[PPPPPP42]

Its really the APSC thing that did it in, followed by the absolutely infuriating dynamic range in the exact lighting I like to shoot in (I like skies to go with my foreground thank you). Its odd that I would decide to drop digital seeing as how I'm only shooting self developed (soon) B&W now in the film cameras. Maybe it would be tolerable if I had some of the comically short focal length lenses required to take the shots I want with a crop sensor (24-50 is my widest) but at this point the K20D is effectively shelved unless I want a special project (looking into HDR for goth/steampunk style pictures), and I'm sticking with film till a FF comes out.

The Super Program is off to Eric soon (its in pretty sorry shape), so I'm carrying the K1000 with me everywhere now which I think I like better anyways. Thanks to that K1000 I'm starting to be able to look at a scene and have a good guess as to what F stop and shutter speed combos will work for me.
I had forgotten what a joy it is to actually have a fast 50 as a useable focal length and my 70-210 F4 is suddenly capable of being a longer range walk around lens again. The 24-50 F4 makes me feel like I can cram the whole world into a picture. I can take out just the 35-105 F3.5 on the K1000 and nothing else and be happy for the whole day. Hell its just a joy to look through the viewfinder and not feel like I'm spying on the world through a keyhole. You have no idea how much easier it is to take a picture of a train with a 24mm lens on FF vs APSC, I'm at risk of getting hit before I'm too close for the shot. With FF I actually have every lens I need already so its really cheaper this way too.
How does a person focus manually with a 17mm or so lens on a tiny viewfinder like that anyways? It would be like trying to read microfiche without the machine.

I had done a number of rolls of C41 in both color and B&W (BW400CN), but I'm started in on the few commercial rolls of Ilford Delta 400 i picked up until I can make the big order which is the chemicals and a 100 foot bulk roll of film for the pile of darkroom I have (including proper DDX developer) later this week. I am very much a solidly ISO 400 person, I might try higher ISO stuff some day, but with the super low grain in this higher end 400 I don't see any reason to ever use slower film since I don't plan to swing my Beseler on its side and make wall size prints any time soon (I do have the XL booster seat for it though).

Not only do I feel like I have lost nothing, but my enthusiasm for photography seems a whole hell of a lot higher all of a sudden.

Sharing will be a bother though, no film scanner, this if from the last C41 batch done by target.

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Last edited by PPPPPP42; 07-31-2012 at 09:28 PM.

[gofour3]

Its really the APSC thing that did it in, followed by the absolutely infuriating dynamic range in the exact lighting I like to shoot in (I like skies to go with my foreground thank you). Its odd that I would decide to drop digital seeing as how I'm only shooting self developed (soon) B&W now in the film cameras. Maybe it would be tolerable if I had some of the comically short focal length lenses required to take the shots I want with a crop sensor (24-50 is my widest) but at this point the K20D is effectively shelved unless I want a special project (looking into HDR for goth/steampunk style pictures), and I'm sticking with film till a FF comes out.

The Super Program is off to Eric soon (its in pretty sorry shape), so I'm carrying the K1000 with me everywhere now which I think I like better anyways. Thanks to that K1000 I'm starting to be able to look at a scene and have a good guess as to what F stop and shutter speed combos will work for me.
I had forgotten what a joy it is to actually have a fast 50 as a useable focal length and my 70-210 F4 is suddenly capable of being a longer range walk around lens again. The 24-50 F4 makes me feel like I can cram the whole world into a picture. I can take out just the 35-105 F3.5 on the K1000 and nothing else and be happy for the whole day. Hell its just a joy to look through the viewfinder and not feel like I'm spying on the world through a keyhole. You have no idea how much easier it is to take a picture of a train with a 24mm lens on FF vs APSC, I'm at risk of getting hit before I'm too close for the shot. With FF I actually have every lens I need already so its really cheaper this way too.
How does a person focus manually with a 17mm or so lens on a tiny viewfinder like that anyways? It would be like trying to read microfiche without the machine.

I had done a number of rolls of C41 in both color and B&W (BW400CN), but I'm started in on the few commercial rolls of Ilford Delta 400 i picked up until I can make the big order which is the chemicals and a 100 foot bulk roll of film for the pile of darkroom I have (including proper DDX developer) later this week. I am very much a solidly ISO 400 person, I might try higher ISO stuff some day, but with the super low grain in this higher end 400 I don't see any reason to ever use slower film since I don't plan to swing my Beseler on its side and make wall size prints any time soon (I do have the XL booster seat for it though).

Not only do I feel like I have lost nothing, but my enthusiasm for photography seems a whole hell of a lot higher all of a sudden.

Sharing will be a bother though, no film scanner, this if from the last C41 batch done by target.

Good stuff and enjoy the feeling that only film can bring!

Phil.

[Pioneer]

I still use my K7 from time to time if I absolutely need the image right away, post on E-Bay, etc. But I, like you, typically do not carry a digital at all anymore.

I just returned from a two day trip to Reno and the only camera I packed was my Ansco Super Memar with the Solagan 50mm f2.0 fixed lens. A beautiful, little 35mm rangefinder from the 1950's, it uses no batteries and has no meter, yet takes some magnificent shots. And this is not a new thing, I have been doing it for quite awhile, though I usually pack my K1000 or LX on most trips.

Sharing pictures is a bit more difficult but scanners are not terribly expensive if you don't need something real big. I scan my black and white, as well as some color, on my little Epson V500 and I have been quite happy with it.

[hcarvalhoalves]

Man, I feel so like it...

I love the convenience of digital (K-x) but I have all this great manual/fast/wide glass that can't be used appropriately. I f***** hate the tiny viewfinder and the enourmous size of DSLR, and I'm itching to just keep the ME and shoot film. If only Pentax released the equivalent of a digital K1000...

[hks_kansei]

Sounds similar to myself.

My *istDS started to act up on me and just took the lustre off using it.

When rummaging around the house I found my girlfriend's dad's old camera (Pentax SP1000)

I read up on how to use it (when I was young dad taught me about photography I mainly used either his SuperA (I think) and his SFX)
After a quick bit of reading I worked out how the light meter works on the the SP and put a roll in and went to see if it worked.

The first roll didn't wind on, so it was dead (not to worry, I'm intending on using that now dead canister to re-wind and try some redscale photos)

After I put the second roll in (and made sure to wind it on correctly) I went around and took some pictures.

Taking pics with the SP1000 reminded me how much fun photography is when you take your time and THINK about what you're doing.


After the fun, and nice images, from the SP I decided to buy myself a K mount film camera and an ok 50mm lens. After much searching on ebay I found a mint Pentax ME with a Pentax-A 50mmF2.

I still have the *istDS, and I still use it (the 50mm lens on it shits all over the 18-50mm Sigma I used to use), but I must admit, I much prefer the ME...... simpler, nicer to hold, and it just feels special.


Plus, the ME encourages me to actually go out and take photos!
Unlike the digital I can't just grab a shot and go home, it means I need to walk around and find 26 interesting things to make a good image from before I can see how it went.

[aurele]

Not only do I feel like I have lost nothing, but my enthusiasm for photography seems a whole hell of a lot higher all of a sudden.

i

The first roll didn't wind on, so it was dead

I love the convenience of digital (K-x) but I have all this great manual/fast/wide glass that can't be used appropriately. I f***** hate the tiny viewfinder and the enourmous size of DSLR, and I'm itching to just keep the ME and shoot film. If only Pentax released the equivalent of a digital K1000...

Taking pics with the SP1000 reminded me how much fun photography is when you take your time and THINK about what you're doing.

I still have the *istDS, and I still use it (the 50mm lens on it shits all over the 18-50mm Sigma I used to use), but I must admit, I much prefer the ME...... simpler, nicer to hold, and it just feels special.

It's funny to see that every of your post makes echo to my own experience

fact is that i did some rolls with a MZ-5n, and ... i'm not happy with it : built-in winder + AF = too much like a DSLR result

Plus, i don't have all the time money to process film, so i stock them in the fridge, and when i have money i go to the lab, and it's kind of lottery and that's awesome

I realize also that i decide to print lots more film picture than i do with digital. What about you guys ?

[Jonathan Mac]

Digital is thought of by most people as the solution to all that nasty, grainy photography of the past, but it simply isn't the case. I am getting more and more into film, though I still use my K200D and will continue to do so, for any trips I go on I will also have at least one 35mm camera with me too. I too have found that film has made me love photography more.

The big problem with film is the cost, and the fact I haven't yet found a place that's capable of decent scanning. Most places I go to have normal quality and high quality options - in fact these are generally, piss-poor & medioce respectively. I will be buying a V500 shortly.

[womble]

For work I use digital almost exclusively. For the dull, repetitive shots I have to take it is perfect and I also don't often have the option of retaking images if something has gone wrong.

For fun, I am shooting film more and more to the extent that as often as not I don't bother taking the digi with me. Often when out rambling I'll just have two film bodies, one loaded with colour and one with BW; e.g., my LX and my MX, or my ES and ESII, or my KM and KX, or a brace of ME Supers. You get the idea! (I prefer not to mix K-mount and M42.) I am just waiting to get an SV back from Eric (I picked one up for £3 'parts or repair' and Eric is working his magic on it). I should get one of the other pre-Spotmatics serviced too then I'll have another brace I can use.

Best wishes, Kris.

[Nesster]

I rarely carry the K100D around any more - I use it to shoot my cameras and lenses, mostly, and some kitten or macro stuff. And I'm bummed, as I've been building Amazon points towards a new camera, but just can't get up enthusiasm for another APS-C DSLR, or even a mirrorless...

Although I have bulkier or heavier cameras (not many) it's the slim elegance of classic film cameras that gets me.

[Sluggo]

Interesting how many of us have a parallel experience here. As far as I'm concerned, these are the best days of photography, because of all the variety available to us; excellent quality film cameras can be purchased for a song, and the digital options are always improving. I value my K20D because there are lots of situations where it is exactly what I need, especially controlled-lighting product photography and macros, but it almost never makes it "out" with me into my regular life like my film cameras do. On our family vacation this summer I brought three film cameras (two 35mm and one 6x7), and left the digital at home.

[Jonathan Mac]

it's the slim elegance of classic film cameras that gets me.

I know the feeling.

For walk-abouts just now I'm taking a film camera loaded with B&W and either just a 50/55mm lens or also including a 28 and an 85/100. I want to start using colour film more but until I get a scanner it's too expensive and I'll have no control over how it's done.

I can't wait to get some real street shooting done with B&W film but due to personal circumstances it'll be a few months until I have any holidays with time to do it.

I'm facing the impending crisis of, from now on, having to take on holiday with me a set of manual lenses and at least one film camera along with my DSLR and digital lenses. Two film cameras (as Womble says, one B&W, one colour) would be ideal. My good AF lenses are not 35mm-compatible.

[PPPPPP42]

Actually despite my best efforts to give up color, when the Super Program is back from Eric I'll likely buy some good color film rather than the rather crummy Fuji and Kodak that Walmart and Target carry and then do color on the side. As was mentioned I will need a film scanner first since that's the only place the color film will ever go to.

A V600 for me I think since its only $20 more and I read its faster scanning. Apparently something about the film adapter being built into the lid too.

EDIT: scratch that, I need to do more homework, running into a lot of mixed reviews mentioning the same issues, apparently its either amazing and perfect or has a very specific set of the same problems. Maybe Canon 9000F which has many less negative and far more positive reviews and is essentially the same price now.

[aurele]

Maybe Canon 9000F which has many less negative and far more positive reviews and is essentially the same price now.

I got this Canon 9000F (and never tried the V500) and i must say i use it since 8 months now, it work flawlessly with SilverFast. I scanned so far around 250 slides, and 90 rolls of films.

I'm very happy with the TIFF output results, the correction settings (color / contrast / color temp / etc ...), i never use the in-scanner dust correction (i prefer doing it on my own).

I scan @ 4800 DPI, so it's not ultra fast, but it's fast enough (around 30 sec per picture).

slide / film holder don't feel cheap, but don't feel super solid too. It's good.

i got the scanner for 189€ for christmas.

If i knew all i know now, would i've buy something more expensive ? no. Cheaper ? no.

I'll likely buy some good color film rather than the rather crummy Fuji and Kodak that Walmart and Target carry

i'm looking for that ! can you suggest me something ? i'm fed up with the fuji provia 200, it's dull and don't pop enough.

[Jonathan Mac]

Actually despite my best efforts to give up color, when the Super Program is back from Eric I'll likely buy some good color film rather than the rather crummy Fuji and Kodak that Walmart and Target carry and then do color on the side. As was mentioned I will need a film scanner first since that's the only place the color film will ever go to.

Though I've gotten better results so far with B&W than I have with colour, I keep on trying colour as I keep on seeing amazing shots that I seem unable to get close to. Maybe I'll get better with time.

[kbrede]

I'm in the same boat. I've been shooting film exclusively for about three months now. My K5 has been relegated to testing lenses and for shots I need to post quick. I use a Pentax ME Super for telephoto and macro and a Zeiss Ikon ZI for street/city/landscapes. I've started developing B&W film at home and scanning with a crappy scanner. Next month I start a film photography class at a community college nearby, so I'll have access to a dark room soon.