I shoot a variety of formats — digital, Polaroid, 35mm, 120/Lomography, and iPhone. I love each of these formats for different reasons, and I appreciate that photography allows me to play in such different forms of the same craft. I often ride waves of being immersed primarily in one format for a period of time. And as I ride these waves of 35mm and then Polaroid and then digital, I often think about if there is one format I like “best.” Of course during any one of these periods, I am swayed by the current wave I’m riding — if I’m in a zone of shooting mostly 35mm, my answer sways to liking my Canon AE-1 the best. But then when I’m in the swells of shooting Polaroid, nothing is better than my SX70.
So, I decided to do a little experiment and shoot the same scene with multiple formats. I thought this might help me really see some of the differences and similarities across instant film, 35mm film, and digital platforms. While out and about working on last month’s Around Me theme, I came across this beautiful (to me) rocking horse in an alley behind some houses. And as is typical for me, I was carrying my Polaroid SX70, Canon AE-1 35mm camera, and digital SLR. I tried to take each shot as similarly as possible, without moving much, and consecutively so that the light didn’t change. I did no editing on these photos so I (and we) could do a true comparison. As a side note, I never edit any of my film photos (Polaroid, 35mm, 120, or any other), preferring to leave them SOOC. For me, I think editing film photos defeats the purpose of shooting film. Others disagree with me on that, and that is totally okay! We all choose what is best for us. But I digress… Without further ado, here are the three photos. Let’s compare and contrast. Here’s a tip — you can click on each photo to make them larger to really take a look!
Polaroid SX70 using Impossible Project PX70 Cool film
Canon AE-1 using expired Agfa 100 35mm
Digital SLR
To my eye, the 35mm and digital photographs are the most similar. That may be simply due to the size and shape of the images themselves. These two photos also have a certain crispness and brightness that isn’t apparent in the Polaroid image. In contrast, the Polaroid photo is warmer and softer than the other two. It is also a bit closer to the horse, but part of that is an optical illusion as the square format brings the image seemingly closer than the rectangular format of the 35mm and digital images. I like all three photographs, but if I had to pick my favorite, it would have to be the Polaroid. I’m drawn to the creaminess, the warmth, and the overall dreamy nature of the photograph. And I think it “works” for the content of this image. My second favorite is the 35mm photo as I like the way the bokeh looks in the background and the bit of grain that the film shows. There is still some softness or something in the 35mm image that gets lost in the digital image. The digital photo has all the crispness and vibrancy and clarity that you want from your digital SLR. And I *do* like that. I also appreciate that I can apply many editing and post-production techniques to the digital photo to tweak it in a variety of ways. No doubt about that. But for me, if we are simply comparing the SOOC look of these three photographs, my favorite is the Polaroid image.
So what do you think. What do you see as the similarities and differences? Which of the three is your favorite? I would LOVE to hear your thoughts and comments. Let’s get a conversation going in the comments!
Meghan of Life Refocused
Awesome post, Meghan!! I love doing comparisons like this, and thankfully I have a patient partner, who will wait while I insist on shooting the same scene with however-many cameras I brought when we’re on holiday 🙂
Of your three examples I like the 35mm best, for the tones and the gorgeous soft bokeh. I’m all about Polaroid and mobile in my own work these days, but realised when I was in Brussels recently that I mustn’t forget my dSLR and the clarity, simplicity and possibilities of it.
Thanks, Jenny. Appreciate you weighing in on liking the 35mm best!
i think the 35mm is the best for this particular subject, and i think that is so important. picking the right tool for the job. i don’t believe you can always effectively use one format for every situation. i do love the polaroid too, but i think something bugs me about the crop so had that been different we may be having a different conversation.
i do this all the time, btw, usually shooting the same thing in at least 2 formats. and i love analyzing the results. thanks for this fun one. i feel like we should do this once a month!
Thanks, Cara! So 2 votes for the 35mm image. I totally agree that no one camera or format is perfect for each situation. We *do* have to play and experiment. I’d love to do this regularly here, at MM.
great post…
i too “ride waves”… but i always come back to 35mm, and to my first love, my Canon AE1…
i think the Polaroid is wonderful here… it gives a timeless feeling that is perfect for the subject…
as for the other 2… the digital image seems so much flatter to me than the 35mm version…
every time i get some film back, 35mm or medium format, i am tempted to put my digital camera away and just forget it…
to me film (instant and not) has magic that digital images cannot match…
Nothing beats film. Great to see all three, thank you for sharing. Expired film is a great buy especially if you know how it was stored prior. I think Valerie said it well with film having that magic that digital images don’t. That is why many of us process our digital images like they were taken 40 years ago, gotta love that!
Nice comparison, it’s amazing how different the Polaroid/Impossible is from the other two, yet the scene is still recorded accurately (e.g. the reds and blues are still red and blue). While the look I’m going for is definitely a part of my camera choice, aspect ratio (square, 6×7, 3:2) also factor in, as do the capabilities and size of a particular camera body. Lenses are an important part of the choice as well. I’m glad film equipment is so affordable on the used market today, that has opened up a world of possibilities for me. In short, it’s complicated.
Megan, comparison of film and camera types is an interesting concept and something to think about as we approach any subject. Your example gives a good general comparison, although I’ve read that different RAW processors produce slightly different color results and one’s scanning choice can make a difference, too. Differing compositions (lens length) come into play in these examples, as far as their appeal. Also, I think that the digital could have been shot with a different f/stop to get a look closer to the desirable blurred background of the 35 mm film image.
But, picky details aside, I like the Polaroid, hands down. To me, this subject was well suited to Polaroid because of its brilliant, but gaudy color, and busy background. Polaroid also played into a vision of nostalgia for this piece. A perfect fit!
Great topic. Thanks, Megan!
I meant to add – ….brilliant, but gaudy color, and busy background…both of which the Polaroid subdues. 🙂
I love this, Meghan. I often shoot the same scene with at least two cameras and I have to say film always wins for me.
The Polaroid is my favorite, too, but I really like the colors you got from the Agfa film as well. To me, that shot has the same tones as the Polaroid without the softness…does that make sense? What a good idea to compare all three side-by-side.
For me I am drawn to the DOF, so for that reason your 35mm woos me. 😀 Truth be told I like everything and I don’t really lean towards one or the other. The thing that drives me more towards film is the edit process and having the added step of printing. What can I say I’m lazy I guess. ha!
Cool shots! I gravitate towards the 35mm one. Maybe its the contrast and DoF, but it was calling me first! Love this article Meghan…I usually have my iphone and DSLR and sometimes how a polaroid! Although I did pick up one of my 35mm cameras and play a little out in San Fran!
Oh, it’s hard to know. I think this is a perfect subject for polaroid, but polaroid is often not the ideal medium. The colors in 35mm really appeal to me. I also prefer the crop of the polaroid for this one.
Meghan, as I worked in my studio today, I’ve been thinking further about this comparison, topic and some of the comments. There may not be a “best” film or camera for a particular subject (although some may be more in harmony with the subject), but given the right knowledge/experience, there certainly are ways to get the most out of any given film or camera type and the same subject.
Since I generally shot digital, I will choose that as the example. To make the most of this subject and a digital camera, I would shoot at f/2.8 – f/5.6 (as I would want the horse to stand out from all the other distractions), convert to B&W (since I find the color harmony too strident, but the value contrasts on the horse are great and dominant), may try a vertical orientation (don’t find the shape of the blue thing (?) appealing), and may look for a time of day when the light adds a gentle nostalgic mood (in keeping with the way I want the viewer to think/feel about the subject). Point being, digital doesn’t necessarily suck (although it looks like it here), but each medium needs to be “worked” to showcase it’s strong suits. And, yes, I’ve veered off a bit from your original intent, but in the spirit of discussion 🙂
P.S. sorry that I seem to have problems spelling your name!
I think my favorite is the middle shot with 35mm. I am actually surprised how close it looks to digital. What a fun find too!
my vote goes to the 35mm shot in the middle. I was also surprised at how similar it looked to the digital image. I love the soft bokeh in the background and the color tones/range.
Like Cara and Olen, I tend to have an idea in mind when I am out photographing and will choose based on my subject, the conditions, and my desired result. Sometimes that means I only leave the house with the SX-70 in my pocket, sometimes it’s holga loaded with B&W film, sometimes it’s a digital camera.
That being said, I like the comparisons here. And it’s always a good learning tool to have the privilege of owning (and therefore being able to choose) more than one type of camera and being able to play around until happy with the results.
Nice article Meghan. I also like the great and thoughtful comments.
Great post. I definitely prefer the 35mm. The Polaroid has its charms, but it’s a bit too ‘lo-fi’ for me, though it does suit the subject, as you say.
The digital image is very, very crisp, which is great if that’s what you’re looking for (and perhaps this is a good jumping-off point for PP), but the 35mm image strikes a great balance between warmth and character vs sharpness and detail.
What would be even more interesting would be medium format film, which I suspect would have the sharpness and detail of the digital image, but still retain the warmth and character of the 35mm.
Isn’t it great to have choice!
What a fun post Meghan. I actually love the warm tones of the Polaroid–that one definitely gets my vote!
The thing missed here is the lens.. The lens and aperture settings make a huge difference in both bokeh (background blurriness) and color… For all intensive purposes the last two images could be created by film or digital with the right lenses and operator…
I prefer the digital.
The “dreamy” quality of the instant photo is actually reproduced in the 35mm, but to a lesser extent. The digital has much more of the image in focus (or near focus — look at the front and rear metal “legs” of the rocking horse). By having the foreground and background out of focus, the 35mm has some of the dreamy quality while having most of the plastic horse in focus.
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