Any film shooters getting the itch to shoot digital?

[JoshuaRothman]

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Well, I'm not too proud to say that I've quit film entirely this year. I sold my film Ms and bought a very used M10M to try out. I'm now using M10 and M10M. I'm not sure if I'll keep on with the M10M; I'm going to give it six months, and if I'm not getting value out of it I'll sell it and upgrade to an M10-R or M11.

A few things led to the move; film prices weren't one of them. The biggest is that I got a lot busier at work and have a huge writing project due in a year's time. I decided that I wanted to take as much time as I could to focus on the writing—it's also creative work, and it's more important to me than shooting film over digital. I've taken the developing and scanning time and turned it into writing time, which feels like a sound trade.

Also, looking back at my photos from the past many years, I concluded that I didn't generally prefer the film images over the digital ones. I preferred *taking* the film pictures, I think, but in retrospect I love my best digital pictures just as much. So I felt okay putting film on the back burner, at least for now. (The one exception was medium-format film: the pictures I made with my Pentax 67ii have a special look that I *do* prefer over digital. I still have that camera, and will start using it again when I have time.)

Probably the last factor was that I came to feel that my MP was overkill. I'd been just as happy with my M2. I figure that, when I want to get back into a film M, I'll just buy an M2.

All of this is just my experience, of course. I have great respect for film and film shooters. I did find, however, that I had to deprogram myself somewhat from the 'ideology" of film in order to make the switch back to all digital. I had sort of convinced myself that my MP was a camera I’d have for the rest of my life, that film was more tangible (of course I have many prints of digital images), and so on. Eventually I decided that, for my purposes, none of this mattered that much and I was overthinking.

Edited September 17, 2023 by JoshuaRothman

[Topsy]

I am a bit like @JoshuaRothman in so much as I have recently sold my MP (a camera I too thought woould be my forever camera). I still have an M2 (and MP-4 which I will possibly sell at some point). 

I started photography before digital and in those days shot Canon F1-ns and Bronica SQ-A1 both for personal and for additional income. I moved to digital when the IQ (IMO) surpassed 35mm film around the time the Nikon D100 came out (2002). I sold most of my filn kit to fund an ever increasing search for better digital outputs and have gone full circle from 4/3rds to APSC to FF back to APSC and I am happy with the general output of my APSC (Fuji X-T2s). For more serious landscape stuff I have the old Fuji GFX 50S which is excellet and does all I need. I also decided to move away from WYSIWYG mirrorless digital to get back to a more basic workflow where I had to think more about my shots so I bought an M9, then another 2 for my personal work, travel, urban etc.

Jump forward to my early retirement a couple of years ago (my choice) when I decided I wanted to do a couple of photo projects around Dartmoor (UK National Park) which I decided I wold do on film so I bought my M4-P then my M2 and some Bronica SQ-Ai MF kit for those projects and finally added my MP. Having heavily invested I set off on my projects and came to the conclusion that 6x6 film is what I like and I can do my projects on that but as for 35mm I can't love it, I feel the output from my digital is better and TBH I enjoy using my M9s just as much as I did my MP. There is of course the quick turnaround of digital which I also like plus if I only shoot a dozen or so shots on an puting I can have them as soon as I get back to my computer.

So after going around the Buoys a couple of times I am set with my M9s for "35mm" and my Bronicas for 6x6 with the Fuji X-T2s as my scouting kit and my GFX for proper landscape trips.

Sorry for the War and Peace, I suppose I could sum it up as there is room in my life for both.

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[Huss]

4 hours ago, JoshuaRothman said:

Well, I'm not too proud to say that I've quit film entirely this year. I sold my film Ms and bought a very used M10M to try out. I'm now using M10 and M10M. I'm not sure if I'll keep on with the M10M; I'm going to give it six months, and if I'm not getting value out of it I'll sell it and upgrade to an M10-R or M11.

A few things led to the move; film prices weren't one of them. The biggest is that I got a lot busier at work and have a huge writing project due in a year's time. I decided that I wanted to take as much time as I could to focus on the writing—it's also creative work, and it's more important to me than shooting film over digital. I've taken the developing and scanning time and turned it into writing time, which feels like a sound trade.

Also, looking back at my photos from the past many years, I concluded that I didn't generally prefer the film images over the digital ones. I preferred *taking* the film pictures, I think, but in retrospect I love my best digital pictures just as much. So I felt okay putting film on the back burner, at least for now. (The one exception was medium-format film: the pictures I made with my Pentax 67ii have a special look that I *do* prefer over digital. I still have that camera, and will start using it again when I have time.)

Probably the last factor was that I came to feel that my MP was overkill. I'd been just as happy with my M2. I figure that, when I want to get back into a film M, I'll just buy an M2.

All of this is just my experience, of course. I have great respect for film and film shooters. I did find, however, that I had to deprogram myself somewhat from the 'ideology" of film in order to make the switch back to all digital. I had sort of convinced myself that my MP was a camera I’d have for the rest of my life, that film was more tangible (of course I have many prints of digital images), and so on. Eventually I decided that, for my purposes, none of this mattered that much and I was overthinking.

I think that's the truth for many but some don't want to admit it!

You just gotta do what is right by you, and ignore all those hysterical cries of  'I will die in my darkroom before I will shoot digital!'.  I'll admit I absolutely love the film process - the haptics, mechanics and results - but the few times I do shoot digital I think 'dang that's good! And painless...'

What I do love about Leica, and what brought me in, is the M product allows you to alternate, and use concurrently, film and digital cameras seamlessly.

[tiefsinker]

I had my times where I shot only on film and was not using the DSLR back then and a Oly OM2n, M6 or a Nikon FE2 were the stuff I carried around all the time. Currently I don't own a working film camera anymore and just shoot the M10-R. For 35mm I would say I can completely forget about film, if I want a compact camera to carry around the M10-R gives me everything I want I had with the M6. I only miss it for the joy of use.  One thing I could imagine is getting some kind of bulky camera like a RB67 again or even some larger format for some projects I have in mind because I liked spending time in the darkroom. 

[logan2z]

Does anyone else find it curious that the "I'll never go back to film" and "digital gives me all I need" people are hanging out on the analog M sub-forum?  You'll be back .. 😉

[Huss]

4 hours ago, tiefsinker said:

...M10-R gives me everything I want I had with the M6. I only miss it for the joy of use.  ..

Joy of use is a huge part of making you want to go out and take pics.  And is why I barely use my 10r vs film cameras.

[Greenhilltony]

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15 hours ago, JoshuaRothman said:

I've taken the developing and scanning time and turned it into writing time, which feels like a sound trade.

I was getting very busy with my final thesis for PhD last month. At that moment, I still carried my camera on my way to school and home. I decided to take my M4 but not M10-P. I want to put my desire to review, edit and share my photos away for a while to be concentrated in my thesis. So I shot film and developed them all in once when I submitted my thesis. I enjoyed this feeling of sowing and harvesting very much.

[otto.f]

9 hours ago, logan2z said:

Does anyone else find it curious that the "I'll never go back to film" and "digital gives me all I need" people are hanging out on the analog M sub-forum?  You'll be back .. 😉

Good intelligence work

[hansvons]

12 hours ago, Huss said:

What I do love about Leica, and what brought me in, is the M product allows you to alternate and use concurrently film and digital cameras seamlessly.

This is an interesting point. But at this time, I can’t justify a digital M body because I don’t like digital images as much as film images. 

I shot uncountable projects with the best digital cine camera available. I got myself the SL2-S, which arguably sports the best sensor in terms of colour Leica ever offered, and I‘m still going back to analogue as much as possible - despite the price, despite the hassle (don’t enjoy dev and scanning much).

I don’t know what it is. I guess it’s the texture, the colours and the unpredictability of the outcome because analogue is not about WYSIWYG.
I had that back then when shooting films on film, it was thrilling. Obviously I miss that. Fearing a botched neg drives attentiveness on all levels, including content. Shooting analogue increases the keepers by a magnitude. But I already wrote that somewhere in this interesting thread.

When I print (pros do that for me on lambda/C-print paper, often relatively large 50x70 cm), things tilt even more to analogue. 35mm film maxes out at 4-5K or so. The resolution is limited. But when you look closely, you‘ll experience the beauty of texture, you will connect the missing dots that the medium didn’t capture, and in your mind, you’ll create an image that physically doesn’t exist, yet exists, similar to paintings. 

[JoshuaRothman]

12 hours ago, logan2z said:

Does anyone else find it curious that the "I'll never go back to film" and "digital gives me all I need" people are hanging out on the analog M sub-forum?  You'll be back .. 😉

Honestly, reading this thread has been a terrible idea, and I just spent twenty minutes at 5 in the morning looking at M2s online.

[Borna]

8 minutes ago, JoshuaRothman said:

Honestly, reading this thread has been a terrible idea, and I just spent twenty minutes at 5 in the morning looking at M2s online.

I mean, you don't need to go hardcore back to film, I guess it is enough to have it in special occasions, handful of rolls per year. Film is fun, I think it is a great hobby to play around with.

[Huss]

7 hours ago, Borna said:

I mean, you don't need to go hardcore back to film, I guess it is enough to have it in special occasions, handful of rolls per year. Film is fun, I think it is a great hobby to play around with.

Just try it.  First one is on me...

[blackdot]

I was curious in 2020, and in preparation for an international move (which took almost another two years due to covid border closures), I overzealously schemed to simplify my life down to a suitcase, consolidating all of my numerous film cameras down to an M10 and M246 (and a Ricoh GRIII). I wouldn't go as far as to say I hated shooting digital, but I really missed the superior highlight handling of film. There is just something really off about digital highlights, even when correctly exposed. 

I recently sold the digital Ms and went back to the M2 and M6TTL 0.58. Same as before.

Edited September 19, 2023 by blackdot

[Bronco McBeast]

A thing that happens quite often is when I finish my last roll of film but the interesting action continues. Do I take out my iphone to continue shooting the good scenes unfolding in my face?

No.

I do not shoot digital. End of story.

I watch the scenes and learn my lesson, in silence. Next time, I don’t leave the house without at least 10 films in my Billingham. 

[ianman]

I enjoy taking pictures. I enjoy film. I enjoy digital. Although I prefer film for it's look, for the life of me I cannot understand why anyone who enjoys photography is ready to forgo that enjoyment based on which equipment is available to them. Each to their own.

Edited September 19, 2023 by ianman

[Bronco McBeast]

1 hour ago, ianman said:

I enjoy taking pictures. I enjoy film. I enjoy digital. Although I prefer film for it's look, for the life of me I cannot understand why anyone who enjoys photography is ready to forgo that enjoyment based on which equipment is available to them. Each to their own.

Personally, I thoroughly enjoy the Craft of photography.

And, to me, digital photography is not a craft.

Starting with a boring image and computerizing it with various presets until it becomes flavourized enough to be become a personal style… I don’t know… it will never sit well with me.

Important words to remember: “personally” and “to me”.

 

[ianman]

6 minutes ago, Bronco McBeast said:

And, to me, digital photography is not a craft.

Starting with a boring image and computerizing it with various presets until it becomes flavourized enough to be become a personal style… I don’t know… it will never sit well with me.

You are of course entitled to your opinion as much as anyone and I respect that. But you do seem to have a very strange view of digital photography.

A boring image is a boring image. Film or digital is irrelevant. The choice to post process a digital image or not is the same as for a negative… and if you choose to post process the same tools are available, again the fact the at the tools are digital or "real" they are the same and similar knowledge is required to use them properly.

I understand your use of the word "craft" and I too prefer film for its look and I enjoy developing but the beginning of the process (pushing the shutter button) and the end of the process (obtaining an image) are identical.

[Bronco McBeast]

5 minutes ago, ianman said:

You are of course entitled to your opinion as much as anyone and I respect that. But you do seem to have a very strange view of digital photography.

A boring image is a boring image. Film or digital is irrelevant. The choice to post process a digital image or not is the same as for a negative… and if you choose to post process the same tools are available, again the fact the at the tools are digital or "real" they are the same and similar knowledge is required to use them properly.

I understand your use of the word "craft" and I too prefer film for its look and I enjoy developing but the beginning of the process (pushing the shutter button) and the end of the process (obtaining an image) are identical.

Computerography can never fit in my process, which involves meditation. 

For even greater meditation, I use medium format. 

For greatest meditation, I use Large format. 

No one will understand, except those who will. It’s my Yoga, that’s all.

[Huss]

2 hours ago, Bronco McBeast said:

Computerography can never fit in my process, which involves meditation. 

For even greater meditation, I use medium format. 

For greatest meditation, I use Large format. 

No one will understand, except those who will. It’s my Yoga, that’s all.

One of the rare times I will agree with Bronco is that I find using film therapeutic.  I zen out on it, which may be why I hardly ever use my digital M because I just don't get that same sense of calmness and satisfaction.  Even if I totally bollox things up. Film is just a much more intimate process.

If that matters?  Well, that's a personal thing.

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[lmans]

I shoot film 90% of the time...the other 10% is my Ricoh GR when I am grabbing candid quick shots on the street. But to get a M Digital or the like?...no. I can't seem to get in the zone/mood shooting digital.