Migration to/from film or digital... A poll

[Spanik]

They both look great, but once you start to look longer than a casual glance it becomes visible. Like already said, highlights and for me skin as well. Then again two very different systems that could just as much contribute to any difference.

 

[manfromh]

I voted 'all digital' because I don't own any functional film cameras anymore (just a Fed-3 body, no lens, a broken Zenit-C, because it's pretty and a 6x9 pinhole I made).

I started out with digital years ago, with a cheap compact. Wanted an SLR, but couldn't afford a dSLR, so got a brand new EOS 300v instead. Started liking film, discovered rangefinders, had a bunch of FSU RF's, which were a source of frustration. Finally got a nice Pentax ME Super with a 50mm 1.4 Takumar. Then got a Yashicamat.

About two years ago had a falling out with photography. It felt like the workflow of film got in the way of producing images, and digital cameras were either too expensive (Leica M8/M9) or not what I wanted them to be. Was also lacking in subjects. I wanted to shoot humans, but it's difficult if you're anti-social. I sold the cameras. Don't remember who got the Pentax. Yashica went to some guy who bought it as a christmas present for his sister.

Got curious about photography again recently. I don't feel like going back to film, and digital cameras have arrived where I want them to be and in my budget.
I bought a Fuji X-E1 with a 12mm Samyang lens yesterday (yes, a superwide as my only lens), so let's see what happen.

 

[BlackXList]

I have to use Digital for work, but was shooting all of my street stuff on film.

I love film, love using film, and love the images.

Then Kodak killed the only b/w film I use, and to be honest I've taken it quite personally.
I've come to the conclusion that I have to future proof my work flow, and as such ordered a couple more digital cameras, for street use, a 5d and an EOS M.
The M is due to arrive shortly.

I don't want to abandon film, I will shoot all that I have, and I want to keep using it, I'm just not "friends" with it at the moment.

I realise that these are emotional responses to it, but that kind of thing is why we end up attached to certain pieces of equipment, and partially why we photograph in the first place.

 

[Nuff]

I migrated 100% to digital in 2004. I had few cameras since then. Less than 2 years ago I have rediscovered film. At first I got a Pentax SLR which worked with my current lenses. Later I got a Hasselblad and 3 weeks ago my first Leica M3, I'm a big fan of 50mm focal length.

I drop off colour film to get developed and do my own BW film in my kitchen. Now I'm in process of moving to another country and since my dSLR was seating doing nothing since I got my film camera, I have decided to sell it.

So I went from 100% from film to digital and 10 years later I went back again to film.

For me it's all about the final results, colours, look etc... and not wanting to seat in front of my computer too much.

 

[Cyriljay]

I used to do lot of negative photography and it as due to my negative cameras. I bought my Digital M and since I like the concept and the easiness in that I keep on doing it . When I need to get a change I switch into Negative and it gives me the space and slow down in my photography. So I do both negative and Digital.

 

[John E Earley]

I found that I didn't have sufficient time to invest in film development and consequently was using my digital cameras almost exclusively. Just recently I sold most of my film cameras, lenses and digital gear and purchased a Sony a6000 and a Nikon D750 and lenses for both. I will still shoot film (I have a freezer full) but I'll be more selective about it.

 

[DCB]

Heading toward more digital....

Peace

 

[vedearduff]

I voted "Mostly Digital", but I'm moving towards "Mostly Film".

I migrated to all digital several years ago and sold, or traded off, all my film equipment. That was a mistake (for me). I used to shoot for the joy of shooting, now I only shoot when I need to.

I'm in the process of migrating back towards film. I doubt that I'll get back to film only, but it will be close to that.

I just picked up a Nikon FM2 and 70-210mm Series E lens. My Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 AF-D will also be used for the FM2. I looking for a decent 35mm format rangefinder and have my eye on one.

When I have my rangefinder, I'll be sure to post about it on this forum.

 

[mdarnton]

I'm not sure which to check so I'll just explain.

I do a lot of archival recording at work, representing the majority of my weekly clicks. That is entirely digital.

Everything I do for myself is film. One reason it represents fewer clicks is that I'm much more careful in film, with setup, exposure, everything, since it's not virtually free, as digital is.

All of my post-processing and printing is digital, once I have the negatives. I prefer what I can do in the computer to what I can do in the darkroom, but still prefer shooting film, for what it does.

 

[Alpsman]

The D700 was the long awaited "digital instant back" for testshots on all my Ai/S lenses. It never becam anything more. Still using film.

 

[Pioneer]

Still so much to learn!!!

Still so much to learn!!!

I have been using film since I was the lone photographer on my high school yearbook staff.
I still use a Minolta SRT101 to remind me of those days.
Now days I have a computer,
a calibrated flat screen,
two scanners,
a beautiful inkjet printer,
and several very nice digital cameras that I use occasionally.

But there is still so much to learn!
I can now afford all the incredible film equipment I have drooled over for years!!
I am finally beginning to learn the nuances of film photography, things I never had time for as a busy father and breadwinner.

One of these days I'm sure I'll move over to digital.
But I just don't have the time right now...there is still so much to learn about film!

 

[Chris101]

"Split evenly"? I dunno how evenly, but I use both, so that is what I checked.

Film and digital are two different media, so it's fun to do digital when I'm feeling it or film when that is the look/feel I'm after. I can't see an advantage in trying to make one look like the other, when both are easily available.

 

[pvdhaar]

I'm in the mainly digital camp now. Even though I really like shooting film, and still do, I find that being able to shoot in different amounts than 24 or 36 frames is a real benefit. I can shoot a single image and when it's OK, I'm done and can process it further..

 

[David Hughes]

Hi,

I don't see myself as a migrant from either, more of a refugee..

Regards, David

 

[Rikard]

I have migrated pretty much completely to film during the last couple if years. I still have have a D700 and the "holy-trinity" set of lenses, but neither has been used much. I should really just sell it, and rent gear if I ever need to shoot digital again. Currently I'm using a Leica M6 for black and white and slides, and a Mamiya 7ii mostly for color negative film. The color film I send away for development, and the black and white (mostly Tri-X) I develop myself in either Rodinal or DD-X. I don't have a darkroom so I scan using a Plustek Opticfilm 120, which I'm very happy with so far.
With film I feel that the workflow is much more straight forward and rewarding. I could try to explain exactly what I mean by this, but I'll probably fail and it's all subjective anyway.
I also take comfort in the fact that if I chose to, I can always ditch the scanning part and set up a proper darkroom, and thereby ridding myself fully from the curse of the computer/software/upgrade/sensor improvement hell.

 

[noimmunity]

Mine is a tale of migration!

I didn't start shooting digital until the purchase of an M8 in 2009.
Two years later, I had moved to France from Taiwan. My entire life was disrupted by the move, film workflow included. Dust, which had never been a problem for film in Taiwan, reared its ugly head in a big way. At the same time, I had mostly stopped shooting events and was focused more on landscape. I sold my Nikon Coolscan LS-5000 for three times the price that I'd paid for it, and used the funds to purchase an M-E. A year later I received a divination foretelling problems with the M-E/M9, and at the same time discovered the Sigma DP Merrill series, which gave me a look at base ISO, and several other advantages, that I preferred for landscape. But I really really missed everything about film, so I purchased a new scanner (for a quarter of the price for which I had sold that LS-5000, BTW).

 

[Rangefinderfreak]

A couple years ago I went totally to film. Sold all those hugely expensive Digital Stuff like hasselblad CFV back, Array of Nikons with AF lenses, all Hassy bodies & lenses and "cried" at the huge economical loss compared to what I originally paid for those. Just kept my Leica M6 and M3 DS with a couple lenses. I dug deep in my all drawers and counted 36pcs Leica IXMOO cassettes, some even with TRI-X inside... Huh, with TRI-X bulk 35mm and a couple Eastman 522 400 Ft "cakes" I am now prepared... I still have my hassy Flextight scanner with that obsolete MAC for scanning, so I am heading to my "honeymoon" with Film & Leicas again !

 

[dmr]

Lately I've been doing more and more digital.

Main reason is the lack of convenience in getting film processed. We do have one lab that does a great job with DO or DO/CD but they do not do batches of C41 each day anymore so same-day, let alone one hour processing is a relic of the past!

Last I heard, Walgreens was still processing roll film, but with a 2-3 day turn-around and they did NOT return negatives! (EXCUSE ME?????!)

 

[PhotoGog]

I shot nothing but film at art school and years after (1999-2007). Then I kinda fell out with the whole idea of photography, probably something to do with the iPhone's release and related idiocy of that era. Everyone's a photographer!

By 2011 I was getting the itch again and accepted that there was photography and there was photography, know what I mean? But as a lover of classic form cameras, I just could not bring myself to spend thousands on some hideous DSLR. When the Fuji X100 came out I wept. Fell back in love. That kept me going for 5 years - did not touch my film gear during that time. Not being a computer desk jockey, I loved the fact that the out of camera jpegs were so gorgeous. And not quite, but kinda like shooting a Leica.

But just last December I recognised it was time for the inevitable "upgrade". Looking around, the X-Pro2 or XT-2 took my fancy but it just didn't make sense investing a minimum $3,500 in a body and couple of primes when in another five years the depreciation would be a killer. And least, not for a someone who thinks of himself as an arty hobbyist when it comes to shooting. And I don't say that as someone who usually flips my gear, just accepting that fact that no digital camera remains desirable for shooter and seller alike after that time frame. Or, if so, it's a compromise.

So in December I stopped being sentimental with my gear and sold off everything that wasn't essential. Went entirely back to film (excluding iPhone of course). I kept my Canon F-1 with 35, 50, 85 and 135 primes and my Mamiya TLR. The proceeds nabbed me. Leica M2, paid for its CLA and a Zeiss 35/2.8. I've been rocking the renewed passion for film for a month now, and wonder why the hell I ever let it subside.

For me, iPhone covers all types of convenience snaps. My film gear is for pleasure. And pleasurable it is.

 

[Isaac Hilman]

I recently bought a used Leica M6. I've shot digital for nearly a decade, and began photography with digital, but something was calling me to try film. And so, I've just finished my 3rd roll of film ever (and am pretty excited to keep doing it).

So far, I love it! I love slowing down and making each shot count. What I'm realizing that don't love though, is the cost. It's not cheap to develop film where I live. And scans? Super expensive.

I'm nowhere near understanding how to go about developing my own film yet, but that might come somewhere down the road. I want to try to build a light-box DIY scanner so that I can photograph my negatives with my Fuji X-T2, that way I'm not reliant on paying $30 / 36 shot roll at london drugs, and instead can work with my own Raw files.