Questions for film users

[Athiril]

Going to move my processing more full time.


Basically.. how much film do your shoot per month? And what kind? B&W, colour neg, slide? And your satisfaction level with current services for analog (or do you DIY it all)

Also mention country of residence, perhaps area of country if its not listed on your profile, might help realise defiencies in some areas.

If it varies, an average monthly figure from a whole year is fine.


If you wish to take the time to expand on your answer, then feel free to do so and include more info;

What you use to shoot it;
What you like to shoot with film;
Why you shoot that with film;
Do you shoot professionally? If so, is film part of your professional body of work?
How long you've been doing it;
Do you plan on shooting more or less film in the future;
Are you happy with local (or even national) analog support services (processing, film availability, other stuff such as gear, chems, accessories), anything you feel lacking here, you can add if you wish what you feel lacking, why, and what you wish could improve there

And anything else you wish to add.




Cheers 🙂

Dan

 

[maddoc]

I shoot on average about 20 135-36 rolls of film per month, almost exclusively BW and develop all my BW by myself at home. If color then slide, which I get developed at Kitamura in Shinjuku (Tokyo) for 700JPY per roll and it takes only about 90 minutes waiting time (C41 would be about 40 minutes). 🙂

 

[Merkin]

I shoot four to seven rolls a month. Exclusively black and white. Almost exclusively Tri-X. I do all of my own processing, mostly in Diafine.

I shoot with an Olympus Pen FT, which is half-frame. If I was shooting with a full 35mm frame camera, I would be shooting somewhere in the neighborhood of ten rolls a month, most likely.

With the Pen, I mostly do what I hate to call street photography, as it tends to be more like impromptu portraiture of strangers. I use a fairly tight lens for what most think of as 'street photography.'

I use film because it produces images that are intentionally divorced from reality.

I am back in school, finally finishing my degree, but I am also building up a body of work for shows and sale, so I guess you could say that I am shooting semi-professionally, and all of it is with film.

I have been shooting off and on for about 20 years. My dad taught me when I was ten, give or take a year or two.

I will definitely be shooting more, as I am getting back in to 120 in addition to half-frame.

I am quite happy with 'analog support services.' The only thing that is annoying is the apparent shortage of blue contrast filters. 😉

 

[zerobuttons]

Copenhagen area, Denmark.
Only one provider can offer services here at a serious level, regarding development and enlargement. He seems to be determined to continue this service, however, come what may. The cost is high compared to what I see US users mention here. Regarding supply of film, I am fairly satisfied with the choices offered in my area.

Me, I shoot 2-4 rolls of B&W per month. Those I develop myself, and scan with a Nikon 9000. I shoot 30-50 rolls of colour negative a year, highly concentrated around vacation periods. Those I have developed and enlarged at above mentioned service provider.

I plan to continue this regimen. If it should happen that I am suddenly without any service provider in my area, I could probably live with B&W only, and still doing self-development. I would probably also consider investing in a small machine for colour development, like the Jobo 1500.

 

[Araakii]

Right now I shoot 3-4 120/220 rolls each weekend. I bring them to a local pro lab in Seattle and get them back the next day.

Now I have been shooting a lot of portraits and digital is just down right ugly for this. At one point I will stop shooting film but that time has not come yet.

 

[Joosep]

Joosep, Estonia, 22 years old.

"Basically.. how much film do your shoot per month? And what kind? B&W, colour neg, slide? And your satisfaction level with current services for analog (or do you DIY it all)"
I shoot about a role a week. Would shoot more, but university+work take alot of my time. Gonna get my BSc in july, after that I got alot free time, so probably a role will fill with 2-3 days.
99% of my stuff is C41. Mostly colour. Thats because I work at a photostore. We do C41 here. 😉 So I get a pretty nice discount on films and development + I control our Fuji minilab, so I can do some pretty nice scans for free.
E6 is kinda tricky to expose properly compared to C41 color neg (IMO), so I do like a roll or two in a year. (Really expensive to develop here in Estonia).
I dont usually do black and white, sometimes, I have an urge. Still mostly C41.

"What you use to shoot it;"
I use a myriad of cameras. Mostly my trusty Bessa R3M or Rolleicord.

"What you like to shoot with film;"
So long story short. I started photography when I was pretty young. Thought thats it, thats what I will do in life. Really enjoyed it. Went on doing it. (all digital) Started doing some small gigs and swoooooooosh. Everything just disappeared, all the fun in photography for me just vanished. Didnt touch my camera for 9 months (yup, 9 months). Somehow I got a Canon film SLR into my hands and with one day, it all came back. It was all fun again. Moved back to some old manual film cameras and awesome primes. Got even more fun. Tried almost all the epic old time swirlers and bokeh masters. All fun. Then the weight of my camera bag started to bug me. Now using a RF and its the best ever (for me).

"Do you shoot professionally? If so, is film part of your professional body of work?"
Truth be told we have a studio at our store, so I do use digital here, but thats my job at the company, not MY photography.
My photography is all fun and games. Shoot snapshots of my life. I have some ideas in the back of my head that I have an urge to put on film, so I do some deliberate photography aswell.
Gonna do some photos for an architectural history book next month. The guys who contacted me dont know it, but I will do it on BW film 🙂

"How long you've been doing it;"
Well honestly I shot two roles of film when I was 9 on a trip to a car museum in Latvia. But I have been shooting film intensly now for about 4 years.

"Do you plan on shooting more or less film in the future;"
I plant on shooting more and more.

"Are you happy with local (or even national) analog support services (processing, film availability, other stuff such as gear, chems, accessories), anything you feel lacking here, you can add if you wish what you feel lacking, why, and what you wish could improve there"
Well my fav. film was and is Fuji Reala. Still have about 10 roles stock, gonna go for Ektar after that I guess (ProFoto is still my fav. cheap snap shot 100 film).
What I wish... Ah ... I wish companies would invest into film. Develop new emulsions... Dreams.....

 

[haempe]

...around 400 frames per month (+/- 100).
All B/W, self developed. Wet printing area is under construction.

Restarted film photogrphy 3 years ago.
I shoot film for the balance to my day job, full digital and not very sophisticating (product photography).

I use a daylight kit with screwmount Leica, a low light kit with Leica M and for Macro a Nikon FE.
Rarely used, period, the MF PentaconSix and the LF 13x18cm Plaubel. But these should becoming more action in the future, I hope...

 

[Jockos]

I shoot mostly BW, 6-20 rolls per month depending on mood, weather and special occasions. I shoot some CN film also, maybe one roll per month.

Develop myself, both BW and CN but I don't develop CN very often and when I do, I usually develop some for friends also, so that the chemicals don't go to waste.

I don't shoot anything professional, it's just a hobby gone overboard 🙂
I shoot everything from landscapes to people with film. I do have a digital camera, but mostly use it for taking snaps of stuff I sell and to try out new lenses.

Availability for chemicals and film in Sweden is very good, both in stores and online, but the prices are crazy, so I mostly order in bulk from Germany.

Also worth mentioning is that I recently sold my dedicated film scanner because I built a darkroom in my apartment a few months ago! It's very rewarding, especially when I make a print for someone else!

 

[petronius]

Ca. 350 Rolls a year, 90% B&W (Polypan F); B&W (APH09) and color (Tetenal C41) self developed. No more wet printing, scanning only.

What I shoot with; what I like to shoot

 

[bigeye]

As an amateur, I shoot no more than 2-3 rolls a month, split between Tri-X and E100G, mostly 120. I only use film on stuff I care about and digital for the rest, so film use is down a roll or 2.

Process all B&W myself, in a bag. Color slides to NCPS and scanned at home on an Epson V700, though I'm firing up a old Beseler 45 enlarger as soon as we finish building the hangar for it. XTOL for developer and I stick to kodak for other chems.

Primary rig: 500 c/m and SWC with several backs, one at least loaded with E100G or Tri-X. 60/150/250 lenses + SWC's 38. These are stuffed in a pelican case that has everything necessary (e.g. wireless flashes, macro rings, etc). Roll and go; a pretty handy rig.

IIIf with the great CV 15mm is the ultra wide rig. I thought it would overlap the SWC, but I usually wind up using them together. Mostly Tri-X.

Graphic View 4x5 (203mm Ektar): mostly Tri-X and polaroid (Fuji), except for several boxes of E100G just rec'd. (4x5 color slides!) This 'single-shot' makes you very careful and considerate and it makes breathtaking images, if you do your part. 3-4 outings per year, so about 30 sheets/year.

Wife's D90 and my S100 handle the fast and furious family and business travel and reduce the volume of film I use. But, I use film when the picture matters to me.

- Charlie

 

[al1966]

I shoot around 50 rolls of 135 a month and about 5 of 120 in the same time frame. This is all monochrome, in the case of 135 whatever I can get for a good price and mostly developed with APH09 though faster films are developed in D76. I do not leave the house with out a camera, I am moving towards half frame now to slightly lower my film costs. The aim is to shoot more frames but slightly less film say 35-40 rolls a month.

 

[mathomas]

I shoot 1-2 rolls per week, with intermittent dry spells, so I probably average 3-4 per month. I shoot 75% B&W, the rest color neg.

I am in in the US, and am fortunate to have a pretty good family-owned (not a chain) lab/store nearby, and that's where my color goes. It's about $11 for dev/scan to TIFF. I do all my B&W myself, and scan. I occasionally do an inkjet print (average 1/month), either at home, or I order out for larger ones.

I'm fortunate to have a lot of nice cameras. What I tend to shoot is whatever I last bought. Though I prefer medium format, I just got a Leica R8, and have been shooting it recently. For medium format, I especially love my Hasselblad, and my Fuji GA645Zi. But I have other 35mm systems, too.

I shoot with film because like the texture of the results. B&W film is the "authentic" B&W, rather than a conversion. I appreciate the greater dynamic range of film. I also enjoy the cameras, and the overall film process.

"Film for art, digital for convenience." When I'm "doing photography", I use film. When I just need a picture of something, I use digital. I shoot street, streetscapes, landscapes, portraits, still-lifes etc. with film.

Not a pro.

Been shooting film again for about three years recently (returned from digital). I grew up in the film days, though, so I've shot it for many years of my life.

I figure I'll shoot about the same amount in the future.

I am very happy with my local and web support for film shooting, processing, printing, etc. I'm in Colorado.

 

[thegman]

What you use to shoot it;

MP and Fotoman 69.

What you like to shoot with film;

Everything, but I'm a landscapes guy at heart.

Why you shoot that with film;

I like the look of film, especially medium format. Digital cameras don't appeal to me.

Do you shoot professionally? If so, is film part of your professional body of work?

No.

How long you've been doing it;

Couple of years.

Do you plan on shooting more or less film in the future;

If I have time, more.

Are you happy with local (or even national) analog support services (processing, film availability, other stuff such as gear, chems, accessories), anything you feel lacking here, you can add if you wish what you feel lacking, why, and what you wish could improve there.

It's all fine really.

And anything else you wish to add.

I'd say, in this day and age, retail is going away in all sectors. If you're prepared to buy online, you can get anything you want. Availability of film and film cameras is 100 times better than it was in the heyday of film, simply due to the internet. Basically, don't worry about local availability unless your postal service is not good enough.

Film cameras are cheap, you can get a great SLR for under £100 ready to go, and sell it for the same. It's got to be worth a try.