In a day where film cameras have re-entered society as “trendy,” let’s take a look back at their origins and why they are still popular even with advanced digital cameras on the market.
Film vs Digital Cameras
There are many differences between film cameras and digital cameras. Film cameras will capture shots at a higher resolution than most digital cameras. To clarify, this means there are more pixels per inch, leading to what some would consider a “higher quality” image. Digital cameras have a greater capability for trial and error. This is because they don’t have a limited preset roll like a film camera does.
Disposable film cameras are now a popular buy, and if you haven’t purchased one yet I’m talking about the ones used to beg your mom to buy at Walgreens before your 3rd grade birthday party to take pictures of you and your friends.
Major Film Companies
Two major film camera brands are Fuji and Kodak. They both offer a variety of film roll options like the popular Fujifilm Superia 400 35mm or the Kodak Porta 35mm.
Film photography requires a certain chemical process. It’s much more complex to develop film than it is to just point, shoot, and send your photo right to your phone like you can on some digital cameras.
The first Kodak camera came with a preloaded roll of film in 1888. Users could shoot up to 100 photographs before the film ran out. The idea that anyone could purchase this camera, send it in for a new roll and to develop the previous one created a gateway for amateur photographers to hit the scene. Soon everyone everywhere was able to partake in the art practice. Because of that, Kodak has had a major part of the photography market since its beginnings but it has had to face many competitors such as Polaroid and FujiFilm.
FujiFilm originally began in the 30s. Headquartered in Japan, Fuji eventually became a global name for film. Now the company has an extensive product line sold all over the world.
Film Differences
The two have become a common purchase for film users and many have been testing out their differences and deciding their preference between the two.
The common argument is that Kodak produces warmer images than Fuji. According to SRL Lounge, “Kodak is known to accentuate the yellows and reds while Fuji has richer blues and greens.” Funnily enough this can even be represented in the company’s packaging with Kodak cameras coming in a yellow package and FujiFilm in green.
In addition, photographers have noticed that FujiFilm requires more light than Kodak.
Here are more resources to better understand the difference between the brand’s film rolls and disposables:
Featured image from Unsplash.com
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