW then convert. I shoot in colour and covert. I use Photoshop and appreciate the value of Channel Mixer for replicating film with filter effects. I alo us Laers and Curves. One thing I particularly like with digital is the rendition of skies – usually shooting with BW film you’d need a yellow filter to get the same effect.. I suspect that my camera overexposes by at least half a stop when shooting on auto…..By the way, many thanks for your kind comments. Best wishes, David