DennisPT
Well-known
After the wedding photog in July and Beijing trip in August, I decided and have sold my M8. I felt I wasn't enjoying photography as much compared to the days of shooting film; the 36 frames/roll, the wait for D&P and the joy when you share the prints with friends and family. I really missed that feeling.
Even better is my Seagull 6X6 is back from CLA and I have different options. Now with the cash from selling the M8, I'm thinking about trying the Konica Hexar RF. I'm not too worried about film as I have about 40 rolls in the fridge.
It's just my feeling and I know many may disagree but after a couple of beers, I really want to share it with you. Hope nobody feel being offended.
Thanks for reading.
Cheers,
D
Even better is my Seagull 6X6 is back from CLA and I have different options. Now with the cash from selling the M8, I'm thinking about trying the Konica Hexar RF. I'm not too worried about film as I have about 40 rolls in the fridge.
It's just my feeling and I know many may disagree but after a couple of beers, I really want to share it with you. Hope nobody feel being offended.
Thanks for reading.
Cheers,
D
leicashot
Well-known
Great decision. Wish I had the 'luxury' and time of being able to shoot with film. Good on you, hope the re-transition (is that a word?) works out for you.
Kris
Kris
aizan
Veteran
it'll last two weeks, until the m9 is announced. 
DennisPT
Well-known
@Kris - thanks for your encouraging words.
@aizan - who knows what happens after the hangover
@aizan - who knows what happens after the hangover
ishpop
tall person
I switched to film a few years ago almost exclusively. But lately I've been (I think) shooting too much, because I have about 15 rolls of films I still need to scan, and cannot find enough time to sit down and do it. Especialy 120, only 2 shots at a time, so time consuming... Has me wondering if I should buy sme sort of digital for a god percentage of these photo outings, less of a time investment for sure.
Mcary
Well-known
I'm pretty much the same thing, except I'm going from a 5D+4 non L primes to an M4-2 and Besssa-1.
Still trying to decide if should sell my 5D kit now or wait a few months.
Phantomas
Well-known
Right on! I'm about to sell my R-D1 only after only a couple of uses. Digital RF - not for me. Even though it's a good camera something's missing. That something is film.
Benjamin Marks
Veteran
In a parallel thread, I talked about my recent experiences shooting my brother's wedding with an M8 and film M's -- I will say that there is a very special quality to b&w film that I have not been able to duplicate with my digital cameras. Even the mind-set is different -- shot selection matters more, you tend to ration your decisions to trip the shutter. You also do have an original -- the negative -- which is not true with digital as one set of data is as good as another. I guess what I am saying is that as happy as I am with my digital cameras, I hope film is around for a good long while. Those images just have a special look to them -- even when they are limited by a scanner.
Mike: wait a few months before you sell your 5D -- it really is a different animal than your M and useful for different things. Just my two cents.
Ben Marks
Mike: wait a few months before you sell your 5D -- it really is a different animal than your M and useful for different things. Just my two cents.
Ben Marks
Mephiloco
Well-known
Film is expensive to shoot? I don't have much in the way of cash, but I have a pretty nice dedicated film scanner that cost me almost nothing (bought without the unavailable online negatives carriers--bought from manufactorer for $12), a small amount of a few choice developers, and about 30 rolls of film. Considering how inexpensive Arista Premium and Legacy Pro are (Tri-X and Acros) and how little chemistry costs and also factoring in that I have a scanner, film isn't that expensive.
A brick of arista premium 400 comes to around $22, for that you get roughly 360 shots. Each shot costing $.06, factor in processing (1L of Rodinal @ $14/L, ability to process 250 rolls roughly, so another $.05/roll) which would be another .0015 per frame. So basically, $0.0615/frame to process, and factor in the cost of a scanner (a fs4000us to be exact) over the course of, say, 100 rolls of film. Around $90, split into 100 rolls, +$.90/roll, or +$.025 per frame bringing the grand total to $0.0865 per frame.
So roughly you're paying $3.11 for 36 shots, or $86.50 for 1000 shots, all processed and scanned (doing it yourself). Granted, with digital you do shoot a lot more frames, but to be fair, 1000 frames is a lot of frames, digital or not and I don't consider $86 for 1000 shots on my favorite film, processed the way I like on a camera I like to be exorbitantly expensive.
I guess I could go a step further and compare the cost of the body + a lens, but I think that would be unfair to the digital counterparts. (For example: $850 for M2, Skopar, 50/1.5 Summarit compared to a D90 with a 35/1.8 and 50/1.8 at $1100). So going by that, For the cost of a d90 with comparable lenses I could have a M2, a 35, and a 50 and process/scan 3000 frames (which is more than I'll shoot in years) and I have the luxury of shooting full frame. How you factor in the convenience of having your pictures immediately, metering, dlighting, changeable iso, etc vs more control in processing, quitter shutter, full frame, made in germany, etc is entirely subjective.
Edit: All that being said, I'd love to have a digital rangefinder, but at the current price point I can't justify $1500+ on a camera that has no significant improvements over the film counterpoint save having a digital sensor. If I were to spend that much on a camera body, it'd probably be an M6.
A brick of arista premium 400 comes to around $22, for that you get roughly 360 shots. Each shot costing $.06, factor in processing (1L of Rodinal @ $14/L, ability to process 250 rolls roughly, so another $.05/roll) which would be another .0015 per frame. So basically, $0.0615/frame to process, and factor in the cost of a scanner (a fs4000us to be exact) over the course of, say, 100 rolls of film. Around $90, split into 100 rolls, +$.90/roll, or +$.025 per frame bringing the grand total to $0.0865 per frame.
So roughly you're paying $3.11 for 36 shots, or $86.50 for 1000 shots, all processed and scanned (doing it yourself). Granted, with digital you do shoot a lot more frames, but to be fair, 1000 frames is a lot of frames, digital or not and I don't consider $86 for 1000 shots on my favorite film, processed the way I like on a camera I like to be exorbitantly expensive.
I guess I could go a step further and compare the cost of the body + a lens, but I think that would be unfair to the digital counterparts. (For example: $850 for M2, Skopar, 50/1.5 Summarit compared to a D90 with a 35/1.8 and 50/1.8 at $1100). So going by that, For the cost of a d90 with comparable lenses I could have a M2, a 35, and a 50 and process/scan 3000 frames (which is more than I'll shoot in years) and I have the luxury of shooting full frame. How you factor in the convenience of having your pictures immediately, metering, dlighting, changeable iso, etc vs more control in processing, quitter shutter, full frame, made in germany, etc is entirely subjective.
Edit: All that being said, I'd love to have a digital rangefinder, but at the current price point I can't justify $1500+ on a camera that has no significant improvements over the film counterpoint save having a digital sensor. If I were to spend that much on a camera body, it'd probably be an M6.
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BillBingham2
Registered User
excellent
Well-known
I would say going digital is going to the basics.
yanidel
Well-known
I thought basics were aperture and speed selection
Mcary
Well-known
Ben,
I'm taking a pretty laid back approach to selling my 5D figure I'll get around to it this next month or the month after that or sometime next year or ,,,,
Mike
excellent
Well-known
DennisPT
Well-known
I thought basics were aperture and speed selection
My basics after a few beers is --- the JOY of loading, shooting and waiting for the outcome. Of course a few beers afterwards!
PURWO
Newbie
Congrat for your decission Dennis, beware a feeling of your M8 time, maybe it's become a future memory of your feeling
maddoc
... likes film again.
I have a tried an M8, borrowed from friend for a couple of hours, ended up with 400 photos (!!) taken during this time and 4 shots came out as I liked them ... With film, I have usually 3 to 4 keeper per 135-36.
With a film camera, especially an all-manual one, I think more about the process of taking a photo. Not necessarily slower but with some more thoughts before I take the shot.
With a film camera, especially an all-manual one, I think more about the process of taking a photo. Not necessarily slower but with some more thoughts before I take the shot.
yanidel
Well-known
It's all in your head then
The shot is there or it is not. Digital may lead to more clicks the first weeks but after that, it's back to basics of shot selection.
collarge
Newbie
Its whatever tool you feel most comfortable with creating your art, some artist will sit there with the same old water colours, and some will pick up a spray can and house paint and create just the same.
I did a similar thing I traded in my Canon 1ds for a Mamiya 7 11, and the list goes on of big money mistakes I made.
But one thing that films gives more than digital, and that’s mistakes, and mistakes help sometimes to give an idea into change of direction with your art whether it be wrong colour or film overlap, it can be annoying but also inspiring.
With the race between Canon and Nikon and even talk of a canon sensor in a Leica, the digital evolution is perfecting the real colour, but has the danger also of all being the same.
I still prefer my old unreliable Jag to most modern cars, it makes me feel I am going for a drive rather than going to work, and yet I get angry when the windows wont wind up properly.
I did a similar thing I traded in my Canon 1ds for a Mamiya 7 11, and the list goes on of big money mistakes I made.
But one thing that films gives more than digital, and that’s mistakes, and mistakes help sometimes to give an idea into change of direction with your art whether it be wrong colour or film overlap, it can be annoying but also inspiring.
With the race between Canon and Nikon and even talk of a canon sensor in a Leica, the digital evolution is perfecting the real colour, but has the danger also of all being the same.
I still prefer my old unreliable Jag to most modern cars, it makes me feel I am going for a drive rather than going to work, and yet I get angry when the windows wont wind up properly.
johnalex141r
Member
I'm keeping the M8, but putting in a darkroom.
I'm keeping the M8, but putting in a darkroom.
Hey, I sit on computers all day long; and I miss the tactile feel of film cameras, so I'm putting in a darkroom again. (anyone have a delta 4' econo sink and stand they want to part with??)
The M8 stays, as sometimes digital is the way to go, other times, film can be fun. It does not have to be an either/or decision.
For me, film is B&W; that is where the fun is, imho.
JohnS.
I'm keeping the M8, but putting in a darkroom.
Hey, I sit on computers all day long; and I miss the tactile feel of film cameras, so I'm putting in a darkroom again. (anyone have a delta 4' econo sink and stand they want to part with??)
The M8 stays, as sometimes digital is the way to go, other times, film can be fun. It does not have to be an either/or decision.
For me, film is B&W; that is where the fun is, imho.
JohnS.