film era

On this website:

“film era” = 19th and 20th centuries
“digital era” = 21st century and beyond

This website uses the term “film era” to describe the period between the invention of photography in the late 1830s and the start of the “digital era” around the turn of the 21st century.

Although some photographers were integrating digital technology into their workflow in the late 20th century — and some photographers continue to use film in the 21st century — the division described above summarizes the epochal shift that occurred in the years around 2000.

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The term “film era” is not completely accurate for the pre-digital era

Film was not used for the first several decades after photography was invented, so the term “film era” does not accurately describe the entire “pre-digital” era.

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What about terms other than “film era”?

There is no obvious substitute for the term “film era.”

• “Analog” is a term commonly used for these classifications because it gets around the “pre-film” issues alluded to above.

But the term “analog” is not universally accepted among photographers, and much of the general public thinks of photography in terms of “film vs. digital,” not “analog vs. digital.”

Thus this website limits use of the term “analog” to more technical references such as the phrase “digital to analog conversion.”

• The term “pre-digital era” instead of “film era” has its own shortcomings.

The “digital” era started in photography later than in some other areas of society, so the specific time period being referred to can be ambiguous.

On this website, “pre-digital era” is occasionally used, but only when it is clear that the term is referring to the photography world and not to the larger culture.

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Few people now alive have any personal recollection of making pre-digital photographs on anything other than “film,” so “film era” is the term used on this website.

(Also linked above): When did the film era end and the digital era begin?