Help...Former Anti-digital guy..now I cant go back to film..

[Meleica]

ok, up until 6 months ago, I was completely anti-digital, preferring the quality of 6x4.5 ( Fuji Zi ) and 6x7 ( Pentax ). Then I bought a Canon Xti ( 400D ), a few lenses and Photoshop Elements. Kick in a $ 150 printer and I am producing superb 8.5x11.5 inch prints - better than my lab was - and my costs are less.

Now, I picked up a few Leica toys ( 35/1.4Asph, Tri-Elmar, M7 ) and I just cant seem to get up the desire to run film through it.. I wont get my instant exposure and composition feedback...and I'll have to get prints and high priced scans just to get the same point I could with my Canon in a nano-second.

Help me...I want to put a roll in that M7, but I almost feel, whats the point ?

help...I'm sinking...

Dan

PS - dont suggest an M8, a divorce would soon follow..

 

[RML]

There's no point! 😛 You're lost and doomed. Just accept it and the pain will fade. 😛

 

[Magus]

Post deleted by posters request

 

[Pherdinand]

you have no problem, my friend. Yu are lucky, in fact.
You can just sell your film stuff and be happy with the digital and the holiday you can buy from the cash you get on the gear🙂

 

[rogue_designer]

I like the film work because it reminds me I'm shooting RF's for fun. Whereas so much of my pro work is either large format or digital.

It's how i make a clean break between work and play.

And - there is a certain loveliness in the uncertainty with RF film - the compositions often suprise me a little. It's the proverbial box of chocolates (ie. you never know...)

That said...If you really crave the digital feedback and ease of use for your own personal workflow - what about a digital RF? RD1s used are relatively reasonable these days, and the M8 is not such a huge leap in price over the M7 anyway - that 35 1.4 will be spectacular on the M8.

 

[Meleica]

I see very high quality in the digital pix I am taking. I am not very good at post processing ( hell, I am afraid of full blown Photoshop ), but I take RAW images, balance light levels, correct any simple imperfections, resize to my output ( usually 16x20 or 8.5x11.5 inches ) add a little sharpness, convert to a jpg and send to my desktop printer or out to mpix.com for beautiful 16x20 prints.

For any work where I am going beyond 16x20 or want the finest quality, I think I would still take out my Pentax 67, but for everyday shooting - I am hooked !

And I will tell you, I was VERY anti-digital - hell, I run www.antiquecameras.net !

I had always thought that every image from a digital camera looked "glassy" or pixelated....but thats bull ...I'm getting very fine prints and I am happy and very surprised by it. I think the key is minimal post processing. I have even had some of my old 35mm negs scanned at very high res - touched them up in PS Elements, reprinted them, and they are much finer than the lab I had been using the last 15 years...

Dan

 

[Meleica]

hmm... RD-1....hadnt thought of that ! I am glad I post here....RFF is a great place.

 

[back alley]

i say enjoy the new ride!
if it sticks great and if not you have the leica gear to fall back on.

my guess is that you will soon be enjoying both.

 

[PRJ]

I like the film work because it reminds me I'm shooting RF's for fun. Whereas so much of my pro work is either large format or digital.

It's how i make a clean break between work and play.

My feelings exactly. I realize though that most people think digital is fun. Get buried in it day in and day out and you will realize that film is much more fun. You shouldn't feel bad about not using film. Chacun a ses gouts. If digital makes you happy, so be it. You should keep some kind of film camera around though, for nostalgia purposes of course. Keep in mind too that black and white looks awful when produced with a digital camera (compared to film), and I am more or less a super dooper pooper scooper expert Photoshopper. If you want a reason to shoot film, make it black and white and take solice in the knowledge that what you capture cannot be reproduced with your Canon.

Patrick

 

[amateriat]

I'd say, keep all the other gear, and just go with the digital flow. It obviously works for you, so why deny yourself?

And, who says you can't use both film and digital? Grab the camera that you want to use, and don't fret too much.


- Barrett

 

[Kin Lau]

I have to say that simple to use software like Elements 5.0 take away much of the pain of PS. Very often, I use PSE to do my raw conversion, quick crop if necessary and resize for printing (I use a lab for my 4x6's).

Do I still shoot film? Yes. Why? Because I like playing with my toys and it's still cheap to do so. There's a certain fun in going "vintage".

 

[drewbarb]

Whiner. 😉

 

[RObert Budding]

I shoot both, but mostly because I really enjoy darkroom work. The quality from my D200 is quite good.

 

[Bike Tourist]

I originally went to digital to gain acceptances (and sales) on internet stock sites. Now, I've apparently discovered the secret of gaining acceptances for my film scans as well. What to do?

I am seduced by the "snick" of the Leica shutter.

I am seduced by the "snick" of the 5D's AF locking onto target.

I shoot them both with equal aplomb, knowing that whatever image I end up with, it would have been better if I'd used the other camera!

 

[TEZillman]

Dan,

My wife and I took a walk yesterday at an arboretum. I brought my M7, a roll of Provia and a couple lenses. It was so natural to make a photo. The simplicity of using film keeps drawing me back to it. The old ''SAFE" acronym comes to mind. Shutter, aperture, focus, expose.

I saw one guy in the woods using a monster DSLR. It looked like he was trying to write an e-mail message on a blackberry the way his fingers were punching buttons. He didn't look very happy either.

The post processing, when I have the film developed, will involve looking at the slides in a viewer and deciding which ones I want to put in a slide tray. Expense? About 28 cent per slide. Archiving? Leave the slide in the slide tray. No hassles.

Should I want to make a print from one, I'll scan it and print it. I'll have higher native resolution than most any DSLR on the market, even using my cheap Minolta 3200 dpi scanner.

Yes, I have a fairly good Lumix digital camera. For all its flexibility and automation and for all of the advantages of using digital, using it, for me anyway, is a chore rather than a pleasure. Life isn't always about the destination (or in this case a final print). The journey (or in this case making the photo) is important as well.

 

[Trius]

Dan: Since no one has given you the correct Rx for your malady, here it is ...

SEND ALL LEICA GOODIES TO TRIUS WHO WILL KEEP THEM SATISFIED. AND YES, YOUR SATISFACTION THAT THEY ARE BEING LOVED WILL BE PAYMENT ENOUGH FOR YOU. 😀 😀 😀 😀

 

[JohnM]

There is an ebb and flow to these things.

There are entire months that go by where I ignore one medium or the other. Right now, I've been shooting film without exception. I'm looking forward to a couple of family events coming up and I don't expect to take my DSLR along.

At some point, I'll start to feel differently and my film cameras will sit on the shelf for a month or two. I'm always pleased with results from my camera/printer combination.

If you're into digital right now, roll with it. Whatever keeps you taking pictures.

 

[shadowfox]

<cropped>

And I will tell you, I was VERY anti-digital - hell, I run www.antiquecameras.net !

<cropped>

I think this is the crux of the problem, you have been manning the "fortress" for too long 🙂

Digital is like a breath of fresh air, it's versatile, smooth, clean, easy, it's.... different!!

Someday you'll be back to film, because the allure of film that attracted people like me who came from digital is still there, will always be there. And you'll even cherished it even more, like an old friend.

So enjoy digital, be free to create and print top notch pictures, but keep your M7, many like me long to just get to hold one 😉

 

[rpsawin]

ok, up until 6 months ago, I was completely anti-digital, preferring the quality of 6x4.5 ( Fuji Zi ) and 6x7 ( Pentax ). Then I bought a Canon Xti ( 400D ), a few lenses and Photoshop Elements. Kick in a $ 150 printer and I am producing superb 8.5x11.5 inch prints - better than my lab was - and my costs are less.

Now, I picked up a few Leica toys ( 35/1.4Asph, Tri-Elmar, M7 ) and I just cant seem to get up the desire to run film through it.. I wont get my instant exposure and composition feedback...and I'll have to get prints and high priced scans just to get the same point I could with my Canon in a nano-second.

Help me...I want to put a roll in that M7, but I almost feel, whats the point ?

help...I'm sinking...

Dan

PS - dont suggest an M8, a divorce would soon follow..

Dan,

Send me the M7 and the lens. I beleive they have bad juju and I will happily perform the M7 JuJu Polarization/Energy Flush ceremony. This may require several sessions so I may need the gear for awhile. To ensure satisfactory results please enclose a brick of HP5+ 36 exposure.

Bob

 

[Ben Z]

I am producing superb 8.5x11.5 inch prints - better than my lab was - and my costs are less.

I don't have unlimited wallspace and have never been much in to printing. I prefer slides projected on a big screen. I tried an affordable digital projector...not even in the same universe. If all I wanted was 8x10 prints I'd probably sell everything but the 20D too.

Now, I picked up a few Leica toys ( 35/1.4Asph, Tri-Elmar, M7 ) and I just cant seem to get up the desire to run film through it.. I wont get my instant exposure and composition feedback...and I'll have to get prints and high priced scans just to get the same point I could with my Canon in a nano-second.

What part of that didn't you know before you made the purchases of those 3 very expensive items?

Help me...I want to put a roll in that M7, but I almost feel, whats the point ?

There probably isn't one. If you have to force yourself at gunpoint to use a camera I can't imagine the results being creatively pleasing.

PS - dont suggest an M8, a divorce would soon follow..

I hear you. I might be able to convince my wife $4800 for a camera is a good thing, but when she noticed in a week or two I wasn't using it and I had to confess it had crapped out and would probably be sitting over in Germany for a few months, the resulting incessant needling from her might put a little strain on the matrimonial bonds 😀