One of the biggest questions that have paranormal investigators continue to debate is what type of camera to use on an investigation, the traditional 35mm camera or a digital camera.
It can be argued that neither of these choices are the best camera to use during, researchers have determined that a simple Polaroid SX-70 camera is actually the best to use. But, due to the high cost of film, it becomes an expensive tool.
As with anything, whenever there is a merger between new and old technology in any type of paranormal field there is always going to be a debate as to which is the better of the two. When it comes to cameras and ghosts the debate is sparked between old and affective, or new and controversial. With the price of digital technology rapidly decreasing many newer paranormal investigators prefer using a digital camera in the field.
However, many experienced paranormal investigators say that traditional methods are the best when it comes to providing evidence into the existence of the paranormal. Here is an overview of the two types of camera's and what they bring to the investigation.
First the traditional 35mm camera: These cameras can be bulky, expensive, and have the obvious downfall that they require film and processing, which can become expensive.
However, they do have some benefits. For starters (and this is a very important thing in ghost investigating), traditional cameras give you a negative, which allow a trained eye to spot problems or anomalies that can show up during film processing. This helps to better determine if an object you caught on film is a mistake from the developing, or if it may really be evidence.
In addition to having negatives, traditional cameras yield results that are easier to examine. For example, cleaning the lens of a traditional camera is easy. Using different lenses, filters, and flashes is even easier. And finally, when looking at photographs from film it is much more believable as evidence because film can be examined closer by trained professionals who can easily tell if something is a problem or an anomaly.
The downside of a traditional camera is summed up simply as cost. The combination of film costs and unlimited photos can often become a financial liability during a lengthy investigation.
Now the digital camera: One of the first benefits you have with a digital camera is there is no film cost. With the advent of large memory cards you can record hundreds or thousands of pictures during an investigation.
Another benefit is that digital cameras can plug in to just about any computer, which means if you have a laptop in the field you can see immediate results from your camera. And finally and maybe most importantly, digital cameras have shutters that are much faster than traditional cameras.
They can take a series of shots in seconds, and can display the results right away. Although these advantages may sound great there are a number of disadvantages to digital cameras. It is these disadvantages that cause many experts problems with the results. For starters, while you can download images easily, you often lose clarity of your picture while you attempt to enlarge the questionable area, thus causing massive pixilation which ruins the evidence.
Another drawback is that many of the printers on the market today are unable to print the fine details of digital pictures. Often times you will lose small pieces of images that were present in the background of a picture. This disadvantage goes hand in hand with the advantages, the shutter speed. While digital camera shutters are much quicker then traditional 35mm cameras, they are more susceptible to interference from lights, reflections and most of all dust!
The last disadvantage is the primary pitfall of a digital camera, the batteries. Spirit activity is known to drain electronic devices, and digital cameras are especially susceptible to this.