So I switch back to film

B

bedaberger

Guest
Hi!

At the moment i sell my Canon digital SLR 5D and some lenses,
and instead ordered a Zeiss Ikon including the 2/35 Biogon yesterday!
(Because of the exchange rates of EUR and GBP its € 300 cheaper in the UK than in the rest of europe!!! *ggg*) comes tomorrow! :)

I felt full of all that multifunction-digital stuff and wanted a more "basic" camera.

In the future i want to process and scan B/W films by myself, maybe the new T-max 400.
Does anybody know where i can get good information? - I'm a beginner...
Or does somebody recomend a good book?

thx
Peter
 
bedaberger said:
Does anybody know where i can get good information? - I'm a beginner...
Or does somebody recomend a good book?

thx
Peter
Click to expand...

You know, I did not sell my digital stuff, but I did buy a host of MF nikons and a Leica M2 recently. I also started developing my own B/W.

A good book will help, people will recommend one no doubt.

BUT, to be frank, everything I ever wanted to know about (analog) photography I learned by trying and asking questions on photo.net and here. This is the internet my friend, you can tap into everything WE know! Although opinions may differ, it will help you bigtime.
 
Peter

Welcome to the Forum, I started with a couple of books by Roger Hicks (he's on this forum regularly too). They are fairly easy to pick up and try out.

Buy some cheap 400 film to start and just try loading, unloading and processing the
film. You can get the bits to develop film for €50 or less for a full set. Stick with one film and one developer for the first while until you see how they work together then once all the processes are second nature, try anything you can think of just for the fun of it.

Best of Luck

Marcus
 
Welcome on the bright side, Peter ! I´m sure, you will enjoy the ZI and the Biogon. That´s a good start on your way to rangefinder mania.

What information are you looking for? Scanning or developing ? For scanning a good source of information is www.filmscanner.info . Developing? Hmm, that´s a little bit more difficult. I can´t say which modern books are available. Try to find the Ansel Adams books. They are great and should be found in second hand bookstores in Salzburg.

Thomas
 
I've just started learning to print and have picked up this book by Horenstein to help me after lots of research. See here http://www.amazon.com/Black-White-Photography-Basic-Manual/dp/0316373141

Printing is just one small part of it, and the book has good basic information about the whole process from camera choice, through development, to printing. It's incredibly well written and easy to digest.
 
You should buy a good scanner first, like Nikon CS 5000, start with chromogenic films like XP2 or Portra 400, both exposed at 200. Then you can move to silver films - try Acros and Tri-X for start. There is a tutorial on developing on Ilford's site, and a book "The Film Developing Cookbook". I would also subscribe to Roger Hicks site : rogerandfrances.com where you will find lots of good advice.
 
marcust101 said:
Peter

Welcome to the Forum, I started with a couple of books by Roger Hicks (he's on this forum regularly too).
Click to expand...
Dear Marcus,

Thanks for the plug! The more so as it gives me an excuse to plug my web-site as well (though I see that mfogiel has just done the same -- thanks! -- and I'll second his endorsement of chromogenic films for scanning, ideally XP2 Super).

Plenty on the site is free, too. Here's the address of a free module for those coming to film

http://www.rogerandfrances.com/photoschool/ps film welcome.html

and here's one for those considering black and white:

http://www.rogerandfrances.com/blackwhite.html

then there's lots more stuff about basics:

http://www.rogerandfrances.com/photoschool/ps basics.html

and how to do things such as load a dev tank, develop it, bulk-load film, etc.

http://www.rogerandfrances.com/photoschool/ps howdoi.html

Read that lot, and some questions will be answered, and they should make it easier to frame other questions that they don't answer.

Cheers,

Roger
 
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Don't hesitate to ask questions here. I've asked dozens and people are always patient and very keen to help.

I like your choice of camera and lens by the way ... I have an Ikon but no Biogon sadly. Wonderful camera and after an SLR the viewfinder is scary ... so much to see! :p
 
Film developing is super easy.
I started about a year ago, maybe a bit more; i did not scr@w up one single film yet.
One warning: Neopan 400 I found VERY difficult to load into plastic reels (and it turned out, other people have the same problem).

I regularly use Diafine, it's a comfortable and long lasting developer. No fuss with temperature and times. But it's not really good for slow films and low grain and such.
 
Everyone says its simple

Everyone says its simple

And it is.

But you can't beat having someone show you the ropes as a starting point. Gives you confidence to go on, and extra help in the awkward first few moments.

Find a school / community college or something similar with an evening class. They will get you going then you can fine tune with experience, and selective learning from the web.

If you still have a digital camera handy it can prove useful as a kind of free, more modern polaroid. Once all is looking good, transfer settings to film camera and away you go. This will also help you find your feet and give you confidence in that blind trust that is shooting with film. Another plus, your first foray into realising the final image from the negative (be it in a dark room or at a computer) won't be from some hideous disaster of an original!

Ted.
 
Great, Peter!
let me congratulate with you for a such strong choice.
I hope you will find here everything you could need in your new photographic life.
By my side, I can only tell you my very personal choices depending on the subject:

Landscapes: SLIDES. Fuji Velvia 50 underexposed half stop.
Model shooting: depending on your taste, you could go for the SLIDES KODAK E100G
or Fuji PROVIA 100F (more contrasty and good to emphatize make up but paler skin)

Casual shooting (with people), or weddings: NEGATIVE FILM: KODAK PORTRA NC 160 / 400 (more natural skin tones, the VC version is more contrasty) but you might prefer also a very good Fuji PRO S (C version is contrasty) always in 160 ad 400 iso version.

B/W: Personally I like the T-MAX3200 as a reportage film able to get everything in each (almost) light condition, but deciding if it's better T-MAX 400 or KODAK TRI-X or ILFORD XP2 is just a matter of taste if you like deeper black or smoother shadows.

P.S.: I DIDN'T replied intentionally to your questions since everyone here is more expert than me, I'd just wanted to put your fun not only in developing but also in shooting ! I hope you don't mind if I did that...
 
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I've also sold off most of my DSLR equipment, and have just kept the basic gear I need for paid events ( I still need the fast AF, f2.8 zooms and Nikon's i-ttl lighting for event shooting). But for personal use, I use my RF gear (film and digital) almost exclusively.

TMY may be challenge to use as a learning tool. I would suggest using something less finicky like HP5+ or Tri-X to get started, and then move on from there, if you want to. As someone once saud (and it bears repeating), if you screw up HP5+, then find another hobby. :D

I would also suggest starting out with Diafine as a developer, since it is incredibly easy to use, although you are limited to a specific EI per film, e.g., 800 for HP5+ and 1250 for Tri-X. If you want to play with EI's then use some of the "classic" developers.

The toughest part in doing this the first time is trying to get a roll of negative onto a reel in total darkness. :bang: So, if I were you, my first step would be to get a cheap roll of film and buy a reel (plastic or steel) and practice. Once you can do that blindfolded, then you can get on with the rest of it.

Good luck!

Keith
 
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Hi all!

Thank's a lot for all your answers!
I'm happy do be "here", so sometimes you willl here some questions! ;)
First i will try to get used to the camera, the next step will be developing my own films.

I know, it's not not more simple to shoot film than digital.
But I think that kind of camera will give me back control.

Peter

PS: is somebody near Salzburg too?
 
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