I like film...(open thread)

[Wayne]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

Good point - the analogue shot was printed by me in the darkroom, onto fibre-based paper. So there was no computer involved. But the guy I use (Deadly Digital, Partick) for digital prints is very very good. He prints onto a very nice archival paper called Museum. It's slightly off-white, and with a bit of texture to it. The blacks and mid-tones are sensational.

 

So perhaps not exactly comparing two identical end-products. But when I've scanned my negs, I've used a Hasselblad scanner and got the very best quality, just short of a drum scan. Even on a computer monitor, the film shot seems to have the edge on the M Monochrom shot. Not for detail, but just for the general feel, the warmth of the image.

Thanks for the response. I am always curious about such things as I have not, as yet, taken up the task/expense of accumulating the necessary equipment for darkroom enlarging/printing. As time passes, and I become further exposed to my own digital/negative scans the difference between those scans and pure digital files becomes more apparent. These days, when I go to flickriver for the purpose of seeing images from a specific lens, I am pretty much able to quickly judge a digital file from, what I assume to be, a film negative that has been digitally scanned; this was not the case about a year ago. While I remain unable to competently qualify it, as time passes, I do believe there are distinct differences, even if the film rendering is brought through digital scan.

 

I guess, even in the case of an actual print presented on computer screen, there is always that digital aspect that distracts from full appreciation of the print medium. For what it is worth, all those months ago, when I first read your article to Leicaphilia, my means of comparing the two photographs was to rapidly move my sight from the digital file to the film example. I recall that I noticed a sort of shimmer in the digital photo that did not exist in the film photo. The shimmer was only apparent when my vision was moving over the digital file..........as if my brain was processing the images in a different manner.

 

Thanks again,

 

Wayne

[Advertisement]

The Leica Q3 is available for pre-order at B&H Photo Video and Adorama

[Doc Henry]

Wayne , you're right the best is not pass by digital , no computer , no scanner and directly from negative to print

with the enlarger . If I don't post here , I don't need the scanner and I'll do like that !

 

or pictures of  wedding last week , Sylvain just asks me to print for him on bright silver paper ... so I'll have work

for some nights in my home lab.

Regards

Henry

Edited June 22, 2017 by Doc Henry

[Doc Henry]

Well this is film at least 

 

M4 50/2 5222 in Diafine

 

Flickr

EI200

 

Flickr

EI400

 

Philip , you have changed your development ?  I hope it's not my eyes who changed , but your pictures seems "clearer"

Which film Philip ?

Nice shadows  

Best

Henry

[Sparkassenkunde]

Here comes another one from my Berlin trains series

 

Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here…

Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

 

Minilux - Hektar

[philipus]

Very cool James. I like how you framed this scene.

Br

Philip

 

Here comes another one from my Berlin trains series

 

 

Bild-1-25.jpg

 

Minilux - Hektar

[philipus]

Thank you Henry. I've been a bit lazy in starting the film. 5222 is Kodak's numerical code for 35mm Double-X which is a black and white cine film one can buy on bulk. I like this film a lot because of its versatility. Nominally the ISO is 200 or thereabouts but it responds well to pushing, even up to EI800-1000. And it dries f.l.a.t. much in the same way Tri-X doesn't.

 

http://www.kodak.com/vn/en/motion/products/production/5222/default.htm

 

I haven't changed development though, but used Diafine for these rolls. I always post-process my scans though so that explains the different look of the photos. Sometimes i go for a cleaner look to play around with tones etc and sometimes i go for a more contrasty look. I did take these two photos hoping to get some interesting tones so that's what i tried to achieve in post.

 

Br

Philip

 

Philip , you have changed your development ? I hope it's not my eyes who changed , but your pictures seems "clearer"

Which film Philip ?

Nice shadows

Best

Henry

Edited June 22, 2017 by philipus

[Wayne]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

Last sunlight of the day.

 

Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here…

Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

 

Canon Tlb, Canon 50mm 3.5 Macro FL, Agfa vista 200

[Sparkassenkunde]

Very cool James. I like how you framed this scene.

Br

Philip

 

 

Thank you for your feedback, it is much appreciated!

 

 

Just a slice of landscape:

 

Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here…

Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

 

Minilux - Ektar

[fotomas]

Here comes another one from my Berlin trains series

Great!

 

I was tacking a lot photos of the Berlin S-Bahn during the 1980s.

Here one from 1987 on Fuji HR 100 S

Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here…

Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

[blackandwhite]

Jean-Marie, I like much , very relaxing picture under heat wave like currently in France (38°C) 

Thank you.

I see you told that your wife do the scan. You don't have scanner ?

Best

Henry

Henry - I don't have a scanner for negatives. I do devellop the photos on Ilford genuine gelatine FB mat paper and am able to scan the photos once they're dry. I'm just up from the darkroom and scanned the same photo my wife scanned on her Epson film scanner and that I posted . I think the way I do is  much less perfect. But it does have more athmosphere in my opinion - also, the old enlarger I use crops less of the photo than the scanner does, although the scanner is run on 6x9 program. Here the same picture as yesterday, - but here the whole dark room process is done, I the simply scanned the photo and simply enhanced the contrast in photoshop. Compare by yourself.

"Truth" or "perfection" in photography is really a very subjective thing. I often think of Stieglitz when he shot the photo with the horse van in the snow, in New York. His photographer friends all said : Your picture is not sharp, worth nothing. Stieglitz answer was: It looks perfect to me. One of the problems we all do have with digital photography is its perfection. Too much perfection is sometimes closer to Madame Tussaud's wax sculptures ( ...dead images)  than to real life. But these are simply my thoughts - You know. I do have no scanner, I do have no Handy ( I-phone, smartphone a.s.o.). My wife does. I still write letters. With a quill or a fountain pen. And shoot vintage cameras... my kids told me I would have been the perfect hipster. When I asked them what they call a hipster they explained that to me. And told me that in my case, I could not be a hipster, as I was a true "vintage" , "made" in the 1950s ;-)

That much for today :-)

Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here…

Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

[Steve Ricoh]

Thank you kindly, Henry.

 

If you, or anyone else is interested, here is a little piece I wrote for the excellent Leicaphilia site - http://leicaphilia.com/leica-monochrom-vs-a-leica-m2-and-tri-x/, on the subject of film quality.

 

Very best wishes all,

 

Colin

Not much in it, but I do think the analogue wins the aesthetics, marginally.

It would be interesting to see how a colour to B&W conversion would stack-up, say from an M240.

[Guest NEIL-D-WILLIAMS]

This is my faveriout 8x10 picture so far. Yesterday morning while out riding on my mountain bike, I accidentally came across this small track, my gut felling was to go and explore it, but my head was saying forget it Neil, stick to what you already know. Anyway as usual my stubborn head kicked in and off I popped into the unknown............ with shit like, how the f@ck am I going to explain this to Nuk, if I come off (you know what Im talking about).

 

Anyways off I popped and about 5 minutes into the ride I went past these big trees on my left and then some more on my right and I guess my photography insect kicked in and I stopped and thought "That might make a picture". So later after I got home I told Nuk about my adventures in the morning on the bike and automatically her instincts kicked and she started getting onto me about my age my stupidity  etc etc (should have kept my mouth shut

 

Anyway after lunch, me and Nuk went to check the place out, Nuk carrying the tripod and me with the Chamonix. When we arrived at the spot that I saw in the morning (it was still there) I started to get sup up and Nuk started bitching about the mosquitos and the heat. As often as I can I keep her on my left side as that is deaf from 37 years of Oil Field abuse. I continued to set up the camera. The weather was so so, but once I got the competition that I was looking for I went ahead and loaded the film, at the same time the sun decided to pop its butifun head out and gave me some nice light.

 

I took three pictures. The one below is my favouiout. The other two had one with Nuk in it and one with me in it............I might post them later, but for now enjoy what I feel is my best 8x10 up to now as it has meaning to me, it was something that I saw and though, that could be nice.

 

There is very little PP in this, it actually took me longer to do the frame than the PP.

 

This afternoon I am going to shoot some birds with a birding friend of mine, tomorrow I will try and make a contact print of this.

Frim Nature Trail 

 

Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here…

Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

[gbealnz]

It's nice Neil, as always the story, the spelling, and the spell-checker make the complete picture, but this shot on it's own stands. It has a nice range of tones too (to me), and I had to agree with the frank assessment Steve gave a few pages back, the 6x6 stuff wasn't "vintage Neil". This is.

Mind you, the "dropped the film holder" is the best yet.

Whatever you do, if you get to NZ, bring the Chamonix.

Gary

[Ko.Fe.]

Industar-26M on M3 with Kodak 50D film from nineties. ECN2 and Rodinal developing.

 

Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here…

Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

[christoph_d]

This is my faveriout 8x10 picture so far. Yesterday morning while out riding on my mountain bike, I accidentally came across this small track, my gut felling was to go and explore it, but my head was saying forget it Neil, stick to what you already know. Anyway as usual my stubborn head kicked in and off I popped into the unknown............ with shit like, how the f@ck am I going to explain this to Nuk, if I come off (you know what Im talking about).

 

Anyways off I popped and about 5 minutes into the ride I went past these big trees on my left and then some more on my right and I guess my photography insect kicked in and I stopped and thought "That might make a picture". So later after I got home I told Nuk about my adventures in the morning on the bike and automatically her instincts kicked and she started getting onto me about my age my stupidity  etc etc (should have kept my mouth shut

 

Anyway after lunch, me and Nuk went to check the place out, Nuk carrying the tripod and me with the Chamonix. When we arrived at the spot that I saw in the morning (it was still there) I started to get sup up and Nuk started bitching about the mosquitos and the heat. As often as I can I keep her on my left side as that is deaf from 37 years of Oil Field abuse. I continued to set up the camera. The weather was so so, but once I got the competition that I was looking for I went ahead and loaded the film, at the same time the sun decided to pop its butifun head out and gave me some nice light.

 

I took three pictures. The one below is my favouiout. The other two had one with Nuk in it and one with me in it............I might post them later, but for now enjoy what I feel is my best 8x10 up to now as it has meaning to me, it was something that I saw and though, that could be nice.

 

There is very little PP in this, it actually took me longer to do the frame than the PP.

 

This afternoon I am going to shoot some birds with a birding friend of mine, tomorrow I will try and make a contact print of this.

 

Frim Nature Trail 

Neil,

 

I like the picture and attached your story, particularly the bit about your photography insect kicking in!

I'd love to see the contact prints, as I am sure that the digital reproduction via the internet only insufficiently represents the full tonal range and depth of your pictures.

 

Rgds

 

Christoph

[Guest NEIL-D-WILLIAMS]

Neil,

 

I like the picture and attached your story, particularly the bit about your photography insect kicking in!

I'd love to see the contact prints, as I am sure that the digital reproduction via the internet only insufficiently represents the full tonal range and depth of your pictures.

 

Rgds

 

Christoph

 

Did I really right that..........it should have read instinct..........

Today is a birds day, maybe get in the darkroom tonight or tomorrow morning as tomorrow afternoon its going to be a train wreck watching the rugby with the dreaded Heineken   :)  

Sunday chill day then Monday back to work :(  

[gbealnz]

The footy Neil, as in us playing the Lions?

Gary

[Guest NEIL-D-WILLIAMS]

The footy Neil, as in us playing the Lions?

Gary

yea mate

[Advertisement]

Hallo,

Look here: Interesting Leica gear

[zwol]

Welcome to the forum Greg. Great result. I've been curious about pushing HP5. May I ask how you developed the roll?

br

Philip

 

 

What developer? (I have a roll of HP5+ in the Nikon F that I am exposing at 1600 and planned to develop with Ilfotec DD-X.)

 

 

Thanks, both!  Unfortunately, I don't have specific answers to how the film was developed- I had the film processed by a lab here in L.A. https://www.iconla.com/  They will push up to three stops upon request.

[philipus]

Terrific shot, Neil. I like the simple composition a lot. And a very amusing story too.

br
philip

 

This is my faveriout 8x10 picture so far. Yesterday morning while out riding on my mountain bike, I accidentally came across this small track, my gut felling was to go and explore it, but my head was saying forget it Neil, stick to what you already know. Anyway as usual my stubborn head kicked in and off I popped into the unknown............ with shit like, how the f@ck am I going to explain this to Nuk, if I come off (you know what Im talking about).

 

Anyways off I popped and about 5 minutes into the ride I went past these big trees on my left and then some more on my right and I guess my photography insect kicked in and I stopped and thought "That might make a picture". So later after I got home I told Nuk about my adventures in the morning on the bike and automatically her instincts kicked and she started getting onto me about my age my stupidity  etc etc (should have kept my mouth shut

 

Anyway after lunch, me and Nuk went to check the place out, Nuk carrying the tripod and me with the Chamonix. When we arrived at the spot that I saw in the morning (it was still there) I started to get sup up and Nuk started bitching about the mosquitos and the heat. As often as I can I keep her on my left side as that is deaf from 37 years of Oil Field abuse. I continued to set up the camera. The weather was so so, but once I got the competition that I was looking for I went ahead and loaded the film, at the same time the sun decided to pop its butifun head out and gave me some nice light.

 

I took three pictures. The one below is my favouiout. The other two had one with Nuk in it and one with me in it............I might post them later, but for now enjoy what I feel is my best 8x10 up to now as it has meaning to me, it was something that I saw and though, that could be nice.

 

There is very little PP in this, it actually took me longer to do the frame than the PP.

 

This afternoon I am going to shoot some birds with a birding friend of mine, tomorrow I will try and make a contact print of this.

Frim Nature Trail