Going Back to Film

[forward]

I started using a 35mm SLR in 1962 (I'm 62). I have a closet full of cameras, lens, filters, etc. and have shot on a professional level (weddings, class reunions, business retreats, etc.) I am into my 5th digital camera now. I told my wife a long time ago the difference between a pro and an amateur is a pro takes 10 shots to get one good one, then saves his ass in the darkroom. Digital changes all of that. 4 Gig cards let you shoot all you want (normally). Use a decent software program and a good photo printer and you are equal to a pro. Go back to film? That would be like going back to DOS. No thanks.

Imagine what you can achieved with a polariod transfer or a 8x10 paper negative, with a pin hole camera, something that would give a potential Art buyer a second serious thought.

Perhaps there will be many issues involved in distinguishing a "real" photographer from a bunch of "clicking" digital cameraman producing a bunch of shots in just a couple of seconds.

Isn't the real "Art" photography comes from the learning of kicking much hours in the wet darkroom where the magic of the latent images are being produced on erotic photo sensitive papers and other materials.

Most digital artists/technical experts are able to manipulate with ease a digital image pixel by pixel, layers over
layers using powerful image manipulation software but are useless when given a real film large format camera with movement.

Film will not die and so are the precious glass-plate outlets so profusely adored at many serious photography workshops held in Paris and New York.

 

[kiwi2]

Strange that there has been many supporters of film but honestly, I've been to so many places to shoot, local or overseas, but I've not encountered any serious photographer (pro or amateur) who uses film SLR. The only people whom I've seen using films are the rare tourists who buy those disposable cams or people from 3rd world countries who use those bulky compact film cams. Even then , it's rare these days. Usually, even your Filipino maid owns at least an old 3MP digicam.

(Incidentally, I really cannot imagine how we used to carry those compact film cams!! If you can't remember how they look like, it's good to find some museum or large camera showrooms to see. If you've never even seen or used one before, you are a kid!)

Personally, I'd never go back to films and they are as good as dead. I was just trying to scan some of my negatives to work on them and submit immediately for some project, oh boy, what a painful torture!!! And the results are far from good. Seriously, I'd rather go out and do a 10km run immediately.

There are so many advantages to digital that I can't imagine doing films again. It's not just about digital being a "fashion" thingy, the advancement in technology is simply too fantastic to want to move back to films. As mformby mentioned, it's like going back to DOS.

 

[aquacocoa85]

After shooting in digital for years, i decided to go back to film just to have some fun in it. I think you guys might have missed the whole fun of it. You see, shooting with film just lets you shoot and forget about whether you get a good shot or not. You don't have to worry. Furthermore, you spend way more time focussing and compositing your subjects. Ain't that better? And as most of you guys have realized that digital technology has improved, so has scanning! Last but not least, the images you get outta film is so much richer.

I still shoot with a DSLR and am getting a D700 any moment, but on hand I still work with a FM2n and a Voigtlander Bessa R4a. And its just a joy shooting film again.

Those who never tried it, really really really should.

 

[tkbonz]

I've started picking up film and is now shooting BnW and developing the film + printing in a darkroom in my school. Mind you I started with digital 1.5 years back on a Dslr but i realized my shooting have improved alot after starting on films.

Why? Shooting film is a one shot one kill thing, so i can spend like around 5 mins for one exposure, metering, composing, focusing. Unlike digital where you just shoot first and preview then adjust....film is a one-take. Its really down to the basics.

I still shoot digital as i prefer the level of manipulation i have over digital files. So i'm sticking to BOTH.

 

[aquacocoa85]

I've started picking up film and is now shooting BnW and developing the film + printing in a darkroom in my school. Mind you I started with digital 1.5 years back on a Dslr but i realized my shooting have improved alot after starting on films.

Why? Shooting film is a one shot one kill thing, so i can spend like around 5 mins for one exposure, metering, composing, focusing. Unlike digital where you just shoot first and preview then adjust....film is a one-take. Its really down to the basics.

I still shoot digital as i prefer the level of manipulation i have over digital files. So i'm sticking to BOTH.

You could scan in your film files for rather cheap price. You could do 4Base or 16Base. However, if you wish, you could get a higher res scanner to import your files. With the digital files, you have free reign over manipulation.

 

[Sausage]

which shops do hi res scanning and what are their prices like?

 

[egnaro]

Since I have DSLR, I think most likely staying on to it.

 

[Randius]

I started learning photography about a year ago and went straight into digital. After a year of shooting with digital, I felt something was amiss. I was relying too much on the features of the camera, chased too much of the latest equipment and not getting my basics right.

Very recently, I got myself an FM2n after a fellow bro poisoned me further (was already having the thought). Though I have yet to shoot a roll of film with it, I foresee enjoying the processing of composing right till pressing the shutter without all the latest features and the pain of developing and transferring the images into the computer.

Like tkbonz, I think I will stick with both

 

[Zeisser]

Just bought a Pentax Optio Z10 PnS to have a feel of digital as a precursor for future
conversion...hopefully

 

[Adriantanhc]

Never a serious photographer, I am amazed by the engineering in the cameras and their ability to capture views that our eyes cannot see. So i ended up with more bodies than most serious gamers :what:

For those younger ones who went straight into digital, they should give film a try. Besides higher cost per print in terms of negative/positive and developing, many 2nd hand SLRs are at a mere fraction of their costs today.

Would say like rifle shooting, with all those scopes and who knows one day mini-guided bullets, the fun and satisfaction of hitting a bull's eye is erased from the book.

 

[Adriantanhc]

Even flatbed scanners are excellent in scanning films nowadays. Very affordable price range of $200 - $400 if you're not looking for pro equipment which could easily hit over a k.

 

[escapologist]

For those younger ones who went straight into digital, they should give film a try. Besides higher cost per print in terms of negative/positive and developing, many 2nd hand SLRs are at a mere fraction of their costs today.

Yes they should. I never fancied digital over film despite having both. I still prefer using film where you have to think before you shoot and waste a shot. I always encourage my classmates who wants to learn photography to try film.

Most of my friends are trigger happy on their DSLRs and they seem to be very impatient at times. Perhaps using film may instill that life value into them. ;p

 

[lsisaxon]

I started learning photography about a year ago and went straight into digital. After a year of shooting with digital, I felt something was amiss. I was relying too much on the features of the camera, chased too much of the latest equipment and not getting my basics right.

Very recently, I got myself an FM2n after a fellow bro poisoned me further (was already having the thought). Though I have yet to shoot a roll of film with it, I foresee enjoying the processing of composing right till pressing the shutter without all the latest features and the pain of developing and transferring the images into the computer.

Like tkbonz, I think I will stick with both

You just need to shoot digital like you shoot film.. Think of the time you will save in PP. Get your fundamentals right so that you can get it right the time moment you press the shutter release. There is never another moment where you get exactly the same thing again.

 

[tkbonz]

You just need to shoot digital like you shoot film.. Think of the time you will save in PP. Get your fundamentals right so that you can get it right the time moment you press the shutter release. There is never another moment where you get exactly the same thing again.

Dats wat my dad told me. Realized that after shooting digital for some time, you will tend to take technology for granted and just "shoot first see later" cause you can delete the digital files. After shooting film for half a year, really think twice before i press the shutter on my D80.

 

[lsisaxon]

Dats wat my dad told me. Realized that after shooting digital for some time, you will tend to take technology for granted and just "shoot first see later" cause you can delete the digital files. After shooting film for half a year, really think twice before i press the shutter on my D80.

Sometimes I also make the mistake of releasing the shutter even though I know it's a 'cannot-make-it' shot... It's tempting because it's free.. then I still delete them at the end of the day otherwise it's just taking up storage space. But the biggest price you'll have to pay is that in the course of taking the 'cannot-make-it' shot, you might have missed other opportunities.

 

[xylestesins]

The fun to film?

When i prepare my shot, i get a very satisfying film winding on the trigger (i dont like knobs.)
Everytime i hit the shutter, i feel the lights around me carve into my emulsion.
Everytime i set it on B, i feel the lights around me glow an burn into my emulsion.

Sometimes i don't meter, and imagining that gives me a good guessposure.

It's hard to explain, but it feels so much better than having a digital sensor capture light and boost it by ISO.

 

[swhyge]

The fun to film?

When i prepare my shot, i get a very satisfying film winding on the trigger (i dont like knobs.)
Everytime i hit the shutter, i feel the lights around me carve into my emulsion.
Everytime i set it on B, i feel the lights around me glow an burn into my emulsion.

Sometimes i don't meter, and imagining that gives me a good guessposure.

It's hard to explain, but it feels so much better than having a digital sensor capture light and boost it by ISO.

I can see that doing with film has develop your creativity much, as evident in this reply!!

 

[aloyyolaaloy]

After shooting in digital for years, i decided to go back to film just to have some fun in it. I think you guys might have missed the whole fun of it. You see, shooting with film just lets you shoot and forget about whether you get a good shot or not. You don't have to worry. Furthermore, you spend way more time focussing and compositing your subjects. Ain't that better? And as most of you guys have realized that digital technology has improved, so has scanning! Last but not least, the images you get outta film is so much richer.

I still shoot with a DSLR and am getting a D700 any moment, but on hand I still work with a FM2n and a Voigtlander Bessa R4a. And its just a joy shooting film again.

Those who never tried it, really really really should.

hee! :sweatsm: gave up on digital.. fell in love with my Bessa R3a once i touched it :lovegrin:

 

[brinkwine]

yeah i shoot a lot better with film i think...

the only thing that puts me off is scanning (any1 got 1 to sell? canon 8800f), or, when i send it to the shops to scan or print, it always comes back damaged.. with black articles embedded. v :bheart:. one even tied rubber band around my negs when i asked them not to cut... was so angry...

i'm trying to resist getting a dslr... and i don't use my digicam all that much except as a light-meter... it's really boring and annoying viewing things thru an LCd... feel removed from the subject... optical viewfinders in compacts are crappy useless... dslr too bulky...

so... the most enjoyable for me (if expensive and troublesome) is still film... i will only get a dslr if i want to do event shoots and earn $ from it... :bsmilie::bsmilie:

can someone lend me a coupled rangefinder to try? i will leave my stereo pinhole cam as collateral...

 

[jtan4]

I started out with digital. But recently, I decided to try out film. Must say that the colours seem nicer, the bokeh is nicer.. everything seems nicer. It has a nostalgic feel to it. I'm beginning to see why people are going back to film. =)