Anyone still using film?
Discussion
ALthough I use digital for any 'work' I prefer to use film for my own personal stuff. I develop it myself and scan the negatives. For black and white, I think it looks better and I really enjoy the analog workflow.
I normally shoot rangefinder cameras, though I also have a digital rangefinder I find myself taking my film rangefinder everywhere because it's relatively compact. Being all manual I feel a real sense of achievement when I look at my negs and there are some usable shots.
Does anyone else do it? I know it's a common argument on most photography forums, and I for one think both formats have their advantages and disadvantages.
ped
I normally shoot rangefinder cameras, though I also have a digital rangefinder I find myself taking my film rangefinder everywhere because it's relatively compact. Being all manual I feel a real sense of achievement when I look at my negs and there are some usable shots.
Does anyone else do it? I know it's a common argument on most photography forums, and I for one think both formats have their advantages and disadvantages.
ped
...I picked up a fairly nice Canon SLR from around the year 2000 and also a rather nice old Leica M3. I find taking shots with nothing more than the Leica and the sunny 16 rule extremely satisfying when you get some usable pictures.
They don't get as much use as I'd like, I haven't tried to develop my own film yet and the labs that do it are hard to get to during office hours. Jessops don't even do black and white. They have to send it off for processing, with a 3 week turnaround!
They don't get as much use as I'd like, I haven't tried to develop my own film yet and the labs that do it are hard to get to during office hours. Jessops don't even do black and white. They have to send it off for processing, with a 3 week turnaround!
Edited by theRossatron on Monday 24th January 13:01
theRossatron said:
I picked up a fairly nice Canon SLR from around the year 2000 and also a rather nice old Leica M3. I find taking shots with nothing more than the Leica and the sunny 16 rule extremely satisfying when you get some usable pictures.
They don't get as much use as I'd like, I haven't tried to develop my own film yet and the labs that do it are hard to get to during office hours. Jessops don't even do black and white. They have to send it off for processing, with a 3 week turnaround!
Look into developing your own B+W, it's really easy and cheap - and most of all, really satisfying!!They don't get as much use as I'd like, I haven't tried to develop my own film yet and the labs that do it are hard to get to during office hours. Jessops don't even do black and white. They have to send it off for processing, with a 3 week turnaround!
Edited by theRossatron on Monday 24th January 13:01
Alt version:
I spent 20 years developing my own film. Glad to move on. IMHO advantages of digital seriously outweigh disadvantages. I regularly take 500 photos in a days shoot. Did I ever use 22 rolls of film in a day? 220 rolls on a holiday? Did I f
k. I can move from 100 ISO to 5000 ISO in seconds. Moving from 100 ASA to 1600 ASA, changing rolls of film was an expensive and time consuming nightmare.
The common argument is that one has to consider more what one is doing with film. Well it's horses for courses I guess, maybe some do, I consider just as much with digital as I ever did with film, possibly more as there are more variables. I DO take 10 times as many photos, and get several times as many published or sold.
I understand the analogue texture that one gets from film enlargements, and the fun one can have with Fuji Velvia!... but As soon as Nikon bought out the first pro DSLR, the F5 was sold and I've never, even for one moment regretted it.
I don't miss the cost, I don't miss the wait to see the results, I don't miss the lack of flexibility that ASA imposes and I certainly don't miss the smell of developing fluid or the holes in my clothes when it spilt!
As I say.. an alternative viewpoint.
I spent 20 years developing my own film. Glad to move on. IMHO advantages of digital seriously outweigh disadvantages. I regularly take 500 photos in a days shoot. Did I ever use 22 rolls of film in a day? 220 rolls on a holiday? Did I f
k. I can move from 100 ISO to 5000 ISO in seconds. Moving from 100 ASA to 1600 ASA, changing rolls of film was an expensive and time consuming nightmare.The common argument is that one has to consider more what one is doing with film. Well it's horses for courses I guess, maybe some do, I consider just as much with digital as I ever did with film, possibly more as there are more variables. I DO take 10 times as many photos, and get several times as many published or sold.
I understand the analogue texture that one gets from film enlargements, and the fun one can have with Fuji Velvia!... but As soon as Nikon bought out the first pro DSLR, the F5 was sold and I've never, even for one moment regretted it.
I don't miss the cost, I don't miss the wait to see the results, I don't miss the lack of flexibility that ASA imposes and I certainly don't miss the smell of developing fluid or the holes in my clothes when it spilt!
As I say.. an alternative viewpoint.
GetCarter said:
alternative viewpoint.
And mine. Once I'd got to grips with a D70, my F70 was suddenly as obsolete as a cassette deck. It was an unexpected shock, after 25 years of shooting film, to realise 'That's my last ever roll of film'. Stuck the lot on eBay while it still had some value and never looked back.Interesting to hear such different views. I agree digital makes a lot more sense in the quest for making images, but theres something about the film workflow and process that I enjoy - I also love the feel of my Leica, there's something I love about well designed completely mechanical objects (especially watches!)
I'm certainly not dissing digital - I probably do most of my shooting on a D200. It's just that there's something very tactile about film and - even when scanned and 'shopped - there's a quality to the image that it's hard to get from digital (lightroom's new grain slider goes a long way to achieving it, though). Having said that, I now do very little on 35mm film; I prefer the sheer quality you can squeeze out of 120 or 5x4. Digital sensors have a long way to go to match a huge scan from a 5x4.
When it comes down to it, I'll upgrade or exchange the D200 like a shot - I've got no emotional attachment to it - but you'll have to prise my Hasselblad from my cold, dead hands.
When it comes down to it, I'll upgrade or exchange the D200 like a shot - I've got no emotional attachment to it - but you'll have to prise my Hasselblad from my cold, dead hands.
hiscocks said:
Major Bloodnok said:
but you'll have to prise my Hasselblad from my cold, dead hands.
Just tell me where you live!jackal said:
velvia, portra and provia... holga
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