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Should I take film or digital on my trip?


Kyler.

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Hi everyone,

I am going on a small trip this weekend to North Carolina and am having trouble deciding what to bring.

 

I could either bring my M8.2 or my M6. I cant decide whether to shoot film or digital, I am fairly new to film.

 

I made a list of pro's for each but I still can't decide.

 

Pro's of bringing film:

No chimping- less time spent looking at the camera, more time focusing on the shot and then moving on.

No 1.3 crop - get the true focal length of my lenses.

Don't have to worry about charging the battery.

Excellent B&W's, I have some rolls of Ektar but I have never tried it.

 

Pro's of Digital:

I can choose b&w or color after the fact.

I can change the ISO instantly.

I won't have to send in my shots to be processed.

shutter speed goes up to 1/4000 of a second. Is especially useful with my sonnar 1.5 lens.

 

 

Please let me know what you guys think,

Thanks a lot!

Kyle

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Thanks guys,

even though I didn't want to bring both originally I am now contemplating the idea, although I fear that this will not improve the situation as when I arrive I still won't know which one to shoot.

I am leaning towards film,

I just have one more problem with film that I forgot to mention.

My WA lens is a 15mm focal length, and when I bought it I only had the M8 so I got the Zeiss 21 finder.

If I shoot this lens on film will I have to buy a new finder or will I be fine just loosely framing with the 21 finder?

 

Thanks,

Kyle

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Id go with Film, am a student and doing a lot of film- you end up with something tangible not a stored not often looked at image on a computer or a memory card. That said if i had both id bring both and use them both

but dont overload with gear as it gets in the way sometimes.

good luck either way

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Thanks guys,

I've decided to go with film.!

 

Now I have to decide: what film should I order?

and,

Should I order a 15mm finder for my 15 lens or will the 21 be fine?

I think I will bring both lenses.

 

I already have one roll of fp4 loaded in the camera, a roll of ektar, and a roll of panf plus.

I might just get another roll of fp4 and do all black and white,

what do you think?

-Kyle

 

-sorry for all the questions, i'm a noob when it comes to analog photography.

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You need more film! Probably better to stick to one type and get to understand how it looks. Ektar gives you the option of converting to B&W later if you wish, and probably easier if you aren't processing it yourself. But B&w film will possibly make you think more.

 

You need a 15mm viewfinder for a 15mm lens. But why not try the 21 and just shoot loose and see what you get. I'd say you probably won't use it much, it's a very wide lens on full frame.

 

Have fun!

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Thanks James!

I think I'll add a roll of ektar and fp4 making my total film:

2 rolls of fp4

1 roll of pan f plus

2 rolls of ektar

 

I guess I'll have to try the 21 and see what I get with some loose framing.

I also think a ND filter would be a useful accesory to put on my 50 1.5

Any suggestions as to how many stops?

 

Thank you guys for all the help, I am extremely grateful for your guidance.

 

-Kyle

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Hello Kyle,

 

Sorry I'm a little late.

 

Nonetheless I would suggest your taking both because of the questions you asked.

 

The two cameras will cover differently because of the crop factor.

 

This may be a good opportunity to use both in the same place to see the difference in what you capture & to help you decide which to use to produce what form of coverage in various situations.

 

Best Regards,

 

Michael

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This is the film forum, of course everyone will tell you to take film.

 

I'd take your M8 and a spare battery, charger, spare SD card, white balance card, sensor cleaner, USB cable/card reader, laptop, laptop charger. If you have room, take some lenses ...

 

Film is too much hassle!

 

Cheers

John

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John- you make a good point about this being in the film forum...

I have 3 days to decide what I should do... such a hard decision to make!

 

I was being ironic.

 

You need to consider why you're making this trip, and what photographic opportunities will arise. For me, my M9 and a handful of lenses (75, 50 & 21 - one on the lens, the others in a wrap in each pocket) is useful. I have far more opportunities to take pictures - I don't have to wind on the film, there's pretty much no limit to the number of pictures I can take on an outing (I never chimp), continuous shooting and self-timer if I want it and I have the benefit of adjusting ISO. So, there's considerable flexibility, and not a great deal of difference in quality of image (my skills let me down way before that becomes relevant).

 

Whereas, if the opportunities are more contemplative (ie, going alone with lots of time to explore), I'd take my MP and I'd limit myself to maybe 2 lenses (either the 50 & 35, or 50 & 21) and a handful of B&W film only (probably Tri-X 400), and a couple of ND filters.

 

By giving myself limits in that way, then I'd work harder for my images, and hopefully I'd be rewarded for the extra effort.

 

Conversely, at home I'd curse having to develop the film, let it dry, scan it and then examine the images. I'd also have to try to remember what I'd shot at - though, as I mostly try to shoot open (as the light allows and the shot requires, I guess), it's not the end of the world.

 

Cheers

John

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John, I feel stupid for not seeing the irony!

 

Thank you for your comment, digital and film require a different approach and a different mind set.

I like the idea of limiting yourself to work harder for your images, requiring you to think more about each image you make.

 

I appreciate your comment, it is making me think about this situation differently than I would have before.

 

-Kyle

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