Film vs Digital Photography?

Entertaining and endless arguments with no clear winner on this subject erupt with incredible regularity in various forums. Personally, I think it doesn't have to be an either-or situation - many top-flight professional and advanced hobbyist photographers have both film and digital photographic equipment in their ownership, as each format has its own distinct pros and cons.

On the mass marketing side of things though, the picture is really different, as digital has, truly overtaken film.

Digital photography has taken over film as the method of choice among photographers, a new survey by morefocus, an online research organization, has revealed. The main reason for preferring digital cameras over film cameras is the flexibility digital cameras provide during the picture-taking process, and not necessarily the end result.

Carlsbad, CA (PRWEB) October 4, 2006 -- An overwhelming majority of people, 82 percent, now use digital cameras, and the main reason for preferring digital over film photography is the flexibility that digital cameras provide while taking pictures, according to an independent study conducted by morefocus, an online research organization.

The survey showed some slightly contradictory responses

Those surveyed, 75 percent of whom own two or more cameras, revealed some interesting information about why digital cameras are quickly becoming dominant over film. The research showed that digital cameras are not preferred because of an improvement to the end result, but rather improvements to the process of picture-taking itself.

In fact, almost half of those surveyed said the experience of the photographer is the most important factor in producing a great photograph. The quality of the camera tied for being the second most important factor with subject matter.

Additionally, digital cameras did not stand out when respondents were asked which method produces a higher quality print. Twenty-three percent of those surveyed said both methods produce the same quality, while the rest of the group were evenly split at 38 percent between digital and film.

"If the flexibility of digital cameras during the picture-taking process is, in fact, leading to better quality prints, most of the people we talked to weren't making the connection," said Dr. Regan Carey, morefocus Research Director. "They're certainly aware of what they like about digital cameras, but they see the end result as pretty equal between digital and film."

Regarding what people like about digital cameras, two main factors were considered most useful by those surveyed. Twenty-eight percent of respondents said the ability to manipulate and correct digital photos is the most useful aspect, while 47 percent said it is the ability to see digital photos instantly.

The survey also revealed some surprising information about how people use pictures from digital cameras.

"The survey showed some slightly contradictory responses," said Carey. "People certainly seem to be taking full advantage of the ability to print their own photographs, yet when asked how important this feature is, they rated it very low."

Only three percent of those surveyed said the ability to print pictures at home was the most useful aspect of the digital camera. Yet a quarter of respondents said they print their own photos and at least store them in boxes, while even more, 43 percent, print their own photos and arrange them in photo albums.

The morefocus survey was commissioned by the publication Photography.com. Further information and summary results of the survey are available on request from morefocus.

About morefocus
San Diego-based morefocus has developed one of the Internet's leading healthcare and lifestyle networks that is applied to reach, inform and engage consumer and professional audiences. Through a suite of proprietary applications, morefocus builds large-scale consumer panels enabling online marketers to reach micro-segmented audiences. For more information, or to join a panel, please visit morefocused.com.

Media Contact:
Erin Capellman
morefocus
781-839-2818
erinc @ morefocus.com