Anyone shooting film?

[DanielW]

Anyone shooting film & digital? It occurred to me it may be cool to shoot film sometimes, and I started to look for old 35 mm cameras. I found a Pentax (sorry...) KX, which seems to have been a great camera 30 yrs ago, with a 55/1.8 lens, a flash, a little bag an so on for around US$ 120. Anyone think it's worth it, or is it just to much of a hassle for nothing?

 

[itsnotmeyouknow]

I sometimes shoot film on a Pentax 645n (medium format). I shoot aix of Ilford pan 50 for lovely contrasty b&w with very fine grain and the 100 Ilford. You will great colour results from Fuji's Reala 100 and of course Velvia 50 reverse. Colour definition on film is something that digital cannot yet replicate.

 

[DanielW]

Yeah, there's just something different about film, I guess. It's not better or worse; it's different. I think we forgive imperfections very much more when we shoot film, maybe. It looks like we're more interested in a nice composition or some interesting scene, whereas with digital it's more about exposure, noise, sharpness... Not that I don't enjoy shooting digital (never really shot film with a good camera), but I like the idea of film, kinda romantic stuff, old days, different feel to the image... (Is it about memories?) I'm having a baby by the end of the year and want to take nice pics of him/her, and maybe some taken with a film camera would look nicely different.

 

[RLPhoto]

I recently bought a 5$ canon Rebel 2000 body out of the bargain bin at a Thrift store. Then picked up a 3$ roll of kodak 400 Color reversal film at walgreens. I took this with a 24mm 1.4L II of course ;D

 

[awinphoto]

well crap it pains me to say but i dont think i've shot film since 2006. Sold my 35mm film body and LF 4x5 camera. I still have a nice bronica 645 sitting in it's case in my closet, but i'd have to go out, buy rolls, maybe even a poloriod pack for giggles for the film attachment adapter, pay for processing... ehhh or shoot digital and get instant gratification and can print the same size... The oddity is i balk at the cost of film/developing/time yet dont think twice about a $3500 5d3.... Dont ask me how that is.

 

[hpmuc]

Yes, I do. In fact, I used an A-1 and an old F-1 until recently, but already scanned the negatives/slides. Then manual focusing started annoying me, in addition I realized that I would have to switch to digital sooner or later. So I decided to do a gradual switch: First I bought two EF lenses (24-70 USM L 2.8 and the 50/1.4) and just bought a quite cheap EOS 3 (I don't think I have to tell you the specs of that great camera, the AF is awesome), I just didn't have the money to buy a 5D2 as well (FF is a must for me) and I wasn't sure this was the right camera. I mainly shoot slide film, but also Adox CMS20. I am still not happy with digital image quality. On the other hand, I also have an old 350D and found out that with RAW, you can get quite good results. So the reason I visit this site is that I hoped the 5D3 would be what I was waiting for. However, the last weeks haven't made that decision easier, so I think I will stick to the EOS 3 for a little longer and wait how things develop.

 

[EYEONE]

I do! I've actually got my 24-70 f2.8 on my EOS-3 right now. I'm not very knowledgeable about film as digital has always been around since I got into photography but I see the beauty and value in shooting film.

I've actually got a roll of ISO3200 black and white film that I can't wait to use.

 

[BillyBean]

Sure, I shoot loads of film. I have an EOS 3 and an EOS 5, both of which take EF lenses just like a modern EOS camera. And the flash works too...

The EOS 3 in particular is a fantastic camera - full frame (of course!), eye control focus, weather sealed, 8 fps, a real delight - and all for about £100 or maybe $150, on eBay !

I use a Nikon negative scanner, and then Lightroom 4 and Nik plugins, and have all the joy of digital post-process workflow...

Maybe you can the same effects with digital, and I do use a DSLR too, but somehow, you just KNOW that you have black and white film in the body, and it somehow alters your perception. Likewise, a bit of Fuji Velvia 50 for landscape or Portra for portraits. Superb.

The thing is, with 36 exposures, you have to THINK about what you are doing.

I also have a Mamiya RZ67 (medium format, 6x7 negative), which I use occasionally, but not so much joy with that yet - much tougher to use, more demanding, and harder to scan well. Manual focus, manual exposure, and a beast to lug around. I'll get there one day...

Aiming for a 5D3 later this year.

 

[7enderbender]

Anyone shooting film & digital? It occurred to me it may be cool to shoot film sometimes, and I started to look for old 35 mm cameras. I found a Pentax (sorry...) KX, which seems to have been a great camera 30 yrs ago, with a 55/1.8 lens, a flash, a little bag an so on for around US$ 120. Anyone think it's worth it, or is it just to much of a hassle for nothing?

I only converted to digital in 2010 - somewhat reluctantly to be honest. I still use my film cameras but not as often as I'd like. The problem really is that finding places that develop and print traditionally is close to impossible. There are still a few b/w places and there is always the option to do it yourself but I don't have easy access to the gear any longer - and haven't done any of this in too long. And there really is no point in my opinion to shoot film just to have the negatives run through a scanner and then print the same way the files from a digital camera print. That last step is where I'm convinced both digital and film lose out today.

I have a bunch of prints from the olden days that beat everything I've seen over the last decade or more. So I think it's not film per se but what happens during the different printing processes.

That being said - digital SLRs offer a great deal of learning options that film doesn't have that way. And I truly enjoy what postprocessing can offer in the digital world. But then again I don't think that DSLRs fully match yet where film was at it's peak. Close but not quite. So there is still room for both I guess.

What I find stunning is that only half a generation into all this younger folks already think of film as some ancient "lo fi" technology and expect results as if film only existed until the 1870s or so.

 

[BillyBean]

Have a look for a book entitled 'Film is not Dead' on Amazon. It's for digital natives looking to understand film (unlike us old codgers who always understood it...)

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Film-Is-Not-Dead-Photographers/dp/0321812808/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1333652643&sr=8-1

 

[SandyP]

Hell yes! Lots of people shoot film, in fact it's making quite the "come back".

I shoot a few rolls a week, mostly medium format, either on my Mamiya 645 Pro TL, or the Mamiya RB67.

There is definitely something special about the process, and the look you get from the negs. I'm a big fan.

 

[scottcognato]

I love to shoot a few film shots throughout weddings - it adds something unique to the total package. I have a mamiya 645 w/80 2.8 (acts similar to a 50 on a 35mm), and it's a great little package paired w/Kodak portra 800! It's a very unique look that digital just can't seem to touch (I've tried for years, dxo film pack works ok at best, but not even close to the real thing...)

-Scott

 

[SandyP]

I love to shoot a few film shots throughout weddings - it adds something unique to the total package. I have a mamiya 645 w/80 2.8 (acts similar to a 50 on a 35mm), and it's a great little package paired w/Kodak portra 800! It's a very unique look that digital just can't seem to touch (I've tried for years, dxo film pack works ok at best, but not even close to the real thing...)

-Scott

I have the 80mm f/1.9, amazinggggggggggggg love it! Definitely something special about it. I too shoot a few rolls at most weddings during the portraits.

 

[BillyBean]

The problem really is that finding places that develop and print traditionally is close to impossible.

b/w - do it yourself ! You don't need a darkroom, just get a 'changing bag' - you stick your hands in to reel the film onto the developing tank spool, and then the tank is lightproof and pour the soup in to develop and fix. Easy. Of course, you can't see what you are doing, but that's ok.

Colour, yep, that's harder. I use peak imaging in the UK, who I can highly recommend. http://www.peak-imaging.co.uk/ They usually turn stuff around in 2-3 days door to door, which is amazing.

I don't analog print though - develop only, and then into the negative scanner. If I print, I print digitally on an inkjet (Pixma 9500).

 

[scottcognato]

I have the 80mm f/1.9, amazinggggggggggggg love it! Definitely something special about it. I too shoot a few rolls at most weddings during the portraits.

I'm hecka jealous! I've had my eye on that lens for a while now, so much dof, it's insane! Makes my 1.2 on 5d3 look like a cheap nifty fifty!!

-Scott

 

[Harley]

After many years without film, I am back into it. I still have my Canon Rebel 2000 and recently acquired a Mamiya M645 1000S. I wish I had gotten into medium format years ago but better late than never!

The oddity is i balk at the cost of film/developing/time yet dont think twice about a $3500 5d3.... Dont ask me how that is.

Yeah, not to mention the costs for software, memory, printers & ink, etc! Shooting film is really quite affordable. Really good equipment is available and inexpensive and the film and developing is not hard to come by.

 

[BillyBean]

Couple of examples, just for fun - they are a little compressed, so the fine details will suffer, but trust me, these in full are really nice.

A black and white from Yosemite, using a 1970s Canonet QL17 GIII, and Fuji Acros 100 film, developed by myself in R09, and an EOS 3 photo on Fuji Velvia. The latter is pretty much as it came off the scanner - unprocessed.

Both taken in the last 2 years.

I'm sure there are better photographers out there, but hopefully this gives you a taste.

 

[SandyP]

I have the 80mm f/1.9, amazinggggggggggggg love it! Definitely something special about it. I too shoot a few rolls at most weddings during the portraits.

I'm hecka jealous! I've had my eye on that lens for a while now, so much dof, it's insane! Makes my 1.2 on 5d3 look like a cheap nifty fifty!!

-Scott

It's so bad ass!!! Get one!

I apologize for these (not so great, cause I did them) scans of the film, but I've seen a drum scan of one of these and it blewwwwwwwwwwwwww me away like no tomorrow.

 

[mws]

I've recently taken to collecting older range finders, so I shoot a few rolls now and then to try them out. I Recently discovered Illford Pan 50, this stuff is amazing! Either that or Tri-X 400, since it's easy to find. I also just bought a entire dark room set up (a color one too) from some guy on craigslist for 50 bucks. Just have to find some room in the basement for it, and see if I can't remember how to develop film/prints.

 

[DanielW]

@RLPhoto: love the pic and the dog!
@7enderbender: will try harder not to call film cameras "old days stuff" from now on... (I'm 33, and shot film cameras until my 20's! Does it mean I'm old days stuff too?)
@BillyBean and SandyP: Wow, amazing pics!
Any recommendations for a 35 mm camera? (I'm already looking for an EOS3 on eBay! Thanks BillyBean, hpmuc and EYEONE!)
Thanks everyone!