Is it worth using film?

[mike goldberg]

Hi maddoc & All,
Very encouraging! I for one, an delighted...
at the support for film work, while acknowledging digital as well.
Gabor, I'm writing you via flickr.
Ciao, mike

 

[ChrisN]

I would like to wet my toes more trying to process RAW files, but they are so hard to come (as I do not have any digital camera with that capability). I found a very few RAW files for the M8, especially one not so impressing for contents, but I was stunned of the quality I could get from my inkjet/b&w system from it. At least in details and clearity, though something was lost compared to film. It was extremely good and very impressive, but also different.

Since the M8 is out of reach for me, I have started to eye the new Pentax K10 and K100 cameras with those small pancake lenses. But so far I have not been able to find any DNG files from it to play with. Is there any place where such can be downloaded?

/Håkan

Hi Håkan

PM me with your mailing address, and I'll drop some Pentax RAW files onto a cd and post it to you, to play with. The K10D gives me the option of capturing in jpeg or RAW formats, and saving the RAW files in either Pentax proprietary format (*.PEF) or in Adobe's digital negative (*.DNG) format. The camera produces ~16MB DNG files, and with the Adobe DNG converter these reduce to about 10MB for archival storage. I'll see if I can find some with good dynamic range, to test the maker's claims!

 

[morgan]

I just recently took the plunge and bought a canon 30d and a few lenses, mostly for some paid work that I didn't want to mess up. But there's nothing that replaces the size, feel, and experience of the rangefinder and b&w film. A small light camera, with lots of tradition, I don't know, it's just more enjoyable than lugging my 30D around. OTOH, the ability to take a ton of pictures and experiment with little or no cost, it's tough to beat.

One more thing I'll throw out there is the glass. Especially at wider angles, canon doesn't have many great primes that rival even the cv stuff, let alone leica. I've got a 24 1.4L, and while it's nice, it doesn't blow me away.

 

[NickTrop]

Still in the film camp - always will be. Love the latitude, the way it handles highlights, and the general look of film,,, that goes 2X for black and white. Shot digital for several years, but went back to using film exclusively after comparing my digital album to my older album of film prints. I simply prefer the look more - missed bokeh, and way prefer "the feel" of a film camera. I wouldn't be caught dead with a big clunky DSLR blinding people with autofocus pre-flash, flash, and their infernal drop down menus and tiny buttons - blech.

To your question...if you're looking for a nice little film street shooter to augment your digital apparatus I might suggest:

1. Konica Auto S3
2. Yashica Electro CC

...in that order. There are other small rangefinders with wicked glass but I regularly use these two and think either would meet your needs without springing for another G1/G2 and a set of lenses.

 

[shadowfox]

I've got an M8 on order and am looking forward to using it.
Somehow I don't think it will be able to match some of the qualities I enjoy in film, though. Particularly in b+w, and especially when I'm using a medium format camera.
I'm talking about qualities like these:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/aglimpseoftheworld/388113312/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/aglimpseoftheworld/376056426/

Howard,
Those are awesome! can't wait to see what you can produce with the M8

 

[Tim Gray]

I started photography about 3 years ago with a digital rebel. It was awesome and fun. However, I haven't touched it since I started shooting B&W film. I love buying film. I love developing it at the end of the week, forgetting what all the pictures I took. I love setting up my enlarger and mixing chemicals every monday night and printing. I love having a binder of my prints and negs. I enjoy making crappy pinhole cameras and I'm looking forward to mangling a Holga or two and getting into alt processes. I'm actually looking forward (this is sad) to mixing up my first batch of XTOL and running my first couple rolls of tmax 3200 through it.

I sit in front of a computer all day, looking at data, keeping track files, etc. I don't want to do that in my spare time if I can help it.

I really enjoy the process of using film and printing and its ultimately the process of the hobby that draws me in. I don't do photography for the wonderful pictures I (don't) take, I do it because I enjoy the process. And for me, it's looking like film and printing plays a significant part of that process.

I'd probably sell my DSLR if my girlfriend didn't use and if I could actually get a couple hundred for it. But I can't and will continue to use it for certain things. I am going to sell some of the associated stuff though so I can get a Canon 1V. Though I don't have the talent or aspirations of the guy doing the wonderful Kodachrome project, I'm going to shoot the hell out of film with the best cameras I can buy before it all goes away. If it never goes away, then I will be one happy camper.