Digital or film? plus questions....

Dubie · Jul 23, 2007

What do you prefer?

If you use digital, this gets rid of the use of a darkroom, correct?

What program do you use for your pictures? I keep hearing about photoshop.

Do you develop and print your own pics at home or do you take them to a lab?

I just bought the book everyone told me to get....Understanding Exposure and it's a great book and helps us newbies a lot.

Sorry for running you through all the questions!:blushing:

Johnboy2978 · Jul 23, 2007

I prefer digital, though I have a film body as well. Photoshop is the digital darkroom equivalent and is what I use. You can do all the post processing w/ it that you can in a darkroom for film, so no it doesn't get rid of the process. I send my files to Mpix generally, b/c of the quality they produce and for the price, I couldn't do it myself that cheaply.

JungleGuts · Jul 23, 2007

right now film, i want to learn on a fully manual film camera before i go buy an expensive dslr. I get my film developed at a photography store

ann · Jul 23, 2007

it depends on the project,

i do my own development of film and printing in my own darkroom.

batonrougeart · Jul 23, 2007

I am so much more happy with my digital, because of the fact you can see what you have as soon as you take the picture, and you can get a feel on the LCD of how the light and the distance, and all the surroundings are having an effect(or lack there of) on your shot.

Mr_Bester · Jul 23, 2007

Either way, when you get prints, 99.9% of the time they will be done digitally. Almost everywhere uses a neg scanner and prints on a digital photo paper from a lightjet, lambda, or any of the other digital photo printers.

Film has more latitude than digital, but if you work out exposure, you should be able to avoid that limitation for the most part.
Dug

Garbz · Jul 23, 2007

I use both. There's something digital can't do yet if ever. Two different mediums for two different purposes.

The process for both is the same:
1) Take photos
2) Develop either in chemicals at a lab where they often adjust things like brightness and contrast for you, or do it at home. For digital you really should "develop" them yourself in a "digital darkroom". Photoshop is over mentioned here. It's the bees knees of image editing software but it is far overkill for photography. Photoshop elements is more than sufficient feature wise. But still very useless when you handle loads of images and what not. Adobe Lightroom is a more integrated digital darkroom which allows you great flexibility to do everything you would need with photos short of getting artsy. And if you want to make art you can always export the photo to another application like photoshop or the free but capable alternative GIMP.
3) print. I take it to the lab regardless if it is film or digital.

three_eyed_otter · Jul 23, 2007

I am so much more happy with my digital, because of the fact you can see what you have as soon as you take the picture, and you can get a feel on the LCD of how the light and the distance, and all the surroundings are having an effect(or lack there of) on your shot.

When learning about photography I have found that a dSLR is the shiznat as far as the learning process goes. Unless of course you're trying to learn the art of the film darkroom. The LCD is instant confirmation when actively learning the art of photography and what your camera is about; there isn't any waiting for the prints to come back from the store and taxing your "elephant" brain on what your were trying to achieve w/each specific photo. For some reason I think of film as a romantic:hug::

art--perhaps, we are watching the "old days" develop for the history books.

have a good one
3Eo

maddermaxx · Jul 24, 2007

Currently I shoot film because I can't afford the "entrance" cost into Digital. I do have a Fuji S5200 thats my fathers that I play in manual with though.

When I get the money I plan on developing my own film and possibly getting a Neg scanner and a Printer.

jstuedle · Jul 24, 2007

I started with film in 1965 and went total digital in 1999. Currently I am getting back into playing with film medium format but scanning the negs to merge into my digital work-flow.

fmw · Jul 24, 2007

Garbz said:
I use both. There's something digital can't do yet if ever.

What would that be?

usayit · Jul 24, 2007

Dubie said:
What do you prefer?

I shoot and find enjoyment in both. I generally do B&W in film though.

If you use digital, this gets rid of the use of a darkroom, correct?

Nope.. It just moves you from the wet darkroom to the computer darkroom. I can spend hours and hours in either.

What program do you use for your pictures? I keep hearing about photoshop.

Photoshop CS. Photoshop is pretty much the leader in the market but there are others that are just as capable. A lot of cameras come prepackaged with Photoshop Elements which will satisfy most consumers out there. Photoshop elements is also significantly cheaper than a full blown version.

Do you develop and print your own pics at home or do you take them to a lab?

I do both. I have a wonderful high end Epson scanner and printer to my disposal. I also have a small wet darkroom for B&W only. I enjoy using them when time permits. For bulk prints (or if time doesn't), I'll send them off to mpix or a local lab (usually mpix for digital and local for negatives).

I just bought the book everyone told me to get....Understanding Exposure and it's a great book and helps us newbies a lot.

I found reading books strickly on the technical aspects of photography quite boring. I learned mostly through experimentation which was very satisfying. A book that I did like was "Shoot", Liz Harvey. It has short and concise articles on a particular topic.... it would take 5 mins to read a single article and the rest of the time experimenting with the topic.

Sorry for running you through all the questions!:blushing:

No problem... the people here enjoy it.... One tip though. Stop bolding your entire post. thank you.

WDodd · Jul 24, 2007

I'm the same as usayit, I only shoot B&W film anymore. But when I do I usually carry my digital with me too.

As people have already mentioned about the "digital darkroom", lightroom is definitely the way to go especially if you are shooting in RAW.

I get my prints done online usually, or at a local camera shop if I need them right away.

Seefutlung · Jul 24, 2007

I used to be a professional photog (news). I shot, developed and printed five days a week for a decade ana half. I love digital. It is so much easier and cleaner than film (both in the work flow and in the image.)

I have always printed my own images with both film and digital. If I was doing commercial photography where it is a business and money = time ... I'd send it out to a lab. For me, printing the image myself completes the photographic cycle ... every step of the cycle has my fingerprints.

Gary

newrmdmike · Jul 24, 2007

What do you prefer?

i use them both, and prefer them for different applications . . . film costs more so i use digital more often

If you use digital, this gets rid of the use of a darkroom, correct?
no, i've printed inkjet negatives and made cyanotypes, lith prints, and straight silver prints from them . . . the digital darkroom however is your computer lab
What program do you use for your pictures? I keep hearing about photoshop.
i use adobe lightroom and adobe photoshop
Do you develop and print your own pics at home or do you take them to a lab?
on paying jobs i send it all to a lab unless they wanted me to print them. i print everything i can . . . but mpix is cheap, so i find myself using them a bunch.

I just bought the book everyone told me to get....Understanding Exposure and it's a great book and helps us newbies a lot.

Sorry for running you through all the questions!:blushing: