Slr vs. dslr

J

jpa66

Jan as in "Jan and Dean"
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I've been shooting with a Nikon D70 for over four years now, but have since rediscovered film, and actually brought along an slr on a recent trip - for the first time in about 8 years. After not having used it for some time, I brought my Canon AE1-P with me. I had a great deal of fun with it, but the first thing that I noticed was that it was LOUD. After having used a dslr for awhile, and then slowly getting back into film with a rangefinder, it seemed exceptionally loud.

I did really enjoy using the 50mm lens that I brought ( the only one ) and I love the way that it feels in my hand. I also love the controls, and I'm very comfortable with it. My biggest pet peeve with it, and Canon in general, is that it's an FD lens mount, and Canon got rid of them. I also loved the look of the slides that I had developed. Even scanned they seemed better than digital to me.

I guess the crux of this post is that I've been slowly moving back into film, and find that I don't feel like shooting with my digital as much. It's getting to the point where I'm hardly ever using it ( and I do like the camera ). I can't completely put into words why I'm tiring of digital, but I am. I don't know if it's the excitement of shooting film again, the "novelty", or whatever, but I'm finding it much more satisfying than shooting digital.

So there's some musings for the day...

JP
 
JP,

Agreed!!

I was shooting a D700 up until a few months ago. That was before i made the decision to try film again.

It all started with a Konica Hexar AF, then the FE2, then my old F90, then a new Zeiss Ikon and more recently (few days ago) an M2 ....... yeah i know ... i am out of control ...

Just like you, i find it much more satisfying and exciting shooting films and for some reason, i seem to end up with more keepers that i ever did with my digital.
 
One day I was looking for my OM. I just couldn't find it. I looked everywhere around the apartment, and finally I went through all my photo equipment only to discover it was simply hiding behind my Canon 40D. The point of this is to say that the DSLR is so very very massive compared to something like an OM. And don't even get me started on the viewfinders of the 40D vs the OM.
 
I have a Nikon D200. Just got back from 3 weeks in New England (used my CV R3M there) and NYC (used my Nikon FM3A). I had supreme photographic bliss. Can't explain it either. Maybe the tactile feel of steel and glass versus plastic and electronics. Keep thinking I will dump the D200, but I don't.
 
JP,
+1 here. It's kind of something which doesn't need any word to be understood, nor any word could ever fully explain why it is like this.
 
Im finding it really positive to see I'm not the only one who was film, went digital and is going back to film.
Size has never been an issue, I use a 1Ds MkII for work and A 1N RS for fun. But the weight, size and feel of the 1NRS just seem to fit better and the pellicle mirror is a god send. I love been able to see the image constantly.

Anyway, going off on a tangent there, i just wish the makers (Hardware and film) were reading this and would start looking at keeping or adding to there product range, not slashing lines all the time.

I hope film keeps going for a long long time.

Matt
 
I went to a birthday party a few months ago for an old friend, about twenty people in a nice restaurant. I brought along my Bessa L with the 15mm, mostly because I usually carry it, "but you should enjoy yourself, not worry about taking pictures!" I was soon handed a Nikon DSLR to "shoot a few group pictures" and things went downhill from there. Every time the flash went off everybody needed to chimp the picture before I could take another one.

Several people,and not just the young ones, wanted to know how I could just shoot a frame or two with my film camera and be sure that the picture would be OK.

DSLR's with auto focus are the mort evil of all!
 
kshapero said:
I use a 24mm/f2.8 AF and a 60mm/f2.8 AF.
Click to expand...
OK you're using primes, so in a sense that's somewhat similar to your rangefinder kit. The reason I asked is that I've never been really enthusiastic about digital, have disliked the digital P&S cameras I've used, but late last year I bought into a modest dSLR system with the express purpose of making it as automatic & painless as possible. It is a completely different experience from using my MPs and prime Leica glass. So for most color, I have an AF medium zoom, straight JPEGs OOC with minimal PP, and pictures that I'm really happy with. I'm not wild about using the gear, I reserve that for the B&W and the Leicas, but I'm finding that I really like the results from the dSLR once I got the hang of using the camera.

Despite what Al says, I find the AF is great on the zoom, and the lens is so good I'm selling off my Nikkor AiS primes because I don't need them anymore. For family snaps and some business work where I need quality images this dSLR really seems to work, and I think the key for me is the fact that the two kits are not interchangeable, but two very different pieces of gear that serve two very different purposes.
 
I'm part of the club. I used to shoot with Pentax manual film cameras. Was never happy with the final product. One day I went to a classic car race and wasted so many shots that I got fed up and bought a d70 and the unlimited shots and cost free processing helped me re-learn a lot of things i'd forgotten about exposure and dof. I was content for a long time, then my friend's dad sold me his FE and some manual lenses and after that, I got hooked on film again. I then discovered the Canonet and got a taste of rangefinders. I've since aquired a few more film cameras...

as seen here
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bhop73/3643482506/

I probably shoot at least 90% film now. It's just more fun. I can't get rid of my digital bodies though, I shoot for a car website and film wouldn't be cost effective for that, or sometimes I just need some quick shots.
 
Well, I am swimming against the stream here. I like my MF Nikon bodies and MF lenses but wanted to go digital. I was never happy with the DX cameras viewfinders but the D700 came along and I am enjoying using both my MF and AF lenses. It is the closest I can get to the old film SLRs using digital. I still use both film and digital but mostly digital.

Bob
 
I too went from shooting with Nikon film cameras (F3HP) sold them (yeah, I know...dumb) went to Nikon digital D70, and 6 months ago, a D90 but I felt that constant "pull" back to film cameras. As I have read in various threads here, there is that solid, precision "feel" you get from film cameras that just isn't there with digital.

So now I just got an Olympus OM-1 (love the size) and am anxious to start shooting with it. I am also feeling a very strong urge to go Bessa (I can't stay away from the CameraQuest website)

And I truly love the RF forum!!

Great weekend All!
Paul
 
Nikon Bob said:
Well, I am swimming against the stream here. I like my MF Nikon bodies and MF lenses but wanted to go digital. I was never happy with the DX cameras viewfinders but the D700 came along and I am enjoying using both my MF and AF lenses. It is the closest I can get to the old film SLRs using digital. I still use both film and digital but mostly digital.

Bob
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I sort of did the same thing with my D200. I would shot in BW then PP with DXO film pack 2, to make it look like Tri-X then one day I remembered that if I just shoot Tri-X film it would look like Tri-X better than the digital way.
 
PaulW128 said:
I too went from shooting with Nikon film cameras (F3HP) sold them (yeah, I know...dumb) went to Nikon digital D70, and 6 months ago, a D90 but I felt that constant "pull" back to film cameras. As I have read in various threads here, there is that solid, precision "feel" you get from film cameras that just isn't there with digital.

So now I just got an Olympus OM-1 (love the size) and am anxious to start shooting with it. I am also feeling a very strong urge to go Bessa (I can't stay away from the CameraQuest website)

And I truly love the RF forum!!

Great weekend All!
Paul
Click to expand...
Welcome aboard Paul. Get GAS feel our pain (or pleasure).
 
Thanks KS. I dont have GAS, really I don't. No desire whatsoever for another camera....Ok, maybe just an R3M and that sweet little 40 1.4 and that would be it, I wouldn't want any other gear after that, really, no kidding!!
 
PaulW128 said:
Thanks KS. I dont have GAS, really I don't. No desire whatsoever for another camera....Ok, maybe just an R3M and that sweet little 40 1.4 and that would be it, I wouldn't want any other gear after that, really, no kidding!!
Click to expand...
liar, liar, pants on fire.
 
At the moment I use a D40 extensively as I have to make cuts in my budget. I use it with a 50mm 1.8 AF so I have all functions except AF. This is a small and nice combo alas not as compact as an RF with a 35mm 2.5 Skopar.
using the DSLR gives me valuable lessons about the limits of all the automatic or programme modes that still can not get a grip on white/very light (underexposed) or very dark subjects (overexposed) also the fact that the programmmodes tend to overexpoes sometimes. Quite a lesson when one is used to the tolerance of B&W.
For B&W I use mainly RFs and my Nikon FM
 
kshapero said:
I have a Nikon D200. Just got back from 3 weeks in New England (used my CV R3M there) and NYC (used my Nikon FM3A). I had supreme photographic bliss. Can't explain it either. Maybe the tactile feel of steel and glass versus plastic and electronics. Keep thinking I will dump the D200, but I don't.
Click to expand...

Yeah - I keep thinking that I'm going to dump the 18 - 200mm lens I've been using ( which is a great lens, just a bit too heavy for my tastes ) and get the a wide angle zoom ( the 12 - 24mm I think is the one?).
 
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