Exclusively film?

[Weaving Wax]

Is there anyone here that uses film exclusively? Is there any reason why? I'm not looking to start yet another film vs. digital war, but I am wondering why people are choosing film? Just curious...

Sorry if this has been asked before...

 

[Orgnoi1]

I use exclusively Medium Format film... =) but I shoot digital in the "35mm" format...

Film still has its place... for me on MF because A) the negatives are BEE-autiful... and B) a digital back for my Mamiya is WAY too expensive...LOL

 

[Alpha]

I shoot exclusively film. 35mm, MF, and 4x5. I hate the crop factor of pro-sumer DSLR's, and I can't rationalize the price of something like a 5D. Not to mention, I don't really have much of a need for AF anyway, and I don't really like AF lenses.

Also, I don't like post-processing. I find it tedious and boring. I think that actual printing is more interesting. I also prefer the look of chemical prints to lightjet or inkjet prints.

 

[Sw1tchFX]

small format digital and 4x5 film.

 

[Alpha]

Unless you have serious cash to drop on a 4x5 CCD, LF absolutely cannot be touched by an 35mm-sized digital camera, for obvious reasons.

 

[terri]

I shoot exclusively film. I don't even own a digital camera, and can't really imagine needing one for anything.

I enjoy photographing in MF and 35mm (for HIE), and will move up to 4x5 next.

Photography for me is a very tactile process. From the moment I look through the viewfinder and compose, I start to think about what that negative will become. I just have to get my hands on that negative so I can make prints. The prints might then evolve into something else: a bromoil, or a toned or hand colored piece. I'm taking a lith printing workshop later this year; I can hardly wait!

When I shoot in color it's always slide film, for Polaroid emulsion lifts or image transfers. They're so much fun, and you have so much freedom.

I find I just have to engage all my senses for it to be meaningful.

Frankly, if all that existed in the world were digital cameras, photography would cease to exist as creative expression for me. (I might then have to turn to painting, and trust me, no one wants that.)

I've seen some beautiful digital images, of course, and a lot right here on this forum. It's just not for me, though.

 

[Sw1tchFX]

LF absolutely cannot be touched by an 35mm-sized digital camera, for obvious reasons.

Depends on the lens of the 4x5. My school's 4x5's are horrible. Unless I'm shooting ISO 400 film and using high contrast filters, the images aren't sharp. My D70 or my 35mm body can make crisper and more detailed 11x14's than any of my school's 4x5's because the lenses are just so much sharper.

I've done tests where i'd shoot a scene with a 4x5 and my 35mm body with similar framing and settings (by similar, I mean had all the same elements in the scene in the 35mm negative as I did in the 4x5 one, and shot with the same film and aperture settings), and although the 35mm print was more chunky from enlarging it so much, it had MUCH more detail in it, and in my opinion yielded better results because of the detail. The 4x5 print had much finer grain in it, but the entire print had a soft look to it.

Now i'm not saying 35mm is superior to 4x5, because each has a different purpose. I've seen 11x14 prints from sharp 4x5's that no 35mm body can ever touch. It's just all about how sharp the lenses are.

 

[Mitica100]

Film, film and film! I refuse taking digital pics, save for pictures of items I want to sell on Ebay. I find film to be more satisfying and slowing me down (I shoot mainly large format [4x5] and medium format) in the process of shooting. I can then scan my negatives (up to 8x10) and process them digitally, usually taking the dust specs off in PS. I guess you can call this a hybrid process...

There are many opinions about storing images on film and digitally. It seems that the film has an edge over the digitaly saved pictures. There are very old negatives that still produce incredible pictures (Ansel's for example) aftre so many years of careful storage. From what I hear the digital storage needs to be renewed every 5-7 years. Hmm... Any truth to that?

 

[Steph]

I shoot exclusively film (35mm and medium format in 'normal' cameras and pinhole cameras). There are several reasons for that:

• I am pleased with the results I get from the film equipment I have.
• I am not sure I would get any better results with a digital camera.
• I enjoy receiving my processed films from the lab (instant 'gratification' of digital cameras does not appeal to me).
• I like spending time in the darkrom (B&W)
• Buying a digital camera would be a huge investment: new camera (like MaxBloom, I feel that I would need to buy a Canon 5D for my landscape work to achieve the same quality as my Bronica), new lenses, new computer, new software...
• I don't think I would enjoy spending a lot of time with Photoshop (scanning prints and adjusting levels in Elements to post to this forum is already a chore).

Actually, thinking about it I am not going to use film exclusively for much longer as I am about to experiment with paper negs

 

[Torus34]

My primary interest is b&w.

For 40 years now I've had all the gear I need.

I make prints to hang on the walls of my home.

 

[Weaving Wax]

Wow! This is awesome! I thought I was the only one who wasn't jumping on the digital bandwagon! Makes me feel better!

 

[terri]

Wow! This is awesome! I thought I was the only one who wasn't jumping on the digital bandwagon! Makes me feel better!

If you ever feel too lonely for fellow film geeks, all you need to do is spend a few minutes over at APUG. They're quite....rabid over there. I've seen arguments about washing film that go on for 7 pages! Those are some serious folks, and there is a lot of good info to be had, as well. Great site.

 

[Weaving Wax]

What an awesome forum! Man...I'm such a newbie. Those guys are insane film geeks!

 

[mortallis288]

i love the way black and white film looks and prints, but im going to colorado this summer and i can justify buying a D-80 for colored photos, because i would have to have wolf camera or a drug store develop and print the photos and the way i see it 10 rolls of 36exposure colored film at 11$ a roll is 110 dollars 1/10 of a D-80

but i am takin 10-20 rolls of tmaxx b&w film for landscapes and something to do voer the summer

 

[mysteryscribe]

I shoot film unless it is for an ebay sale