Any film shooters getting the itch to shoot digital?

[pixie]

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I opened an envelope, with larger prints, I'd done eons ago!! Oh! So sharp and beautiful tones! Barely grain! Scanning is the crap.

I used film professionally like forever. I did all my own development and printing! About 60 years.. Digital is wonderful. No more trapped in a red dungeon.

Immediate result. I you want to  do film, copying what was done, Don't use Film. It's expensive and laborious! One needs to shoot everyday. Yes!

Nobody needs high end cameras. They all good. I still shoot film, but not for travel. My Leica M3 bought 1967. 57+ years in use. Digital cameras just die..

 

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[bdolzani]

6 hours ago, Smudgerer said:

A colleague recently travelled from Lisbon to Nice/France and he had to pass his MP, ( loaded with a half used roll of Trix rated / 400asa ) , through the scanners, security wouldn't bend saying that the scanners didn't fog film rated under 1000 ASA. The film was processed in France last week and of course there's a good level of base fogging and even on the last frame / negative you can actually see the image of the White Dot on the shutter curtain that measures the exposure on the MP.............So if you want to use film do not travel with it, in the camera, in cabin bags or even checked luggage, the strong likelyhood is that the film will be fogged to some degree by scanning. If you want to shoot film, buy at your destination and process there before returning home................But taking your didgtal M's will save all that bother and anxiety.

Regarding your 240/246 exchange considerations, I don't think you'd regret stepping up to the M10 versions.

Ugh that's a bummer indeed, and I appreciate these thoughts thank you-

[bdolzani]

To properly address the OP, I started out shooting film only on SLR Nikons and MF cameras (to me that was my idea of photography) in 2017 (not long ago!) and shot film only for a year and was happy as I could be (prices were lower and I was high on the discovery phase). Then a used Fuji X-Pro1 got me into digital as an option, and I did love it at first. I then jumped into Leica and have built a fantastic collection of M gear (both film and digital bodies). Now in 2024 I feel highly conflicted on which to use when. 

I'll suddenly appeal to my heart and order a bunch of film and try and swear off digital, then the film comes and I'll think omg what did I do...I'll belabor the decision which to shoot however when I'm finally shooting a roll and self-developing and seeing the results, I'm blissfully happy. 

That's my process. I'm currently thinking: shoot film unless absolutely necessary to shoot digital (and those reasons can vary).

Easily said but still a burden on my mind...the essence of photography to me, with my gear, is my M2 with B&W film and my 35mm Summaron 3.5 (or other vintage 35mm lens). That would be my desert island setup, if I lost all other cameras. 

Edited April 19, 2024 by bdolzani

[pixie]

Film scans! Canonscan street find! I was determined not to invest in digital. Leica M3, 35mm Goggle-Summaron. hp5+ rated 800 ISO, Blazinal.

I wanted strong blacks that I once had with Tri-X! Sadly the Tri-X available curls like a demon!

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Edited April 19, 2024 by pixie

[grahamc]

On 4/20/2024 at 1:44 AM, bdolzani said:

To properly address the OP, I started out shooting film only on SLR Nikons and MF cameras (to me that was my idea of photography) in 2017 (not long ago!) and shot film only for a year and was happy as I could be (prices were lower and I was high on the discovery phase). Then a used Fuji X-Pro1 got me into digital as an option, and I did love it at first. I then jumped into Leica and have built a fantastic collection of M gear (both film and digital bodies). Now in 2024 I feel highly conflicted on which to use when. 

I'll suddenly appeal to my heart and order a bunch of film and try and swear off digital, then the film comes and I'll think omg what did I do...I'll belabor the decision which to shoot however when I'm finally shooting a roll and self-developing and seeing the results, I'm blissfully happy. 

That's my process. I'm currently thinking: shoot film unless absolutely necessary to shoot digital (and those reasons can vary).

Easily said but still a burden on my mind...the essence of photography to me, with my gear, is my M2 with B&W film and my 35mm Summaron 3.5 (or other vintage 35mm lens). That would be my desert island setup, if I lost all other cameras. 

I'll chime in here on your circumstances as I travelled a lot internationally last 2 years with film (I posted a lot in the Airport "whitelist' and 'blacklist' threads in the film forum).    Long story short I never had any film passed through a CT scanner - CT operators/airports seem to be the easiest because they seem aware that film can't pass through . ie there is no debate .   Even Heathrow who have a rep for being a complete PITA have a clear policy that the WON'T pass film through CT.  (They will pass film through traditional scanners though if less than ASA800, and it's not up for debate).  What was more challenging was the older technology scanners (let's say "traditional") - with operators/supervisors intent on persuading that their scanners are "completely safe".  I travelled with Domke protective bags and took it on the chin if my request for hand check through the traditional scanners was refused.  This happened a handful of times and I never had fogging ....  I did some pretty deep diving on the internet and found old Kodak articles stating that a ASA 400 film would have to pass through a traditional scanner many times (say 10 or more) to show degradation.   

That said, in the unlucky circumstance that an operator passed film through a CT then it only takes one time as the film is ruined (I also tested that with a dummy roll).

I also found it a little embarrassing sometimes debating with operators or holding people up .

So last trip I took digital M, especially considering that after editing and in some printed zines that I produced - months later I can no longer tell at first glance which I shot on film !  No one else would be able to pick which is which and for sure I've gotten post processing to a point that they look equivalent especially when using vintage glass on the Digital M.  The real difference for me now (and it's subtstantial) is that the joy of shooting on film is much greater. !    

Overall, for future trips reluctantly I'll probably now be shooting 90% on digital and take a few rolls along for fun perhaps.  On home soil this flips around to 90% film. 

Edited April 22, 2024 by grahamc

[bdolzani]

2 hours ago, grahamc said:

I'll chime in here on your circumstances as I travelled a lot internationally last 2 years with film (I posted a lot in the Airport "whitelist' and 'blacklist' threads in the film forum).    Long story short I never had any film passed through a CT scanner - CT operators/airports seem to be the easiest because they seem aware that film can't pass through . ie there is no debate .   Even Heathrow who have a re for being a complete PITA have a clear policy that the WON'T pass film through CT.  (They will pass film through traditional scanners though if less than ASA800, and it's not up for debate).  What was more challenging was the older technology scanners (let's say "traditional") - with operators/supervisors intent on persuading that their scanners are "completely safe".  I travelled with Domke protective bags and took it on the chin if my request for hand check through the traditional scanners was refused.  This happened a handful of times and I never had fogging ....  I did some pretty deep diving on the internet and found old Kodak articles stating that a ASA 400 film would have to pass through a traditional scanner many times (say 10 or more) to show degradation.   

That said, in the unlucky circumstance that an operator passed film through a CT then it only takes one time as the film is ruined (I also tested that with a dummy roll).

I also found it a little embarrassing sometimes debating with operators or holding people up .

So last trip I took digital M, especially considering that after editing and in some printed zines that I produced - months later I can no longer tell at first glance which I shot on film !  The real difference for me now (and it's subtstantial) is that the joy of shooting on film is much greater. !     For travel, reluctantly I'll probably be shooting 90% on digital and take a few rolls along for fun perhaps.

I very much appreciate this @grahamc. So is that the rule - that the operators are not supposed to put film through the new scanners? I hadn't heard that. 

I think I'll surely just take the m246 and a couple lenses with no worries. London up first this week!

[bdolzani]

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On 1/17/2024 at 12:21 PM, Martin B said:

This is a very good example what made me also getting a used digital MM 246 for travel instead of using my Leica M with B&W film. Film only for places which I can reach by car. Results with my monochrome M are so good that I feel less the itch these days to use B&W film. 

Hi  @Martin B I'm not sure why I quoted you the other day but not address what you've said. I do agree with you that my M246 gets a *lot* of use, in between my film binges. They are very good indeed. 

[grahamc]

42 minutes ago, bdolzani said:

I very much appreciate this @grahamc. So is that the rule - that the operators are not supposed to put film through the new scanners? I hadn't heard that. 

I think I'll surely just take the m246 and a couple lenses with no worries. London up first this week!

No problem at all.   RE the new CT scanners, I think it's widely accepted that they damage film, so all of the airports that I've come across that are using them have a policy of accepting hand-checks of film.   So while it's probably not a rule as such, it's very likely most airports using them would be happy to hand check .  Unfortunately there are exceptions - Melbourne Airport has consistently been mentioned in the film section of this forum ("Airport Scanner Black List") as refusing to hand check film, and I can verify that as I asked them myself whilst travelling recently .

Sadly as unlikely as it is that film would be passed through a CT scanner, it would only take one bad experience on a trip to ruin all the film. To me that's a real worry plus the hassle of constantly asking for hand checks (for traditional scanners) aswell as the occasional debate over it , which is a little tiresome. 

The place I landed at was to travel with the DOMKE bags, and always ask for a hand check even with old scanners.  If it was refused with an old scanner I just accepted this may happen on a couple of occasions each trip.  This was better for my mood than arguing the point, especially given Kodak data which backs up that traditional aren't a big issue at all for under ASA800 unless passing the film through 10+ times.  And thankfully was never asked to pass film through a CT, but the risk was always there.  

Edited April 22, 2024 by grahamc