Anyone else contemplate giving up digital?

[Nostalgie]

Hey evryone,
Ive been back and forth lately on what I want to do. Ive been seriously considering just giving my entire Nikon DSLR kit the finger and selling it off. I might be a young gun as far as photograhy, 23, but Ive been doing it a while, I started with film, its the reason I fell in love with photography in the first, but times change quickly, and I changed gear with them, shooting so much and not really thinking much of the changes I'd made....until lately. All of my favorite photographers are old schoolers, and nobody used digital anything! Ive already made this decision to buy an M6 as soon as Im back home from the road, but traveling around shooting, I find myself using a Bessa R more, at least enjoying it more, and have been thinking about just offloading the digital and buy the M6 with some new glass and forget about the damn constantly changing world of megapixels, resolution, LCD screens etc! At least with a camera like an M6 etc, you know whats there, nothings going to come out next month to replace it, and film is film, whatever your skill, is what youre going to get from making a photo, digital has become way too easy to erase/manipulate etc, making otherwise unskilled photogs seem more skilled, etc. I dont know, it might just be me, I guess theres a reason friends call me an old man at 23.
Has anyone else been through this? Or currently only shoots film?

Thanks for letting me ramble.
Bryan

PS- I will say, that my work isnt the landscape etc kind of work that would require a SLR really, but more artwork...just in case you might wonder about "needs"
Thanks!

 

[peter_n]

I think a lot of us only shoot film. I personally don't fancy digital but I might buy a digi RF camera if a decent one was manufactured. On the other hand I might not. Assuming you're not a professional photog I see no problem in switching back to film if that's what you fancy. If you do just be sure to sell your digital gear before it goes out of date!

 

[RF-Addict]

Personally I love the flexibility we have today in photography. I shoot both film and digital - probably to the same extend and I would not want to give up either. Don't worry about the latest and greatest in DSLRs - how often do you print larger than 8x10 or 11x14??? Why would you need more MPs then? Use what you have and enjoy it. I have many (my wife would say too many🙂 cameras and sometimes one of them gets neglected for a long period, but then I rediscover why I bought that camera in the first place and use it extensively. As I said - I love the choice and the flexibility.

 

[sepiareverb]

I like something in my hand. You know, a negative that I can accept the blame for screwing up if it gets screwed up and that I can return to in 25 years and print. Plus, I spend enough time sitting in front of this screen. I like being in the darkroom with the water, the music, the OC lights. The darkroom is the magic. You're sculpting with light when you print. If you have any aspirations of commercial work you should stick with digital, but for yourself? who would tell a painter they should be using Adobe Illustrator?

 

[vanyagor]

I'm a beginner. I used to shoot digital but then got carried away by film. Haven't used digital since September. Well processing and printing costs a lot though. Where do you process and print your film? Is it much cheaper to do it yourself?

 

[AusDLK]

I did. For my "art" stuff anyway.

Dumped an M8 like a hot potato and sold my two R-D1's a couple of weeks ago.

Until there is something as throughly thought out as the R-D1 and as dependable as an M7, it is likely to stay this way for me.

 

[Nostalgie]

RF-Addict
I do regularly print above 11x14, usually 16x20...but I agree with the flexibilty part sometimes as well, for example Ill be in the grand canyon soon and wonder how well Id fair if I only had say an RF with a 25/50/and 90, compared to my SLR kit with a 12-24,18-70,70-210??? The work I do is more artistically based, I do make an income from it, but not my whole income, its usually incorporated into my artwork in some way...

Patrick,
Im leaning that way, just shooting film and keeping my DSLR gear if I need it, I guess I just get in my head that, its worth $$$ that I could use towards other stuff, its a seemingly constant back and forth ahah

SepiaReverb,
I kind of identified with your statement the most, being an artist, its always an odd necessity for me to it in front of this 20" monitor giving off negative energy to my face for hours of editing! Then go back and work on a canvas piece, its a wierd dynamic to say the least...

Vanyagor,
Its semi cheap to develop at the lab I use, $3 for my negs, plus $5 more for a cd, I never get prints, I wait to do that myself with MPix. I do have a bathroom that is looking very likely to become a darkroom, (no windows, very good ventilation..), so it would cheapen the process a little I believe

 

[Nostalgie]

I did. For my "art" stuff anyway.

Dumped an M8 like a hot potato and sold my two R-D1's a couple of weeks ago.

Until there is something as throughly thought out as the R-D1 and as dependable as an M7, it is likely to stay this way for me.

Thats what Im thinking, one question, do you ever do any kind of wide angle landscape? Just curious, because Ill be at the Grand Canyon soon and have questioned my results if say I had only an RF with a 25/50/90. Ive simply never used any of my RF's for a landscape shot so I dont know.

 

[AusDLK]

>one question, do you ever do any kind of wide angle landscape?

Sometimes. For that I have an Xpan.

 

[Ronald M]

I have had a darkroom for close to 50 years now. Some were college, some at parents home, one in a laundry room. I built the first from scratch in 1972 and have not been without since.

Got a Canon P&S for fast color work to get stuff on the net a was/am considering maybe a $1000 DSLR. Then the reality hit of having to back up, no negs, everything including the computer going obsolete all the time with scanners/printers not necessarily compatable.

I think I will stick with film.

 

[Nostalgie]

I have had a darkroom for close to 50 years now. Some were college, some at parents home, one in a laundry room. I built the first from scratch in 1972 and have not been without since.

Got a Canon P&S for fast color work to get stuff on the net a was/am considering maybe a $1000 DSLR. Then the reality hit of having to back up, no negs, everything including the computer going obsolete all the time with scanners/printers not necessarily compatable.

I think I will stick with film.

Plus, to me, theres a history, a craft and artistry in film.

 

[fishtek]

Is it better to paint in oil or watercolor. Is prose better than poetry? Color or black and white? Film or digital?

Personally, I use both, quite happily. Admittedly, using film is very different than digital, but there are similarities in the processes, too. Ultimately, we're after our "perfect" image, no matter our vehicle. I think part of the reason that I use film is because I have lots of respect for "vintage" technologies (educated in cultural Anthropology, I'm a flint knapper, by way of explaining my meaning), and what earlier versions of ANY tool. I remain a rank student, even after decades as a photographer, and finding new adventures doing something as basic as exploring the variations of films and chemicals.

Regards!
Don

 

[jan normandale]

Interesting thread. Personally I started digital and came to film for a lot of the reasons given above. I like film and big sheets of it. I've been contemplating 4x5 for a year and may yet do it.

Digital, I probably will buy a used digital P&S in a year or so for the 'movie function'. Digital is okay but for myself, I'm a tactile guy and I prefer the hard stuff that goes with shooting film.

The irony is I still know and use digital to be a member of rff and flickr.. you can't escape digital entirely. I like film best.

 

[Nostalgie]

Interesting thread. Personally I started digital and came to film for a lot of the reasons given above. I like film and big sheets of it. I've been contemplating 4x5 for a year and may yet do it.

Digital, I probably will buy a used digital P&S in a year or so for the 'movie function'. Digital is okay but for myself, I'm a tactile guy and I prefer the hard stuff that goes with shooting film.

The irony is I still know and use digital to be a member of rff and flickr.. you can't escape digital entirely. I like film best.

Jan
I dont know if youve looked at this, but Ive been eyeing one for a year or so, "affordable" large
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/con...351&is=REG&addedTroughType=categoryNavigation

 

[Kin Lau]

Each has it's uses for me. Colour processing is getting to be a bit of a joke around here without paying for premium service. I do my own B&W, so I'm in control there.

As a tool, it's the dslr 99% of the time. For fondling, the film cameras win out.

 

[SteveM(PA)]

Just a couple hours ago, my Fed3B rewind button jammed, and I ended up tearing a completed roll...some images on there I was really jazzed about seeing...I still feel like I'm gonna throw up. But I particularly love this camera...getting something good from it just feels so good, like getting water from a stone, transcending its $30 sh*ttyness, giving the marketers the bird, or something.

 

[Topdog1]

I am AC/DC. It's the best of both worlds. Why give something up when you don't have to?

/Ira

 

[Diggin99]

Nostalgie, I feel basically the same as you do, but I am in my late 30's and I grew up in an all film world. So I started with film, tried digital, and found that I just enjoy film more. Its just simply more fun to see what kinds of film I like, to develope at home, seeing what different developers look like, learning to print in my tiny closet/laundry room. I have a D50 sitting on the flor right now that I pull out for only one reason and thats for my job. I am an archaeologist by trade and so when I am digging a site and need to take pictures of , quite literally, dirt, I use the D50. It makes no sense to me why this would be so, why I would enjoy film so but I have given up trying to figure it out! If you think you want to get an M6 and can arrange it I would do it. It will hold its value pretty much. Just have fun with it, that the bottom line!

Nancy

 

[mw_uio]

I am not interested in a DSLR. Nor do I want one. I am more interested in film, the different chromes and black and whites. I do not own a rangefinder. I am a 97% 'Aperture Priority' guy. I am even considering getting a Canon F1-N [if you have one let me know please] The coolest thing is when you go out with film loaded and hear the shutter go off, you feel like you have accomplished something, and it is a natural high!!

Cheers to everyone on RFF 🙂

Mark
Quito, EC

 

[tedwhite]

Hey, Jan:

I've been thinking 4X5 also. Check out the Shen-Hao 4X5 Field Camera at $595. You can see it at www.theviewcamerastore.com.

Unfortunately there's only one review and the site doesn't discuss it. However, I recall wandering about the internet one evening a few months ago and reading some positive stuff about it.

Back to giving up digital. I've done film for forty years and have no intention of being seduced away from it by digital. I have a DSLR (and some pretty good lenses to go with it) because I make money with it.

For example, I have one client - an artist who works in acrylics - who is quite successful, and when she sells a painting (they are generally rather large) it's basically gone forever. So, she hires me to photograph the painting before it's delivered. I give her the image on a CD and then she hires someone else to make fine art prints from my image, ranging from postcard size to 20X20 suitable for framing. Frankly, photographing paintings is a PITA.

The first one done for her was actually photographed by my partner, John Harris, with his very good Nikon DSLR. I helped him, and we decided to use available light rather than the Novatron system and it worked out quite well (our studio has huge windows).

Then there are other clients who want the stuff the next day, either prints or CD's. Thankfully, most want CD's so I'm not burning up ink with my Epson R2400.

However, when I do a portrait, I want to use fillm, always black and white, and usually a Rolleiflex, or a Spotmatic with the 105/2.8 Super Takumar, and occasionally the Bessa R with a Canon 50/1.8, but I'm considering a cv 75mm which is a better focal length for portraits. If the person demands color, then I'll use a DSLR because it's quick and easy and I can't/won't do color neg processing in my darkroom.

When I am shooting what I want to shoot, which is most of the time, I always use film, and it's almost always b/w. But, for photojournalism, digital is required if you want to get into that sort of work.

Working in the darkroom means being physically active and involved in all the nuances of making a good photograph. Much more satisfying, to me anyway, than staring into a flatscreen monitor for hours at a time.

Ted