Do you only shoot film? (POLL)

Super A-wesome · 04-19-2011, 04:18 PM

I'm wondering what you all shoot primarily, and I'd like to hear from those using both film and digital as I'm planning on getting a DSLR, but I'm afraid I'd start using film much less.

Nesster · 04-19-2011, 05:57 PM

I have to say I rarely shoot digital any more, though it is good to have around for certain things. When I first got the dslr I shot a lot with it, now I'm more into antique cameras which of course won't put an image into a chip.

**gofour3** · 04-19-2011, 06:12 PM

Film only and mostly slides, colour and b&w.

I have never shot nor will I ever shoot digital.

Phil.

GeneV · 04-19-2011, 06:40 PM

Pretty much equal, though my heart is with film, but with digital, I know I got the shot before I leave the shoot.

PGillin · 04-19-2011, 07:22 PM

I shoot film exclusively. I've gone through several stages of "justification" for my choice. When I started photography (last year, my Spottie was a with me a year in March) I found a Spotmatic for 55$ shipped, with a Super-Tak and strap. (as an aside I nearly ended up with an Exakta, and a Canon rangefinder tempted me mightily) I initially felt that I could shoot quite a good deal of film with this before it would even come near the cost of a dSLR, and I was right. Once the cost of all of my lenses and film passed that point, however, I started looking for other reasons. "Film is full frame, it gives me more resolution" or "De-saturated digital can't match a darkroom gelatin print" (it can't) and this lasted for a while.

Fed up with the impact of photo costs on my student's budget my family eventually offered to put up a substantial amount of money to buy me a dSLR. I then realized that I shoot on a SPOTMATIC, a classic, manual camera, rather than an auto-focusing, auto-exposing chunk of plastic. What I wanted was a classic, something manual from an older time, and, rather than choosing between film and digital, I was choosing between an Exakta, a Canon 7, a Spotmatic, a Nikon F, or a D700, a K100D, an EOS Mark-something, and the medium of capture was incidental, barely relevant. It would be NICE if I didn't have to put 3$ of Fomapan or 5$ worth of Efke into my Spottie every time I go out to shoot, but then I wouldn't be using my Spottie, I wouldn't opening the ever-ready case and bringing my image into focus on the fresnel ring (Without the fresnel using my rikenon 1.4 would be masochistic) and then changing the shutter speed and the aperture to line the needle up. Shuffling through a series of menus to make an LED go on just wouldn't be the same, and the idea of letting the camera do it for me is vaguely disquieting, how could it know precisely what I want to focus on, where the DOF should lay, or if I want to expose for the shadow or the highlights?

While the film vs. digital debate will drag on, I feel like it's often a choice between two very different sorts of camera than two different mediums of capture, why else are K1000s and SVs worth what they are while PZ10s and *ist film camera can hardly be given away?

**grux** · 04-19-2011, 08:07 PM

have to say for the past year it has been mostly film, it puts a smile on my face

Swift1 · 04-19-2011, 08:23 PM

Originally posted by grux

have to say for the past year it has been mostly film, it puts a smile on my face

My sentiments exactly.

stevebrot · 04-19-2011, 10:11 PM

Anymore it is about 50/50...

Steve

Alan Clogwyn · 04-20-2011, 05:55 AM

I do shoot digital more, but then that's probbaly more because I play the digital advantage - shoot several frames digital and fine tune it to get the best shot, and just shoot it the once on film. I use fil to cover wide angle focal lengths which I can't achieve with digital yet.

**Buffy** · 04-20-2011, 06:23 AM

Originally posted by Super A-wesome

I'm wondering what you all shoot primarily, and I'd like to hear from those using both film and digital as I'm planning on getting a DSLR, but I'm afraid I'd start using film much less.

I prefer to use my 645NIIs whenever I can, but it isn't always possible or convenient. In those cases I usually go to digital over 35mm. If I had a 645D I could see that cutting into my slide film shooting.

ajlec2000 · 04-20-2011, 06:25 AM - **1 Like**

Digital when the subject is to be documented. Film for all the good stuff. Especially XP2 Super.
Film when I need an excuse to fondle my PZ-1. Film when I want colors that pop. Film when I want the the grand old things to look like grand old things. Film cause it feels good.

stevbike · 04-20-2011, 06:37 AM

I would like to say film but due to the costs involved I can not shoot film all the time. If I need a very wide angle lense, the 18mm to 55mm DAL lense does the trick on my film bodied SF10. Otherwise, I shoot digital most of the time. I own a few film camera bodies that still work and fill the need to "Think and Shoot" due to limited number pictures they take. The film I shoot is scanned into digital form to allow work on the images within my computers software programs.

The big reason for mostly digital picture taking now is the lack income. Digital allows me to carry on with picture taking without worrying about the cost that film needs.

emetcalf · 04-20-2011, 06:53 AM

I haven't shot film in years, I loved being able to be creative in the dark room. But do not have a dark room and really can not afford one. So digital has become my way, I am very good on a computer so it puts two of my great loves together.

Nesster · 04-20-2011, 07:48 AM

Originally posted by gofour3

Film only and mostly slides, colour and b&w.

I have never shot nor will I ever shoot digital.

Phil.

I do hope you won't have to eat those words in your lifetime

I get a bad feeling when I look down another 15-20 years, as to how much and what types of film will still be available. I get a worse feeling when I consider is 15 years too optimistic...

**Ron Boggs** · 04-20-2011, 09:05 AM - **1 Like**

Digi for day to day...I do PR and marketing for a museum where digi gets web caliber images and pr stuff for newspapers and ads. I currently publish far more digi shots than film. Use digi for wildlife work as well including publication stuff, mostly because I'm a 200+ shot per hour guy when blasting great situations with birds and animals...nice to no longer plan on 10-20 rolls per day as I had to in the film days. Trips to Alaska included bringing 100 to 150 rolls of film, now just a few SD cards and a portable hard drive...HOWEVER

If it's actually meaningful work...I highly prefer film...actually hate digital and computers, it's just part of my real world of work with photography.

For serious landscape and cultural travel work and intended large prints I shift to 67II with transparency film and Hasselblad XpanII both exclusively with color transparency film. I love transparencies! Prefer medium format over all other photo media by a wide wide margin!

View Poll Results: What do you shoot?
Film only	16	12.70%
Film and Digital, digital more	54	42.86%
Film and Digital, film more	27	21.43%
Film and Digital equally	16	12.70%
They still make film!?	13	10.32%
Voters: 126. You may not vote on this poll

04-19-2011, 04:18 PM	#1
Super A-wesome Forum Member Join Date: Sep 2010 Posts: 94	Do you only shoot film? (POLL) I'm wondering what you all shoot primarily, and I'd like to hear from those using both film and digital as I'm planning on getting a DSLR, but I'm afraid I'd start using film much less.

04-20-2011, 06:23 AM	#10
Buffy Site Supporter Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Greater Boston area, Massachusetts Posts: 389	Re: Do you only shoot film? Originally posted by Super A-wesome I'm wondering what you all shoot primarily, and I'd like to hear from those using both film and digital as I'm planning on getting a DSLR, but I'm afraid I'd start using film much less. I prefer to use my 645NIIs whenever I can, but it isn't always possible or convenient. In those cases I usually go to digital over 35mm. If I had a 645D I could see that cutting into my slide film shooting.

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04-19-2011, 05:57 PM	#2
Nesster Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: NJ USA Photos: Gallery Posts: 13,072	I have to say I rarely shoot digital any more, though it is good to have around for certain things. When I first got the dslr I shot a lot with it, now I'm more into antique cameras which of course won't put an image into a chip.

04-19-2011, 06:12 PM	#3
gofour3 Site Supporter Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Vancouver, Canada Posts: 8,091	Film only and mostly slides, colour and b&w. I have never shot nor will I ever shoot digital. Phil.

04-19-2011, 06:40 PM	#4
GeneV Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Albuquerque NM Photos: Albums Posts: 9,830	Pretty much equal, though my heart is with film, but with digital, I know I got the shot before I leave the shoot.

04-19-2011, 07:22 PM	#5
PGillin Veteran Member Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Southern Ontario Photos: Albums Posts: 343	I shoot film exclusively. I've gone through several stages of "justification" for my choice. When I started photography (last year, my Spottie was a with me a year in March) I found a Spotmatic for 55$ shipped, with a Super-Tak and strap. (as an aside I nearly ended up with an Exakta, and a Canon rangefinder tempted me mightily) I initially felt that I could shoot quite a good deal of film with this before it would even come near the cost of a dSLR, and I was right. Once the cost of all of my lenses and film passed that point, however, I started looking for other reasons. "Film is full frame, it gives me more resolution" or "De-saturated digital can't match a darkroom gelatin print" (it can't) and this lasted for a while. Fed up with the impact of photo costs on my student's budget my family eventually offered to put up a substantial amount of money to buy me a dSLR. I then realized that I shoot on a SPOTMATIC, a classic, manual camera, rather than an auto-focusing, auto-exposing chunk of plastic. What I wanted was a classic, something manual from an older time, and, rather than choosing between film and digital, I was choosing between an Exakta, a Canon 7, a Spotmatic, a Nikon F, or a D700, a K100D, an EOS Mark-something, and the medium of capture was incidental, barely relevant. It would be NICE if I didn't have to put 3$ of Fomapan or 5$ worth of Efke into my Spottie every time I go out to shoot, but then I wouldn't be using my Spottie, I wouldn't opening the ever-ready case and bringing my image into focus on the fresnel ring (Without the fresnel using my rikenon 1.4 would be masochistic) and then changing the shutter speed and the aperture to line the needle up. Shuffling through a series of menus to make an LED go on just wouldn't be the same, and the idea of letting the camera do it for me is vaguely disquieting, how could it know precisely what I want to focus on, where the DOF should lay, or if I want to expose for the shadow or the highlights? While the film vs. digital debate will drag on, I feel like it's often a choice between two very different sorts of camera than two different mediums of capture, why else are K1000s and SVs worth what they are while PZ10s and *ist film camera can hardly be given away?

04-19-2011, 08:07 PM	#6
grux Site Supporter Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Toronto Photos: Albums Posts: 1,060	have to say for the past year it has been mostly film, it puts a smile on my face

04-19-2011, 08:23 PM	#7
Swift1 Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Oregon Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 5,079	Originally posted by grux have to say for the past year it has been mostly film, it puts a smile on my face My sentiments exactly.

04-19-2011, 10:11 PM	#8
stevebrot Otis Memorial Pentaxian Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Vancouver (USA) Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 42,007	Anymore it is about 50/50... Steve

04-20-2011, 05:55 AM	#9
Alan Clogwyn Forum Member Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Gwynedd Photos: Gallery Posts: 93	I do shoot digital more, but then that's probbaly more because I play the digital advantage - shoot several frames digital and fine tune it to get the best shot, and just shoot it the once on film. I use fil to cover wide angle focal lengths which I can't achieve with digital yet.

04-20-2011, 06:25 AM - 1 Like	#11
ajlec2000 Junior Member Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Cascades of Washington Posts: 34	Digital when the subject is to be documented. Film for all the good stuff. Especially XP2 Super. Film when I need an excuse to fondle my PZ-1. Film when I want colors that pop. Film when I want the the grand old things to look like grand old things. Film cause it feels good.

04-20-2011, 06:37 AM	#12
stevbike Senior Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: Newbury, Ontario Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 268	I would like to say film but due to the costs involved I can not shoot film all the time. If I need a very wide angle lense, the 18mm to 55mm DAL lense does the trick on my film bodied SF10. Otherwise, I shoot digital most of the time. I own a few film camera bodies that still work and fill the need to "Think and Shoot" due to limited number pictures they take. The film I shoot is scanned into digital form to allow work on the images within my computers software programs. The big reason for mostly digital picture taking now is the lack income. Digital allows me to carry on with picture taking without worrying about the cost that film needs.

04-20-2011, 06:53 AM	#13
emetcalf Inactive Account Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Lake Jackson Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 133	I haven't shot film in years, I loved being able to be creative in the dark room. But do not have a dark room and really can not afford one. So digital has become my way, I am very good on a computer so it puts two of my great loves together.

04-20-2011, 07:48 AM	#14
Nesster Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: NJ USA Photos: Gallery Posts: 13,072	Originally posted by gofour3 Film only and mostly slides, colour and b&w. I have never shot nor will I ever shoot digital. Phil. I do hope you won't have to eat those words in your lifetime I get a bad feeling when I look down another 15-20 years, as to how much and what types of film will still be available. I get a worse feeling when I consider is 15 years too optimistic...

04-20-2011, 09:05 AM - 1 Like	#15
Ron Boggs Site Supporter Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: MT Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,349	Digi for day to day...I do PR and marketing for a museum where digi gets web caliber images and pr stuff for newspapers and ads. I currently publish far more digi shots than film. Use digi for wildlife work as well including publication stuff, mostly because I'm a 200+ shot per hour guy when blasting great situations with birds and animals...nice to no longer plan on 10-20 rolls per day as I had to in the film days. Trips to Alaska included bringing 100 to 150 rolls of film, now just a few SD cards and a portable hard drive...HOWEVER If it's actually meaningful work...I highly prefer film...actually hate digital and computers, it's just part of my real world of work with photography. For serious landscape and cultural travel work and intended large prints I shift to 67II with transparency film and Hasselblad XpanII both exclusively with color transparency film. I love transparencies! Prefer medium format over all other photo media by a wide wide margin!