Should I bother with film?

ecowarrior

ecowarrior

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My memories of shooting film are vague but are very much along the lines of stick-film-in-kodak-instamatic, point, shoot, send film to Boots (UK) for processing, get back terrible photos a week later. Most with "overexposed" stickers all over them.

Anyway, times move on and I'm now the very proud owner of some rather fine digital gear and about 10 years of solid photography under my belt, so I now at least know what I'm doing and am a half-decent (maybe almost half!) photographer.

And I'm kinda wondering about trying film again. Properly. Not just shooting, but the whole darkroom thing too.

One part of it is the idea that I'll never be able to afford a decent digital Leica until those digital leicas I can afford are so old their sensors are rusting (;o). However a nice old M6 with a fair vintage Leica lens is probably about affordable, and besides I also quite fancy medium format too.

There is also something rather romantic about the darkroom and black-and-white particularly.

So getting to my question, is it worth it? It seems from everything I've read/watched/learnt that the cost of the bits and pieces I need for developing b+w film isn't that much, even including an enlarger. The fluid and paper looks to be the stuff that will cost over time but I don't envisage doing a ton of prints, maybe a film or two a month perhaps.

Has anybody else done this? ie. go from being a 100% digital/adobe/send-to-printer photographer and invested time and money in shooting and developing film too. What were your experiences, outlay, advice? Were the results worth it in the end?
 
Ecowarrior

Ecowarrior

I think you should start with cheaper equipment , I know if you buy a Leica and you dont get on with it you may or may not get your money back . I use film and digital but I used to have a darkroom and it didnt take long to realise that its all a lot easier with a bigger format than 35mm , you could get an old folder and a cheap b+w only enlarger and if you dont get on with it you can still sell it .
 
Is it worth it? Only you can decide that, and you'll have to try it to know for certain. You definitely won't lose much should you decide to resell the M6 and you are right that 2nd hand darkroom gear is very cheap.

Coming from 100% digital, it was worth it for me though I still stick to a hybrid workflow. I have made a lot of mistakes along the way, and I'm sure you will too so be prepared for disappointments in addition to experiencing true b&w film beauty (maybe that's part of the romance you're after?).
 
Developing film is simple and requires only a few things. You can load the film into the tank either with a changing bag or in a dark closet.

Printing, though, is more involved than you may think. While you can drag a lot of stuff out every time you want to print, set stuff up temporarily in the bathroom (if you can get it dark enough), you probably won't do it too often. 🙂

I would suggest you start out developing your own film and scanning it, to see if you really want to mess with film, before you go all in with darkroom equipment.

Lots of things sound romantic. I spent decades printing my stuff in a darkroom. Modern times, though. I'd ease into it. 🙂
 
My advice... look at images... lots of images.

The reason to shoot film rather than digital is for the results.
If after viewing and comparing a lot of images from each (F&D) you find something about film you are missing with digital ...give it a try.
Otherwise it's just a gear chase and distraction from actually making photographs.
You have 10 years of digital photography under your belt. You may have all you need to get the look you want right now.
I would look in on that before considering what amounts to another medium.

Cheers!
 
Just to add I absolutely agree about going for something cheaper initially. The Leica is a long term dream, my current plan was to go buy a cheap 35mm SLR, Pentax K1000 or similar.
 
johnwolf said:
The way I think of it, my initiative switched the focus from the front-end picture making to the back-end process of developing and scanning. It made me realize the former is what I enjoy about photography. Plus, I found there are too many variables with film (film, temperature, agitation, time, dust, scanning....). I just did not want to invest the time and energy to master all of them. I grew to appreciate the consistency of digital.
Click to expand...

I think you've nailed my one concern. Also the point somebody else made about gear-chasing, is that all it is in my head?

I do have a romantic notion about going into the dark room and developing my own B+W stuff. I just wonder if that idea will very quickly get old once I start...
 
Yes, I went back to film after DSLR-LR-Printer. Not 100% switch, but 90% of joy is in use of Leica and RF glass, fun in the darkroom and indefinite tonal range of b/w film. DIY C-41 is also cool alternative for getting something different from digital.

If you have dream to try Leica go for it! Something which is not exists in digital, the advancing of film with M feel. And another HUGE part is in classic Leitz glass and some interesting modern alternatives from Cosina.

If you want to go cheap, OM Zuiko has made very well build and impressive optically primes. Cameras are small and build not cheap. Big VFs, precise focing screens. And not overpriced.
 
We live in a digital world.....however I was at a friends the other night and he has a killer turntable (Phillips I think) and a tube amp on which he plays his vinyl records and wow was it cool and very different from the clipped sound of my stereo system. IDK but wet prints from negs do look different and better IMO than anything from a digital rig.
 
ecowarrior said:
Just to add I absolutely agree about going for something cheaper initially. The Leica is a long term dream, my current plan was to go buy a cheap 35mm SLR, Pentax K1000 or similar.
Click to expand...

This would be what I'd do as well. If you ask around, you might be able to find family or friends who have unused film cameras around that they would lend you as well.

I'd get something cheap (a K1000 would be a good choice, as you mentioned, or you might get lucky and find something like an OM1 for under $50 as well), shoot a few rolls of Tri-X or Portra or whatever you like, and then have a lab develop (and depending on if you want to attempt DSLR scanning, scan) the results. If you want to see examples from a particular film or camera, Flickr is an excellent way to get an idea of what to expect.

I shot film in a casual way before getting my first digital camera, but I was largely a full-digital shooter up until 2013. I now shoot around half and half, and really enjoy film, especially for B&W. I recently received my first medium format camera, and hope to try 4x5 later in the year as well!
 
Sounds like you are gear-chasing, but there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. I don't think I can ever go with one without the other, but my affinity for film or digital will go through the range of 80/20 one way, then the same ratio going the other way.

When I shoot film, I only shoot B&W and develop it myself, then scan it, so I have a hybrid workflow, probably like a lot of people on RFF. To me the highlight of B&W film is that moment when you see those images when you pull the developed roll from the processing tank.
 
I used to shoot digital too. Two computer crashes later and a dozen of DVD's (full of pictures) dating back to mid-2000 that I cannot read on any computer , i decided that it was time to switch back to the good old film-in-sleeves-in-albums and keep them safe in my closet.
 
Just do it. You will know in very short order if it is for you or not, and if you choose equipment that holds its value, then it is only your time that is potentially (although in all likelihood enjoyably) lost.
 
Your head may say K1000, but your heart wants the M6

Your head may say K1000, but your heart wants the M6

If you can afford the Leica M6, just buy it. If you buy something cheaper to "get your toes wet", you'll never be satisfied that you got what you really wanted in the first place. Then you'll make a series of purchases - each progressively more expensive - until you finally reach that Leica M6. So, instead of one film camera you'll end up with three or four. Just jump into the M6 and be done with it. If you really hate it, you'll be able to resell it with minimal loss - as long as you are not abusive to it.

It takes little equipment to develop film - just a reel, a developing tank, and a change bag. I used to develop film in my bathroom. After a shower, all the dust settles to the floor. You can hang the film to dry from a clip that hangs off the shower curtain bar.

Enlarging and printing takes much more space and equipment. Your spouse may tolerate you developing film in the bathroom, but she is unlikely to tolerate a full darkroom. I would say that scanning your film as a first step is probably preferable. It also gets your film image into a workflow with which you are familiar. Then, if you still have a desire to develop and print, there may be a camera club or a local college that still has a darkroom that you could use for a small fee. At least try this before you jump into purchasing an enlarger that you may never use.
 
I have been shooting digital for just over 20 years, film about 38. In my 26 year career as a photographer, nothing is as creatively liberating and rewarding as shooting black and white film and printing them in the darkroom, it's really the only life I want to live as a photographer from here on out.

I give this insight to perhaps inspire because not everyone feels the same so it really is up to each person to decide if the journey and work / reward ratio is right for them.

Take a look at one of my favorite threads on this site:

http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=130772
 
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