Originally posted by aruxaru So I was thinking having this thread as an introduction to which body is your main body. Also, what lenses do you use? What film do you use? In addition to that, give a reason for why you chose your setup.
Please share your cameras and views/reasons!
My favorite camera: Pentax 645
My second favorite camera: Nikon F3HP
My favorite lenses: Pentax 645 SMC A 35mm f/3.5, 75mm f/2.8, 200mm f/4
My second favorite lenses: Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 AI-S, Nikkor 85mm f/2 AI-S, Nikkor 24mm f/2.8 AI-S
My favorite color neg film: 120 Kodak Ektar 100
My favorite color slide film: 120 Fujichrome Velvia 100
My favorite b&w film: 120 Ilford Delta 100
My favorite extinct film: 120 Kodak Kodachrome 64
My favorite 35mm film: Ilford XP2+ Super
Why 645? I can easily see my contact sheets without a loupe. The medium format real estate allow much greater enlargements while retaining resolution and detail, the ability to crop more, and beautiful bokeh with shallow depth-of-field. The camera and grip are well-balanced and the thunder clap of mirror, shutter curtains, and film advance motor and gears boldly screams that I made a decision, captured the light, and am storing the past for the future.
Why primes? Durability, size, speed, image quality, shallow depth-of-field, brighter viewfinder and weight. It also forces me to move in my environment to discover the potential angles, perspectives, and a consistent look or style. They are not jack of all trades, and masters of none. They are masters of the one thing.
Why film? I love digital, but when I shoot film, I feel like I have the potential of creating Art. I don't have a virtual digital negative with infinite copies; I have one unique analog negative. Film has a flatness, almost canvas like quality, that demands care and craft. Each digital sensor has a quality, but you only get one of those. Each film has its own qualities of tonal or color rendition, grain structure, dynamic range, and then depending on how and in what it is developed will alter unique results. The latent image forces intent and vision and patience and something that feels like poetry.