Anyone Still Use Film?

laudrup · Jun 18, 2005

I'm sat here bored at work, and just though i'd pose the question.

I've come to photography relatively recently and started off with a digital compact and decided to move onto a 35mm slr. I love using film because I can get some really good pin sharp photo's than scan to approximately 20mp.

If you use a slide film like Fuji Velvia 50 you can get some stunningly saturated colours and tremendous clarity.They probably wouldn't be rivalled by anything but the very top of the range digital slr's. The only pain is the convenience and continual cost of processing/scanning.

More and more people seem to be using digital and i was just interested to know other peoples views on the good ol' film vs digital debate and what peoples preferences are.

Apologies if this has been posted countless times already, it just interests me

Cheers

Laudrup

fadingaway1986 · Jun 18, 2005

I hope you realise you may have just caused a fight by mentioning this phrase 'film vs digital'...

That said - I am now a digital SLR gal! Woo. I didn't have a problem with film apart from the cost and the fact that getting a decent scan is pricey and I can't afford a neg scanner.

I still have my 35mm SLR because I plan to do a photography course next year and it says i need "access to a decent quality 35mm SLR".

So - I have to say I use both.

etaf · Jun 18, 2005

i still have film slr and use for the odd wedding asked to do - although I think a 20D with a good lens {not kit lens} would be a good choice for digital. not yet have the funds for that - so playing with a canon pro1 at the moment
I also have a nikon 35mm scanner and can scan to 28mb

but i'm sure there will be lots of discussion

you can get a script action for getting the velvia type results in photoshop

http://www.reflectiveimages.com/digitalvelvia.htm
http://www.thezeal.com/photography/2004/10/simulating-velvia-in-photoshop.html

terri · Jun 18, 2005

laudrup said:
I'm sat here bored at work, and just though i'd pose the question.

I've come to photography relatively recently and started off with a digital compact and decided to move onto a 35mm slr. I love using film because I can get some really good pin sharp photo's than scan to approximately 20mp.

If you use a slide film like Fuji Velvia 50 you can get some stunningly saturated colours and tremendous clarity.They probably wouldn't be rivalled by anything but the very top of the range digital slr's. The only pain is the convenience and continual cost of processing/scanning.

More and more people seem to be using digital and i was just interested to know other peoples views on the good ol' film vs digital debate and what peoples preferences are.

Apologies if this has been posted countless times already, it just interests me

Cheers

Laudrup

Everyone seems to ask this at some point or another, so don't let it bother you over much.

There will be no fighting over this issue or we'll delete the thread! :lol:

I use film exclusively. I have no interest in digital, but I'm used to being the outlier.

I love the darkroom and do alternative processes, so film is where it's at for me. :thumbup:

Most answers you'll get will be "some of both", with a few all-digital.

laudrup · Jun 18, 2005

Cheers, hopefully I won't have sparked world war III by starting this thread!!!

I love the sense of anticipation when a film is being developed, having said that i've looked at the canon 20d, and could be tempted funds permitting!

KevinR · Jun 18, 2005

Have used, still use, and shall not switch to digital. I shoot almost exclusively B&W. Process and print myself. For what I do, there is no reason for me to go digital. Maybe if I started picking up weddings or something(I am shooting one today. Me B&W and friend Digital) then maybe I would look at digital.

EmergentFungus · Jun 18, 2005

I have had a Powershot S50 digital for the last year or two but have recently inherited a very nice film SLR from my Dad. It's a Canon EOS Elan 2e, 15-80mm(I think) lense. It's got three filters and some masive flash gun gear. Didn't even know how to load a film into it when I first got it but I've been playing around with it when there's no film inside, just to know how everything works.

I'm determind to master using it as not only did it mean a lot to my dad and now me, but I'll be taking a course in photography for my A levels in September.

ferny · Jun 18, 2005

I have one digital camera and six film cameras, I only shoot digital at the moment. But that isn't through choice. I simply can't afford to get the film processed right now. When I can, I'll use it more. Plus I like the instant photo idea with digital and that I can delete the crap I do. Plus, it's fun to manipulate and edit my photos. It's great for snapshots to.
I prefer film though. I like the touchy feely side. Viewing my photos on a monitor feels a little cold in comparison.

I use film exclusively. I have no interest in digital, but I'm used to being the outlier. I love the darkroom and do alternative processes, so film is where it's at for me.

I order you to get a digital. Just to take pictures of the stuff you've done which won't fit in the scanner.

laudrup · Jun 18, 2005

KevinR, I know what you mean, I'm pleased with the quality that film gives and it serves my purposes well and is fairly cost effective although development cost can mount up. I feel that I've been contemplating a switch to digital out of trend/fashion rather than necessity!

Emergent Fungus, i'm sure you'll get hooked on using the film cam once you get used to it and used it for your a-levels!

terri · Jun 18, 2005

I order you to get a digital. Just to take pictures of the stuff you've done which won't fit in the scanner.

Nah, it's more fun to torment you with imagery. :twisted:

Mitica100 · Jun 18, 2005

Film only here. Shooting medium format and 35mm BW and slides. Long live film!

DocFrankenstein · Jun 18, 2005

Both here. I'm moving away from digital now, even though I've invested a fortune in it.

Mumfandc · Jun 18, 2005

laudrup said:
I love using film because I can get some really good pin sharp photo's than scan to approximately 20mp.

If you use a slide film like Fuji Velvia 50 you can get some stunningly saturated colours and tremendous clarity.They probably wouldn't be rivalled by anything but the very top of the range digital slr's. The only pain is the convenience and continual cost of processing/scanning.

Well, for now I shoot only film, medium format and 35mm. But I have nothing against digital.

I went to my college graduating student exhibition...and it seemed almost all of the photography majors submitted digitally shot and printed images as their BEST works. Mind you, they were still taught regular film studio work as a part of their curriculum, up to the view camera. The digital images at the exhibition had stunning clarity as well. But really, I suppose this demonstrates how the image overshadows the equipment.

As for velvia 50...I think it's being discontinued, is it not? Supposed to be replaced with Velvia 100 (not 100F). I rarely use the stuff, I find it's slow speed an inconvenience, and it seems to suit only certain subject matter.

photogoddess · Jun 18, 2005

I tend to get ideas... visualize my subject matter and fixate on one or the other. Funny thing is that shooting digital has made me love film even more. :mrgreen:

Smith2688 · Jun 18, 2005

I started off in digital with a little Olympus P&S (well I guess you could say I started with disposable cameras but...). I then upgraded a few years later to the Fz20, which I love. Then a few months later I found, in my parents cabinet, an old Chinon CE-4 which my mother had gotten my father years ago but with the dawn of autofocus it became forgotten. It had been used by my cousin, who went to school for photography/art but was returned after a few years...with the addition of a telephoto lens (they only had the 50mm prime in the beginning). I used one roll but forgot to have it developed for some time. When I got it back there was a good deal of grain but you could tell the camera was functioning fine and there could be great quality rendered. Then I found out that I'm going on a 50 day hiking trip around the US. I pondering bringing digital (we'd be able to download images to CD) but the battery life, delicateness of the camera, and fact that I'd have to lug around a big case of CDs turned me away. I also thought of bringing the Contax, but the thought of having to lug around the two lenses and the limited space eliminated that. Also, no one I handed the camera to would really know what they were doing since it's fully manual (except for the shutter speed) so I would be in none of the pictures (not to be vain

). Finally I decided to purchase a Canon P&S film camera - the Canon SureShot 115u. I developed pictures from it and really really liked the way everything turned out and that certain look which film has. I use Fuji Superia ISO400 by the way. The colors on it are quite nice...and I only got that roll developed at my local CVS 1 hour photo developing since it was a test roll.

In short, if I personally owned a drum scanner, I would nearly exclusively shoot film. I might only be saying that as I have a film SLR and no DSLR, but for now I'm a film photog at heart.

(Sorry for giving you my lifestory on photography too.

)