What is the main distinction between film and digital photography?

• A. The way the image is captured
• B. White balance differences
• C. The file storage medium
• D. The shutter mechanism

Answer: (A)

The key difference is how the image is captured. Film records light chemically on a photosensitive emulsion, with the exposure creating a latent image that is revealed later through chemical development. Digital cameras capture light with an electronic sensor (such as a CCD or CMOS), converting it directly into digital signals that become image files. That fundamental capture method shapes how the images are made, processed, and the overall look and workflow, more than the other factors listed. White balance, for example, can be adjusted in both mediums; the storage medium is simply a consequence of choosing film versus a digital file system; and the shutter mechanism is a hardware feature that exists in both, not the defining difference.