I did a completely unscientific exercise a few weeks ago. Mostly for fun, I took my digital camera and two analog cameras with me on a trip. I had loaded one camera with color film and the other with black/white.

The idea was to photograph the same subject and similar composition with these three cameras. It would not be exact because I did not use the same lens on all three cameras, and I took many pictures handheld. I chose not to change lenses because I wanted each scene to be relatively quick to capture with all three.

The analog camera with the color film had a 35mm f/1.4 on, the other one got my 24mm f/1.4. On my digital camera, I used the RF 15-35mm f/2.8. I tried to stick to the same aperture on all cameras, and I sometimes took both 24mm and 35mm pictures with my digital camera.

In advance, I had thought out some scenes I would like to capture. Of course, there are lots of other styles and types of photography. For example, I have not photographed portraits or wildlife. I could have used different filters, chosen subject better suited for black and white and for color depending on film type and so on. Maybe I do a walk with some filters in my bag another day.

I started with a photograph of "my" tree early in the morning. It was quite thick fog, the sunrise had a hard time penetrating. When the sun took over the sky, I went to the botanical garden in Lund and photographed some intense colors. In connection with that, I went for a walk in the city and took some pictures of, among other things, the Cathedral.

In all cases, I started by taking the picture with my digital camera. Used it to find the right exposure, which I then used on my analog cameras. That way, I did not have to waste film by taking several pictures with slightly different exposures to be sure to hit the right one.

So lots of different conditions. The film I used was Kodak Ektar 100 as a color negative film and Ilford Pan F Plus 50 for the black/white. Pan F is a bit difficult, I think, and it is also challenging to handle when developing, at least for me.

When I looked at the pictures afterward, it became apparent that I quickly found my favorites. And the scene decided which of the three I fell for. Under challenging conditions, less light, fog, ND filters, and long exposures, I undoubtedly choose my digital camera. With one exception, and that was for the cars from the bridge at night. When it comes to images with sharp colors, such as the red flowers, I choose Kodak Ektar, and for the city with the Cathedral, my choice fell on black/white film.

Unfortunately, the problem with this result is that I have to continue to carry three cameras with me if I am out for a day or longer. Now I am sitting in our motorhome on Österlen. A couple of days of relaxation, spending time with the family, hiking a bit, and of course, taking photographs.

Next to me are three cameras. One digital, one is loaded with Kodak Portra 400, and one with Ilford HP5+.

Digital vs Analog

Fujifilm Provia 100F Cross-Processed

To choose film