How does dynamic range compare between film and digital cameras?
Asked 7/22/2010
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I’m trying to understand whether film or digital offers more dynamic range overall. Are there general differences in how each handles shadows and highlights, and does the answer change depending on film type, sensor generation, or the final output medium (screen, print, scan)?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
16y ago
2 Answers
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The following article is an excellent comparison of the dynamic range differences of film and digital. It is a few years old, so it is a bit out of date, but the underlying theory is basically the same with modern gear. It has a lot of empirical data, and the conclusions are pretty interesting:
http://www.clarkvision.com/imagedetail/dynamicrange2/
It should be noted that this article lacks some information about film. While digital does have good dynamic range in comparison to film in general, film does tend to edge out digital when it comes to highlights. Some empirical data is also missing due to the fact that the film images were scanned, which results in some loss of dynamic range and detail.
Originally by user124. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user124
16y ago
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There isn’t a single winner in all cases. Dynamic range varies a lot by film type and by digital sensor generation.
In general, modern digital cameras are often roughly on par with negative film for total dynamic range, and typically better than slide film. Where film often differs is highlight handling: film tends to roll off into saturation more gradually, so blown highlights can look less abrupt. Digital sensors respond more linearly and have a harder clipping point, which makes overexposed highlights easier to lose completely.
That said, comparisons can be misleading because the whole workflow matters. Scanning film can reduce the usable dynamic range seen in tests, and the final display or print medium may be the real limiting factor. For example, a screen, inkjet print, or darkroom paper may each reproduce different amounts of contrast, regardless of what the original capture held.
So the short version is: modern digital is generally very competitive with negative film and usually exceeds slide film, while film may still have an advantage in highlight roll-off and tolerance near overexposure.
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