Help with choosing a new film camera.

bradytanner

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I need help choosing a new film Camera, and I need YOUR help!

Currently I have a Canon AE-1, with the stock 50mm lens and a 75mm-200mm Macro lens.

I've noticed that the pictures seemingly come out grainy and just. Not as I want them to.

So my first instinct is that I need a better Camera.
I've been doing research, and I've been looking at the Canon A-1. and the Canon F-1.

But I'm just not sure. Any suggestions? Or help?
 
Film is not digital.

The camera has absolutely zero impact on the quality of the image. Maybe you should get different film, or develop the film elsewhere.

Though excessive grain can be caused by under exposing the shot and pushing during the developing, you haven't been doing that have you?
 
Hi Brady, welcome to the forum. In addition to what has been said consider that the faster the film the grainer it's going to be. You also need to make sure that it's exposed properly.

And finally, you might try another type of film. Try a roll or two of Kodak Ektar and see what you think.
 
Grainy images are the result primarily of the film. The only way a camera can change (age, break, begin working poorly, ...) to cause pictures to become grainier is for its meter and/or shutter to begin to underexpose, and then only with color negative films (aka "color print films"). These films will produce grainier results when significantly underexposed.

There is nothing about a lens that could cause pictures to become grainier other than some failure of its meter coupling or iris mechanism that would cause the camera to misjudge or mis-set the f/stop leading to underexposure.
 
hmm. Well, this is a lot to take in.
I really just started taking pictures a year ago.
I start College in January, to major in photography.
But until then, I'm on a level of being oblivious.

So my AE-1 is fine? It's just the film, or the way the film was developed.

okay, got it.


So I wouldn't be better off buying an F1, or something?
And I WOULD buy a T90, but I my friend, don't have $200. :/
 
The Canon New F-1 is a great camera ... but it probably would not improve your photo's.

Look at it this way ...
The camera holds and exposes the film.
The lens resolves the image onto the film.
The film captures the light coming from the lens.
 
hmm. Well, this is a lot to take in.
I really just started taking pictures a year ago.
I start College in January, to major in photography.
But until then, I'm on a level of being oblivious.

So my AE-1 is fine? It's just the film, or the way the film was developed.

okay, got it.


So I wouldn't be better off buying an F1, or something?
And I WOULD buy a T90, but I my friend, don't have $200. :/

It would help if you showed us a photo (print and negative) that you feel is
not what it should be.
 
As the others have said, grain is a quality of the film, not the camera.

Don't expect film photos to be as grain-free as digital is noise free. There is no in-camera grain reduction, if you want the slick grain-free look of digital, then you're going to have to use very fine grain film, and then reduce the grain in post process.
 
I need help choosing a new film Camera, and I need YOUR help!

Currently I have a Canon AE-1, with the stock 50mm lens and a 75mm-200mm Macro lens.

I've noticed that the pictures seemingly come out grainy and just. Not as I want them to.

So my first instinct is that I need a better Camera.
I've been doing research, and I've been looking at the Canon A-1. and the Canon F-1.

But I'm just not sure. Any suggestions? Or help?

Buy yourself a 4x5 or 8x10 view camera. Both can deliver tone, gradation, and sharpness better than the eye can see. And grain is essentially invisible and irrelevant. Plus the camera movements and the access to non-silver photographic processes give you expressive possibilities that digital picture making will never address.
 
I need help choosing a new film Camera, and I need YOUR help!

Currently I have a Canon AE-1, with the stock 50mm lens and a 75mm-200mm Macro lens.

I've noticed that the pictures seemingly come out grainy and just. Not as I want them to.

So my first instinct is that I need a better Camera.
I've been doing research, and I've been looking at the Canon A-1. and the Canon F-1.

But I'm just not sure. Any suggestions? Or help?

Buy yourself a 4x5 or 8x10 view camera. Both can deliver tone, gradation, and sharpness better than the eye can see. And grain is essentially invisible and irrelevant. Plus the camera movements and the access to non-silver photographic processes give you expressive possibilities that digital picture making will never address.

"never"?? ;)
 
Some of my best work was shot through a Nikon FG and a Nikkormat FT. Film determines image quality for the most part.

The basis of a SLR film camera is as such, light enters through the lens and hits a mirror, the mirror bounces light from the lens into a prism, that's what you see through the viewfinder.

When you hit the shutter, the mirror flips up and the shutter opens and light through the lens directly hits the film creating your image, the shutter speed, apeture and lens control how much of that light hits the film.

When the shutter is released, you are back to where you were with you rmirror reflecting through the prism.
 
I need help choosing a new film Camera, and I need YOUR help!

Currently I have a Canon AE-1, with the stock 50mm lens and a 75mm-200mm Macro lens.

I've noticed that the pictures seemingly come out grainy and just. Not as I want them to.

So my first instinct is that I need a better Camera.
I've been doing research, and I've been looking at the Canon A-1. and the Canon F-1.

But I'm just not sure. Any suggestions? Or help?

Buy yourself a 4x5 or 8x10 view camera. Both can deliver tone, gradation, and sharpness better than the eye can see. And grain is essentially invisible and irrelevant. Plus the camera movements and the access to non-silver photographic processes give you expressive possibilities that digital picture making will never address.

"never"?? ;)

Theoretically at least it might be possible to generate Platinotypes, Palladiotypes, or Cyanotypes (for example) with digital technology but I'd bet my house that it won't happen. The high intensity ultra-violet laser machinery would surely cost millions to develop, and have a huge price-tag; all for maybe a 1000 customers world wide. The film and chemical approach is relatively quick, easy, cheap, and fully worked out.
 
The camera does matter, but not for better images, it matters how you like it in your hand, how you like its looks, and so forth. Because the more you like it the more you will use it.
 
Buy yourself a 4x5 or 8x10 view camera. Both can deliver tone, gradation, and sharpness better than the eye can see. And grain is essentially invisible and irrelevant. Plus the camera movements and the access to non-silver photographic processes give you expressive possibilities that digital picture making will never address.

"never"?? ;)

Theoretically at least it might be possible to generate Platinotypes, Palladiotypes, or Cyanotypes (for example) with digital technology but I'd bet my house that it won't happen. The high intensity ultra-violet laser machinery would surely cost millions to develop, and have a huge price-tag; all for maybe a 1000 customers world wide. The film and chemical approach is relatively quick, easy, cheap, and fully worked out.

I'm certain that in a decade or less we'll have digital sensors capable of storing all spectrums of light at very high bit depth to the point where any effect you can imagine can be brought out in post-process--far easier then with film. And that's coming from a guy that shoots 90% film.

I wouldn't bet your house against it.
 

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