Should you buy a digital camera or a film camera?  There are obviously advantages and disadvantages for each.  Much like some old-school authors still prefer to write their novels by typing them out on a typewriter rather than using a computer, many photographers prefer film over digital.

One of the favorite features of digital camera owners is the ability to only print the images that they want to print.  Because the images are digital, you can edit them, delete the ones you don’t like, and view them before you print them.  With film cameras, you aren’t able to look at how your pictures turned out before you develop them and you can’t edit the images during processing.  Many of the people in the latter generations prefer digital cameras due to their ability to instantly view photos as they’re taken, providing them instant gratification.

For black and white photos, film tends to be work better than digital in terms of capturing detail. 

In terms of toting around your equipment, digital cameras are lighter than those cameras that require film and the film cameras take up more space.  Speaking of space, packing rolls of film to take on your photo shoot takes up considerably more room than do memory cards that are used by digital cameras. 

Digital images are more useful for those photographers who want to upload photos to websites, blogs, or email in order to share them with friends and family.  But then again, some companies won’t accept images from digital cameras because of the ability to alter them.

The bottom line is that when choosing whether to purchase a digital camera or a film camera, look at what your uses and applications will be so that you’ll be able to achieve the results that you want.

While it may seem elementary, it probably isn’t a bad idea to take a few minutes to talk about holding and supporting the camera properly to prevent camera shake.

To keep the camera steady, use most of both fingers and thumbs, not just the tips and fold the remaining fingers into your palms to avoid taking a picture of them. 

If you’re using a compact camera without a viewfinder, don’t hold the camera with your arms fully outstretched, tuck your elbows into your body to provide a more stable position and prevent camera shake.

When turning the camera 90 degrees to take a portrait shot, grip the top of the camera with the hand that you’ll be using to press the shutter button and support the bottom of the camera with your other hand.

Avoid sharp jabs of the shutter release button.  Instead, think of pressing the shutter like squeezing the trigger on a gun – you want to do it slowly and smoothly.  Sometimes if helps if you take a deep breath before pressing the shutter release button because it stops your chest from moving up and down shaking the camera while you’re taking the shot. 

Using the viewfinder is preferred when using the ultra compact cameras, especially in sunny conditions.   Some of those super-small compact cameras don’t have viewfinders, so the best way to support that size camera is with both thumbs resting on the base of the camera and box index fingers on the top.

When taking a shot from a lower angle, if you crouch down, you might end up wobbling and causing camera shake, so consider sitting on the ground or kneeling on one knee and resting one arm on your knee.