Things I noticed shooting film vs digital

[Jay Vee]

Got a Minolta AF 7000 from a bulk sale for super cheap. Came with a roll of iso200 so decided to try it out with a 55-200 at the zoo. My gf sent the roll out for development so I have no idea how they turned out but here are some things I noticed while shooting.

1. On every shot I looked at the back of the camera for a quick review even though there's no monitor
2. Much more conscious about every shot
3. Constant iso felt a bit restrictive.
4. Everyone asking what the heck is that noise when the film was rewinding. lol

It was fun but I'm sticking with digital.

 

[christopher walrath]

Thank you for sharing. Yeah, if you are in the habit of reviewing your shots on a screen, that can be a hard habit to break. One good thing about shooting film, and can be about digital if you just train yourself, s that you ARE more conscious about your exposures. Knowing that you have a limited ability to capture images makes you slow down and think about it and pass by some shots that you delete upon reviewing on an LCD screen. A constant ISO might feel constricting, but it also makes you be more creative. You do not always need to follow the light meter's recommendations to make the subject fit onto the film. Light meters are all dumb after all, regardless of whether on an SLR or a d-SLR. And audible noise is part of the magic. Film cameras are just more deliberate in handling and operation. Definitely a different feel. Keep the camera and mess around with it from time to time. It can be a great change of pace.

 

[limr]

When you say " it came with a roll of ISO 200 film" - was that film still in the camera? Or the seller gave you a fresh roll to start with? If that film was the same age as the camera, expect some strange results.

 

[480sparky]

Too bad you bailed to easily.

 

[gsgary]

Stick with digital if you had enough after 1 roll sounds like you not upto film

 

[Gary A.]

Film is very interesting stuff. If you want to fine tune your photographic skills, buy about five rolls of slide film. It will not only make you very aware of your metering and framing but also make you appreciate digital even more.

 

[480sparky]

Stick with digital if you had enough after 1 roll sounds like you not upto film

'Specially if you never bother looking at the results, or even finding out what the end product looked like.

 

[gsgary]

Stick with digital if you had enough after 1 roll sounds like you not upto film

'Specially if you never bother looking at the results, or even finding out what the end product looked like.

Yes I'm dumb struck, especially when shooting portraits some films can blow digital away eg Portra 400

 

[The_Traveler]

Got a Minolta AF 7000 from a bulk sale for super cheap. Came with a roll of iso200 so decided to try it out with a 55-200 at the zoo. My gf sent the roll out for development so I have no idea how they turned out but here are some things I noticed while shooting.

1. On every shot I looked at the back of the camera for a quick review even though there's no monitor
2. Much more conscious about every shot
3. Constant iso felt a bit restrictive.
4. Everyone asking what the heck is that noise when the film was rewinding. lol

It was fun but I'm sticking with digital.

Did you notice a supercilious tone creeping into your exchanges with others?

 

[vintagesnaps]

Being a longtime film photographer I had to do the opposite and learn to use a digital camera; at first I'd sometimes whack myself in the forehead with it because I'd forget what camera I had and that I had a viewscreen to look at.

You might want to get a fresh roll of film, and consider giving it another try - just once probably wasn't enough time to adapt to a different way of taking pictures.

 

[christopher walrath]

(looks at some replies above, shakes his head back and forth and walks away from the thread...)

 

[SoulfulRecover]

"This is not the camera you are looking for"

 

[christopher walrath]

You can go about your process. Move along.

 

[Mike_E]

A drugstore cigar and a beer are nice but sometimes you just need a shot of single malt and a Dunhill.

 

[K_Pugh]

Stick with digital if you had enough after 1 roll sounds like you not upto film

'Specially if you never bother looking at the results, or even finding out what the end product looked like.

Yes I'm dumb struck, especially when shooting portraits some films can blow digital away eg Portra 400

OP gave up too easily! I started with digital then went to film, shot a wedding and did some other commercial stuff with film for a few months but I was trying to step away from photography at the time. Started taking it up again in December there with the Canon G16 but I've just bought a Canon 30E (Elan7e?) and a 50mm 1.8 MK2.

Here is a shot from the wedding I shot, it's my favourite shot and it was taken with Portra 400:
(p.s. not saying it's better than digital, it's also a little soft as my scanning abilities weren't too hot, plus it's been reclaimed from photobucket and is only 600px on the longest side! Need to find the negatives!!)

cpw_c2 by pughphotography, on Flickr