Moving to Leica M Film, a good idea?

[Trius]

I suppose you can set up a darkroom.

Is that a bad thing?

 

[sojournerphoto]

Film M! Like buying a horse drawn farm wagon. IMHO

At least of you buy a Leica M , lenses can be used on digital.

Monochrome is on the down side, but still viable.

Color choices are disappearing fast. The processing chess are short lived, expensive, and hard to find.

Scanners for film are few good choices. top medium quality ones are used and perhaps used up although they will look good. Software not compatible with current computers.

Scanning by outside sources will not please you if you are fussy.

I suppose you can set up a darkroom.

###


By heck, that's cheery

 

[pepeguitarra]

Film M! Like buying a horse drawn farm wagon. IMHO ...

Well, I am moving from a nice suburb home to farm, so the comparison comes as a blessing. Film will be there for a while, chemicals will always be there (maybe not as a prepackage deal) even if you have to mix it yourself. More and more people are realizing that having a mechanical camera like M3 m2, m6 is very different to having a computer M9, MM. Computer's life is so short, you will need to keep spending more and more to get the newest technology. If you do it as a profession, good for you. It is a job, and you need to work and earn money. If you are an amateur (you do it for love of photography), then you can do it the way it fulfills you better. 😛

 

[Ko.Fe.]

Film M! Like buying a horse drawn farm wagon. IMHO



I suppose you can set up a darkroom.

Right on the money! People are buying drawn horses and wagon these days.
Or sled and dogs. It is hobby.
And OP already mentioned darkroom enlarger.

Buying film camera these days is same as buying paint; brushes and canvas. IMO.
And buying digital camera is like buying Toyota Yaris. 🙂

 

[Roger Hicks]

. .. Here are two more samples of my first (new era) shots with my Leica M3. These were taken with the Nikkor SC 50/1.4 (a wonderful lens)... .

Definitely going in the right direction! But wait until you try wet printing. It adds a whole new mystical dimension to your photography; like making acoustic guitars with real tools.

Cheers,

R.

 

[Roger Hicks]

A very common spelling mistake, loose means something not tight. Lose as in lost, loss, losing. Some folks I have shared that with were shocked, some said "wow, I always spelled it as loose and loosing (loosing is not a word in the English language)". Others wondered why nobody else brought it to their attention. My guess, trepidation afraid of being called the grammar or spelling police.

Respectfully submitted

The OED disagrees with them, as do most people with more than a rudimentary grasp of English, so I don't think they'd pass their entrance exam into either the Grammar Police or the Spelling Police.

Cheers,

R.

 

[Roger Hicks]

Film M! Like buying a horse drawn farm wagon. . . .

Dear Ronald,

Or possibly a race horse.

Cheers,

R.

 

[noisycheese]

I used film cameras several years more than 40 years ago. About seven years ago, I got into the digital wave. After several brands, I settled on the best: Leica. I own an M8.u and an M9. However, I feel bad that I skipped the Leica film era and want to buy a Leica film camera. I have several questions before I buy something (I do not know much about film nowdays):
1) What camera do you recommend (keep in mind that my first camera wasa Pentax K1000 --all manual)
2) Will I be able to develop my own negatives? B&W and Color? Both, one, or none?
3) Will it be cheaper to send the film to the lab? What lab?
4) How do I transfer them into my computer? Do I have to scan them, or will the lab scan them for me?
5) How much should I expect to invest in the body, developing my own lab, sending to the lab, etc.
6) Am I crazy?
Thanks,
Pepe

Pepe,

Here are my thoughts on your questions -

1) What camera do you recommend (keep in mind that my first camera wasa Pentax K1000 --all manual) A Leica M4-P with a Sekonic L-508 handheld light meter. The M4-P is feather light yet built like a tank and is whisper quiet. The L-508 is in my view possibly the best light meter ever made. The meter is usually available on eBay these days.

2) Will I be able to develop my own negatives? B&W and Color? Both, one, or none? Yes to both. Developing your own film is easy to do at home; it just requires rounding up $100 or so in developing gear and the appropriate chemistry (somewhere between $25-50 for B&W, $40-50 for C-41; one liter C-41 kits will develop 12 rolls of 36 exposure color film). You have to be detail oriented and adhere to the procedures (mainly standardized tank agitation and sticking to time and temperatures), but you will be rewarded with excellent quality negatives. Developing film is enjoyable (IMO) and gives you a sense of accomplishment.

3) Will it be cheaper to send the film to the lab? No it won't; you will save 50-100% by doing it yourself. you will also get better results if you do it right. What lab? For E-6, this is "the" lab in my experience: http://www.agximaging.com/ (but you can also develop E-6 yourself at home, if you want to).

4)How do I transfer them into my computer? Do I have to scan them, or will the lab scan them for me? If you have (or plan to buy) an appropriate scanner, you can do it yourself, or a lab can scan your negs after you develop them.

5) How much should I expect to invest in the body, developing my own lab, sending to the lab, etc. A clean used M4-P will cost in the $1000-1300 range and the L-508 meter will cost $300-325 on eBay.

6) Am I crazy?
Not in the least. Even with the speed, ease and eye popping printed image quality that digital offers these days, there is still a place at the table for film based photography. Film is here to stay; many people who went to digital end up coming back to film for many different reasons.

 

[Rayt]

Do you have a community center or college nearby that offers a photography/darkroom course? Once you learn how to enlarge a negative and see the results perhaps that would influence your decision. I don't think it matters much what gear you end up using.

 

[jim0266]

My 2 cents, others may differ.
Get an M6, shoot B+W (many to choose from) send to a lab (www.darkroom.com works for me) and yes you are crazy.....like the rest of us.

Did you mean https://thedarkroom.com/?

 

[meeker]

1. My advice too, the M6TTL has the same shutter dial as your digital M's. Go for the M7 to get AE as well.

2. Yes, B&W is easy (I've never done colour). Heaps of info out there, and set up costs are under $150. See here for example https://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=13298

3. Maybe, but not in Australia! It depends on what you shoot and where you live. I do get colour film developed locally, but scan it myself.

4. Lab scan or scan yourself - both have advantages. I scan myself using a Plustek 8100 scanner (~$300) and Vuescan software (~$70). Personally, I found lab scans to be okay for small size emails, but not for more involved editing and printing. Again, so much info out there, I see another thread on the front page just now.

5. Body cost between $1500 and $2000 I suppose for an M6TTL or M7 in good nick. Keep in mind that they are unlikely to depreciate much (if at all) in the next 10 years. So if you find you don't like it the cost will be small. As for ongoing costs, it varies with how much you shoot, it costs anywhere from $5 to $30 per roll depending on your choices.

6. Yes of course. You can commit yourself when you sell your digital bodies 😀

7. Enjoy!

+1 This would be my suggestion. Go B&W, develop at home, scan on a flatbed epson. M6TTL has the same speed dial, so zero learning curve, really (I just went from M6TTL to M8 and it was seamless).

 

[pepeguitarra]

Thanks everyone, I got an M3 and and M2 to try them. I am going to keep the M3 and sell the M2. They are both good, I have the summaron 35/2.8 with goggles for the M3, and the summicron 50/2 DR for the M3. In addition, the Canon 28/3.5 and 28/2.8 work fine on the M3. I have everything I need to start developing the film, and a scanner I got from B&H. I also got an enlarger with trays and lens, but I do not have the dark room yet. The printing will take a bit longer. In the meantime, I will be using the labs.

Here are some shots with the M3, developed at TheDarkRoom.com:

Chicken Restaurant Advertisement by Palenquero Photography, on Flickr


84160015 by Palenquero Photography, on Flickr



26650006 by Palenquero Photography, on Flickr

 

[DanielDuarte]

Just a few cents from me...

If you're going to print optically, do it. 35mm has a lot of character, especially in 2016 when we are faced with amazingly high MP count and clinical lenses.

If you're going to scan, eh... Not sure. Unless you have access to a legit scanner 35 suffers from the Epson flat bed treatment. It deserves a cool scan or a flextight.

 

[taemo]

Just a few cents from me...

If you're going to print optically, do it. 35mm has a lot of character, especially in 2016 when we are faced with amazingly high MP count and clinical lenses.

If you're going to scan, eh... Not sure. Unless you have access to a legit scanner 35 suffers from the Epson flat bed treatment. It deserves a cool scan or a flextight.

this.

As someone that has decided to shoot more film (35mm, 120 and 4x5), my goal is to have enough negatives to print.
I'm quickly scanning them with my V600 for review and marking which ones to print once winter comes.

 

[Steve Bellayr]

IMHO: The Leica M6 for around $1200 is your best bet as it has all the frame lines from 28 to 135 and a meter. It will also function without a meter. As for film: When using film v digital you will find that you take less pictures. I have found that with my digital I take more, which is not bad but different. With film you are more careful. As for developing I use a lab. For me a lab is easier. Chemicals cost money, paper costs money & the computer, screen and printer need to syned. Chemicals need to be stored; they expire, and disposal can be an issue. Also, as a friend pointed out to me the safety factor: that they could be hazardous to your health. I don't know if that is true. I bring my film to a professional lab and have them develope the film. I also ask for 4x6 prints. That size print is closest to the original negative and it provides with a good image to reference if and when I want to blow the image up. On occasions I have the lab scan the negatives for so that I can upload the images into my computer. Be aware that there are higher and lower resolution of scans. Going back to the Leica M6. Currently, there is enough of a demand for that camera that should you purchase one and found it was not to your liking reselling it would not be a problem. Certainly, if there was a loss it would less than one course in photography. Also, the M6 is a newer model and can easily be found in excellent condition. If you look at trying a Leica film camera as an experimental learning experience you will not be disappointed. Good Luck.

 

[traveler_101]

Interesting; this is a wonderful forum because it allows every single point of view, experience and opinion to unite under one common denominator: Photography.

Bill, your opinion is very important and is very valuable (remember there is no right or wrong when dealing with our own wishes and desires.)

I designed (structural design engineer) my first 20-story building about 42 years ago, using one slide rule and one logarithm table. The design method (Cross, Kani, etc.) were in my mind already, learned at college years before. It took me almost 5 months to finish with drawings and all. Today, if I were still doing structural engineering, it would take me a week using powerful computer software, and another week printing the plans from Autocad in a large printer. Technology made our life easier, our work can be done faster and more efficiently. We will be able to drive a car in few years without driving it. In the future, we will be able to do nothing (well, relatively speaking) and live even better. Then, we look back and find it all weird.... yes, nostalgia.

We live too fast now. That is why we are abandoning the things that we enjoy and make it possible for us to be ourselves. I agree with technology to improve the job. If I were doing magazine or fashion photography, I would be probably enjoying a lot more digital photography. It would be a job. Anything that makes job easy is good. But when one has no buildings to design, projects to build, one may feel like nothing without the computer. In a recent trip to an underdeveloped country, I realized that I could not do what they needed with the computer. I had to go back in time and think the way I learned and used the engineering principles to solve a problem we were trying to solve. Many parts of the world still lives in the 19th Century.

Yes, nostalgia and the realization that to fully enjoy life we need to feel ourselves fully useful again. Going back to the basics is what it is all about. When you have gone through life achieving the goals that you set. The internal clock set by nature inside you starts ticking and asking you to start preparing for departure to the next level. Like Amy Winehouse said when singing the song..."You go back to her, and I go back to......black".

Well, I should have not put so much scotch in my coffee today. I went back to black in six seconds. 🙂

Your comments are so good and valid that they put more food for thought in my head. Yes, there is something missing between the lab scanning and the less than perfect now digital copy. I may do my own developing (as I said), but also my own enlargement and analog printing. Learning more stuff is for sure very certain and thanks for the encouragement. 😉

Wonderful comments about technology and deliberativeness! I agree the earlier comment that digital can be a powerful medium, but it never really replaced black and white film. So you are on solid ground for turning back to film. Sure, a wet print completes the analogue process making it incomparable; if I only had the space and time I would be there. However, I also think that film scanned still shows difference to digital, even with all of the "simulations" out there. An example.

M4, Summicron DR 50

20136002 by marek fogiel, on Flickr