antistatic Posted April 24, 2012 Share #301 Posted April 24, 2012 Advertisement (gone after registration) Developing your own black and white is rewarding, cheap and quite easy. If you can follow instructions to bake a cake you can develop a roll of film. You don't need a darkroom. There are plenty of YouTube videos to show you how, or you could do what I did. I went to the best camera shop in my city on a quiet weekday afternoon, found the oldest salesman and asked him. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted April 24, 2012 Posted April 24, 2012 Hi antistatic, Take a look here Film vs. Digital. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
erl Posted April 25, 2012 Share #302 Posted April 25, 2012 I'm leaning towards film because I love the sense of waiting eagerly for your photos to come back from the lab. I currently have a nikon FE that I use with a 50mm 1.4 and I love it. I love the black and white film, it is so much more contrasty and punchy than digital converted to b&w. I think film looks like it has more depth to it because you capturing the image on a 3d object as with a sensor it is converted to being flat. The one thing I am worried about is the expense of developing and scanning film. I might be able to scan myself but developing is still pretty expensive. Does anyone have any recommendations for a nice scanner? ps. thank you erl Alex If film is going to be your 'thing', the M7, or M6 is the best Leica recommendation. However, you have the Nikon FE already to shoot film. An economical path would be to develop your own B&W, which is very easy and extremely cheap, not to mention far better than the majority of commercial facilities left 'alive' today. The equipment can be readily acquired almost free these days. The biggest expense (still small) is the film. That is the extent of your risk in trying it. Scanning is a different story, but again not really difficult, but is a continual learning curve. The point is, first time try will render results to excite you. As for Leica, well it is a different animal from the Nikon. One is SLR, the other RF. Subject for another post when ready. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clickie McPete Posted April 25, 2012 Share #303 Posted April 25, 2012 I guarantee that film is not going away. Ever. Digital is wonderful and obviously here to stay but it will never be better than the experience of using a film camera, only different. And what about the antique cameras? You people seem to think that the only film Leicas worth talking about are the MP, M6 and M7. I hope that someone 100 and 200 years from now will be loading up and enjoying my 1929 Leica 1A and all my other 1930's-50's screw mount cameras. As long as there are people collecting old film cameras there will be a demand for film. And don't forget that there is a huge movement of hipsters and experimentalists shooting film with plastic toy cameras as well. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanG Posted April 25, 2012 Share #304 Posted April 25, 2012 I guarantee that film is not going away. Ever. Digital is wonderful and obviously here to stay but it will never be better than the experience of using a film camera, only different. And what about the antique cameras? You people seem to think that the only film Leicas worth talking about are the MP, M6 and M7. I hope that someone 100 and 200 years from now will be loading up and enjoying my 1929 Leica 1A and all my other 1930's-50's screw mount cameras. As long as there are people collecting old film cameras there will be a demand for film. And don't forget that there is a huge movement of hipsters and experimentalists shooting film with plastic toy cameras as well. I hope film survives but I wouldn't count on 100-200 years unless people are making their own plates then. Keep in mind that numerous film formats have been dropped over the years and many cameras have been made useless. 35mm, 120, and some sheet sizes have endured. Not much else has. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
erl Posted April 25, 2012 Share #305 Posted April 25, 2012 I guarantee that film is not going away. Ever. Digital is wonderful and obviously here to stay but it will never be better than the experience of using a film camera, only different. And what about the antique cameras? You people seem to think that the only film Leicas worth talking about are the MP, M6 and M7. I hope that someone 100 and 200 years from now will be loading up and enjoying my 1929 Leica 1A and all my other 1930's-50's screw mount cameras. As long as there are people collecting old film cameras there will be a demand for film. And don't forget that there is a huge movement of hipsters and experimentalists shooting film with plastic toy cameras as well. Clickie, you are half right on most of those points. I don't think anyone seriously claims film will 'disappear'. OK, they say 'film is dead' but so are they really. Yes there is a market for film and that is the secret. As long as the market is viable, someone will exploit it. No, 'we' don't think the only film Leicas worth talking are the M6/7 or MP's. They are just what we have, in the main. You mention the 19291a and 30's - 50's screws. Why? Because that is what you have. Fair enough! It's all film and an alternative experience from digital. Neither better or worse. Just different. I think we are on the same page. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
earleygallery Posted April 25, 2012 Share #306 Posted April 25, 2012 I hope film survives but I wouldn't count on 100-200 years unless people are making their own plates then. Keep in mind that numerous film formats have been dropped over the years and many cameras have been made useless. 35mm, 120, and some sheet sizes have endured. Not much else has. 127 is available, and 110 if you really want it. Not to mention Polaroid. What sizes are you thinking of that people actually would want to buy/use which aren't avaialble Alan? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kanzlr Posted April 25, 2012 Share #307 Posted April 25, 2012 Advertisement (gone after registration) I actually need help on this front. I need to decide wether to get a m7, 50 cron, and 28 elmar, or the m9 and 50 cron. Or wether to wait for the m10. Just so you all now I am under 18.Please, Please, Please if anyone has any suggestions please help me! Thank you, Alex well, my M9 lust is gone since I have bought a Hexar RF and a Coolscan...highly recommended and 90% money saved Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tobey bilek Posted April 25, 2012 Share #308 Posted April 25, 2012 Aside from imaging character, the VF of my M8 is no comparison to a real M camera. Try an M2,3,or 4 and see how they are supposed to be. Every generation is worse and worse. That aside, I made an 11x14 print for a client from a file I made years ago on my then new Nikon D200 and I have made 11x14 from my D700 that are as sharp as one could want. I have had a full Leica darkroom with all the Leica enlargers and best lenses and prints are no better than what comes from digital. The digital color goes to a pro lab that uses a laser printer. I suppose I could make a comparison at larger print sizes, but prints that big are hard to display in quantity so I don`t make them often. I have finally gotten my M8 to work with proper filters and coded lenses and corner fix, so those results will be forth coming. M9 is a ton of money. Nikon D800 at 36MP looks really interesting. But again if I can make a 11x14 that is perfect, why upgrade to anything? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanG Posted April 25, 2012 Share #309 Posted April 25, 2012 127 is available, and 110 if you really want it. Not to mention Polaroid. What sizes are you thinking of that people actually would want to buy/use which aren't avaialble Alan? He was talking about antique cameras. And of those, pretty much only 35mm and 120 format is available. More recent sizes such as 110, 126 cartridge, disk, and APS are either gone or rare in many markets already. There also was an Agfa 35mm fast cartridge system that was dropped as were various sheet film packs, Readiload and Quickload. See this list of discontinued film sizes for old cameras: History of Kodak Roll Film Numbers Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
andybarton Posted April 25, 2012 Share #310 Posted April 25, 2012 He was talking about antique cameras. Both of the cameras he referenced take 35mm film. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pico Posted April 25, 2012 Share #311 Posted April 25, 2012 127 is available, and 110 if you really want it. Not to mention Polaroid. What sizes are you thinking of that people actually would want to buy/use which aren't avaialble Alan? Large format Kodachrome Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
earleygallery Posted April 25, 2012 Share #312 Posted April 25, 2012 He was talking about antique cameras. And of those, pretty much only 35mm and 120 format is available. More recent sizes such as 110, 126 cartridge, disk, and APS are either gone or rare in many markets already. There also was an Agfa 35mm fast cartridge system that was dropped as were various sheet film packs, Readiload and Quickload. See this list of discontinued film sizes for old cameras: History of Kodak Roll Film Numbers Read the post - he just mean't older cameras like the earlier Barnacks and such like, not technically 'antiques'; "And what about the antique cameras? You people seem to think that the only film Leicas worth talking about are the MP, M6 and M7. I hope that someone 100 and 200 years from now will be loading up and enjoying my 1929 Leica 1A and all my other 1930's-50's screw mount cameras." You have posted a list of discontinued Kodak films. Some of those sizes are still available from other manufacturers - I have a choice of two 127 films for my baby Rollei. Many users also 'roll their own' - 120 can be cut down to spool on 127 or rebacked for a 620 camera for example. Where there's a will there's a way. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted April 25, 2012 Share #313 Posted April 25, 2012 Aside from imaging character, the VF of my M8 is no comparison to a real M camera. Try an M2,3,or 4 and see how they are supposed to be. Every generation is worse and worse. I would say the M8 and M9 are considerably better than the M6 TTL. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
plasticman Posted April 25, 2012 Share #314 Posted April 25, 2012 More recent sizes such as 110, 126 cartridge, disk, and APS are either gone or rare in many markets... Disk film discontinued! Say it ain't so!!! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
andybarton Posted April 25, 2012 Share #315 Posted April 25, 2012 APS film was practically still-born, and the loss of 110 and 126 cartridges is hardly either news, or a great loss. Especially to those who argue whether a 79 Summicron is as good as an 89 one.. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
earleygallery Posted April 25, 2012 Share #316 Posted April 25, 2012 Disk film discontinued! Say it ain't so!!! I saw an old 80's episode of a quiz game on TV the other night (what IS the point of cable!!) and one of the star prizes was "The latest in photography, a top of the range disc film camera from Kodak!" I can't find many - any - threads on the interweb from angry disc camera owners who can't buy film for their cameras however. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
plasticman Posted April 25, 2012 Share #317 Posted April 25, 2012 I saw an old 80's episode of a quiz game on TV the other night (what IS the point of cable!!) and one of the star prizes was "The latest in photography, a top of the range disc film camera from Kodak!" I can't find many - any - threads on the interweb from angry disc camera owners who can't buy film for their cameras however. Being serious for a second - my mum had one. Maybe she still has it?! I doubt whether she'd be particularly disappointed that the format had disappeared if she ever found the camera stuffed in a wardrobe somewhere. On another note - the finder in my M6 is every bit as good as in my M8. The M2 finder is stunning. Some of these things are a matter of personal preference though. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted April 25, 2012 Share #318 Posted April 25, 2012 Yes- the one on my M6 classic is quite good, but I like my M3 best for its finder Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wattsy Posted April 25, 2012 Share #319 Posted April 25, 2012 Disc film was dire - probably the low point for film photography. APS film was nowhere near as bad and there were some decent cameras made for the format (I remember there was a variant of the Contax T3 and one or two perfectly decent Leica P&S models). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pico Posted April 25, 2012 Share #320 Posted April 25, 2012 [...]I have had a full Leica darkroom with all the Leica enlargers and best lenses and prints are no better than what comes from digital.[...] That is unsettling. Perhaps I have never seen a truly well printed B&W M9 image. I also use Leitz enlargers (Valloy and IIa) but not with Focotar lenses and am happy with the outcome, but not M9 B&W from a local printer. Looks like I have some research to do. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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