Hi all, I am planning to get a film SLR for the following reasons:
1) No matter how I save, just cannot afford a DSLR within a short period of time.
2) I am taking a photography course and film cameras are discussed and I need to take photos for assignments.
3) I also joined a photography club in NTU, and the guy in charge said I can access the darkroom.
By the way,I am currently using a Canon S3IS,I just feel a need to upgrade to a SLR, since I cannot afford a DSLR, so I wanna get a film one first to play around. I know little about film SLR and film development, so I really need pointers here regarding which camera to get, how much is one roughly and what film to get.
Looking forward to your suggestions,thank you!
Hello fellow BSD admin
(btw, good choice of UNIX...)
I am a very devoted digital shooter who has just gone back to film (started film, went digital, now full circle). Got more digital than I know what to do with
but I decided to go back to film.
What I can tell you...you will enjoy it. Yes, be prepared to make mistakes, but be prepared to enjoy the adventure. I certainly am. I'm breaking all the rules and loving it.
I am only familiar with the Canon series, so the recommendations I give are out of familiarity NOT because I want to put down other systems. (alternatively I could recommend things like the Contax 645... be prepared to get a heart attack at the price tag...you WILL need people to carry you out..)
I'm using a Canon Elan 7NE, which is a really nice camera. Canon has the Rebel film series (300X, 300V), I suggest you give those a miss. They lack a lot of useful midrange features. Edit: I just saw you bought the EOS 5 QD. The 5 is a very nice camera.. I considered buying one myself before I went with the 7NE (also called 30V in Asia and Singapore). Congrats on the camera.
The EOS 1V is the super high end pro model: read "Very expensive". I don't feel it's worth the cost.
A basic zoom will be fine. Avoid the ultra-cheap econo consumer zooms, those are terrible. I paired a 28-105 f/3.5-4.5 with the Elan, works great and is VERY, VERY sharp (yes, I tested against my L lenses on digital.. I couldn't believe my eyes). Other small prime lenses like Canon 50/1.8, 28/2.8, 35/2.0, are affordable and reasonably good.
Tips and tricks for keeping film costs down - buy a bulk loader and refill your own cans. Cost is roughly halved compared to retail film. However, at the same time, buy a whole variety of different films and try.. part of the fun is trying. I have literally 9 different kinds in the fridge now because I am sampling a little bit of everything. (1 or 2 rolls of each lah.. not a 20 pack
)
Developing yourself or in a darkroom will keep your cost down. I estimate that the consumables are costing me less than $1 per developing run of 36 frames. It could be even lower, Streetshooter posted his sticky thread where he used 5ml of HC-110 per run. At that dilution, a $30 bottle will last FOREVER (100 rolls!)
My developing process is 'hybrid digital'. I process the film myself, but instead of printing, I scan on a flatbed scanner.
Carry your S3 IS and use it as a 'digital preview'. If you are not sure about spending film on a shot, use the S3 and experiment and check the LCD to get feedback. When you're confident, shoot it on film. This can help ease the learning curve.
If you need to go EVEN cheaper, try an old Canon FD SLR. The Canon FD system is technically 'dead' since the lenses are not compatible with Canon EF digital SLRs (at all), but that also means you can get lenses and SLRs really, REALLY cheap. I bought my 28/2.8 SSC for $24.95.....SONG!! :thumbsup: the only bad thing is that you will never be able to use these on a modern DSLR. (you can...well...be prepared to saw off the lens mount and other extreme measures like that, you get what I mean.).
Films.. there are the Great Classic films like Kodak Tri-X, Pan-X. Ilford FP4, HP5. The saying "nobody ever got fired for buying Kodak" - boh sa lah - cannot really go wrong with Kodak stuff. Tri-X is very easy to develop and very forgiving of mistakes, and is probably a film you want to start with. You will eventually find your favorites, but I can definitely recommend Tri-X to start with. I also recommend that as your experience grows, try other films. Every film has its unique character.
If you need a few more hints, see my thread:
http://forums.clubsnap.org/showthread.php?t=304248
or PM me.
