New to 35mm need a bit of help

Jahxius · Jan 29, 2011

Hey there,

So for the past year I've been shooting with digital SLRs however after putting some of my work up for c and c on this site I realised that whilst I may have the equipment I don't have to discipline to produce good photos. Mainly because I don't understand enough about how to preform manual exposures (controlling aperture etc) and because I tend to take a photo to soon without sizing it or composing it carefully.

To that end I dug up my dads old Canon T90 and AE-1 along with is starblitz 70-200 3.5 and Canon 50 1.8 lens.

My idea is that by forcing myself to shoot only a limited amount of film I can help curve my trigger happiness and be a little more careful about how I compose a picture not to mention since the AE-1 is all manual I can learn how to make a good picture myself rather than rely on the camera.

I will also be developing the black and white photos myself.

My question though is which should I use the T90 or the AE-1 the T90 is certainly more modern but the AE-1 is more.... manual....

I'll still be carrying my Sony DSLR and lenses for important photos like family or school assignments or things which need to be on a computer in digital form.

Also I am a bit worried about developing I tried to develop some negatives the other day however I used my developer at full strength rather than diluting and I can't seem to find the dilution for D-76 kodak on Ilford delta 100 film

Thanks for any and all help!

ann · Jan 29, 2011

The Massive Dev Chart: B&W film development database

dxqcanada · Jan 29, 2011

The Canon T-90 is a great camera.
As you are trying to understand exposure control ... I suggest the Canon AE-1.

Take a look at Ilfords site. Click a film and select Fact Sheet -> Film Devel Chart
Welcome to ILFORD PHOTO

Delta 100 = http://www.ilfordphoto.com/Webfiles/2006216122447.pdf

compur · Jan 29, 2011

Jahxius said:
My question though is which should I use the T90 or the AE-1 the T90 is certainly more modern but the AE-1 is more.... manual....

Which ever one you feel more comfortable with. They both use the same
lenses and both can be set to manual exposure mode.

djacobox372 · Jan 30, 2011

First of all I wouldn't used d-76 developer. Instead use a liquid developer like HC-110, that way you can mix it up one-shot from concentrate each time you use it.

Powdered chemicals need to be mixed up all at once, and the shelf life for the diluted developer isn't very long.

Concentrated liquid developer can last for years on the shelf.

Jahxius · Jan 31, 2011

Thanks for all the help as far as liquid developer vs powdered is concerned. At my local camera shop liquid dev is 3 times the price.

Is this normal or are the just gouging the price of the liquid developer?

Also I've not found an online store I can buy chemicals from.....

Are there any?

Thanks!

ann · Jan 31, 2011

I am not familar with vendors in England, you might see if Calumet has a store in London!

John Mc · Jan 31, 2011

I get all my chemicals from college,but i use Black & White Chemicals to get higher and lower speed films and i also plan to buy my chemicals from there once ive left my current college.

I personally use Id-11 and use Ilford Delta 400 Film, which Gives you really Fine grain(as fine as you can get at 400).

Oh, Hope ive helped,but if you need nymore help sourcing chems in the uk,give me a Pm,im more then happy to help

trojancast · Feb 1, 2011

So I have shot both the T90 and the AE1. Both are great cameras but I would go with the AE1, as it is lighter and easier to use on full manual. As for chemicals, Inhave been using D76 for years and it is an excellent developer. Full strength or diluted is just a matter of developing time. Use the links above. As for powder or liquid, it all started as powder at some point. Sorry, but liquid developer is not naturally occurring. My advice, develop lots of film and learn from it. If you wanted perfection from the start, you would have stayed with digital. Bless you for trying film.

djacobox372 · Feb 2, 2011

trojancast said:
So I have shot both the T90 and the AE1. Both are great cameras but I would go with the AE1, as it is lighter and easier to use on full manual. As for chemicals, Inhave been using D76 for years and it is an excellent developer. Full strength or diluted is just a matter of developing time. Use the links above. As for powder or liquid, it all started as powder at some point. Sorry, but liquid developer is not naturally occurring. My advice, develop lots of film and learn from it. If you wanted perfection from the start, you would have stayed with digital. Bless you for trying film.

The suggestion for liquid developer is due to it's longer shelf life making it more practical for the hobbyist.

When you use powder developer you first mix the entire packet into a stock-solution, which has a limited shelf life (4-6 months)--you cannot mix up just part of a packet, as the chemicals are not evenly distributed in the powder.

Whereas liquid concentrate developer can last years.

Not a huge deal, but something to consider.

Canon AE-1 · Feb 2, 2011

Stick with the AE-1.

trojancast · Feb 2, 2011

If you are not able to use a litre of developer in 6 months, there are one shot developers available. Just a thought.

christopher walrath · Feb 2, 2011

As for learning the bolts and nuts of exposure there are many books which can lay it out for you. And websites as well. As a matter of fact I have a lot of information on my own website (shown below) as well as useful links. It's just a matter of getting started and then asking pointed questions as the need arises. And it is best to work with someone locally for faster results and visual examples, if at all possible.

And the only dumb question is the one the is prevented by pride. So, fire away.