Glass of Water in Sunlight, Revisited

Glass of Water in Sunlight, Revisited

The same subject but two different media: one digital, the other film.

November 28, 2023

Tags: Photography, Film Photography, Adapted Lenses, Camera Gear

Earlier this month, I posted an image of sunlight passing through a glass of water. At the time, I was trying to use up a roll of Ilford Delta 100 black and white film I had in my Nikon F, and this subject seemed a good way to do so. A moment later, I also shot the same thing with my Canon EOS M50 and an adapted 58mm Carl Zeiss Jena Biotar lens.

Having gotten my latest round of film back from the developer, I can now share both renderings. The one on the left is the film image, and the digital one is on the right:

Glass of water in sunlight
Glass of water in sunlight
Glass of water in sunlight. Nikon F with Nikkor-Q 135mm f/3.5 lens, Ilford Delta 100 film, 1/250 sec., f/8 (right) and Canon EOS M50 with Carl Zeiss Jena Biotar 58mm f/2 lens, ISO 100, 1/250 sec., f/8 (left).

I’ve grown to love working with film, but I have to confess I’m torn between the film rendering and the digital one. The film image has a natural softness in both resolution and grey tone that I like. The other has the distinctly clinical resolution that I’ve come to expect from digital photography. But it also has a satisfying contrast punch, and its depiction of light reflecting off the grain of the table’s wood is rather pleasing to me.

Which is better? I'm not sure.

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