Missing using film...

[Richard G]

I've had a digital camera for nearly ten years, and an M9 since March. For four years before the M9 I was almost exclusively shooting film, mostly on an M5. I've only shot a few rolls since March. Last evening I finished some FP4 in a Rolleiflex I bought a few months ago and I then loaded my first roll of 120 Ektar. And this morning I came across a wonderful morning after scene only because I was finishing a roll in the M6 before dropping off both films. The morning sun on white paint sat above the shaded bottles and glasses on the abandoned terrace. What exposure to avoid blown highlights? Not really a problem. Carrying the tiny M6, advancing the film, rewinding (attracting some strange looks with that) and loading a new roll of Tri-X strictly as per the manual, with success, were all very satisfying. Those shots of that terrace I'll have to wait for. And even that is satisfying. I'm now on my annual holiday when I always brought the Ms and some film, and post the M9, I'm still doing it.

 

[shadowfox]

Wonderful, for us who don't earn our living through photography, there is not really a good reason not to do both digital and film, as each has its own satisfying moments.

 

[Watch72]

Doing film is a measured action. It does take time while digital is almost instantaneous. I like film a lot too, why? Frankly I do not know. Maybe that was the way I started with a camera. The anticipation when loading a film into the camera and after every shot not knowing how it will turn out. Then the end of the roll, love the action of rewinding it back to the cassette and putting is aside for development. I am missing all this in digital. I guess it has to do with the pace. And that in turn makes film photo making while digital is photo taking.

 

[mrak]

For me it's always a back and forth. I love the convenience of digital. I can just take my camera and go out, take pictures, return home and process them. I also love playing around with the raw files. With film I need to buy a roll of film first. Then I am limited by the number of exposures. Sometimes I end up shooting barely anything at all because I don't want to be waste the film. So if there are still shots left on the roll I either have to fill them somehow or wait for another day to shoot if I don't want to waste those shots. When the roll is full I go to the photostore near me and have to wait a day for them to develop and scan the film. If I am on a vacation then I have to wait till I return home to develop and scan the film. Developing and scanning is also quite expensive where I live. The scans are pretty good but with digital I always get the full resolution.

But then when I look at pictures shot on film I just want to give up digital altogether. Film just looks so much better than digital I feel.