So you've decided to buy a camera - congratulations and welcome to the land of Photography! Now how do you figure out what camera is right for you? The first thing you have to decide is whether you want a digital camera or a film camera. This article will explain why amateurs are more likely to get better results going the digital route.

History

Originally, there was resistance from the professional photographers to buying digital because the quality of digital images was significantly less than film quality. But now, the resolution and sharpness of digital images has all but caught up to what is possible with film, and certainly any images I print (up to 13"x19") are handled by digital just as well as film. Quality printers and paper for the non-professional market have improved, too, so printing selective images at home is now a viable option.

Feedback

The real reason why I prefer digital cameras over film is because digital cameras allow you the ability to see your image immediately, without you having to go home and develop the film before you figure out what you should have done differently. It also gives you the freedom to delete bad images immediately, without having to pay for any extra developing - I can't tell you how many rolls of film I've wasted with poor shots, only to throw them away and be frustrated. With digital, I don't care how many shots of the same thing I take unless I'm close to filling up my flash card. If the sun comes out after you've taken your last shot, you can delete it and snap another.

ISO Settings

ISO is also conveniently handled with digital cameras by giving you the ability to change the ISO setting in between shots. In the film cameras, you had to wait until you were finished with your current roll of film before rewinding and switching your 800 ISO-rated film to a 100 ISO-rated film. What a pain!

Cost

The up-front cost of a digital camera is usually more than a film camera because you have to purchase a flash card on which to store your digital images, instead of rolls of film. However, the long term cost of digital photography is notably cheaper since you never have to buy a flash card again - buying film and paying for development is very expensive, and is where a lot of companies make their money. Having said that, even large companies like Kodak have noted the market shift towards digital photography and have stopped making some film types altogether in favour of supplying the home markets with photo quality paper for the home printers.

In conclusion, I highly recommend that amateur photographers purchase digital cameras instead of film cameras because of the ability to change ISO between shots, the high quality of resulting images, the ability to immediately view your image, and the long-term cost savings.