Death-star
New Member
hey!, thanks a lot. it helped much. heh, will update you guys regarding my first attempt, if you'll be interested in over/under-exp/non-focused shots that is
film camera?
- Thread starter Death-star
- Start date
- Status
hey!, thanks a lot. it helped much. heh, will update you guys regarding my first attempt, if you'll be interested in over/under-exp/non-focused shots that is
paperhands
New Member
Hello, I also had this trouble once & aft searching and stuff, I got the Nikon FM2n. I love it to bits! It's really easy to use, once you get used to it! For me, I understood the technical stuff later on, after playing around with it 
Hope you'd check it out & consider it
I don't know about how others view this, But I feel that getting the camera (not necessarily the FM2n) first;more hands-on approach is easier than trying to read and absorb the whole lot of info on wiki! It gets dry sometimes!
Hope this helped!
Hope you'd check it out & consider it I don't know about how others view this, But I feel that getting the camera (not necessarily the FM2n) first;more hands-on approach is easier than trying to read and absorb the whole lot of info on wiki! It gets dry sometimes!
Hope this helped!
Which is why i got the 80L one, more real estate, = more breathing space for my babies
haha. I find i screwed up the 30L one by stuffing too much stuff inside, doesnt go below 45 now even at max setting.
ok la, manual focusing is not that tough really, its just the matter of getting the hang of it, once you do, bam, i take less than 3 seconds to acquire focus these days, practice makes perfect.
But, whatever it is, if it floats your boat and works for you, then by all means. People can offer recommendations, end of the day, you need to feel comfortable with the camera and enjoy using it, that's what matters the most.
What camera system are you using? It's usually better to get the same system's film camera, more cost-effective. Of course, if you want to go for rangefinders that you got to invest in a whole new system.
I myself use a very simple Nikon FM10. Fully manual and dirt cheap. Meter's quite reliable. May not have some of the more advanced features but I've been very satisfied with it. I have a 24mm and a 85mm; some people would tell you to start with a 50mm, but I never really liked the perspective and the "neither-wide-nor-tele" range. It is a good lens to start though.
Don't spend too long deciding on a film camera; just pick up one and learn its strengths and weaknesses and then work from there. I know a friend who have been looking for a film camera for more than 4 months. She could have easily shot 10 rolls of film in that period if she'd just spent one week getting the camera.
The film is by far more important; it's the "sensor" and each film has its own characteristics; some gives very good skin-tone (Portra 160VC), some produces pastel colours (Fuji Pro 400H), some has extremely high dynamic range and punchy colours (the legendary Velvia 50). And those are just colour positives and negatives. If you go into black and white, there's coarse grain and fine grain. Some like it coarse while others prefer the fine grain. For B&W you can also choose to develop the negatives yourself, which is quite a remarkable process. If you want to research on each film's characteristics, search for the film's name on Flickr.
Have fun with film. I used to be skeptical about film until I tried it. Now I'm hooked.
I myself use a very simple Nikon FM10. Fully manual and dirt cheap. Meter's quite reliable. May not have some of the more advanced features but I've been very satisfied with it. I have a 24mm and a 85mm; some people would tell you to start with a 50mm, but I never really liked the perspective and the "neither-wide-nor-tele" range. It is a good lens to start though.
Don't spend too long deciding on a film camera; just pick up one and learn its strengths and weaknesses and then work from there. I know a friend who have been looking for a film camera for more than 4 months. She could have easily shot 10 rolls of film in that period if she'd just spent one week getting the camera.
The film is by far more important; it's the "sensor" and each film has its own characteristics; some gives very good skin-tone (Portra 160VC), some produces pastel colours (Fuji Pro 400H), some has extremely high dynamic range and punchy colours (the legendary Velvia 50). And those are just colour positives and negatives. If you go into black and white, there's coarse grain and fine grain. Some like it coarse while others prefer the fine grain. For B&W you can also choose to develop the negatives yourself, which is quite a remarkable process. If you want to research on each film's characteristics, search for the film's name on Flickr.
Have fun with film. I used to be skeptical about film until I tried it. Now I'm hooked.
most amazing thing about film cameras is that if it works it works. Unlike DSLRs, where you may test the camera with no problems upon purchase and a few days later, it gets bugged up even if it has nothing to do with the seller.
Another nice thing is since the film is essentially the sensor, you can actually buy different types of film for different unlike for DSLRs where you will notice the different brands have a certain "look" and "color" to it.
Another nice thing is since the film is essentially the sensor, you can actually buy different types of film for different unlike for DSLRs where you will notice the different brands have a certain "look" and "color" to it.
Death-star
New Member
hey, yeah, i thought it will be better for me to get a nikon one (as im using nikon) i've settled for a FM10. and holy mama, the variety of films just put me on the fence. i dont know where to start! lol, prolly black and white first..
rgy1993
Deregistered
get some simple black and white... ilford delta or hp5
and try processing it yourself...
there's a tutorial over in the darkroom section of the forum and all the chemicals are readily available at ruby photo, across the road from peninsula plaza.
ruby is also where i usually go for film as theyve got like the largest selection around i think, mainly kodak and ilford but the choices are just :bigeyes:
i've been experimenting with this over the past few weeks and i can tell you know scurrying around in the dark has never been more fun haha
start with tri-x 400 or ilford hp5+ as they are among the easier films to develop. t-grained films such as t-max and delta are a little trickier. Of course you get the advantage of slightly finer grain.
They come relatively cheap too. Once you feel you're ready, you can start going for fujifilm's neopan series. Most expensive b&w films, but well worth every penny.
They come relatively cheap too. Once you feel you're ready, you can start going for fujifilm's neopan series. Most expensive b&w films, but well worth every penny.
Last edited:
DSLR is a great learning tool because of the instanteous feedback. Helps you understand lighting conditions, aperture, shutterspeed, film speed (ISO), depth of field. Its Polariod on steriods.
Just as some still enjoy claypot rice to ricecooker rice, you can still get great enjoyment from shooting film. The digital sensor is replace with different choice of films. Each type of film has their own image characteristics. Today slides seems to makes more sense because there's only one processing house left and their quality is more consistent. Negative film processing quality tends to vary a bit more. I think its because minilabs don't have the quantity to maintain their chemical consistency.
Capable used Japanese film camera and lens are available from under $500/=. Excellent used Leica-R combo can be available between $1000~2000/= on eBay giving you years of enjoyment and value. Try out fully manual older systems to 're-learn' photography...the joy of capturing and creating beautiful images...the old fashion way.
Just as some still enjoy claypot rice to ricecooker rice, you can still get great enjoyment from shooting film. The digital sensor is replace with different choice of films. Each type of film has their own image characteristics. Today slides seems to makes more sense because there's only one processing house left and their quality is more consistent. Negative film processing quality tends to vary a bit more. I think its because minilabs don't have the quantity to maintain their chemical consistency.
Capable used Japanese film camera and lens are available from under $500/=. Excellent used Leica-R combo can be available between $1000~2000/= on eBay giving you years of enjoyment and value. Try out fully manual older systems to 're-learn' photography...the joy of capturing and creating beautiful images...the old fashion way.
eosandy
New Member
Poison!!! :bsmilie:
gossipmonger
New Member
you mentioned film SLR, so I will keep my comments to that particular format.
what brand DSLR are you using now? Is your current collection of lenses fully compatible with FF DSLRs of the same brand? if YES, it might make sense to get hold of a film SLR of the same brand.... If NO, what brand of film SLRs are you leaning towards?
Here's a rather simple checklist to aid your choice....
- do you want auto focus or fully manual focus?
- entry or pro-level?
- with meter or without?
- requires batteries to function or you prefer a completely mechanical camera?
Those are just some considerations I can think of right now....other members can contribute to the checklist too.
Come back to this forum, and let us know of the models you are interested in, and maybe we can inform you of the pros and cons of that camera....
maybe i'll touch on film the next time....
what brand DSLR are you using now? Is your current collection of lenses fully compatible with FF DSLRs of the same brand? if YES, it might make sense to get hold of a film SLR of the same brand.... If NO, what brand of film SLRs are you leaning towards?
Here's a rather simple checklist to aid your choice....
- do you want auto focus or fully manual focus?
- entry or pro-level?
- with meter or without?
- requires batteries to function or you prefer a completely mechanical camera?
Those are just some considerations I can think of right now....other members can contribute to the checklist too.
Come back to this forum, and let us know of the models you are interested in, and maybe we can inform you of the pros and cons of that camera....
maybe i'll touch on film the next time....
Death-star
New Member
hey. yeah. i've got myself Fm10 wit the 50mm f1.8 afd. its mf on my dslr. now moving on to film selection !
- Status
