Should I bother with film?

jkrumsick said:
Yep... The bait has been taken. The poison is coursing through his veins slowly... imperceptibly... It's just a matter of time before he's a fanatic :)
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Already wondering what lens would give best value for money to fit on an M2 :D No point getting to old age and thinking "ooh I wish I'd just tried...."
 
ecowarrior said:
Already wondering what lens would give best value for money to fit on an M2 :D No point getting to old age and thinking "ooh I wish I'd just tried...."
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I went the other way.. the Leica M3 in 1966.

A year later the first Spotmatic order arrived in South Africa.
A batch of 300. It was love at first sight.

The meter so much better than the clip on thing from Leica.
That Spotmatic used professionally. Fashion Shoots and Models..
Exposed on a Catwalk as much as 20 rolls in an evening!
Why wasn't there digital? Why?

Other pros using Medium Format or Large used my Pentax.
It traveled around the world.It went to the Macabi games and from my sisters father in law, to a press photographer, whose
SLR had broken down..It exposed maybe 20~50 rolls a day...
My Leica M was destroyed on a construction site..The Lens survived as i was changing it, when a huge beam fell on camera, on tripod..
The Leica is a pleasure to use.The 1967replacement body still in use. Pentax replaced when it was basically worn out..That replacement still in use by my daughter..
The Pentax a better pleasure.
It also made way more money!
Lenses. Use your 50mm. add a 28mm and later a 135..105mm.
The Leica M lens will be usually a 35mm. I prefer 50mm 'cause I use the M3. Best frame lines..
First see if you really enjoy FILM! :angel:
 
Well my colleague came through. He came to my desk this morning with a bag of stuff he'd fished out of his loft. It's now all mine.

An Pentax P30 body with an SMC Pentax-A 1.7 50mm, a Chinon CE-4s (it's a bit bashed but I love it!) with an SMC Pentax-M 1.4 50mm, a vivitar 283 flash, and a couple of other lenses of lesser quality.

I'm not achieving much work today :)
 
ecowarrior said:
Well my colleague came through. He came to my desk this morning with a bag of stuff he'd fished out of his loft. It's now all mine.

An Pentax P30 body with an SMC Pentax-A 1.7 50mm, a Chinon CE-4s (it's a bit bashed but I love it!) with an SMC Pentax-M 1.4 50mm, a vivitar 283 flash, and a couple of other lenses of lesser quality.

I'm not achieving much work today :)
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That 50mm f/1.4 is one of the finest lenses you could ever shoot. You may become a Pentax fanatic before, during or even after scratching the Leica itch. My "first" camera was my mother's Spotmatic she let me use. My first SLR was an ME Super.

Shoot those bodies you have and when you get your film back, consider treating that stunning 50mm to a body like an MX or LX if you like what you see. Those are truly professional rigs which stand alongside the Leica M in terms of build quality and handling.

Phil Forrest
 
I asked that same question to my neighbor who has a darkroom and is quite accomplished. He said spend a few hours in the darkroom first to see if it's for you. Why don't you find a flea market camera and shoot a few rolls of film. Then spend a few hours at a public darkroom if that's possible. Then you'll know for sure. Also consider space for your darkroom, which is more important than equipment which can be quite inexpensive right now.
 
ecowarrior said:
...
An Pentax P30 body with an SMC Pentax-A 1.7 50mm, a Chinon CE-4s (it's a bit bashed but I love it!) with an SMC Pentax-M 1.4 50mm, a vivitar 283 flash, and a couple of other lenses of lesser quality.

I'm not achieving much work today :)
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Great lenses and nice cameras to check in with film!
 
ecowarrior said:
Yep I'm in the UK and yes Ilford film was the film I was going to try first. And as for a battery, already got a new silver oxide 1.5 on order for it. Cos, y'know, it's my new baby :)

I'm definitely rather excited about the whole process now!
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If you want to keep the thread going (round in circles), then tell us which Ilford film you're buying...

Regards, David

PS You are on that slippery slope, btw, with more cameras than ever. Now you need to move into the Olympus XA or XA2 mode and you'll be doing nicely. Ignore the Contax T range and the super Nikon P&S's for the time being...
 
David Hughes said:
If you want to keep the thread going (round in circles), then tell us which Ilford film you're buying...

Regards, David

PS You are on that slippery slope, btw, with more cameras than ever. Now you need to move into the Olympus XA or XA2 mode and you'll be doing nicely. Ignore the Contax T range and the super Nikon P&S's for the time being...
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The technical answer to your first question is more likely to be "whatever they have in Boots" but when I've googled black and white film Ilford kept coming up and I like the look of what I see in the photos. I'll let you know (whether you want me to or not!).

With regards to film cameras, the Contax don't ring my bell but the Nikon 35ti with it's oh-so-sexy gauges on top I do like.
 
ecowarrior said:
The technical answer to your first question is more likely to be "whatever they have in Boots" but when I've googled black and white film Ilford kept coming up and I like the look of what I see in the photos. I'll let you know (whether you want me to or not!).

With regards to film cameras, the Contax don't ring my bell but the Nikon 35ti with it's oh-so-sexy gauges on top I do like.
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Boots very often have film on a buy one get one half price. Good way to buy them other than in 10 or more mail order. I buy HP5+ that way.
 
Boots were down to one box of Ilford HP5 Plus 400, so that is what I bought.
£7. Bit pricey maybe so in future I'd look somewhere other than Boots, but we'll see how this goes.

Was tempted to stick it in the P30 body but I shall sit on my hands and wait for the K1000 to arrive.
 
Second that. Look on ebay and various outlets.

Typical example for colour on ebay this morning was 9 cassettes of C200 (24 exp.) that went for thirteen quid including postage. And argos were doing three of them for four quid a while ago as I flagged them up. All new film, btw; well, with months to go before the "before" date.

Over the counter you can get 3 24exp. cassettes of Fuji C200 for about eight quid in Asda and I've bought Fomapan 400 (B&W) in 36 exp cassettes for four pounds in photo shops in England. The 200 ASA/ISO version of Fomapan is liked by a lot of us B&W shooters, a search on these forums should prove that..

Regards, David
 
Yes. This could get rather messy, the wife's already ticked off that I've apparently brought home - in her words - "somebody else's junk"!

Noted about the film, as I said I thought it was expensive too but it's one roll to get me started. If this bug gets any worse and becomes terminal - and all the signs point to this being so - then yes, the lettuce can go, the tomatoes are not required, and that tub of mayo can go in the bin, "this fridge is needed for other products now, darling" ;) And I can look into what other film options are out there.
 
ecowarrior said:
Yes. This could get rather messy, the wife's already ticked off that I've apparently brought home - in her words - "somebody else's junk"!

Noted about the film, as I said I thought it was expensive too but it's one roll to get me started. If this bug gets any worse and becomes terminal - and all the signs point to this being so - then yes, the lettuce can go, the tomatoes are not required, and that tub of mayo can go in the bin, "this fridge is needed for other products now, darling" ;) And I can look into what other film options are out there.
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They have trouble seeing the merits. They get over it.

Insist on the top shelf of the refr.
 
Hi,

Four dozen films don't take up much space. Don't open the cartons as you'll lose the "before" date and the plastic boxes inside save it from when the Worcestershire Sauce bottle falls over and into the film upside down. Don't ask how I know because I can't type through the tears.

Regards, David
 
I have never bothered to place films in fridge.
One has to allow time for it to reach room temperature.
Risk of condensation whatever.
Place it in a cupboard free of chemicals, film, cleaning, whatever.
Check your various cameras for exposure accuracy.
You have digital, compare readings..
The Chinon if like mine is a very light plastic body, with double exposure possibilities. It has controls much like Nikon F3..Saw a fake F3 many years ago, which probably used the Chinon..
The Pentax P model does not allow one to set ISO..a problem if it's out/wrong. I think a very lovely looking camera.
The K-1000 a superb machine. Even better if made in Japan.
 
My Chinon is a tank. Quite heavy, solid feel to it, unfortunately the previous owner dropped it "in the Tottenham Court Road" (perhaps there are better roads where you should drop a camera, I don't know). Anyway, cracked the top. Also, the indicator disc on the top of the shutter dial has fallen off, and the leatherette is coming away. I'd quite like to find an old repair/spares one the same so I can raid it for parts and put this one back to a decent condition. It's got a lovely feel to it.

Big downside of the Chinon though is the viewfinder seems quite dark compared to the P30. Can't see as easily through it, difficult to manually focus. Much easier on the P30. Not sure if this is something that can be improved or not.
 
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