[dubiousone]

Beautiful shots K David!

This


Same here, until I can afford a Sigma 8-16 my Tokina 17/3.5 on film is my widest lens.

Also:
- Some film cameras are a lot smaller than any DSLR, I often only carry a very small kit (i.e. ME Super + M50/1.7 or Super A + DA40/2.8)
- Bringing a film camera along makes a prime-kit more versatile, I usually carry three lenses: Tokina 17/3.5 (equiv.: 26mm), DA40 (equiv.: 61mm) and DA70 (equiv.: 107mm). When I bring my Super A along, I get three additional FOV-choices.

I have one of those; ME Super. At first I didn't like the viewfinder display and I was leery of the shutter buttons but I ended up with one on a sort of package deal. I popped in a roll of Fuji and...wow. By the end of the roll I was hooked! It's really very easy to use and it's small, big plus for me, fits real nice in my bag and takes great shots!

K1000

Probably my favorite too! Always wanted one, took me almost 40 years to get one and it was WORTH THE WAIT!!

[TomB_tx]

I've been shooting film for 60 years, always manual focus, and normally manual exposure. It's what I enjoy. Film SLRs are easier to focus and all pretty much have the same controls, so it's easy to pick one up and use, without messing with menus and over-riding automatic features. My shooting style is also rooted in film, picking each shot at the instant I want. We learned to cover a story (reportage) in a set number of shots, or to develop a theme in the length of a roll. For me it's a challenge to use up 36 shots in a day. I use my K-5 when I need instant results, but prefer to shoot film.

[paulh]

All of you have touched on my main reasons for still using film cameras, albeit only occasionally. The joy of holding & using a precision instrument, the anticipation while waiting on your film to be processed, etc. One area I don't think has been discussed is the aesthetic appeal of the old cameras. They are (usually!) beautiful. I'm especially smitten with the timeless good looks of the Spotmatics & earlier screwmount bodies.

[dubiousone]

All of you have touched on my main reasons for still using film cameras, albeit only occasionally. The joy of holding & using a precision instrument, the anticipation while waiting on your film to be processed, etc. One area I don't think has been discussed is the aesthetic appeal of the old cameras. They are (usually!) beautiful. I'm especially smitten with the timeless good looks of the Spotmatics & earlier screwmount bodies.

That is very true! There's just...something about the feel of an film camera. My first 'real' SLR was a Mamiya 100DTL. A while back I saw a very nice 500TL which is almost the same camera. I picked it up and it felt like I was home, you know? Seventy five bucks with some lenses I just couldn't resist. I'm waiting on the first roll of Ilford to come back from the lab. Of course wouldn't you know it, not too long after I found a 1000DTL body, not quite as nice but no way could I pass it up! The other day when I went to pick up my new Pentax I'd taken my camera bag which currently holds a D50 (I wanted to compare it to the Pentax I was buying) and of course, that Mamiya 1000. The camera guy was quite...surprised!

When you set a DSLR next to a Spotmatic, K1000, FM-2...et-al...well, that mental picture says it all!

[magkelly]

Nostalgia. I like handling old things, including old cameras. It slows me down, forces me not to depend on what's on the back LCD screen all the time. The skills I use with an SLR help me use a DSLR properly. I don't just end up letting the camera do everything for me and that's good for my photography.

[womble]

All of the above but mainly fun. I tend to use the film cameras for hobby stuff and the digital for work.

K.

[deus ursus]

Because the feeling of being a brilliant photographer lasts much longer when shooting film. :-)

[baro-nite]

^^^ best reason of all!

For me, I just shot my first roll of film in a long time, for reasons that have been variously given above. Also because I am toying with the idea of larger formats and want to get back into the swing of film.

[k5astro]

How about a blank roll of film :-( I just (un)developed a roll of film... looks like expired chemicals :-S They don't make developer like they used to :-P

[Vendee]

How about a blank roll of film :-( I just (un)developed a roll of film... looks like expired chemicals :-S They don't make developer like they used to :-P

This afternoon I was developing a roll of TMax 400. I was using TMax developer and I find that with that combo, a pre-soak is beneficial. Unfortunately, due to human error (mine) I pre-soaked in fixer. Result..... a completely clear roll of fiilm

[Agnostic]

5. Because t's a great learning experience.
4. Because film simply doesn't look like digital.
3. Because it's an aesthetic experience to shoot with a beautifully hand crafted camera (my favourites: Rolleicord Vb and Kodak Retina IIa)
2. Because it's fun
1. Because it makes you slow dooooown and consider your shots before you take them.

For me #1 is really the most important, it's not just that you come home with more enjoyable pictures but it elevates the activity of taking pictures into something more akin to a meditation than a machine gun barrage.
With digital I find it much harder to really focus (figuratively speaking :P) on getting that one shot. I now come home with much less than I used to when I shoot digital but the temptation is still there to shoot away and sort out the bad from the good afterwards. Slowing down helps me to stay focussed and focus is never a bad thing when we talk about photography...

[k5astro]

This afternoon I was developing a roll of TMax 400. I was using TMax developer and I find that with that combo, a pre-soak is beneficial. Unfortunately, due to human error (mine) I pre-soaked in fixer. Result..... a completely clear roll of fiilm

Oh no!!! I know I didn't make that mistake because the I remember the solution colour was a red-brown and my son was kidding about drinking the "fruit juice".

By the way, I find now that the store I bought the chemicals from no longer carries them. Looks like there is only one store left in my city with film developing products. I wonder how long that's going to last???

[monochrome]

Part of my reason is quite simply that I still own film cameras. Then again, I still BUY film cameras.

I'm thinking about how to truthfully answer. I've gotten as far as, "For the same reason I still use a hand drill, chisels and planes."

[poppaneedsanap]

All my reasons have been touched on..

I have tried to take photos (or not take as the case often is) with my digital the same way I shoot with my film cameras and I can't do it.
I have tried to trick myself into "making every shot count" on the digital (GH3) but I inevitably get into digital brain mode and fire off hundreds of frames, tweaking and peaking the whole way. With film I am frugal with my pictures and make sure everything looks good before I snap the shutter. I just can't force myself to do that with the digital.

[poppaneedsanap]

also, no menu diving!