[Robin CB]

---------- Post added 11-02-17 at 13:29 ----------e

[/COLOR]One observation about the ME Super which I will either get annoyed with or get used to is the buttons for the shutter speed instead of the dial, picking up the P30n again I was immediately reminded how easy it was to change the dial with one finger whilst still looking through the viewfinder. But I guess with the ME the shutter speed was intended not to be manually set and so the Super appears as an afterthought.

That whole "M*" range was aimed at the AV shooter really. My first serious camera was the MV which I used for many years, so shooting AV is more natural to me - I have to make a concious decision to shoot fully manual or P with either the ME Super or my K3. The buttons on the ME Super are fiddly but I am always in slow & careful mode with that sort of shot anyway, so not an issue.

Looking forward to seeing the results of your ME Super excursions. Are you going B&W or colour to start?

[ChrisPlatt]

The P3N (or P30T) is my choice for an autoexposure Pentax.
AE memory lock is a feature worth its weight in gold.

Chris

[Terry C]

One of my 35mm cameras is a Nikon F3. Bought new in 1982, and never felt the need to "upgrade" from that system. I still use it occasionally, and if film was still THE photographic system, it would still be my main camera.

[Frosty66]

The P3N (or P30T) is my choice for an autoexposure Pentax.
AE memory lock is a feature worth its weight in gold.

Chris

It certainly has a lot going for it, I checked and the P30n came out just as the CT-1a and ME Super were discontinued which explains maybe why the ME Super was not a choice when the CT-1a broke.

---------- Post added 11-02-17 at 18:53 ----------

That whole "M*" range was aimed at the AV shooter really. My first serious camera was the MV which I used for many years, so shooting AV is more natural to me - I have to make a concious decision to shoot fully manual or P with either the ME Super or my K3. The buttons on the ME Super are fiddly but I am always in slow & careful mode with that sort of shot anyway, so not an issue.

Looking forward to seeing the results of your ME Super excursions. Are you going B&W or colour to start?

I have had a delivery of colour so I guess that will be first, just cheap stuff until I know what I'm doing again !

[Jonathan Mac]

The P3N (or P30T) is my choice for an autoexposure Pentax.
AE memory lock is a feature worth its weight in gold.

Chris

You're the first person I've come across to say that - most people seem to dislike the AE lock compared to simple AE compensation. Maybe it's partly because if the P30 models had AE comp instead of AE lock then that feature could be used to partially compensate for the inability to over-ride the DX-coded ISO setting.

I don't often use the AE lock but I was using my P30T recently and needed it for a few shots and i found it was very convenient and much easier to use without taking my eye away from the viewfinder.

[ChrisPlatt]

You're the first person I've come across to say that - most people seem to dislike the AE lock compared to simple AE compensation.
Maybe it's partly because if the P30 models had AE comp instead of AE lock then that feature could be used to partially compensate for the inability to over-ride the DX-coded ISO setting.

I have never liked the exposure compensation dial. Using compensation to adjust
exposure from frame to frame is slow and tedious; simply using manual is faster.
Further I would often forget it was activated, thereby ruining the next exposure.

I don't need to bias film speed as I now always shoot negative film at box speed.
Ultrafine sells reloadable 35mm cassettes DX coded for ISO 400 so one can
even use bulk loaded HP5+ or Tri-X in DX-only models like the Pentax P3N.

OTOH I do underexpose color transparency film 1/3 stop for more saturated colors.
When it returns I'll try the new Ektachrome in one of my Pentax K-series bodies.

I don't often use the AE lock but I was using my P30T recently and needed it for a few shots and i found it was very convenient and much easier to use without taking my eye away from the viewfinder.

Exactly! AE lock combined with substitute metering is a powerful technique.
In effect it offers the full control of manual with the speed of autoexposure.

Chris

[Rfilkin]

I agree with Photoptimist and Robin CB.

It's about challenging myself. I have a Pentax k1000 and lenses. I have to decide the shutter speed, aperture, film speed, focusing etc. To a certain extent, i have to use my mind to see the way my camera sees.

When I get the film back, there's excitement of reviewing my work and satisfaction of seeing my skills improve.

Digital cameras are tempting and some of the work i have seen is amazing but i dont want to deprive myself of the learning process.

[Helios 1984]

There is no universal answer to OP's question, it's different for everyone. I appreciate digital, I love my K-50 (specially when I'm in the mood for moon photography) but I must admit that film give me more fun. It is time consuming and you can't review your results 3 seconds after you took the shot but that's part of what I like about it, it force me to slow down and think about what I am doing. I like to load the film, wind the advance lever, get readings with my handheld lightmeter and do manually my exposure settings. Digital win the practicality contest hands down BUT in the fun department there's nothing like film IMHO.

[Tony Belding]

Today's mail brought me an eBay find. For the princely sum of $12 (with free shipping, woohoo!) I am now the owner of a CANON ELPH2. It came with the original manual and a tatty but still usable carry case. I put in a fresh battery and brought it to life, and there was film in it! Somebody had already used up 18 shots from a 25-exposure roll of Kodak Advantix 400. Assuming the photos even come out, I'll get to see somebody else's shots.

APS must be the world's uncoolest film format. Nobody wants to talk about it. Most of those who remember it want to forget it. And of course, it was a disaster for the industry. Despite all the talk about a "film resurgence", APS ain't coming back.

I've got to say, though, that the ELPH2 is a charismatic gadget and a technological tour-de-force. It's smaller than my Pentax Q7's body alone. It's all stainless steel, and it has a 2X zoom lens. Here we have miniaturized machinery, electronics, optics and chemistry all working in palm-sized harmony, and the magnetic data recording (metadata) is the cherry on top.

[Helios 1984]

Today's mail brought me an eBay find. For the princely sum of $12 (with free shipping, woohoo!) I am now the owner of a CANON ELPH2. It came with the original manual and a tatty but still usable carry case. I put in a fresh battery and brought it to life, and there was film in it! Somebody had already used up 18 shots from a 25-exposure roll of Kodak Advantix 400. Assuming the photos even come out, I'll get to see somebody else's shots.

APS must be the world's uncoolest film format. Nobody wants to talk about it. Most of those who remember it want to forget it. And of course, it was a disaster for the industry. Despite all the talk about a "film resurgence", APS ain't coming back.

I've got to say, though, that the ELPH2 is a charismatic gadget and a technological tour-de-force. It's smaller than my Pentax Q7's body alone. It's all stainless steel, and it has a 2X zoom lens. Here we have miniaturized machinery, electronics, optics and chemistry all working in palm-sized harmony, and the magnetic data recording (metadata) is the cherry on top.

A format born out of greed, I'm sure Fuji & Kodak still get goosebumps when they think about the mess they've done.

PS: I still have the owner's manual of my Fuji Endeavor ix400.

[ivanvernon]

my three favorite cameras, the MZ-S, the PZ-1P, and the 645N will not operate without film.

[Jonathan Mac]

Today's mail brought me an eBay find. For the princely sum of $12 (with free shipping, woohoo!) I am now the owner of a CANON ELPH2. It came with the original manual and a tatty but still usable carry case. I put in a fresh battery and brought it to life, and there was film in it! Somebody had already used up 18 shots from a 25-exposure roll of Kodak Advantix 400. Assuming the photos even come out, I'll get to see somebody else's shots.

APS must be the world's uncoolest film format. Nobody wants to talk about it. Most of those who remember it want to forget it. And of course, it was a disaster for the industry. Despite all the talk about a "film resurgence", APS ain't coming back.

I've got to say, though, that the ELPH2 is a charismatic gadget and a technological tour-de-force. It's smaller than my Pentax Q7's body alone. It's all stainless steel, and it has a 2X zoom lens. Here we have miniaturized machinery, electronics, optics and chemistry all working in palm-sized harmony, and the magnetic data recording (metadata) is the cherry on top.

A format born out of greed, I'm sure Fuji & Kodak still get goosebumps when they think about the mess they've done.

PS: I still have the owner's manual of my Fuji Endeavor ix400.

I remember when choosing the only film camera I ever bought before digital came along (a cheap compact) specifically avoiding APS because costs were higher. I don't really remember anything else about it, but the gear these days is very cheap because film manufacturing stopped a long time ago and is unlikely to ever be re-started.

[Helios 1984]

I remember when choosing the only film camera I ever bought before digital came along (a cheap compact) specifically avoiding APS because costs were higher. I don't really remember anything else about it, but the gear these days is very cheap because film manufacturing stopped a long time ago and is unlikely to ever be re-started.

I think we had our APS camera from 2001 to early 2006, I remember bringing it with me during my first trip to Europe but I can't figure what happened to it after that. We must have dumped it around the time we bought our first digital camera (HP Photosmart M437, i can't remember what happened to this one either lolll).


Note: I still have 4 unused rolls of Nexia 400.

[ChrisPlatt]

A format born out of greed, I'm sure Fuji & Kodak still get goosebumps when they think about the mess they've done.

No more so than any of their other products IMO.

APS offered capabilities beyond regular film formats, some useful.
A number of APS cameras were quite interesting as well.

Had it not been marketed just prior to the advent of digital photography
APS might have become quite popular with the average photo consumer.

Chris

[Tony Belding]

Had it not been marketed just prior to the advent of digital photography
APS might have become quite popular with the average photo consumer.

I recall reading some comments from a former Kodak employee. He said Kodak did, in fact, forecast digital photography taking over. They had their own internal projections and timeline, and APS was intended to neatly bridge that transition from film to digital. Their timeline had a couple of problems, though. First, APS was delayed and reached the market several years later than they intended. Second, they predicted that digital cameras would come in slowly and displace film for the masses by about the year 2020!

Shooting APS today is an interesting lesson in the impermanence of all things. Cameras and cold-stored film are easy to find, and processing is still available. However, the whole time you know you're shooting with cameras that are effectively non-repairable and for which no replacements will ever be made, using up film that's aging and won't ever be made again. On the one hand, it has no future. On the other hand, if you ever wanted to play around with them it's now or never.

Things are much brighter for 135 format. In the last few weeks I've noted: Kodak bringing back Ektachrome, Ferrania bringing back P30, Bergger introducing Panchro400, and ADOX announcing construction of a new factory to produce "paper, chemicals and photographic film".