Oh my god! I bought a film camera! Whats next?

TKH

TKH

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Dont ask me why, I have no idea. :rolleyes:

There was an offer near my door and I bought an Olympus XA. (edit, not 40)
Only 35 Euros and it is near perfect (says the seller... ;) ).
OK. The first film camera in my life.

Whats next?
Plan to use it for B/W.

Which film is to buy???

Very exited,
Rainer
 
If it's in good working order, it's a great little camera (I've got two of them). Agree on Tri-X. I also like it w/ a contrasty color film.
 
Did you mean Olympus XA 4 ?
That's one of the neatest camera.

Start with C-41 films like Ilford XP2, that way you can drop it at your film lab and enjoy your first result. It's exciting.
If you like it, then start with the B&W that you can develop yourself.
 
What's next?
After buying film, and shooting it, well:
- develop it yourself
- print it yourself
- learn the Zone system, how to dodge and burn, to push and pull the film
- learn how to print and dry fiber so it is flat
- learn how to mount prints
 
Agree with shadowfox, try Ilford XP2 or BW400CN, they are tolerant of mistakes, and give some really nice results.
 
Film is plentiful. Getting it processed a small problem getting bigger. Easily overcome.Shoot some easy stuff. It's a great lil camera for the pocket. Strangely when i shoot film, i remember almost every shot..a few hours/days later and can make small sketches of what was shot!
Developing B/W is easy. Getting a scanner, esp. if problem in processing and scanning is really easy. Used come up all the time..
Good Luck.
Film looks and behaves differently. It is not that "all look same" images..
Oh! shooting is never free. Not in digital or film.
 
Tri-X is the way to go. Definitely make plans to develop your own. Film is organic and no two folks will develop it the same, even given the same materials ! Welcome to the dark side. !
 
Hi,

Before buying film, how about the instruction manual? Did you get one?

As the others have said the XA is a lovable camera but a little fragile in my experience and I bought my first one when they were on sale brand new in photo shops.

I wouldn't worry too much about the first film because there's a lot available out there and one of them will suit you and the XA perfectly but I can't tell you what it is. You have to try them all and find out for yourself.

As for B&W, that's really an acquired taste (most of us have it and argue about which is best/favourite). Also B&W won't give clues about the lens as colour fringing won't show (unlikely but you never know with new old cameras). So best to stick to a colour print film for your first ones.

Regards, David
 
Thanks a lot for all your warm welcome and the links.

Yes, I will try the Kodak Professional Tri-X 400TX - B&W-Film - 135 (35 mm) - ISO 400 - 36, I find it on eBay here for around 10 Euros per film.

For the own developing of B&W films. I think I will only shoot one or two rolls or so in a few month. If so one pic costs a little more or less will be not so important.

I look for a cheap shop near by and let them develop the negatives, print the pics and doing standard scans. If there are special nice pics I will let a professional shop do expensive scans for bigger prints?

Regards,
Rainer
 
I really enjoy the one I have and I'm sure you will enjoy yours too if it is in good working order. It's pretty simple to operate but it wouldn't hurt to check out the Butkus site at http://www.butkus.org/chinon/olympus.htm for your model's instruction sheet. One of the common problems people complain about on the rangefinder models is a dim RF patch. I find that often is where you place your eye.

I agree with those who say use whatever film you like. Color or B/W.

Enjoy that camera and show us some of the shots you get with it.
 
TKH, that price for Tri-X is ridiculous! Try macodirect.de, it is about half the price, even with postage.

The suggestion to use Ilford XP2 Super (also from Maco) is a better idea, as the commercial processing for that film is standardised C41, like colour negative film - in other words any photo-processor can process and print it in their machines. With normal black-and-white film (such as Tri-X), you will have to spend a lot of time and money on commercial processing to get a reliable and repeatable result. If you end up processing yourself then the standard films will give you more flexibility.
 
Hi,

A good idea for the first film and - perhaps all of them - is a small notebook and pen or pencil. Then make a note of the exposure used, each time.

Halfway through the test film, check that you are using the full range of apertures and shutter speeds. 100ASA and 200ASA might make it easier to check at f/2.8

And here's a nice site about them:- http://www.diaxa.com

Click on the red shutter release to get into it.

Regards, David
 
maybe test it out first with some cheap c-41 color film that you can get developed and scanned cheaply near you and see how the results turn out then maybe look into kodak bw400cn film
 
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