Shooting both film and digital

[gabrielaszalos]

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For those of you out there who own both film and digital Leicas - when do you choose digital over film? I know one obvious answer is commercial work for those who do that but I am more curious about other answers. 

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[Narsuitus]

When I shot color, I used the digital M10.

When I shot b&w, I used the film M6.

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Leica Rangefinders by Narsuitus, on Flickr

 

[arichter]

I shoot digital for everyday photos (Leica M262) and film during outdoor trips (M3) where there is enough light for slides. Projecting slides is a lot of fun and a good way to keep family memories for us. Digital is used more indoors and in difficult lighting.

Edited December 6, 2020 by arichter

[a.noctilux]

I'm mainly digital M user, as amateur.

I don't have or need to satisfy clients 😇.

But when travelling "seriously" I'm happy to have film M as back-up.

So many times, in the past were the cases that more trusty film M saved me from digital M flaws/failures.

[250swb]

Whatever you do don't try to shoot both at the same time, and if you shoot film don't try to shoot both B&W and colour at the same time. Put one head on as you go out of the house and don't be deviated, you will have a clear idea of what you need to do.

[FrozenInTime]

The film niche that remains prime choice for me is right on the edge of what film can do, where the aesthetic of pushed film - blacks, contrast and grain exists, with the mood amplified by fast classic lens character. 

The M9M and especially now the M10M have eaten into that space, more than any color digital camera, but tempt with clarity and sensitivity beyond what the eye can see.

Nostalgia and fun of use are the other reasons behind keeping a few film cameras running ; down to one M, an 0-series and a pair of Nikonos Vs ( kept for their extreme weather proof-ness ).

Everything else digital is the choice - better image quality , speed of processing and ease of display.

Edited December 6, 2020 by FrozenInTime

[harmen]

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I can echo that putting one head on is essential.  By and large for me it’s usually film; often tri-x and portra.  The M(240) is getting little use, though I sometimes play with it at home to see how things look.  The ones that get printed are nearly always from film.

And then I just acquired a Q2M.  Sometimes it gets too dark for the film I like to use.  An M mono could have been the solution too.  However, the Q allows me to go out in the rain as well as take shots much closer than 70cm.  Focusing is a little slower than with a range finder, but I can live with it.  Due to its newness, I’m using it much more than I intend to in the longer term, because I had come to this conclusion that I prefer film.  Or so I think.  This new camera is creating a conflict.  I’m especially surprised that it does not show the sharp reflections of light on skin that make my M(240) feel a little artificial, even when converted to b&w.

In the end grain, and leaving a little to the imagination, will win out.  I’m confident.

[plaidshirts]

Call me crazy but I like having BOTH digital and film cameras with me at the same time. The decision to to shoot what where has less to do with digital or film bodies and more to do with what lens I have on them. 
The only reason I’d stop using film for the moment would be due to purely physical constraints - lack of light, speed of the subject, etc. If I need the photos right away, of course I’d use my digital M more.
 

Edited December 7, 2020 by plaidshirts

[DickieT]

I have really fallen in love with film again and much enjoy the entire process of developing and scanning my negatives. I love my 10M-D and the feel comes very close to the film body, but the output does not  Aside from that, I use digital mostly indoors when there is not a lot of light and movies subjects and when I expect to shoot 'volume'. For the rest I default to film, mostly TriX and Portra 400 on either Leica or Hassy

[Knipsknecht]

First of all, it depends on my mood😇. Recently, I am shooting quite often with either my M6 or my recently bought M7. I enjoy testing out different types of film in various lighting situations.

But sometimes I prefer to take the M10 where I don’t have to care about the number of photos I take and where I can get the pics much faster. And most of the time when I am (or better say “was”) traveling I prefer to take a digital camera with me. Even at 54 I still like to travel as a backpacker, and I like to travel light. Additionally I don’t trust the scanning devices at the airports when it comes to film. But, well, right now this is no problem at all because there is almost no international travel😫🥺. 

[Matlock]

13 minutes ago, Knipsknecht said:

 Additionally I don’t trust the scanning devices at the airports when it comes to film. But, well, right now this is no problem at all because there is almost no international travel😫🥺. 

At one time this was the main topic in nearly every photo magazine and forum. I have never experienced any problems through airport scanners and I don't know of anyone who has. I thought that scare had finally been put to bed.

[Knipsknecht]

vor 5 Minuten schrieb Matlock:

At one time this was the main topic in nearly every photo magazine and forum. I have never experienced any problems through airport scanners and I don't know of anyone who has. I thought that scare had finally been put to bed.

https://www.dpreview.com/news/4631062971/kodak-alaris-warns-the-tsa-s-new-airport-ct-scanners-can-damage-undeveloped-film

... seems to affect only traveling to and from the US right now. But who knows where else this kind of scanners will be installed?! Sooner or later we’ll see them all around the world.

[DickieT]

Hama sells simple bags to solve this problem - https://www.hama.com/00005980/hama-film-safe-film-protection-bag

[R6M6]

I have both in parallel. My M7 (colour) is the regular back up for my M9, the M6 (b/w). Some weeks ago I rediscovered my dad´s IIIf - it is a totally different experience and I like it! To define  w/o a meter aperture and time push you to all the segments of the planned picture and let you think about the total arrangement. 

[Tom R]

I'm sure everyone is different. For my workflow, I prefer digital for "sketch" work and for leisurely topics, e.g., holidays, family-related themes, ... . Fast turnaround and lower processing costs.

For "work", I use the digital camera when I have a particular theme/project in mind and have the opportunity to visit the location/subject at my leisure. In this setting, the digital camera makes it easier to try different ideas and obtain quick, inexpensive feedback. Armed with that information, I then choose either film (if I want the final image to appear like a film image), or reshoot with a digital camera--in this instance,  it is often true that the original "sketch" is sufficient. 

Of course, life is ever-changing and it's often the case that one has to work with the tool in-hand at the time. Because I prefer to carry a 35mm film camera with a 35 or 28mm lens, that translates into more film than digital images in my workflow.

 

[gabrielaszalos]

Thanks everyone! I just bought an M10-D (which I really love, totally the same feeling as film) and am wondering why I needed two cameras to begin with 🤦‍♂️. It was more a want than a need. I love shooting my MP and film, but I felt a bit crippled without a digital camera too. I felt like I wasn't using my (modern) lenses to their full capability on film. I like the fact that digital can be edited to a much wider margin which is fun, but nothing compares to the look of film and the out-of-camera photos on digital look very plain, boring, and just like any other image on the internet. Film has so much character (I shoot B&W HP5 @ 800).

It's nice to read your responses. I hope I won't regret spending on a second Leica camera. I don't think any Leica camera deserves to sit on a shelf or in a bag and only be used occasionally. 

[Arrow]

3 hours ago, Knipsknecht said:

https://www.dpreview.com/news/4631062971/kodak-alaris-warns-the-tsa-s-new-airport-ct-scanners-can-damage-undeveloped-film

... seems to affect only traveling to and from the US right now. But who knows where else this kind of scanners will be installed?! Sooner or later we’ll see them all around the world.

Munich Airport has got ct scanners since last year. 

[BradS]

Film almost always - certainly, for anything that matters.

Digital for ephemeral images only...stuff that has to exist for a day or week or two and then can disappear.

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Hallo,

Look here: Leica M

[gabrielaszalos]

10 minutes ago, BradS said:

Film almost always - certainly, for anything that matters.

Digital for ephemeral images only...stuff that has to exist for a day or week or two and then can disappear.

But you surely don't need a Leica M10 for that A phone should do!

[plasticman]

20 hours ago, Narsuitus said:

When I shot color, I used the digital M10.

When I shot b&w, I used the film M6.

 

Funnily enough I do the exact opposite.

I vastly prefer Portra color to the color from digital cameras (have had a few over the years), and simply got fed-up trying to emulate something of the beauty of color-negative film in post-processing. Nothing comes close to the subtle beauty of Portra in my experience. 

OTOH I find digital cameras now do rather well emulating black&white film (although the real thing is better).

Edited December 7, 2020 by plasticman