[brewmaster15]

When I decided to start shooting film again , particularly black and white I knew I would have to get used to not having that instant preview on the back of the camera to check things out as far as composition, exposure etc.. Now several rolls into this I found myself looking at the back of the camera by instinct! Finally re-trained myself not to, and to really think about the shot.

What I didn't anticipate was how spoiled the dslr data made me. All the things like lens info, aperture, shutter,iso, filters used...film specs. With.the dslr I had most of it at my finger tips literally! With film, I have to actually take notes! So far thats been the biggest re-training challenge. I used take pretty decent and detailed notes when I shot slide film but black and white requires even more of that..At least it does for me as I am trying to really get into this and need to understand all the factors.

So my.question is, Whats your technique for keeping track of the info when shooting film... simple note book? Smart phone note app, something else?
Thanks,
AL

[pres589]

I write the ISO I selected on the cassette itself so when I do the development it's there. I don't care about the aperture unless it's long exposure stuff and I'm trying something new. Android has Keep as part of the OS as standard, that might help for taking notes. I could see taking notes on filters if I used something like a graduated ND or long shots using an ND.

[aslyfox]

i, too, am trying to use one of my new to me Pentax SLR - ME Super, Super Program and Z 1

I'm hoping to remember the type of lens I use for the photos

with my digital cameras, I will take a photo of the lens when I change over but not sure if I want to do that with film

the rest of the " stuff " I forget to note

[ismaelg]

Hello,

I use a little pocket notebook where I take notes like camera, film, subject, shutter speed, aperture, lens etc. Here is an example. But the truth is that I always start very dedicated for the first few frames of each roll and then the notes get lousy and I just toss the notebook into the camera bag close to the end of the roll.



Thanks,

[skyer]

Samsung has great Note smartphones which have a built-in stylus. I take notes with it. Then I copy the notes to a folder with scans on my PC.

[pres589]

I'v got an upcoming project where I want to audition three different lenses. My plan is to use three different films, 24 exposure rolls for each, and just know "Okay, Pro Image 100 went to this, Superia 400 is that," etc.

[TomB_tx]

I've shot a lot of film since the 1950s. The perspective would indicate what F.L. lens was used (never used zooms). Sometimes I'd start a roll with a mirror shot to see the camera and lens - typically used one lens for a roll. Otherwise didn't care about details - still don't. Now on digital I still don't think about looking at the LCD - just look for the next shot, not the last.

[pres589]

I like the mirror shot suggestion. Would also be a way to check lens resolution via readability of the trim ring text.

[brewmaster15]

I was out shooting today a bit and it was so darn cold by the seashore with the breeze I could not even hold a pen. Maybe next time I will try recording it! "Alexis, Tell Amazon I shot Roll one, kentmere 100, frame 1 at F5.6 with my tammy 70-200 2.8""lol. seriously though, maybe I will try using the recorder on my phone!

al

[Alex645]

Whats your technique for keeping track of the info when shooting film... simple note book? Smart phone note app, something else?

This is one the reasons I upgraded from a 645 to the 645N. On the edge of the film the 645N imprints frame number, exposure mode, shutter speed, aperture value, exposure comp, meter mode and lens focal length. Other film cameras that do this are very few and far between.

[brewmaster15]

This is one the reasons I upgraded from a 645 to the 645N. On the edge of the film the 645N imprints frame number, exposure mode, shutter speed, aperture value, exposure comp, meter mode and lens focal length. Other film cameras that do this are very few and far between.

That is one awesome feature! I am sure one day soon I will pick up a Medium format system.. good to know about the 645N. Thanks!

Al

[LensBeginner]

I still take note of all parameters that don't appear in the EXIF data when using manual lenses: aperture, FL in case of zoom lenses, FL in case I turned off SR with a camera like the K-30 (which doesn't record FL with manual lenses with SR turned off).

[Digitalis]

This is one the reasons I upgraded from a 645 to the 645N. On the edge of the film the 645N imprints frame number, exposure mode, shutter speed, aperture value, exposure comp, meter mode and lens focal length.

Yes, this was a valuable feature of the Pentax 645N.

[tuco]

i'm like Ismael. I record on paper. But the good news is I record less f-stop/shutter speed kind of info than in the past. I do that mostly when working with new film; otherwise, I'm just recording what roll was taken where/when and anything like using a filter or not.

Four of my notebooks used to record picture data spanning the years from 2008 through 2020. Some had pockets inside where I'd keep reciprocity charts and other look up data I might need. Today a lot of that info is on my phone now.

[Digitalis]

I think I should point out for commercial work in the studio I take notes of everything, no detail too small. I frequently annotate my notes with photos taken on my iPhone for future reference on how everything in the studio was laid out. This helps with future shoots should the same client hire me to shoot similar subjects again.

Today a lot of that info is on my phone now.

I hope you keep that data backed up!