Benefits of film photography?

I love digital and I love film. However, film gives me more of a sense of satisfaction than digital. For some reason I just don't value a digital file as much as I do a negative. I get more of a sense of accomplishment from film than I do from digital. I get no sense of challenge from digital like I do with film.
 
I have shot film for 50 years.I am not kidding myself or anyone else,I can now afford the cameras that I lusted after all these years plus I enjoy working on them as well.If I happen to trash one in the process it won't break the bank.I can also take advantage of the new technology and scan my negatives and print the pics as well.Not like the old days but it keeps me involved.I just went to my stepsons wedding and of course was part of the wedding party so all I carried was a little Nikon SQ.I have many other cameras that I could have chosen but wanted to take something that I could conceal easily in my tux.
The photographer was using a nice Canon SLR with bounce flash etc.
Had I not been in the party I would have taken a Bessamatic or an Konica Autoreflex T3 maybe with my Nissin 4800GT hammerhead flash.I promise you my pics would have looked as good as that Canon is going to make.Ron G
 
I own a D700 and I cannot achieve gradients as smooth and natural as these with it.

4x5 tmax 100:

The_Space_Needle_by_djacob372.jpg


Cyclops_by_djacob372.jpg
 
I looked through my pics yesterday and happened to catch one of his camera,it is an Canon EOS 7D.That is an 18mp camera.It will be interesting to see what we get from it.The SQ is only 3.34 mp and I was way out gunned I know.I should have used my partners camera,it is an Sony DSC W-55 which is 7 mp but didn't want to be seen with a pink camera.LOL.
Her daughter also has an Canon which is 7mp and my pics look almost as good as hers do.Time will tell.Ron G
 
I like having control over my images, not let some computers do my job.

Once you get your exposure (computer picked the settings) then get the digiprint set up in PS (needed a compter to do the work for ya again), the printer pops em out like posters.. (printer is a computer?)... ummm maybe they are only computer posters?


Now with film you need to decide just how to expose the image so you keep shadow details n how you will develope so the highlights don't block up... (brain at work). Once we get the film loaded into the tank we have to decide on the developer n how much time we need to soup... (brain at work). The negatives are drying and all I cna think about is how that frame will look on a warm tone paper, or maybe I should do it on a cooler tone paper n use selenium later to bring it up a bit... (brain is working OT now) Got the frame loaded in my enlarger and I can smell the fixer, my pulse is racing now as I set the timer for 18 sec.... into the soup and magic, my image is coming up. First the shadows, the the high details.... time! into the stop she goes n fixer and lights... WOW! That is amazing... I did that with my 2 hands and the mush betwen my ears... MY BRAIN!

So all you digiheads with ADD that just feel the need for imideate gratification... think about this, if you stop using your brain, it will rot in your head and come out your nose as snot.

All kidding aside, advantages? None. Pick your poison n have fun.
 
Film does not require electricity to expose. Useful in areas where batteries are scarce. Also nice for all night exposures.

Assuming you're using a full manual camera. I've used up new batteries in a matter of hours with film doing star trails.


Hmmm.... I have done some star trail shots ( 10~35min exposures) and I can't remember when was the last time I put new batteries into my camera.
 
Film vs Digital is like....

Homemade hand-kneaded bread vs bread machine

A handwritten calligraphy letter on parchment vs email

A homemade gourmet meal vs McDonalds

A long walk in the park vs a fast drive in the city

Bottom-up freedom of choice vs top-down Government-like control of everything you do

Either can take good photos.
It all comes down to: What sort of person are you?
 
You have just as much control with RAW digital as you do with film, I don't get that argument some people are making. With a computer you still make all of the decisions just as you do with darkroom developing.

One you develop in a darkroom, the other you develop with a computer. that's the difference, other than cost.

A nice long walk in the park can still be a nice long walk in the park.
 
But don't you think that the computer programmer decides what you can and can't do with your auto P&S camera, as well as with Photoshop?
99% of the snappers I see are going full auto and accepting the camera's concept of exposure, depth of field, focus, etc. There are a few exceptions I suppose, who go manual and make a real effort beyond P&S but I rarely see them out and about. So let's not pretend that exceptions are very common.

Overall, I am suggesting that the type of person is more important than the equipment. And more people eat at McDonalds than home cook these days, for many of the same reasons (although the expert marketing of all the new instant gratification digiproducts has a strong influence on people's behavior).

Why do people still ride horses when there are cars? Cars are sooooo much more convenient.:D
 
You seem to forget that there are point and shoot film cameras and people who bring them to Wal Mart for developing - that equates (to me) the people who shoot in Auto mode and bring their card straight to the store to print their photos.

Manual mode is manual mode in film or digital, it doesn't make you a better photographer just because you shoot manual. Shooting in Aperture priority is just as relative to photography as full manual for example. Knowing when to use what is the key, not film vs digital.
 
I really like creating vintage looking photos with a vintage camera. I'm wondering if you can get the same "vintage" feel with a digital, without any manipulation in post?
I took this a couple of weeks ago with my AE-1, no post work on it. Got the prints and scanned.

dad9425053.jpg
 
Film does not require electricity to expose. Useful in areas where batteries are scarce. Also nice for all night exposures.

Assuming you're using a full manual camera. I've used up new batteries in a matter of hours with film doing star trails.


Hmmm.... I have done some star trail shots ( 10~35min exposures) and I can't remember when was the last time I put new batteries into my camera.
Some cameras require power to hold the shutter open, some don't.
Not sure about my 1N RS, but I know the 10s doesn't use any power while it's exposing. Well, just enough to keep the top LCD on - but really, how much energy does that take? That's on even when the camera isn't (I think it might actually have it's own battery...)

I have never had a film body go through batteries as fast as a digital body, and I never used the LCD, at all. (It was broken, so I didn't have a choice in the matter. Now I'm just used to not having one.)

I got my 1N RS in the beginning of April, this year. I don't use it every day, but probably every other day. I've changed the batteries one time since then. (It does take 8 AAs though - so it's not like there's a shortage of power for it.)

I've done all night star trails with it, blasted away at 10FPS, leave it on servo AF all the time, sometimes I forget to turn it off when I put it away - the batteries still last forever. At first, I thought the battery meter might have been faulty because it never moved. Then one day one of the bars fell off, lol.

Before that I was using a 10s. It did need more frequent battery changes, but still - I'm talking every two months. Not every week or sometimes daily (depending on use) like with my old 350D.

Even with the battery grip, that 350D needed fresh batteries at least weekly.

These days, I pretty much only use digital for posting stuff online, or testing an idea I have. Checking how the lighting looks before I shoot it 'for real', lol.
 
Film vs Digital is like....

Homemade hand-kneaded bread vs bread machine

A handwritten calligraphy letter on parchment vs email

A homemade gourmet meal vs McDonalds

A long walk in the park vs a fast drive in the city

Bottom-up freedom of choice vs top-down Government-like control of everything you do

Either can take good photos.
It all comes down to: What sort of person are you?

A vinyl copy of "Let It Be" vs a CD copy (mp3 = P&S) (remastered = full frame)

It's all about the dynamics.
 
I really like creating vintage looking photos with a vintage camera. I'm wondering if you can get the same "vintage" feel with a digital, without any manipulation in post?
I took this a couple of weeks ago with my AE-1, no post work on it. Got the prints and scanned.

dad9425053.jpg

Is that a dual trace analog Techtronics scope I see there? A frequency counter n a frequency generator, soldering iron? No one uses em anymore, computer scopes are faster, capture n do all sorts of things that old banger never could but I stil love mine.

Film vs Digital will always be a contraversal subject for conversation but it doesn't matter what or why you use it... just get out n shoot your butts off. Someone has to record the times we live in and photographers are notorious for that. Unless you prefer oil paints or pastels or water colors... etc etc etc.

Can't we all get along?
 

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