I like film...(open thread)

[Ouroboros]

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8 hours ago, P1505 said:

How many of you have gone back to film after digital? I’m craving the experience of developing and printing, building a dark room, and using a medium format camera. The cost though... I worry about the cost of film going up yet again.

But looking at a roll of Kodachrome that was developed and not mounted, that I’d forgotten about, and blimey. Wow.

Do you worry about the cost of your next digital camera or the depreciation on the digital camera(s) you currently have?   What value do you place on your photography hobby?

Of course there is a cost involved with film and processing, but unless it comes down to the choice between buying a roll of film and not eating for 2-3 days, I don't understand your dilemma. 

Don't be timid.....one life!

 

[Charles Morgan]

9 minutes ago, Ouroboros said:

Thanks, Charles.

I have family who live on the Moor and I've spent a lot of my time over many years walking and wild camping on Dartmoor.  Always good to be out there!

I try and get out there from Plymouth once a week or so. I used to walk it a lot as a schoolboy but my memories of where to explore have long since faded. I want to be a fair bit closer when I finally complete my move down here, but it is such a wonderful place to be. I suspect in the last year I would have gone mad without it!

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[Ouroboros]

1 minute ago, Charles Morgan said:

I try and get out there from Plymouth once a week or so. I used to walk it a lot as a schoolboy but my memories of where to explore have long since faded. I want to be a fair bit closer when I finally complete my move down here, but it is such a wonderful place to be. I suspect in the last year I would have gone mad without it!

Be sure to keep So Perfectimages going on the Barbican.  They love it when I raid the film cabinet!

[Charles Morgan]

5 minutes ago, Charles Morgan said:

I try and get out there from Plymouth once a week or so. I used to walk it a lot as a schoolboy but my memories of where to explore have long since faded. I want to be a fair bit closer when I finally complete my move down here, but it is such a wonderful place to be. I suspect in the last year I would have gone mad without it!

I know Russell very well! Most of the camera reviews on his site in the last year have been mine, gave me something to do in the first lockdown. He's a very handy source of film indeed.

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[John Robinson]

Something different from the dusty film archives:  Stellarc (performance artist) at a seminar in 2007. 

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Leica M2 with a 90mm lens (not quite sure which one) on Fuji 1600.  My (current) Leica SL laughs at the difficulties I encountered shooting dimly-lit performance events back in the "old days".

[Bobitybob]

Glass doors ...

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Canon EOS 5, EF 28-70, Kodak Portra 160

[dimm]

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Street portrait

M3 | Zeiss Sonnar 50mm f1.5 | Rollei Retro 400S | Rodinal 1:100

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[dimm]

Street portrait

M3 | Zeiss Sonnar 50mm f1.5 | Rollei Retro 400S | Rodinal 1:100

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[bags27]

He's King of the World.  Mamiya 7 150mm orange filter HP5 in HC110-B

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[Mr.Prime]

13 hours ago, P1505 said:

How many of you have gone back to film after digital? I’m craving the experience of developing and printing, building a dark room, and using a medium format camera. The cost though... I worry about the cost of film going up yet again.

But looking at a roll of Kodachrome that was developed and not mounted, that I’d forgotten about, and blimey. Wow.

Jan 2020 is when I went back to film. It’s very easy to begrudge the cost of film & processing after using digital for free for many years after allowing my digital gear to fully depreciate. And it then becomes important not to mix up being too stingy with yourself vs taking care to be selective and more considered with your shots. Before the pandemic I bought a couple of bricks of b&w film with the aim to shoot a roll a week in order to get back into it all. I’ve not achieved that because the Pandemic has been a damper on my ability to get out and about and be ‘inspired’ but the idea is to make a commitment to film up front rather than dither.

I have no interest or plans in setting up a darkroom again though, been there and done that I now want a hybrid process that ends up in digital so that I can share with family and friends, easily arrange for on-line photo books etc. I may return to doing my own film development as this is easy to do without a full darkroom, allows more control over results and shortens the time frame. So I don’t leave digital to return to film as I still need to digitize and that means buying a scanner or using a digital camera. I have a dedicated 35mm scanner (Plustek) but as yet no solution for 6x6 (a project for 2021).

This is possibly the worse of both worlds with the cost and limitations of film plus the cost and limitations of digital but right now in my life I am finding it worth the cost to me for the enjoyment of doing photography with film once again.

Edited January 5, 2021 by Mr.Prime
typo’s as usual

[philipus]

Love the playfulness here Bo, a friend or did you just ask a stranger to jump up like that?

On 1/3/2021 at 8:52 PM, Bo-Sixten said:

Dusty old negs again. Stockholm 1980. Leica M4, Tri-X.

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That is a sharp lens Wayne, wow. I fully understand what you wrote about the Agfa Record, oh la la! 

On 1/3/2021 at 4:36 PM, Wayne said:

Agfa Record III, Solinar 4.5/105, Fuji Acros

Very nice, like a wimmelbild with lots and lots to see.

On 1/3/2021 at 6:11 PM, S/W said:

Venice

(Oct. 2019)

Leica M4-P * Voigtlaender Nokton VM 1.4/35 S.C. * Kodak Portra 400 @ 200 * Nikon Coolscan V ED

I miss mailboxes like the one on the left.

On 1/4/2021 at 8:21 AM, Bo-Sixten said:

Return to sender. Jämtland, Sweden, 1980. Leica M4, Tri-X.

Hahaha this made me laugh. What a look. Reminds me of some character of an animated movie, but which one escapes me now (Ratatouille, Sing? gah I hate it when I don't remember things).

On 1/4/2021 at 7:19 PM, Charles Morgan said:

Marley, the cantankerous Chihuahua. Owned by a pasty shop owner, it is fair to say his ribs have long since disappeared. Miserable sod but photographs well. M3 DR Summicron 50mm f2, HP5+ at 250 in PMK Pyro. The 50mm worked perfectly as a portrait lens, kept me far enough away to avoid being bitten...

 

Marvellous work Steve, just beautiful.

On 1/4/2021 at 10:08 PM, Ouroboros said:

We spent a few days between lockdowns walking the Three Peaks.

Sunlight on the flank of Ingleborough, Yorkshire Dales.

Agfa Isolette iii

75mm solinar

Delta 100 in DDX

 

Lovely portrait and fantastic development too.

On 1/4/2021 at 10:20 PM, dimm said:

Street portrait (Israeli winter)

M3 | Zeiss Sonnar 50mm f1.5 | Ilford FP4+ | Rodinal 1:100

I never left. But I have sometimes toyed with the idea of a digital Leica, just to sort of turn it around in my head and see what it smells like. And every time I realise that my heart is and forever will be with film. I just cannot stand the look of digital, blä.

Compared to the price of digital Leicas, their depreciation and the upgrade hysteria that seems necessarily linked to digital photography film is cheeep as chips. And there are so many fun cameras out there to buy and try for not much. If you go for black and white, which you seem to be considering, the costs of developing are all but negligible. For instance, when I developed 15 rolls over the weekend I realised that I am about to run out of fixer. I bought my current bottle five or probably six years ago. True, I shoot more colour than monochrome but while C41 and slides will cost more to develop you can be lucky too. Here in the Netherlands it costs 3,50 Euro to develop one roll which is reasonable. And of course you can do it yourself and cut costs to the same level as with b&w.

So there is no excuse, only a question of jumping in. If I were you I would sell the digital stuff and go all in on film. Come on, I dare you  

13 hours ago, P1505 said:

How many of you have gone back to film after digital? I’m craving the experience of developing and printing, building a dark room, and using a medium format camera. The cost though... I worry about the cost of film going up yet again.

But looking at a roll of Kodachrome that was developed and not mounted, that I’d forgotten about, and blimey. Wow.

Wonderful Uli, a delightful scene that brightens up the page considerably.

8 hours ago, UliWer said:

Fuji Velvia 100, M2, 35mm Summicron

Hahahahahahaha this made me laugh Hank, well done. And great tonality too.

4 hours ago, oldwino said:

Government (in Action).

Leica II / Summar 50/2 coated / Delta 100 / Xtol

 

[AntonioF]

Porto Cesareo, end of 2020 - Leica M3, Summicron 50, Eastman DoubleX

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[stray cat]

35 minutes ago, AntonioF said:

Porto Cesareo, end of 2020 - Leica M3, Summicron 50, Eastman DoubleX

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Wonderful, Antonio. Your wife has the perfect expression for leaving 2020 behind - a little wistful, some regret, but also relief and brightness at what may lie ahead. An enduring portrait - and that's a wonderful coat!

[stray cat]

6 hours ago, oldwino said:

Government (in Action).

Leica II / Summar 50/2 coated / Delta 100 / Xtol

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Hmmmm... Government (in Action). Or Government (Inaction). The vagaries of the English language, eh? A great and humorous shot.

[John Robinson]

On 1/4/2021 at 7:24 PM, verwackelt said:

Thank you, i wish they would relaunch the M3 Viewfinder with its 0.92 enlargement. Mine M3 viewfinder is OK but i guess not as clear anymore as it was 40 years ago…

Leica make excellent magnifiers for the viewfinder.  I have used the 1.25 and the 1.4 on the M9 (0.68) and also on the M2 (0.72).  The 1.25 is excellent for the 35 and 50 lenses and the 1.4 for the 75 and 90 (haven't tried a 135).  By my calculation, the 1.25 magnifier changes the 0.68 viewfinder to 0.85 and the 1.4 to 0.952.  A very reasonable way to get the larger view and more accurate focus (especially on the longer lenses).  On a 0.72 viewfinder the change is more pronounced, to 0.9 and 1 respectively.

There are some third-party magnifiers around but the Leica are better matched to the viewfinder optics.

[oldwino]

1 hour ago, philipus said:

I never left. But I have sometimes toyed with the idea of a digital Leica, just to sort of turn it around in my head and see what it smells like. And every time I realise that my heart is and forever will be with film. I just cannot stand the look of digital, blä.

Compared to the price of digital Leicas, their depreciation and the upgrade hysteria that seems necessarily linked to digital photography film is cheeep as chips. And there are so many fun cameras out there to buy and try for not much. If you go for black and white, which you seem to be considering, the costs of developing are all but negligible. For instance, when I developed 15 rolls over the weekend I realised that I am about to run out of fixer. I bought my current bottle five or probably six years ago. True, I shoot more colour than monochrome but while C41 and slides will cost more to develop you can be lucky too. Here in the Netherlands it costs 3,50 Euro to develop one roll which is reasonable. And of course you can do it yourself and cut costs to the same level as with b&w.

So there is no excuse, only a question of jumping in. If I were you I would sell the digital stuff and go all in on film. Come on, I dare you  

 

I recently calculated out that, for the total amount of shots I took in 2020 and processed, on both film and digital, it would cost me somewhere around $500-600 to shoot all those frames exclusively in 35mm. That is, buying film and self-processing and scanning. Oh, and that would be color film, too (C-41). I guess I am not a big shooter, but that's what years of shooting film will engrain into you. Make every shot count...

If I look at a used Leica M10 at the current going rate, that is roughly 9 years of shooting film. Will the M10 still be functional in 9 years? I bet my M2 will be.

Of course, if I choose a cheaper camera, say a Nikon Z, that alters the break -even point a bit, but I would have too rebuy a few lenses (or maybe just one?), and it isn't a rangefinder.

[dimm]

6 hours ago, philipus said:

True, I shoot more colour than monochrome but while C41 and slides will cost more to develop you can be lucky too. Here in the Netherlands it costs 3,50 Euro to develop one roll which is reasonable. And of course you can do it yourself and cut costs to the same level as with b&w.

I tried to develop C41 - it's not so hard and scary as they say 😀

[bags27]

19 minutes ago, dimm said:

I tried to develop C41 - it's not so hard and scary as they say 😀

I find C-41a lot easier. Just keep the developer at 102 degrees (not hard if you think about it), and the rest is almost boringly easy. And you can throw all your color film, regardless of ISO, into the same tank. For B&W there are infinite opinions of combinations of film and developer, time in developer, and agitation. Just so much you can do (and try to do and fail) with B&W. They claim 8-12 rolls with C-41, but it's easy to get 20+ rolls if you increase the time of the developer by around 15 seconds per roll after the first 10.

Edited January 6, 2021 by bags27

[Ernest]

Margin Alley
M-A APO 50 Fuji Natura

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Hallo,

Look here: Interesting Leica gear

[Bo-Sixten]

7 hours ago, philipus said:

Love the playfulness here Bo, a friend or did you just ask a stranger to jump up like that?

 

Thanks for your kind comments phillipus. No, nothing arranged. This is how ordinary people behave in certain situations. These have positioned themselves in hope of a better view of an oncoming parade. :))