Forum Index > Photography Talk > Film is still fun
 Reply to topic
Previous :: Next Topic
Author Message
Gil
Member
Member


Joined: 29 Sep 2004
Posts: 4057 | TRs | Pics
Gil
Member
PostTue Jun 27, 2017 7:10 am 
I've been taking my film cameras out on trips occasionally depending on my mood. Here's photographer Kurt Smith on the way back from Cutthroat Pass.
Trail back home in North Cascades National Park. Rokkor-X 50mm f1.7, Minolta X700, Kodak 400
Trail back home in North Cascades National Park. Rokkor-X 50mm f1.7, Minolta X700, Kodak 400

Friends help the miles go easier. Klahini
Back to top Reply to topic Reply with quote Send private message
Gil
Member
Member


Joined: 29 Sep 2004
Posts: 4057 | TRs | Pics
Gil
Member
PostSat Jul 15, 2017 10:45 pm 
Friends chuckle when I bring my old film cameras into the mountains. But there's something about the experience of shooting film and the qualities of the result. Rokkor-X 50mm f1.7, Minolta X-700, Kodak 400.
Friends chuckle when I bring my old film cameras into the mountains. But there's something about the experience of shooting film and the qualities of the result. Rokkor-X 50mm f1.7, Minolta X-700, Kodak 400.
Enchantments
Enchantments

Friends help the miles go easier. Klahini
Back to top Reply to topic Reply with quote Send private message
Backpacker Joe
Blind Hiker



Joined: 16 Dec 2001
Posts: 23956 | TRs | Pics
Location: Cle Elum
Backpacker Joe
Blind Hiker
PostSun Jul 16, 2017 6:11 pm 
I guess I dont disagree so much, but I have to ask. Why? Just the ability to instantly adjust ISO is worth it to me. In the past having to carry three or more bodies filled with differing film speeds was a pain in the butt!

"If destruction be our lot we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen we must live through all time or die by suicide." — Abraham Lincoln
Back to top Reply to topic Reply with quote Send private message
boot up
Old Not Bold Hiker



Joined: 12 Dec 2006
Posts: 4745 | TRs | Pics
Location: Bend Oregon
boot up
Old Not Bold Hiker
PostSun Jul 16, 2017 8:23 pm 
Backpacker Joe wrote:
I guess I dont disagree so much, but I have to ask. Why? Just the ability to instantly adjust ISO is worth it to me. In the past having to carry three or more bodies filled with differing film speeds was a pain in the butt!
agree.gif up.gif But if it makes you happy. I was an early adopter of digital photography. Never looked back....

friluftsliv
Back to top Reply to topic Reply with quote Send private message
Gil
Member
Member


Joined: 29 Sep 2004
Posts: 4057 | TRs | Pics
Gil
Member
PostSun Jul 16, 2017 9:24 pm 
Why paint? It's so much easier to take a photo.

Friends help the miles go easier. Klahini
Back to top Reply to topic Reply with quote Send private message
Gil
Member
Member


Joined: 29 Sep 2004
Posts: 4057 | TRs | Pics
Gil
Member
PostSun Jul 16, 2017 9:29 pm 
Ilford XP2 film, Rokkor-X 135mm f3.5, Minolta X700.
Ilford XP2 film, Rokkor-X 135mm f3.5, Minolta X700.

Friends help the miles go easier. Klahini
Back to top Reply to topic Reply with quote Send private message
Ski
><((((°>



Joined: 28 May 2005
Posts: 12797 | TRs | Pics
Location: tacoma
Ski
><((((°>
PostSun Jul 16, 2017 9:49 pm 
up.gif Go for it. I loved film once I finally figured out the little nuances between Agfa Optima 100 and Agfa Ultra 50 and gained some understanding (even though a bit klutzy) of just how to set those dials on that "f-stop" thingie and shutter speeds and all that, but it just got way too crazy expensive (and hard to find!) and my hit rate was maybe one or two great shots out of a 36-exposure roll. Finally broke down and bought a cheapie digital and abandoned the idea I'd ever been competing with Ansel Adams. wink.gif

"I shall wear white flannel trousers, and walk upon the beach. I have heard the mermaids singing, each to each."
Back to top Reply to topic Reply with quote Send private message
Wazzu_camper
Go Cougs!



Joined: 06 Feb 2008
Posts: 550 | TRs | Pics
Location: Woodinville
Wazzu_camper
Go Cougs!
PostThu Jul 20, 2017 10:57 am 
I don't think i will ever go back to film at all, but I will say the one positive about using film is I would certainly take a lot more time setting up each shot. With digital, I tend to quickly pull out the cam and shoot without checking settings I should. For example, I will have been shooting the stars the night before and set the ISO to like 6400 and forgot about it the next day, then my first 10 pics of the day are shot at 6400, because unless I specifically need to crank it up I usually leave it at 100 and forget about it.

Back to top Reply to topic Reply with quote Send private message
NacMacFeegle
Member
Member


Joined: 16 Jan 2014
Posts: 2653 | TRs | Pics
Location: United States
NacMacFeegle
Member
PostThu Aug 03, 2017 5:28 pm 
I've always wanted to branch out into film - there are some aspects of it that digital just isn't able to perfectly replicate. I've been seeing a lot more people out and about with old film cameras - I get the impression that with digital cameras and cell phone cameras becoming so common the uniqueness of shooting with film is starting to appeal to a lot more people. If I were to start shooting with film I'd want to go big - medium format at the least. It's the development process that has scared me off so far. I haven't wanted to take the time to learn the ins and outs of the dark room, and I don't care to shell out the bucks to have it developed professionally. If I did do it, I'd only develop it as far as the negative, then scan that and process it in the computer. My thinking is that I'd carry it and my digital camera, use my digital camera to find the right settings and compose the best photo possible. I'd only pull the trigger on the film camera when I knew it would be the perfect shot.

Read my hiking related stories and more at http://illuminationsfromtheattic.blogspot.com/
Back to top Reply to topic Reply with quote Send private message
joker
seeker



Joined: 12 Aug 2006
Posts: 7953 | TRs | Pics
Location: state of confusion
joker
seeker
PostWed Aug 09, 2017 8:17 am 
I recently sold my medium and large format film gear. I'm glad I held on for a bit, as its value went through a deep trough, and though it is still not nearly worth what it was pre-digital, as the buyer at Glazer's told me, it's acquired a degree of "hipness" that has brought back at least some of the value. There is very little I miss about working with film. I really like the increased dynamic range I get from modern sensors, as well as the increased acuity and relatively low-noise when shooting high ISO. The "lightroom" is so much more pleasant to work in than the darkroom, and so much more powerful. But to each their own. There are still people doing some great work with even older processes like Van Dyke Brown etc.
NacMacFeegle wrote:
My thinking is that I'd carry it and my digital camera, use my digital camera to find the right settings and compose the best photo possible. I'd only pull the trigger on the film camera when I knew it would be the perfect shot.
I"d be curious to know how well that works out. As I noted above, dynamic range of modern sensors exceeds that of film, so it won't be a perfect visualization. But you will likely be able to calibrate your eye such that this works reasonably well for you - perhaps better than picking up and old used Gossen Luna Pro light meter with a spot meter attachment and learning to previsualize in the style of Ansel Adams.

Back to top Reply to topic Reply with quote Send private message
Jim Dockery
Member
Member


Joined: 12 Sep 2007
Posts: 3092 | TRs | Pics
Location: Lake Stevens
Jim Dockery
Member
PostThu Aug 10, 2017 2:18 pm 
More power too you Gil & Mac! I'd be very interested to see comparison shots if you bring both film and digital shooting the same subject. Like most posting replies here I sold my film gear soon after getting a digital camera and never looked back. The cost of film & processing is one of the biggies for me (although I seem to offset that with digital camera upgrades eek.gif ). Shooting to my heart's content lets me experiment and not worry about mistakes. On the other hand my wife would say it's led to me shooting too much when I bracket, focus stack, and do panos that sometimes combine all three! dizzy.gif She now brings her iphone on hikes so she has something to do when I find an area that catches me for for a long time. That doesn't even take into account all the time I spend at the computer afterward organizing, backing up, and processing the thousands of shots I can do on a longer trip rolleyes.gif Here are a few shots from BITD, most shot with an Olympus OM4-t on Fuji Velvia 50, or Provia 100, scanned with a Nikon Coolscan 4000:
North Face Les Courtes
North Face Les Courtes
Walker Spur, Grandes Jorasses
Walker Spur, Grandes Jorasses
Left Wall of Cenetaph Corner, Wales
Left Wall of Cenetaph Corner, Wales
Dolomites sunset
Dolomites sunset
I've always admired the great black and white photographers, Ansel Adams shot of the NW face of Half Dome (my 1st big wall climb) epitomizing that work.
I never mastered the art of black and white film/printing, so digital conversion using Silver FX Pro has been a great example of the modern tools that make once extremely difficult and time consuming tasks fun and relatively easy.
Tour Ronde North Face
Tour Ronde North Face
Tre Cima
Tre Cima
Modern Times, South face of Marmalada
Modern Times, South face of Marmalada
Sea Cliff climbing Wales
Sea Cliff climbing Wales
Austrian Alps
Austrian Alps

Back to top Reply to topic Reply with quote Send private message
Gil
Member
Member


Joined: 29 Sep 2004
Posts: 4057 | TRs | Pics
Gil
Member
PostMon Aug 14, 2017 11:00 am 
Those were the days.
Morning in La Vallee Blanche, Mont Blanc. Two friends and I made the ski descent from l'Aiguille du Midi in February 1986. Nikon F2, Nikkor 20mm f4, Kodachrome 64.
Morning in La Vallee Blanche, Mont Blanc. Two friends and I made the ski descent from l'Aiguille du Midi in February 1986. Nikon F2, Nikkor 20mm f4, Kodachrome 64.
Skiers prepare for the descent from L'Aiguille du Midi down La Vallee Blanche on Mont Blanc, February 1986. Nikon F2, Nikkor 20mm f4, Kodachrome 64.
Skiers prepare for the descent from L'Aiguille du Midi down La Vallee Blanche on Mont Blanc, February 1986. Nikon F2, Nikkor 20mm f4, Kodachrome 64.

Friends help the miles go easier. Klahini
Back to top Reply to topic Reply with quote Send private message
Chico
Member
Member


Joined: 30 Nov 2012
Posts: 2500 | TRs | Pics
Location: Lacey
Chico
Member
PostFri Aug 18, 2017 2:07 am 
Miss Kodachrome! Shot with it almost exclusively!

Back to top Reply to topic Reply with quote Send private message
joker
seeker



Joined: 12 Aug 2006
Posts: 7953 | TRs | Pics
Location: state of confusion
joker
seeker
PostFri Aug 18, 2017 10:55 am 
Chico wrote:
Miss Kodachrome! Shot with it almost exclusively!
I might even still shoot film now and then if Kodachrome still existed. I used Ektachrome and Ektacolor more in large part because for a long time I had unlimited access to a color photo lab that had very good and well-calibrated E-6 and C-4 processing lines, whereas I would have to send the Kodachrome to one of the few facilities in the country doing processing of it and w---a---I---t for the results. Plus it was much easier for me to print from the Ektacolor (the lab had a C-print line, and I liked C-prints more than high-contrast/high-saturation Cibachrome inany case) and it had a bit better dynamic range than either of the slide film options. But Paul Simon was for sure right

Back to top Reply to topic Reply with quote Send private message
MtnGoat
Member
Member


Joined: 17 Dec 2001
Posts: 11992 | TRs | Pics
Location: Lyle, WA
MtnGoat
Member
PostWed Aug 23, 2017 6:13 pm 
Wazzu_camper wrote:
For example, I will have been shooting the stars the night before and set the ISO to like 6400 and forgot about it the next day, then my first 10 pics of the day are shot at 6400, because unless I specifically need to crank it up I usually leave it at 100 and forget about it.
There's a trick with ISO for star shots..the ISO is really just the amplifier gain when the pixels are read out, the basic sensitivity of the sensor is unchanged. This means you get high noise at high ISO. When I'm doing my astro work, I don't shoot above 800 very often and then I bring out the faint stuff in post processing by stretching levels and stuff. Much cleaner frames.

Diplomacy is the art of saying 'Nice doggie' until you can find a rock. - Will Rogers
Back to top Reply to topic Reply with quote Send private message
   All times are GMT - 8 Hours
 Reply to topic
Forum Index > Photography Talk > Film is still fun
  Happy Birthday speyguy, Bandanabraids!
Jump to:   
Search this topic:

You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum