Coming back from Digital?

Coming back from Digital?

  • What is digital?

    Votes: 53 6.5%

  • I've tried digital, but found it's not for me

    Votes: 100 12.2%

  • I've never left film, but now shoot some (<20%) digital

    Votes: 144 17.6%

  • I've never left film, but now shoot mostly (>80%) digital

    Votes: 104 12.7%

  • I'm back from 100% digital to some (<20%) film

    Votes: 148 18.0%

  • I'm back from 100% digital to mostly (>80%) film

    Votes: 186 22.7%

  • I'm back from 100% digital to 100% film

    Votes: 58 7.1%

  • What do you mean, film?

    Votes: 27 3.3%
  • Total voters
    820
hello RFF friends. 99% I shoot digital* fujifilm S 6500 fd ... but my problems are different. for 100 Euros I got for myself Olympus OM 1n + 50mm f1.8 + 28mm f3.5. Man, it's so quiet! I'm still thinking about going wider, but it's very hard( + expensive) in this part of Europe to find 21mm lens( I'm not counting E Bay ). Leica M still in my mind, and Minolta CLE looks like best non- Leica Rf body( I'm not counting ZI, it,s new it should pass test of time) - at least, to my mind.
 
I loved my Nikon F3HPs, I loved my Contax G2s and now I love my Nikon D90. Each in it's own way has proven a perfect system for me. I'd still be shooting with the G2s if slide film was less expensive and more convenient. In about a year and a half my less than $1000 Nikon body shot the equivalent of $6,000 film and processing. I am very happy with the results I've achieved with each system and love the low incremental cost and immediacy of digital. I'm just very happy to be back taking pictures and I have digital to thank for that. Long live film for others...
 
Ted2001 said:
I'm just very happy to be back taking pictures and I have digital to thank for that.
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That's what matters. Digital got me back into it. But I love film, and for black and white, the films, chemistry, and amount of information and advice available have never been better.

I'm currently at about 60:40 film:digital. It's a golden age for film users, especially in B&W: fabulous media that is still not expensive ($3/roll developed for Legacy Pro, ~$4/roll developed for bulk-loaded TMAX400), cheap cameras that are still in super shape... but this situation will not last forever, and I want to do good work in this medium while it is still inexpensive and straightforward to do so.

Digital is going nowhere but cheaper-better-faster-smaller for the foreseeable future. I don't really feel that I'm missing anything by de-emphasizing it for a couple or a few more years.
 
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I have been a bit conflicted about the film or digital argument as well. About 5 years ago I shifted house and downsized into an apartment and thereby lost my darkroom. Went to digital with a Nikon DSLR and found myself playing more golf than taking photos. This was brought home to me when I didn't take my Nikon on a trip to Europe from NZ. Kit was to big and I didn't like the look of the shots I was getting anyway. So I thought the best compromise was a M8 but while I loved the size there was to many compromises in a camera that was NZ$5k for the body only. Then after a couple of M bodies I looked at the 120 RF pages on this site and loved what I saw. So now I am shooting with a Fuji Ga645 and have a Mamiya 6 coming and am loving the experience of shooting again. I went out on my scooter over the weekend for about 3 hours and only shot 1 roll of film and loved every minute of it, even though it is winter here and freezing. Developed it myself and then sent it to be scanned by a lab down the road and next day I have 15 shots to play with. If I spent the same time with my 7d DSLR I would have at least 100 shots to work through in PS. I can't sit still for that long so I would still have 85 shots that I couldn't be bothered working through. Must have at least 2000 digital shots that I haven't really looked at on my PC. I sit at a computer most of the day and don't want to do that at night. Have been looking to see if there are darkrooms for rent here in Auckland because I miss the nights with a bottle of red wine in my darkroom. So I think it is MF film for me with a bit of 35mm RF and use my 7d for Macro a close up only.
 
I love digital for low light and wiggly kids, Nikon DX VR 55-200 lenses, and taking a hundred pics then deleting 99.

I shoot manual film for freedom from batteries, the extra mental stimulation, and the physical connection with the subject. You are collecting the actual pieces of light that are bounced off the subject onto the film and I find that cool. Also, the equipment is more affordable.

I'm not a good enough photographer to max out the possibilities of either format, so can't comment, I just enjoy...

In terms of keeper photos, i'm probably running more film than digital, but I love both formats for different reasons.

I also like watches, and cars, and have both. And 2 cats.
 
For me, and probably others, an option is missing. I got started with digital then switched to about 50% film, perhaps more if you count keepers rather than times out shooting. Back? Back from what? ;-)

Rob
 
For me, I started with film back in the late 80s, finally converted to digital in 2005. In 2010, after my trip to Bangkok, I ditched almost all my digital arsenal, except for the converted IR DSLR and one lens. Other than that..... honey, I'm home.
 
I had my Canon P out yesterday, with a 1953 J-3 on it.

The other one has the Nikkor 5cm f2 "Black Rim" aperture ring on it.
 
Keith said:
I should have developed my first roll of film before I bought an M8 .... then I wouldn't have a $6000.00 dollar camera sitting in the cupboard! :(
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I do really shoot a lot more digital then I do film, and I really hope that I can incorporate a M8 or its competition sometime in the future. Lately I have been shooting my DSLR more and found it to be almost intolerable in low light situations where I could have easily focused my bessa. As nice as it is to have that iso 3200 and 50 1.4 canon stuff for low light, it still seems as if im missing a lot of pictures because of the highly inaccurate focusing and what not. For instance in 3 recent rolls of film, with my bessa and zeiss 50 I had 2 photos that were out of focus do to my error, compared to some 100 slr shots I took today with a 17-40 and a 5d which came back with about 30% off focus on a lens that shouldn't have this problem.

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My personal work is 100% film and my commercial work is 99% digital. I started shooting film in the mid 50's and love the hands on process, the smell of the darkroom, the sounds of the darkroom and just like the process of running and printing. To me the reward is a B&W print that can't be matched with inkjet. I've yet to see an inkjet B&W that looks as rich and has the depth of a fine silver print. I now do a good bit of platinum printing form my LF negs and find it just as pleasurable as silver printing. Digital is associated with work and I have to separate my pleasure from work and this is how I do it. Nothing wrong with digital and I feel it produces stunning color and color prints and one day when I retire I most likely will feel different and start shooting color digital for enjoyment but B&W film / printing will never be replaced in my mind.
 
Actually I use digital for everyday shots (birthday, work.....). But film conserve an unforgettable charm....... that digital doesn't have
 
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