Digital/Analog-NO not a comparative discussion.

[skylark]

Just wondering what the split of analog/digital is on this forum. I've recently returned to analogue (both spellings to please both sides of the pond and the rest of the world ) because I found I enjoy mono and darkroom work as much as the shooting of photographs. However i still have a p&S Kodak (OLD! digital which can run to A4 size at apush and I use that for shots when I want to get a reasonably competent shot in a hurry. I also scan 35mm negs and use PS as well as using 120 film. I am therefore 'bimedial' as well as multi format. I therefore do not decry digital- I enjoy the craft of B&W shot using an old Weston meter but I can appreciate that good PS work is akin to good darkroom work, and the thing that counts is the image.
I had a response to one picture where the photographer commented that they would love to be 'good enough to use film' I hear that at college classes too, along with the usual "I could have filled a 1Gb card by now' as I set up my MF for a portrait shot (I actually get on very well with that guy-we want different things, he is trying to make a living as a portrait photographer I aspire to fine art prints).
Anyway-please contribute to the poll, it may be interesting for everyone to read.

 

[markc]

I shoot mainly digital, because I enjoy the workflow more. Or I probably should say because I don't enjoy the darkroom workflow. It's not a good match for how my brain functions.

I still enjoy shooting film, especially MF, but I don't very much because it's less likely I'll actually get a print from it. I wish I could function well in a darkroom, because I would be doing a lot more film work and would probably be doing some large format by this point.

 

['Daniel']

I use both. Digital is better in some ways if you want to practice skills for its instant feedback. But if you go out with a set goal then film is better purely becasue it looks nicer.

However I like fim more because of the way you have load it in and wind it on. They should have a crank on all digitial camersas that doesn't do anything except satisfy me

Both are great. I like them both more than the other.

 

[xion]

I just setup a home studio and got digital for that - no one wants to wait for one week processing time. My landscape and leisure photography I use film / slides. The digital is not there yet to match the ouput of a Velvia slide.

 

[skylark]

Got to agree with you there. I think the only way film work can be profitable is going down the niche route. Fine art B & W or bespoke B&W portrait prints to an exct customer spec (eg toned / hand coloured etc) are probably the only options that may make money.
However for leisure photography the discipline of 'old style' capture and hand developing/printing are so much better IMHO

Nice site by the way.

 

[keller]

I'm shooting digital because, as a beginner, film would've costed me too much for those 1000+ shots I've taken.

However I am planning to go into film (cheaper than DSLRs). My plan is to use digital to shoot frequent shots, but use film for those "perfect" shots so I can blow up.

 

[ThomThomsk]

The rangefinder forum and APUG seem to be awash with people who are new to film or who are coming back to it. On this forum there seem to be lots of film related questions from people who started with digital. I think there is room for both, although I've sold all my digital gear except an old p&s, because I prefer pretty much everything to do with analogue. The more I think about it, the more I realise it hasn't got much to do with quality, it's really the whole experience of film that I love.

Thomsk

 

[terri]

Dedicated film geek here. :love: I love working with film, the whole process from start to finish. If I were a studio photographer I would probably love digital for its speed and convenience. But I'm an alternative processes geek, and I simply gotta have that negative. I also enjoy more casual shooting with film, simply because I love to process it and make my own prints in the darkroom. It's one of the most enjoyable ways to spend time I can think of, and totally rewarding to pull that perfect print.

 

[cyber_tasha]

..because I prefer pretty much everything to do with analogue. The more I think about it, the more I realise it hasn't got much to do with quality, it's really the whole experience of film that I love.

Thomsk

the same thing with me..

Before digital era I enjoyed my analogue cameras and B&W photography.. After buying first digital camera everything changed .. And I've really enjoyed digital technology .. for some time.. It was really amazing for me.. just how many pics you can take.. no limits... You can see it in a moment.. wooowww
but that didn't last for a long time..
Nikon F3 is my favorit and only one again and I use digital camera just when I'm in a rush or when having a fun with friends..

Analogue has soul.
And I'm sad because it's so neglected in modern society.


(sorry if my english is disaster :blushing: )

 

[panzershreck]

film & printing isn't that difficult, as long as you put time towards it

it's like reading a 400 page book, sure it might take some dedication, but once you really get into it and finish, it's really rewarding, even though the 5 page short story might be more exciting, both are good in different areas, neither is truly better than the other, they're just different

i treat film and digital as such, i'm not expecting film to be just like digital, and i'm not expecting digital to be just like film, they both have their potential, it's much better, imo, to work within the bounds of something and work out really good stuff within those bounds, than to try and do everything and produce nothing

as for the utility of eachother, well digital hands down wins the journalism aspect and the "quantity over quality" aspect, but film wins in the quality/technique that it itself produces (just as digital has produced great use of quantity, which, imo, i really really like to do - not take lots of pictures hoping one good one comes out, that's blind shooting, but developing the pictures as i go, they could all be good, but i still only pick 20 out of 100)

i want to buy my own digital camera one day, instead of borrowing, just as i borrowed film cameras, and now own one (though i really want to move up into MF)

 

[PachelbelsCanon350D]

I was torn between "digital because I enjoy it" and "digital because film is too complex."

I took a black/white film SLR class in college and I could not BELIEVE the hours and hours I wiled away in that darkroom loading my negatives into canisters, developing them, drying them, cutting them, and finally, printing them. Perhaps it is just because you get faster and better as you get more experienced.

Either way, I'm a digital fan.....if it's GOOD digital

 

[cbay]

Yes i agree PachelbelsCanon350D, Digital makes life a hell lot easier but does cause problems aswell sometimes for example in business where people think anyone can do digital weddings and people choose people offering services for cheap and go for it as they want a cheap wedding but these people dont relise that the professionals are suffering.

 

[ChopstickHero]

I was never did alot of film photography. Also, at the time, i did not have money and could not afford the materials to do it. now that i'm out of school and working, i do enjoy digital photography very much, as i can take all the pictures i want and delete the ones i don't want.

 

[saulmr]

I love the results on film, and the B&W darkroom is a magical experience, but I don't have the time to go trough the whole process.

Right now I shoot film because I cannot afford a good DSRL, so I develop and scan negatives and prints to get them to look the way I want.

 

[skylark]

I was torn between "digital because I enjoy it" and "digital because film is too complex."
...I could not BELIEVE the hours and hours I wiled away in that darkroom loading my negatives into canisters, developing them, drying them, cutting them, and finally, printing them. Perhaps it is just because you get faster and better as you get more experienced.......

A lot of 'film junkies' actually enjoy taking the time to do the work . It may be an age thing, I used to want everything done 5 minutes ago, now I'm knocking on the door of a half century on this planet I prefer taking time over some things-it actually de-stresses me (is that a word ?).
Maybe in 20 years time today's younger photographers will be explaining how much more fun it is to crank up an old PC or Mac and use photoshop than the in camera editing suite

Keep on making GOOD images however you do it, and have FUN !!!