Why Do YOU Still Use Film SLR's?

K David · 10-06-2013, 08:16 PM

Hey, Jamey,

What ISO do you shoot Portra at and how do you change the exposure? Any samples?

As for the 77 FA, I just used it extensively for the first time. All my landscapes with it looked like miniatures (Pentax K-7.) Is that normal? I'm going to try it with some Fuji 1600 at the next company bowling tournament.

dtmateojr · 10-07-2013, 03:07 AM

Originally posted by 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.

I like the idea of having a theme per roll

hks_kansei · 10-07-2013, 03:24 AM

A few reasons.

I like old things, and I like being able to continue using them. My film cameras are all old, so I enjoy seeing that they still survive and function.

Film photography also allows me to concentrate better, I find that being limited to 24/36 shots, and limited in colour/mono allows me to focus.
I have a few mental issues which mean that often it's hard for me to relax and focus on one thing.

It's also a bit of laziness, film means I get prints made, digital it sits on the PC. Those prints occupy pretty much every wall in the house. It's my art (oddly, my mind seems to not link digital with art as much)

rt22306 · 10-07-2013, 04:16 PM

Most folks have already expressed many of the same reasons I do; also it's how I got started, in college I earned a few bucks to help with books using my Yashica (felt like a working press stiff covering ball games, plays, life in general on
campus, etc.), they're smaller, wait times for processing, etc. But here's one I've not seen mentioned: I feel safer from the risk of getting mugged carrying a 30+ year old film camera mostly with low key shoulder straps that don't scream "Nikon D800" for example for someone to quickly estimate how much wine (or other poison of choice..) they could get by snatching it off my shoulder and running. Street justice would be for someone to snatch let's say my ME Super and for them to hear me yell at them "Good luck selling that one, pal! I paid $20 for it on Ebay to include shipping! You might pawn it and get enough for a 40 ounce malt liquor!" Or something to that effect...

Jamey777 · 10-07-2013, 05:44 PM

Originally posted by K David

Hey, Jamey,

What ISO do you shoot Portra at and how do you change the exposure? Any samples?

As for the 77 FA, I just used it extensively for the first time. All my landscapes with it looked like miniatures (Pentax K-7.) Is that normal? I'm going to try it with some Fuji 1600 at the next company bowling tournament.

K David, not sure what you mean about things looking 'mineratures'? it should be 110ish mm on a k-7.

All of my photos are family shots so they are private on flickr, sorry. In general I use it as a portrait camera.

As for the Portra, i have been shooting it two clicks back from 400, which according to the manual is iso250. I have found that you can't really over expose it for people shots. I develop with an extra stop (really unnecessary) but it seems to add more contrast and grain. One of my fave things to do (i scan and use aperture) is to bring down the brightness in post, makes things look great.

poppaneedsanap · 10-08-2013, 07:52 AM

Originally posted by rt22306

Most folks have already expressed many of the same reasons I do; also it's how I got started, in college I earned a few bucks to help with books using my Yashica (felt like a working press stiff covering ball games, plays, life in general on
campus, etc.), they're smaller, wait times for processing, etc. But here's one I've not seen mentioned: I feel safer from the risk of getting mugged carrying a 30+ year old film camera mostly with low key shoulder straps that don't scream "Nikon D800" for example for someone to quickly estimate how much wine (or other poison of choice..) they could get by snatching it off my shoulder and running. Street justice would be for someone to snatch let's say my ME Super and for them to hear me yell at them "Good luck selling that one, pal! I paid $20 for it on Ebay to include shipping! You might pawn it and get enough for a 40 ounce malt liquor!" Or something to that effect...

yeah, that's a valid one. I do things with my film bodies I'd never do with the digital because I've never paid more than $50 for any of them. That will probably change if I jump over to MF and actually spend some real $ on lenses.

PePe · 10-08-2013, 08:47 AM

In my current exhibition in Helsinki some 20% of the pictures on display are shot on film. Like stated in many of the earlier messages there is a different feel to shooting on film. Just feels a lot more serious or something. And the other thing is that when you get everything right, image quality and colours are just great by any standards. Yes, you are limited to very slow films, but still...

John Poirier · 10-08-2013, 09:33 AM - **1 Like**

I still shoot quite a bit of 35mm, mainly black and white. It's mainly because I still enjoy the process. It has now been 40 years since I developed my first roll of film. I no longer print in the darkroom, although I may get mine going for a year or so to take one final run at it.

I also like the character of 35mm film for some of the urban subjects I enjoy. Most of my work, though, is landscapes.

I love using fine old 35mm cameras- Spotmatics, early K-mount, Leica rangefinders.

One thing I'm wrestling with is that these days the demand in galleries is mainly for large prints. It has been very instructive watching the behaviour of the general public, who walk past very fine modestly sized prints with hardly a glance but ooh and aah over large versions of the same picture. I like my 35 mm stuff printed about 12x18 inches. I've been experimenting with a sort of "boutique" line of smaller prints for direct sale to people who appreciate good images in a sensible size. (I make lots of big prints for gallery sale- from medium format and digital images. I"m OK with that to a point, but not crazy about some of the BS in the gallery world.)

I'm just getting back to shooting medium format film after being unable to carry heavier gear for a year or so. If that goes well, I will probably continue to do so for several years. Again, I enjoy the process. As well, I can easily achieve image sizes equivalent to 60MP digital capture. I prefer digital colour, but most of my medium format work is black and white, so that is not an issue.

I will probably transition almost completely to digital in about 3 or 4 years, with film becoming an occasional plaything. Doesn't bother me particularly because I've been doing digital imaging professionally for 20 years and enjoy that too.

I have a very large archive of film work and will continue to produce prints from that as long as I am able.

johnha · 10-08-2013, 05:58 PM

My reasons are similar to many of the above, I simply enjoy it more and it's better not having to worry about a hard disc failing (I keep the shots from my K-5 on their original SD card as my 'master' storage). I also feel happier taking an old film camera into some places rather than $$$ of DSLR, my K1000 is built like a tank and unlikely to attract the wrong kind of attention.

tuco · 10-08-2013, 06:52 PM - **1 Like**

I shoot film while I can before it's gone.

**baro-nite** · 10-08-2013, 07:01 PM

Another aspect of the discipline of shooting film I appreciate is committing to color v. B&W before shooting.

k5astro · 10-08-2013, 09:09 PM

Ahhhh! The satisfaction of a properly developed film just coming out of the tank!

Jonathan Mac · 10-08-2013, 10:51 PM

Using a film SLR is a wonderfully enjoyable experience, and if it's a fully manual one then all the better. Many (most?) are also beautifully crafted machines that are fantastic to look at, pick up and hold, fire off the shutter a few times...

I have a few medium format film cameras and a DSLR, but 35mm SLRs are just too wonderful to use.

womble · 10-09-2013, 06:11 AM

To add to my previous posting... because I can hang around here and ignore the tedious blatherings of the doom-and-gloom brigade about all the things the latest dSLR cannot do. "What, it cannot wake me up with a cup of tea in the morning?" The ESII was about a sophisticated a camera as I really need...!

K.

k5astro · 10-09-2013, 07:41 AM

Originally posted by womble

To add to my previous posting... because I can hang around here and ignore the tedious blatherings of the doom-and-gloom brigade about all the things the latest dSLR cannot do. "What, it cannot wake me up with a cup of tea in the morning?" The ESII was about a sophisticated a camera as I really need...!

K.

So true. The feature war has taken over from the pixel war so the malcontents can occupy themselves.

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10-06-2013, 08:16 PM	#31
K David Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Colorado Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,437	Hey, Jamey, What ISO do you shoot Portra at and how do you change the exposure? Any samples? As for the 77 FA, I just used it extensively for the first time. All my landscapes with it looked like miniatures (Pentax K-7.) Is that normal? I'm going to try it with some Fuji 1600 at the next company bowling tournament.

10-07-2013, 03:07 AM	#32
dtmateojr Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Photos: Gallery Posts: 604	Originally posted by 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. I like the idea of having a theme per roll

10-07-2013, 03:24 AM	#33
hks_kansei Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2012 Posts: 834	A few reasons. I like old things, and I like being able to continue using them. My film cameras are all old, so I enjoy seeing that they still survive and function. Film photography also allows me to concentrate better, I find that being limited to 24/36 shots, and limited in colour/mono allows me to focus. I have a few mental issues which mean that often it's hard for me to relax and focus on one thing. It's also a bit of laziness, film means I get prints made, digital it sits on the PC. Those prints occupy pretty much every wall in the house. It's my art (oddly, my mind seems to not link digital with art as much)

10-07-2013, 04:16 PM	#34
rt22306 Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Alexandria, VA Posts: 164	Most folks have already expressed many of the same reasons I do; also it's how I got started, in college I earned a few bucks to help with books using my Yashica (felt like a working press stiff covering ball games, plays, life in general on campus, etc.), they're smaller, wait times for processing, etc. But here's one I've not seen mentioned: I feel safer from the risk of getting mugged carrying a 30+ year old film camera mostly with low key shoulder straps that don't scream "Nikon D800" for example for someone to quickly estimate how much wine (or other poison of choice..) they could get by snatching it off my shoulder and running. Street justice would be for someone to snatch let's say my ME Super and for them to hear me yell at them "Good luck selling that one, pal! I paid $20 for it on Ebay to include shipping! You might pawn it and get enough for a 40 ounce malt liquor!" Or something to that effect...

10-07-2013, 05:44 PM	#35
Jamey777 Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: Florida Posts: 426	Originally posted by K David Hey, Jamey, What ISO do you shoot Portra at and how do you change the exposure? Any samples? As for the 77 FA, I just used it extensively for the first time. All my landscapes with it looked like miniatures (Pentax K-7.) Is that normal? I'm going to try it with some Fuji 1600 at the next company bowling tournament. K David, not sure what you mean about things looking 'mineratures'? it should be 110ish mm on a k-7. All of my photos are family shots so they are private on flickr, sorry. In general I use it as a portrait camera. As for the Portra, i have been shooting it two clicks back from 400, which according to the manual is iso250. I have found that you can't really over expose it for people shots. I develop with an extra stop (really unnecessary) but it seems to add more contrast and grain. One of my fave things to do (i scan and use aperture) is to bring down the brightness in post, makes things look great.

10-08-2013, 07:52 AM	#36
poppaneedsanap Forum Member Join Date: Jul 2012 Posts: 72	Originally posted by rt22306 Most folks have already expressed many of the same reasons I do; also it's how I got started, in college I earned a few bucks to help with books using my Yashica (felt like a working press stiff covering ball games, plays, life in general on campus, etc.), they're smaller, wait times for processing, etc. But here's one I've not seen mentioned: I feel safer from the risk of getting mugged carrying a 30+ year old film camera mostly with low key shoulder straps that don't scream "Nikon D800" for example for someone to quickly estimate how much wine (or other poison of choice..) they could get by snatching it off my shoulder and running. Street justice would be for someone to snatch let's say my ME Super and for them to hear me yell at them "Good luck selling that one, pal! I paid $20 for it on Ebay to include shipping! You might pawn it and get enough for a 40 ounce malt liquor!" Or something to that effect... yeah, that's a valid one. I do things with my film bodies I'd never do with the digital because I've never paid more than $50 for any of them. That will probably change if I jump over to MF and actually spend some real $ on lenses.

10-08-2013, 08:47 AM	#37
PePe Pentaxian Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Helsinki, Finland Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 597	In my current exhibition in Helsinki some 20% of the pictures on display are shot on film. Like stated in many of the earlier messages there is a different feel to shooting on film. Just feels a lot more serious or something. And the other thing is that when you get everything right, image quality and colours are just great by any standards. Yes, you are limited to very slow films, but still...

10-08-2013, 09:33 AM - 1 Like	#38
John Poirier Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Gabriola Island Posts: 619	I still shoot quite a bit of 35mm, mainly black and white. It's mainly because I still enjoy the process. It has now been 40 years since I developed my first roll of film. I no longer print in the darkroom, although I may get mine going for a year or so to take one final run at it. I also like the character of 35mm film for some of the urban subjects I enjoy. Most of my work, though, is landscapes. I love using fine old 35mm cameras- Spotmatics, early K-mount, Leica rangefinders. One thing I'm wrestling with is that these days the demand in galleries is mainly for large prints. It has been very instructive watching the behaviour of the general public, who walk past very fine modestly sized prints with hardly a glance but ooh and aah over large versions of the same picture. I like my 35 mm stuff printed about 12x18 inches. I've been experimenting with a sort of "boutique" line of smaller prints for direct sale to people who appreciate good images in a sensible size. (I make lots of big prints for gallery sale- from medium format and digital images. I"m OK with that to a point, but not crazy about some of the BS in the gallery world.) I'm just getting back to shooting medium format film after being unable to carry heavier gear for a year or so. If that goes well, I will probably continue to do so for several years. Again, I enjoy the process. As well, I can easily achieve image sizes equivalent to 60MP digital capture. I prefer digital colour, but most of my medium format work is black and white, so that is not an issue. I will probably transition almost completely to digital in about 3 or 4 years, with film becoming an occasional plaything. Doesn't bother me particularly because I've been doing digital imaging professionally for 20 years and enjoy that too. I have a very large archive of film work and will continue to produce prints from that as long as I am able.

10-08-2013, 05:58 PM	#39
johnha Veteran Member Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: Lancashire, UK Photos: Albums Posts: 1,155	My reasons are similar to many of the above, I simply enjoy it more and it's better not having to worry about a hard disc failing (I keep the shots from my K-5 on their original SD card as my 'master' storage). I also feel happier taking an old film camera into some places rather than $$$ of DSLR, my K1000 is built like a tank and unlikely to attract the wrong kind of attention.

10-08-2013, 06:52 PM - 1 Like	#40
tuco Pentaxian Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Pugetopolis Posts: 11,026	I shoot film while I can before it's gone.

10-08-2013, 07:01 PM	#41
baro-nite Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: North Carolina, USA Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 5,294	Another aspect of the discipline of shooting film I appreciate is committing to color v. B&W before shooting.

10-08-2013, 09:09 PM	#42
k5astro Veteran Member Join Date: Apr 2012 Photos: Albums Posts: 387	Ahhhh! The satisfaction of a properly developed film just coming out of the tank!

10-08-2013, 10:51 PM	#43
Jonathan Mac Pentaxian Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Madrid, Spain Posts: 10,897	Using a film SLR is a wonderfully enjoyable experience, and if it's a fully manual one then all the better. Many (most?) are also beautifully crafted machines that are fantastic to look at, pick up and hold, fire off the shutter a few times... I have a few medium format film cameras and a DSLR, but 35mm SLRs are just too wonderful to use.

10-09-2013, 06:11 AM	#44
womble Pentaxian Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Hertfordshire Photos: Gallery Posts: 4,324	To add to my previous posting... because I can hang around here and ignore the tedious blatherings of the doom-and-gloom brigade about all the things the latest dSLR cannot do. "What, it cannot wake me up with a cup of tea in the morning?" The ESII was about a sophisticated a camera as I really need...! K.

10-09-2013, 07:41 AM	#45
k5astro Veteran Member Join Date: Apr 2012 Photos: Albums Posts: 387	Originally posted by womble To add to my previous posting... because I can hang around here and ignore the tedious blatherings of the doom-and-gloom brigade about all the things the latest dSLR cannot do. "What, it cannot wake me up with a cup of tea in the morning?" The ESII was about a sophisticated a camera as I really need...! K. So true. The feature war has taken over from the pixel war so the malcontents can occupy themselves.