I had a long reply that I deleted as too rambling, then read Brad's reply,
so I'll try again, hopefully more succinctly this time.
When it comes to cost effectiveness and productivity, digital is already the
clear leader. With very humble equipment, I can take an image from an idea
to finished art ready for reproduction in less than an hour. Traditional
film can't even begin to dream of that. If I had stock in Polaroid, I'd be
selling it quickly now.
When it comes to what attracts me and motivates me in photography, cost
effectiveness and productivity are not considerations. Practicing the art
and craft, manipulating chemicals and light through a chorus of feelings,
technical expertise and a few "tricks of the trade" that result in an image
that brings pleasure to viewer is more the motivator. That is a very
emotional and personal choice.
Which is "right"? As with so many other things, it depends. If your
primary concern is profit and being competitive, you'd better be digital
already, at least well on the way. If your primary concern is personal
fulfillment, then either works equally well. For me, and your milage is
sure to be different, characteristics such as resolution, sharpness and
color fidelity are priority concerns. Digital just isn't there yet. It
will be.
In the meantime, I'll apply a century old process of bending light onto a
fragile strip of treated plastic, sloshing it in expensive, smelly chemicals
that are awkward to work with. Then repeat the process again with a
different set of light sensitive materials and smelly chemicals
(incompatible with the first set btw). All this in 10 times the amount of
time it takes to digitally process the same image and vastly more expensive.
Good therapy it is :-)
>
>> John P wrote:
" The whole industry is clearly moving toward digital. ......snip........ I
believe Olympus can be a leader in both. Look a Sinar. Through
partnerships with Leaf and others, they have an excellent lineup in
the LF world. Oly could do the same.
to which C.H.Ling replied:
>John, I agree with you, digital is the right way to go.
To which Bradley Mabb remarked:
"Digital certainly has it's place in today's world, but "the right way to
go"?"
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