Transition to digital ?

[herb10660]

This is an interesting debate but I feel the arguments from the pro film side seem to miss the point. Still photography for me is a hobby, a passion but nothing more. The definition of hobby is "An activity or interest pursued outside one's regular occupation and engaged in primarily for pleasure." So for me, photography is a way for me to feel good about myself. But this means that there has to be at least some difficulty to overcome. When I'm at work and we need to take stills for promotion etc we use Mamiya 645's with Leaf 22mp digital backs. Superb quality, easily manipulated and instantly emailed to clients. No difficulty at all, the Rb67's have been sat unused on the shelf for over a year and quite rightly. However, when I'm shooting for myself for pleasure, it has to be film all the way. There's nothing better than to leave the world of gamuts, channels and colorspace behind and get my hands dirty. It makes me feel like an artist and the results, although undeniably inferior to high end digital work, give me immense satisfaction as I feel I am personally involved in the creative process. Digital feels like a manufacturing process by comparison.

 

[yossarian]

I bought a Panasonic FZ15, because how could I resist an effective FL of over 400mm
and f/2.8? Of course, what I don't get is shallow depth of field. The other thing is, I
don't use digital "properly". I shoot it just like I shoot slide film, and I take my little
SD cards to the same lab which prints my neg stuff. I know this isn't what I'm
"supposed" to do, but I do it.
All current DSLRs are hogs. Give me a system the size of a Pen F, and I'm there.
BTW I actually prefer the smaller sensors, because I like that a 50/1.4 can behave
like a 75/1.4.
At $699, the two lens E300 kit is tempting, but it's still bigger than I want to lug.
But I've become highly dependent on image stabilization, so I may have to snag a
Maxxum 5 before they dribble away. I've got an M42 adapter for Maxxum, so I'm
set for interesting lenses, except for very wide, and there's a new one debuting
every month--I'm not gonna sweat it.
But I am curious to see who'll be the first to crack the magic $500 price barrier. Canon could do it right now with whatever remains of the first generation Rebel,
but why should they. It's looking like it could be Pentax. Hey, I got K-mount lenses
too.
One thing's for sure--I would never buy anything high end, and I really don't want less than 8mp--but it's doubtful I need any more than 8. And if these boneheads
can't get it right I'll just keep buying Panasonic FZs--they're fun.

 

[ch1]

Just answered this poll. I'm certainly not "just film" or "just digital". I opted for the middle (31-70%) but I'm at the lower end of that one.

Cannot see why one would either just do digital or just do film - even for personal use, each has its strengths and weaknesses.

For example, I just returned from a short trip to our place in Tucson. While there we visited the Botanical Gardens. I only shoot SLR in Tucson right now because I only have SLR cameras there at present (I don't carry cameras b/w our homes).

For the Garden visit I took both my F100 and D100 . I used the F100 almost exclusively for the general tour of the plantings. Afterall, plants and rocks don't move and "pose" very nicely.

However, they had a special live butterfly exhibit (you walk in the bugs fly around and maybe even land on you). In there I preferred the D100 because the immediate image feedback let me know if I had a clear or blurry image (those damned little guys move around alot! 😀 )

So I believe I had almost the best of both worlds that day by carrying both a film and digital camera and using each one for its strengths. What would have been perfect is if I had also been able to bring along a RF. Which is were the "new" Nikon S is going once I get it CLA'ed. 😎

 

[Andy K]

Cannot see why one would either just do digital or just do film - even for personal use, each has its strengths and weaknesses.

Maybe they do. But many people prefer only film because digital just doesn't 'do it' for them. I am one. I have a digital camera built into my phone, to me it is just a toy. If I want a photograph I don't even consider the camera phone, I use my QL17 GIII or Voigtlander Vito CLR or Olympus OM-1. Pictures on my phone don't even get downloaded, they just get erased.
I am sure there are digital users who feel the exact opposite.

 

[Socke]

I don't use the camera built into my phone, I wish I could get a 3G cell phone without a camera :-(

But differing from Andy I don't compare my dSLR output to 8x10 inch prints from pushed Minox 8x11 mm film and deduce that film is crap.

So I am very happy that I have both and shot with whatever does the job.

 

[ch1]

Hey Socke,

We're going to another Cuban restaurant here in NYC tonight before a jazz concert. This one is called "Azucar" and guess what - after every meal they give you a free cigar that is hand-rolled in the place!

Of course you're not allowed to smoke it in the restaurant - but quite a gimmick!

 

[Andy K]

I don't use the camera built into my phone, I wish I could get a 3G cell phone without a camera :-(

But differing from Andy I don't compare my dSLR output to 8x10 inch prints from pushed Minox 8x11 mm film and deduce that film is crap.

So I am very happy that I have both and shot with whatever does the job.

Where in my post did I say digital is crap? Do not claim I said something when I plainly did not.
I do not use digital because it has zero interest for me, none, nothing, nada, zilch. Got it? I also do not eat squid, drive three wheeled cars or pierce my body because I have no interest in those things either.

Sorry if that hurts your delicate sensibilities. 🙄

 

[ch1]

Where in my post did I say digital is crap? Do not claim I said something when I plainly did not.
I do not use digital because it has zero interest for me, none, nothing, nada, zilch. Got it? I also do not eat squid, drive three wheeled cars or pierce my body because I have no interest in those things either.

Sorry if that hurts your delicate sensibilities. 🙄

Andy,

Perhaps it was your use of the example of a camera phone that Socke found a bit "over the top"? I know I did - but chose not to respond.

A high-end DSLR is the tool of choice for many (most) pros these days. That you prefer film is fine - but it would be fairer to compare apples to apples - rather than do as you did.

Oh, I like squid but have no use for three-wheeled cars and am way to old to want to consider body piercing!

 

[Andy K]

I was not comparing a camera phone to a film camera. I was saying that I do not consider using it for any photographs. I automatically use my film cameras.

Socke's problem, like many digital users, is he thinks that because he uses digital then everyone should use digital. He doesn't understand that digital holds absolutely no interest whatsoever for a great many photographers.

 

[Socke]

Hey Socke,

We're going to another Cuban restaurant here in NYC tonight before a jazz concert. This one is called "Azucar" and guess what - after every meal they give you a free cigar that is hand-rolled in the place!

Of course you're not allowed to smoke it in the restaurant - but quite a gimmick!

Believe it or not, smoking is forbidden in public buildings in Cuba! They had an exception for the Cigar and Tobaco tradeshow in La Havana last year, but smoking is not allowed in resturants and bars anymore.
The "juventud rebelde" is getting old and stopped smoking, so everybody else has to, too 🙂

 

[ch1]

Believe it or not, smoking is forbidden in public buildings in Cuba! They had an exception for the Cigar and Tobaco tradeshow in La Havana last year, but smoking is not allowed in resturants and bars anymore.
The "juventud rebelde" is getting old and stopped smoking, so everybody else has to, too 🙂

Kind of ironic - hard to imagine Fidel w/o a cigar. Wonder how Churchill would cope if he lived in these "healthier" times? Didn't UK just outlaw smoking in most public building too.

It's been that way here in NYC for a long time now - and since I'm a non-smoker anyway - not sure what I'll do with the cigar.

Oh well, time to go. Hasta la vista! And please play nice with Andy while I'm gone. 😉

 

[Fedzilla_Bob]

I also do not eat squid, drive three wheeled cars orpierce my body because I have no interest in those things either.

My god man... how can you live without fried calimari?

Come on, you know you wanna try it with a side of Lumix and a Vario Elmar. 😉

 

[Sonnar Brian]

The S3-2000 is probably my last new film camera. I'll wait out the SP-2005 for a while. I shoot film on my time.

But at work, it's the D1x's, Micro-Nikkor's, and wides. Mostly scientific documentation work. Vu-graphs, reports, etc. The E3 would be better than the D1x's as it works with the SB29 ringlight. And it is full-frame, so the wide-angle lenses would be more effective. I can't justify using film at work; too much time involved digitizing it.

But on my time, its film. It's just more fun, and you can hold the results.

 

[ch1]

I mostly agree with Brian - except for getting one more R2S from Stephen.

Otherwise, there are so much good used film gear available that I don't see a demand for more new stuff - much less anyone making something innovative or commerative.

Hopefully, Mr. Kobyashi will keep a good line of basic RF and SLR gear available for "newbies" - but I'm not a "newbie" and have too many cameras already!

 

[wlewisiii]

Like Brian, I shoot film on my own time. Unlike him, I don't have a job where I need to use a digital, although we do have an elderly one now (a Kodak DC3400 2MP from 2000) that does what we need of it - ebay shots, snaps for Grandma, camera & coffee shots 😱

But my main reason for sticking to film is pragmatic - archivability. There is simply no way that a digitial file from today will be readable with any kind of ease 50 years from now. However those Plus-X & Fomapan negs will certainly be scanable (as well as printable if the papers still exist. I think they will simply because of artists.) then and it's a decent bet for the Reala negs as well although they will die faster. I just have this fantasy that John's children might be as interested in what I've done as I am in the tintype of my Great-great-grandfather that sits on my computer desk.

William

 

[Sonnar Brian]

I should add that I have a new, in-the-box Nikon F3HP, SN over 2M. Waiting for the '83 model to wear out.

 

[wlewisiii]

And I did forget to mention that my last _new_ film camera will be, somehow, a Canon EOS 1V (HS or not, I'm undecided) as I expect that to be thier last ala the F6.

William

 

[tedwhite]

I bought a Pentax *ist DS for several reasons.

1. All my Pentax M42 lens fit it with the simple addition of a Pentax M42/K mount adapter.

2. I have several real estate and home builder clients who will not accept anything but digital images because they need them the same day.

3. None of the internet mags or newspapers (3) that I freelance for will accept other than digital images.

4. It was reasonably priced: $748 from Willoughby's to my door with the 18-55 Pentax lens. By the way, it's small, well-designed ergonomically, and works just fine.

5. Even though I'm retired, I still need a little extra money.

That's it. When I want to do real photography, I use film cameras. I have the new Bessaflex (very good) in M42 so I can use my Pentax lenses. I have four Pentax Spotmatic bodies, all CLA'd. I have, at present, only one RF camera (Yashica GSN) as I've sold off all my Bessa stuff to save toward a Leica. I have also a wonderful Rolleiflex 2.8E. I am negotiating with a guy who has a good user M4 for $895. Seems a reasonable price.

But then I've got to buy a lens! Probably the cheapest would be the Summicron 50/2?

Perhaps my point here is that film works for me, perhaps not for others, and that's just fine. I have 40 year old negs that print as well as they did 40 years ago. Filing system? I file by year. For some reason I am able to recall - within a year or two - when I took the picture. Doesn't take long to find it. For me, a DSLR is basically a high-end point-and-shoot that I use as a particular type of tool that meets my purpose.

However, if I were working in advertising with MF and a digital back, of course. It's what the clients want, and I'd want to keep my job, provide a high quality image, and put my kids through college.

Ted

 

[Sonnar Brian]

A older Summicrons can be had for $200~$300 in good user condition. The Summarit also goes on the lower end of the scale. I picked up a Summarit in M-Mount for $125 and had it CLA'd for $80. Works great.

 

[ch1]

All in all, I look at it this way.

I'm about to turn 55 y.o.

I have both film and digital gear [and more than I need and should want!].

I prefer film and will mostly shoot it so long as it is available but always stay "current" with digi stuff.

My guess is that film will outlive me and if it doesn't, I'll still be able to take pictures! 😀

So tell me again, why we "waste" time with these threads.

Oh, BTW, only had one available pic to upload to the Gallery today.

Taking and posting pics is so much more fun! 😎