I’m getting ready for a trip in the next couple weeks – and the thing I’m looking forward to most is taking some photographs with a film camera. I will be taking a digital camera with me as well, but it’s not as fun as film. I frequently ask myself, “why”, but I honestly can’t pin it down. I think it’s a number of things. Maybe a large part of it for me is nostalgia; I miss the way it was. Technically, that’s not a very good reason. Film has technical merits – it’s just different than digital. But, if I’m being honest, if I want the best possible quality, I would say digital is the way to go. The newest camera sensors and lenses are really amazing, and when I shoot something like sports, I can’t imagine shooting with film – and especially without auto focus, or face/eye/subject tracking! It truly is a game changer in many cases.
Here’s another thing. There are digital filters, and software/apps that simulate film effects on your phone or computer. If you’re going to simulate film, why not just use film. I know, that involves acquiring different equipment, and there is an expense in shooting film that you don’t have with digital. Digital techniques can try to simulate the colors or results you get from film, but I don’t think they will ever duplicate film 100%. Film has a quality of unpredictability – you can make mistakes with film, your camera can have light leaks, film can be outdated. All things that are generally considered negatives, and these things can change your results randomly. That’s actually one of the things that I think makes film fun, and a reason to try shooting with a real film camera instead of simulating with digital.
I’m sorry if I dwell on this subject in my posts. I do think about it quite a bit. Here’s some recent photos, both digital and on film, for your viewing enjoyment, from a recent trip I took to Rome.
The first set is film, the second is digital. The quality and ease of digital can’t be beat – but there’s something about the film images. They look different. The film I shot was Kodak Portra 160 (one of my favorite films), using my Canon New F-1 and my Hasselblad 500cm. My digital images are all shot with my Canon R6 and Canon lenses.
I know digital is the way of the future – and especially mirrorless cameras are the way every manufacturer is moving. That’s the way technology is moving – but I still like to slow down and do things the old way – with film – when I can.
If you have opportunity to try film, do it and see if you agree with me about the fun of taking photographs with film. You have to shoot slower and think about what you’re doing more. You have to think about focus and composition more. You have to think about your exposure, depending upon which camera you’re using, a bit more than you think about it with the newest digital cameras. It’s probably not for everyone, but I love it, and I don’t think I’ll ever stop shooting film.
Mostly Film Photography (GotFilm.org) 
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