digital users...what would entice you back to film?

back alley · 07-05-2012

as much as i have embraced digital...my mind wanders occasionally to thoughts of a black m4...a hefty m5 or that lovely finder in the bessa r4...

could i ever use film again?...a thought that pops in at times...

a well crafted film camera might do it...
a panoramic camera might do it...

not sure what else might do it...

what about you other digital users?
anything tempting you at the moment?

mile · 07-05-2012

Quote:

Originally Posted by back alley

anything tempting you at the moment?

It wasn't so much the gear. Rather, I found myself playing with digital film-lookalike-effect filters when I realized, "what the heck, why don't I just use the real thing...?"

mabelsound · 07-05-2012

Winning the lottery and quitting my job.

back alley · 07-05-2012

Quote:

Originally Posted by mabelsound

Winning the lottery and quitting my job.

that would help me as well...

Phantomas · 07-05-2012

rangefinder and MF. Once I can buy an EXCELLENT digital rangefinder and a hassy for cheap I'm ditchin' film completely. Well, maybe except for occasional foolin around.

Richard G · 07-05-2012

Shooting some.
Seeing film photos on RFF.
Shooting some more, meter-less with my M2.
Turning my small house into a large backup facility and server farm.
Still losing a year or more's photography regardless of my paranoid file management.
And shooting some more film.

Speedfreak · 07-05-2012

Quote:

Originally Posted by back alley

what would entice you back to film?

A large scale film renaissance with new labs opening to meet the rising demands for developing and Fuji / Nikon coming back with fast and high quality, yet affordable film scanners.

hausen · 07-05-2012

I went totally to digital and over last 2 years or so have just about come back totally to film now. My M9 stays home most days and replaced by Rolleiflex 3.5F primarily for both colour and B&W. I agree with Mile above that if you like the film look you might as well shoot film. Funny how often I see a music video of the latest Diva, (Lana Del Ray is the current one) who shoots all her videos in old film style tones and it just makes me want to shoot film. Especially color film at the moment for me. Get yourself a Rolleiflex and it will be more than a temptation to shoot film it will be an addiction.

kzphoto · 07-05-2012

medium sized film based compact (like the size of a hexar af) with a 21-35 zoom, aperture priority and built in flash.

back alley · 07-05-2012

Quote:

Originally Posted by back alley

as much as i have embraced digital...my mind wanders occasionally to thoughts of a black m4...a hefty m5 or that lovely finder in the bessa r4...

could i ever use film again?...a thought that pops in at times...

a well crafted film camera might do it...
a panoramic camera might do it...

not sure what else might do it...

what about you other digital users?
anything tempting you at the moment?

maybe medium format...the rollei 66 in the classifieds is so very tempting.

but i would pay for a lab to process and scan the film for me...

Mackinaw · 07-05-2012

Quote:

Originally Posted by back alley

maybe medium format...the rollei 66 in the classifieds is so very tempting.

but i would pay for a lab to process and scan the film for me...

You got it. Forget 35mm, if you really want to see what film can do, grab any medium-format camera. I just shot several rolls of 120 Tri-X of my friend's very pregnant wife. She was amazed on how "different" the pics looked compared to all of the digital shots she had. I used my Mamiya C220 and a 105mm lens.

Jim B.

jayavant · 07-05-2012

I shot digital exclusively from about 2002 to 2006. Then I dropped my camera. It needed expensive repairs. While tossing around in my head whether to buy a new digital camera I picked up one of my old film cameras and shot a few rolls. I was so pleased with the results I never got that new digital. The old one, still broken, is in my bottom drawer.

back alley · 07-05-2012

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mackinaw

You got it. Forget 35mm, if you really want to see what film can do, grab any medium-format camera. I just shot several rolls of 120 Tri-X of my friend's very pregnant wife. She was amazed on how "different" the pics looked compared to all of the digital shots she had. I used my Mamiya C220 and a 105mm lens.

Jim B.

i shot with 2 mamiya 6s with 75 and 150 lenses for a few years...could not be beat!

Aristophanes · 07-05-2012

Cost of processing and scanning.

It's the film weak link by far.

Keith · 07-05-2012

Instant film that having developed itself (perfectly) then scans itself and uploads the files to your computer ... having spotted out all the dust bunnies of course!

Godfrey · 07-05-2012

I use both digital and film cameras:

Leica M4-2 and Leica M9
Nikon F and Olympus E-1
etc

What "entices" me to use the film cameras is to work with film's specific image capture and rendering qualities. Same thing that entices me to use the digital cameras ... they are simply two different recording mediums and both produce superb, beautiful results when exploited.

I use the digital cameras a lot more than the film cameras now because I find working with the digital images to be more flexible, less expensive, less time consuming, and produces better results (on a technical level) most of the time.

Done well, both mediums are equally expressive and worth using. They are simply different.

boomguy57 · 07-05-2012

Actually, the reason I still shoot film (and I wasn't around for the old glory days of it all, having not been born until 1983) is that it's NOT digital. For all the reasons digital has become ubiquitous, and the de facto format for photography, I dislike it.

Film takes more work, and separates the men from the boys, so to speak. You have to know a bit more, and have a bit more dedication than the average camera-phone diehard.

In the end, I guess I just like sticking it to the man...in my own way.

coelacanth · 07-05-2012

I've never gone fully digital, and still shoot both film and digital, but the main problem with film, at least today, is the time. Although I love the final result made with film, I have to think how much time I spent for developing, drying, scanning, editing even to the online posting part. Another round of that for printing. I have no plan of quitting film, but often time consuming nature of film photography does get in the way when I'm swamped with work...

daveleo · 07-05-2012

Very very cheap yet incredibly wonderful digital scans (35mm) being done by a local lab.

I am happy with digital quality, speed and ease, but would love to use my film cameras again.

I know that film is in the past for me.

Keith · 07-05-2012

I can't see myself ever being totally one or the other. Over the last couple of days I have started my seven rolls in seven days mission but have also had my OMD along using that occasionally as well.

I really don't see the need to be committed to one medium only when there are two available that both have such definitive strengths.

ricnak · 07-05-2012

Keith's 7 day challenge has got me back into it.

coelacanth · 07-05-2012

Quote:

Originally Posted by Keith

I really don't see the need to be committed to one medium only when there are two available that both have such definitive strengths.

+1.

When I post on "what are you carrying right now" thread, I have both film and digital cams most of time.

-doomed- · 07-05-2012

I'd go back to film when I no longer have to shoot digital for work.

Bill Clark · 07-05-2012

These are qualities I like about digital:

Capture stage equipment has improved tremendously.

Process stage can be very creative. Computers/Software/Internet have allowed this to take place.

Photographs can be viewed on various platforms.

These three processes can be used to help an image as well as over do it. I see many photographs today that are overdone.

heartattackandvine · 07-05-2012

I'm in a slightly different spot to what the OP's question asks - I ask myself these days, what needs to happen in order to continue using my digicam? (The place of film in my world is safe as houses, at least for as long as there is film available). One thing that I think will help me continue to use my digital camera (D90) is that I've finally figured out how to switch the bleeding LCD off.

So, no more chimping! Getting a D800 would be another thing that would keep me in the digital world (though it's a bit too dear for me now). However, film will always have more love from me, if not for any other reason, then for the smell of those chemicals! Also, I actually don't mind scanning, it does take a lot of time, but then again I don't watch any TV, so finding time is not that much of the problem (at least on weekends). Now I also dream of getting a Zeiss Ikon ZI (in addition to my Nikon FE2), and when I manage to do that, my use of film will certainly go up.

So, I'm trying to get the best of both worlds here, and in addition to keep a very tight leash on the use of Photoshop (and other processing software), as I do agree there's heaps of overdone stuff out there.