Anyone "gone film?" Let's hear your story.

[kenneth]

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Go start your own thread!

 

You are right I will do that. Sorry to encroach on your patch

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[KCS]

When I became seriously interested in photography I used digital because it was all the rage. But there was something about the look that just didn't satisfy me. Then I bought an M6 and loved the output and the experience. I've since added a TTL as well. I've gone from having a lab develop my film to doing it myself (b&w only). I'm still amazed everytime I take the film out of the tank and I see the negatives. Nothing beats that. It's like magic. I'm now using film for all my personal work, photos of my kids, etc. I have a portrait side-business and that is not yet 100% film. I'm getting there--but it's daunting when clients want bright colors and funky processing. Someone dare me to go all film :-)

 

Karen

 

Double Z Photography

[massimom]

Had not shot film in over 10 years and was having fun with my new D700...until I dusted off my 1959 M3 and then ended up buying two MP bodies...there is very little going back now. Loaded up on Tmaxx, Velvia, Provia and I'm having a ball. It reminds of why I still love to play (and nothing sounds like it) my 1953 Telecaster and why wheels can't get re-invented.

[pmarkham]

I went digital back with the first leica Digilux with it's 1.5 meg images (as I remember). I did it for the immediacy of the images. As time progressed so did my digital cameras. Nikon and Canon DSLRs and Leica digital point and shoots. The megabytes kept getting bigger and the pictures kept getting sharper but the images had a lack of soul.

 

Recently I pulled out of mothballs my trusty old Leitz CL with it's 40mm Summicron and 90mm Elmar lenses, put in a roll of fresh Koday 400 B&W film and shot a few rolls. Developed and scanned at a pro lab. None of the work I've done in digital has gotten anywhere near the positive responses I got from these images. Was it a fluke? I went out and shot a few more rolls. "I love your new camera!" was the response. I then bought a new Leica 50mm Summitar lens and shot another roll. "Those are great pictures!"

 

Now - did I make a quantum leap as a photographer by being more careful with composition? or does analog produce images with more impact and soul?

[Pedro]

Here's my story:

1. Started taking film photographs as a kid (in the 80s).

2. Lost interest;

3. Enthusiasm recovers with my first digital Canon point-and-shoot in 2003;

4. Became really passional about photography and started upgrading gear until a full-frame Canon 5D with pro-L glass.

5. Still not completely satisfied with results (and particularly upset with Canon customer service in Portugal) decided to try an M8. Loved the camera but got fed-up with focus issues and sending gear back to the factory.

6. Bough a Nikon D3 with pro lenses. Super high quality camera. Sold the M8. Started missing it. Something about the photos I was taking with the Leica was not present in the - superb D3.

7. Fighting not to buy again a problematic Leica (based on my M8 experience) decided to buy a classic Nikon to complement the D3. Bought a FM3a (top of the line mechanical film classic). Great photos coming out of film! Still miss the problematic M8.

8. Bough a Luiggi half-case for the FM3a.... the Leica virus still growing on me. Didn't work - I missed the problematic M8.

9. Maybe its the Nikkor lenses... bought huge quality Zeiss lenses. Wow!! Amazing quality!!! Much better than what I was getting from the M8... but I still missed it. Its photos had something special and many of them are still among my favorites.

10. Ok. I gave up. I bought an M7, second-hand on eBay minimizing the cost of what could be another problematic Leica.

 

What a relief - works perfectly! I am getting fantastic photos regardless of sharpness and other technical comparisons with the D3. I just love the different outcome from a M Leica and film.

 

11. I am looking for a mint MP.

[MPJMP]

Here's my story:

1. Started taking film photographs as a kid (in the 80s)....

11. I am looking for a mint MP.

 

Pedro,

Having an MP is probably the #1 reason I have not been able to fully commit to any digital system. Nothing else compares (except maybe other Leicas). You will love it.

 

Seeing that you are from Lisboa makes me want to go back. I really loved your city (but not the traffic!)

 

Leica MP, 28mm Elmarit, Fuji Provia 100.

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[biglouis]

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I haven't 'gone film' just gone back to having a film camera as well my M8. I started out using a s/h Nikon FE back in September but it occured to me pretty quickly that I was crazy owning a nice set of Leica lenses and using a Nikon body and lens.

 

Last week I picked up a M7 at a knock down price because the market is now awash with film cameras from former owners trading them in for M9s.

 

I'm not dewey eyed or religeous about this but you cannot argue with the fact that any Leica film camera has a 'hand-built' quality that it is difficult to find elsewhere in photography. Doen't mean you can take better pictures but there is a certain satisfaction in owning such an artifact.

 

The PITA is that I now have to decide which of my lenses have a UV/IR filter on them and which don't. I ought to buy a couple of UVa filters to protect lenses when working with my M7.

 

Incidentally, what tipped me in favour of a film camera again is a contention by the much loved or derided Ken Rockwell that TCO is lower if you buy a film camera and get the films developed and scanned to hi-res CD (instead of paying 4 or 5 times the purchase price of a M9 or D3 etc). I think he has a point.

 

The only negative thus far has been the availability of film. I paid a visit to Calumet in Euston for the first time to buy film in three years and their film cabinet was pretty much bare. Very worrying, if the only solution for film purchase becomes mail order.

 

LouisB

[Jackson]

I am also considering selling my Nikon D200. It is a great camera but oh so heavy! M8s are beginning to get cheaper in Australia due to the arrival of the M9 so it seems like a good time to get one.t. I have an M6 which I love (some Voigtlander lenses, I admit). Just got a Simmicron 90 today as well. I feel that I find the rangefinders more comfortable to use. I might keep the Nikon F100 as it has little monetary value these days. Does this sound reasonable to anyone? Do I have to use an IR filter with the later versions of the M8?

 

Thanks for any feedback. Jackson

[biglouis]

I might keep the Nikon F100 as it has little monetary value these days. Does this sound reasonable to anyone? Do I have to use an IR filter with the later versions of the M8?

 

Thanks for any feedback. Jackson

 

I was thinking of getting an F100 until I decided on the M7 as a better course of action. The price of s/h F100s is ridiculous here in the UK and I suspect where you are as well. Yes, you need to use UV/IR filters on any M8/8.2

 

LouisB

[Pedro]

Pedro,

(...)

Seeing that you are from Lisboa makes me want to go back. I really loved your city (but not the traffic!)

 

(...)

 

Thanks for sharing your pictures. Where from did you shoot the first one? I am guessing from the top of the Eiffel (Santa Justa) elevator but not sure..

[haris]

And let us not forget film isn't only 35mm (altough is normal to talk mostly about 35mm as this is Leica forum after all). There are things like 8x10" for example (or 7x17" or...).

[jimbo035]

After using (mostly 35mm) film for almost sixty years I switched to digital. As I latterly preferred Fuji film I chose a Fuji F810 hoping it might try to produce Fujicolor-like results. Then a year ago (to mark my return to Leica) a D-Lux 4 replaced the F810.

Much better in every way !

Nevertheless, it hasn't erased the attraction film has for me... so about a month ago (partly because I cannot afford to replace the M6 + 35 Summaron and 90 Elmar I once had) I bought a Leicaflex SL+ 35 and 90mm 2-cam Elmarit. Running one film through it before sending it off for a CLA was all I needed to realise that it will take pride of place over the D-Lux 4

[MPJMP]

Thanks for sharing your pictures. Where from did you shoot the first one? I am guessing from the top of the Eiffel (Santa Justa) elevator but not sure..

 

 

Yes. I had forgotten the name, but I believe that was it. There was a small outdoor cafe at the top, if I remember correctly.

 

The third shot was inside another small cafe downtown somewhere. I know it looks like it should be Venice, but it was actually Lisboa.

[Nikkor AIS]

Even though I bought a D2h than a couple of D3 than a 5D2 to do HD video. I never left film. I process my color neg at wal mart:p and soup my own B+W negs at home.

I still have several film camera and use a F3 F3T and my most recent member of the family a M3 and a Summilux 35 1.4 lens:D. I also picked up a 15 Viotlander which Im really impressed with no barrel distortion like I get with my Nikkor 14-24 2.8.

 

I can't say that Im not happy with the captures I get with the D3. Especially those made at higher ISO. I just like using film camera's and like look of film. Im enjoying teaching my kids how to develop film.

 

It's nice to see people are rediscover the unique and wonderful qualities of film. It's exciting that there is a new generation of photographers that have never touched film that are now learning the craft. I never understood why it has to be one or the other. I think they both media's have there place.

 

Gregory

[Guest finofoto]

hello,

 

... i am also an amateur - in the actual meaning of the word: a "lover" of photography - therefore my needs ar not identical to that of most press-pros (workflow.instant imaging.direct manipulation. ...) )

 

...but after trying some mini digis and a nikon d 700 (especially with boring big zoom lens monsters) i decided to stay with film (2 Leica m 6 ttl, one Nokton 1,1 50 as telelens;-) and one s-lux 1,4/21 for city- and landscapes)

 

for 2 main reasons:

- 1) i hate the inherent digital unsecurity - YOU NEVER CAN BE SURE OF ANYTHING.. also if You rely on double redundand file saving... YOu "emotionally" never can be sure, what will happen with YOUR pics - other with film: once developed you can put it in a box and forget, for years. and it will stay safe.

- 2) I don`t estimate the digital "COMMODIFICATION" of taking and viewing images - there is no kind of value left in the individual picture, no "craftmanship", no knowledge, no enthusiasm, (not in the sense of feeling: you won`t see a big difference, but you KNOW it.. as photographer as well as informed audience)... its the same with hifi / highend and MP3 files.. indirectly that has to do with the kind of "servo controlling" of the electronic "gadgetery": pardon, but even the biggest idiot could take a technical "perfect" pic - without any effort...;-) - vice versa this statement also works...

 

so let us will hope that films stay affordable and eventually see a kind of renaissance, perhaps as a more "artifical" way of keeping light lasting ...

 

regards, tom

[Guest dk_samurai]

Haven't read every post in this thread, but here's my story:

 

I've never owned any camera my entire life until I graduated high school and got a job to fund one. Before that, from time to time I was allowed to borrow my dad's crappy film camera... some no-name Chinese compact. Since I played (American-) football in my spare time, I was inspired to get pictures like you see in Sports Illustrated. So I got me a brand spanking new 20D back in the day and some long white Canon glass. I learned that:

 

1. Shooting football is quite difficult.

2. Not owning any lens shorter than 70mm (uncropped) kinda limits one's photography.

3. Digital photography back then was fun...

4. ...but it didn't take me long to realize that I missed the character film had.

5. Not to mention the excitement of picking up one's prints from the local supermarket. Ahhh, those were the days of anxious moments, when you sat next to your friends and family to see if the moment was captured right, and not blurred or over-/underexposed!

6. Digital photography has it place in my life, but it will have to be reserved only to cellphone photos and pictures of used stuff I have for sale on the Internet.

 

So...

 

Last year I decided enough was enough! I wanted a film body to go along with my digital! I REALLY wanted a Leica MP, but because I'm a student, I can only afford one body and one lens (two lenses if they're slow). I bought a Canon 1V film camera, as I was tempted by the fact that I already had good glass to put onto it.

 

WOW do I really enjoy photography now! 100% of my photos are shot on film now (except when I have stuff to sell online...). I've self taught (with the help of books and online forums) how to develop negs myself, scan film with good results and also make prints! Great stuff!

 

H-o-w-e-v-e-r... I've tried for a year to do freelance work shooting football to fund gear/film/etc. and also to justify a 400mm f/2.8 lens I have. This isn't working for me. Without too much ego, I can say I am among the best football shooters here in Denmark (I cannot compete with American sports photographers though - they're way out of my league). Also am annoyed by the fact that most of my expensive gear stays home when I travel because of the weight.

 

yada-yada-yada...

 

Fact is, as of right now I'm in the process of selling 95% of all my gear to fund an MP with a 35 'lux. I've learned over the past year that wide angle is my thing. Not a fifty. Not an 85 f/1.2 - as amazing as it was - no, a 35mm lens is heaven for me. Preferably with a f/1.4 aperture, as film has the tendency not to like having it's ISO changed midway through a shoot.

 

So that's where I'm at now. One time film shooter, tried the digital fad, but have now gone back to film and couldn't be a happier photographer. I've had the chance to borrow Leica's before, so I know that it's the only camera that I want and NEED for the type of photography that I do now.

 

Sorry for the über long post! Hope I didn't bore y'all too much!

 

/David

 

PS.: To get an idea of the type of football photo's that NOONE wants to buy here in Denmark, take a look here:

dh-photo.net

No, they're not spectacular, but seeing as the competition cannot deliver anything better, I see no reason to keep trying to make a hand shooting football.

[Guest finofoto]

" Last year I decided enough was enough! I wanted a film body to go along with my digital! I REALLY wanted a Leica MP, but because I'm a student, I can only afford one body and one lens (two lenses if they're slow). I...."

 

hello to Denmark,

 

why an expensive MP? i tried and used every model from M 6 over 6 TTL as well as a MP - and choose 2 ttl (,58 wide angle finder - with a ,25 finder lens you get a ,72 finder..) if You work pro-like, You will estimate the bigger (and a bit easier to turn by your finger tip) speed dial and it`s correct direction (parallel to the leds inside the finder); its giving you much more speed and direct intuition... (to my opinion, Leica was mis-guided by the traditionalist collectors who never work really and "speedy" with their gear..

 

You will save about the amount that makes the differnece from 1,4 s-lux to 2,0 s-cron...

 

regards, tom

[Guest dk_samurai]

" Last year I decided enough was enough! I wanted a film body to go along with my digital! I REALLY wanted a Leica MP, but because I'm a student, I can only afford one body and one lens (two lenses if they're slow). I...."

 

hello to Denmark,

 

why an expensive MP? i tried and used every model from M 6 over 6 TTL as well as a MP - and choose 2 ttl (,58 wide angle finder - with a ,25 finder lens you get a ,72 finder..) if You work pro-like, You will estimate the bigger (and a bit easier to turn by your finger tip) speed dial and it`s correct direction (parallel to the leds inside the finder); its giving you much more speed and direct intuition... (to my opinion, Leica was mis-guided by the traditionalist collectors who never work really and "speedy" with their gear..

 

You will save about the amount that makes the differnece from 1,4 s-lux to 2,0 s-cron...

 

regards, tom

 

Hello to Germany:)

 

I have also considered the M6 (& M7) as a strong alternative. What attracts me to the MP is that it's quite the purist camera. All mechanical operation. It's been simplified so much and I really appreciate this. I don't mind the smaller dial, nor the fact that I might work "slower". Working with film compared to digital is slower and I don't mind that. In short, that's why I chose the MP.

 

With that said, I only considered the M6 briefly. I must do more research into the M6 to find out which M-camera suits my temper the best. I did try an M6 before, and truly did love the feel, but again, I must do much more research before I make my final decision.

 

Best regards,

 

David

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[nhabedi]

I have also considered the M6 (& M7) as a strong alternative. What attracts me to the MP is that it's quite the purist camera. All mechanical operation.

 

The MP ain't more purist or mechanical than the M6, or am I missing something?

[andalus]

Have had an MP since they were introduced and am thinking about adding the M9, but the cost is rather steep. I am happy with the MP and 50 Lux and 24 Elam and 135 APO. I use a Nikon Super Coolscan to scan my Velvia slides and then use CS4 to "perfect" the scans. Meanwhile, I have my slides stored nicely and I guess I have close to the best of both worlds, film and digital. But O my, the M9 as an additional camera sure seems appealing. I just wonder if I'd use the MP much if I got the M9...and this question is VERY troubling.