HOW MANY OF YOU ALL STILL LIKE FILM?

The-SunDance-Kid · May 24, 2009

WITH ALL OF THE NEW DIGITAL CAMERAS TODAY, HOW MANY OF YOU GUYS STILL LIKE & USE FILM CAMERAS?

hOPE YOU ALL DON'T MIND THE CAPS, I FIND IT A LITTLE EASIER TO READ THIS WAY.:blushing:

McQueen278 · May 24, 2009

I love film. I'm not huge on 35mm anymore, but I LOVE medium & large format. Here is a quick list of why I love film.

Physical Product- My kids will find it where as most, if not all, of my digital photos will one day be gone.

Resolution- I can't afford a medium format digital back, but 4x5 slides are only a few dollars a piece. Scan them on a $150 scanner and buy a nice car with the money you saved.

Tone- I'm not claiming that I can pick out which black and white was digitally created EVERY time, but I prefer the tone and rendition of Ilford black and white film.

Dynamic Range- Print film is so nice in this respect. Awesome shadows AND highlights in more challenging conditions.

Cross Processing- When people try to do this in Photoshop it is often too outrageous. The results may not be very predictable with film, but sometimes you get something you wouldn't have otherwise thought of doing.

Light Weight- My Rollei T doesn't weight anything and takes up little space. My 5D is much more fragile and therefore requires cumbersome padding to travel.

Batteries- What are those? My light meter takes two AA's once a year.

Time- I slow down and think much more when a sheet of film is the medium. This is not to say that you can't slow down with a DSLR or P&S, but the film cameras generally lend themselves to this inherently.

There are many more reasons, but I'm heading out to shoot with the Rollei!

KmH · May 24, 2009

As far as the caps, why not just increase the size of the font. It's that little box just to the right of the font style (Verdana is the default font and the default font size is 2). It just looks weird with all caps and a little first letter in the sentence, and all caps is still eqivilent to shouting on the web.

All the film cameras have been gone for about 6 months. But, I've been missing it some so I'll probably pick up a F6 (Nikon) and some film next month.

MattxMosh · May 24, 2009

I agree with everything Mcqueen278 said, aside from the fact I don't have any fancy medium format cameras. Just the Holga, which is a blast.

That and the fact most of my Minoltas take batteries ha.

With digital, I take the same shot with a bazillion different settings, until I see what i like, the way the camera makes it easier, it makes me lazy.

With film, I tend to stop and think a bit more for shots I'm planning on, and pray one of the three comes out.

For me it is more of a challenge and more artistic. Like I said, thats just me, and I'm just a hobbyist.

Plus, just firing off some quick shots can yield some interesting and rewarding results with the Holga.

As for the caps, all operating systems have accessibility settings to make all your text bigger.

KevinDks · May 25, 2009

Yes, almost 100% film, and most of that is Kodachrome.

"Unique" is an over-used word, but this film really is. Apart from the colour, which is fabulous, it is truly archival. As well as using it myself, I collect old Kodachrome slides and after 50 years or more they look much the same as the day they were taken, like this one from 1962. Of course a digital file can last for ever, but there would be more effort involved to ensure my grandchildren and great grandchildren can see them, whereas with Kodachrome it's just a shoe box under the bed, job done. Actually my archiving strategy is more sophisticated than that, but hopefully you get my point.

Kevin

benhasajeep · May 25, 2009

I still shoot quite a bit of film. When I get a chance to get out that is. I have even somewhat protected myself by buying back up's to my back up film gear (brand new MF set purchased when store was getting rid of their MF stock). I plan on shooting film until its price prohibitive.

I still shoot 35mm, Med format, and some 4x5. I process 75% of my own film (slides). Color negative I still send out. But thats normally snapshot type pics. If I want something good. I pull out the slide film.

In the last 5 years years I have gone from 75% film, to 50-50, now to 25% film 75% digital. I am not giving up film though. Normally when I go out I will take a digital and a film camera still or a couple 35mm and MF. In the past I was never wary of using a half dozend rolls of film on a whim. Now I am more selective on what I shoot and how I control the shot. I use the digital when I decide to experiment now.

Torus34 · May 25, 2009

Like a golfer who carries a club for every lie, I have a camera [sometimes several, or a 'system'] for various photo situations. Some are specific for true macro work [1:1 and greater] whilst others are suited for portraiture or landscape work. Some are film, some are digital.

The operative phrase is, 'It all depends ...'

Sjixxxy · May 25, 2009

I'm still 100% film. Consumer electronics frighten me, and it feels good to have a hobby I can persue that doesn't require me to interface with a computer.

Cat nt Tat's Dusky · May 25, 2009

Still have the Canon AE-1 i bought when I was 16. A handful of years later, it still takes great pictures. Also have a Rebel 2000 for thr EOS lenses. A genuine E-6 processing lab is about 20 minutes from the house. Between Amazon and B&H any film I want is readily available.

dxqcanada · May 25, 2009

I miss FILM ... 35mm, 120, 220, 110 ... B+W, Colour ... negative, positive ...

I miss developing my own B+W negatives and prints.

One day I will go back to B+W film ... when I can build my custom darkroom.

Alpha · May 25, 2009

Love film. Been shooting a lot of polaroid lately. 600 at the moment. I'm waiting just a little bit longer before I break all the rest of my Type 55 out of the fridge.

tirediron · May 25, 2009

Alpha said:
Love film. Been shooting a lot of polaroid lately. 600 at the moment. I'm waiting just a little bit longer before I break all the rest of my Type 55 out of the fridge.

Ditto that! :thumbup: In fact, just added another F5 to the collection.

fred0000 · May 25, 2009

I have more fun shooting my film cameras then my digital

Battou · May 26, 2009

I shoot film almost exclusively...Actually I have not touched my digital camera in months not that I touched it very often to beginwith.

Ironically the last photo I took with my digital camera was of my primary 35mm system.

McQueen278 · May 26, 2009

Alpha said:
Love film. Been shooting a lot of polaroid lately. 600 at the moment. I'm waiting just a little bit longer before I break all the rest of my Type 55 out of the fridge.

Amen. We really need a company to step up and resume production of type 55 and 665. My freezer has very little 665 left.