what is the usage of HTML5 figure with img

Question

Is there any specific advantage/usage of using HTML5 <figure> over <img>?

I think <figure> is useless without <figurecaption>, isn't it?

It will be helpful if explain with an example.

Answer 1

Images are not technically inserted into an HTML page, images are linked to HTML pages. The <img> tag creates a holding space for the referenced image.

While the content of the <figure> element is related to the main flow, its position is independent of the main flow, and if removed it should not affect the flow of the document

From http://dev.w3.org/

"The img element represents an image," while "[t]he figure element represents a unit of content, optionally with a caption, that is self-contained, that is typically referenced as a single unit from the main flow of the document, and that can be moved away from the main flow of the document without affecting the document’s meaning."

Answer 2

The tag provides a container for content that is equivalent to a figure or diagram in a book. It can be used to group a caption with one or more images, a block of code or other content.

In other words, enables us to work more freely, realistically with images, diagrams by enabling to group them & caption one or images with a single caption.

Source: http://www.html-5.com/tags/figure-tag/index.html