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

[MPJMP]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

My wife wanted a digital SLR and I bought a D90 for her birthday last month to replace her old N80. About the same time, I found Dad's boxes of kodachrome from 1950-1970, the period he owned a IIIf 5cm/f3.5 Elmar.

 

The D90 takes amazing pictures and is a fascinating object, but it is hampered by a profusion of unnecessary features. "Single Servo with Closest Subject Priority Dynamic Auto Focus" pretty much says it all.

 

Out of curiosity, I've looked at the new Leica X1 for its (digital) simplicity - it's headed in the right direction. The M9 is probably the most perfect solution that $9k can buy.

 

But, looking at Dad's old slides blew me away. He took thousands of great shots with that silly, slow, squinty, archaic Leica. They are, simply, right.

 

So, I just bought a IIIf 5cm/f3.5 and have added a 9cm Elmarit. Just finishing the first roll of TriX. (Looking for a good Summaron 35mm and I'll have all I need.) I'm tickled.

 

- Charlie

 

Ah, yes! The old box of Kodachrome slides. I, too, have had the experience of digging up my dad's 40+ year old collection of K-12 slides and scanning them to find that they look like they could have been taken yesterday (minus the hair and clothes, of course). I have doubts that our kids will still be able to look at our digital pictures in 40 years time. Heck, I can no longer open documents I wrote on my computer back in the late 80's and early 90's.

 

Enjoy your IIIf. Looking at modern digital cameras it's hard to believe that once upon a time people easily took beautiful pictures with nothing more than a shutter speed knob, a focus ring and an aperture dial.

[likealeica]

I have been digital for about 4 years, currently a DLux 4 and a Nikon D70s. Last night, however, I started looking at all of the beautiful Leica M stuff I haven't touched since then, and I got the urge to shoot a roll of film. However...

I have an old Dimage film scanner and a less old Epson 2580 photo/film scanner, which are both ok, but not great.

So here is the question. Without spending $2000 for a Nikon scanner, what is a practical way to deal with scanning after the film is developed? I closed my b/w and color darkroom, and have absolutely no interest in staring it up again. So, I'd have a roll of processed film or a box of mounted slides. Now what? Walgreen's photo disk? Low res, I think. Any suggestions of a practical way to go from film/slides to a digital file would be very welcome.

Thanks.

[Advertisement]

The Leica Q3 is available for pre-order at B&H Photo Video and Adorama

[cliffp]

Ken Rockwell recommends this lab North Coast Photographic Services I don't whether they're any good but they are much cheaper than UK scanning companies for an equivalent resolution

[likealeica]

Thanks for the info. Maybe I'd better start by making sure I know how to get the best from the scanners I own. Finally read the Dimage manual last night, after the scanner has been sitting on my desk for years.

[Marty]

Happy to say I have now officially gone film with the imminent arrival of a Hassy 503 system. Can't wait to get started.

 

Why MF? I was not 100% sure that I would definitely prefer film over digital (having never shot film). So I needed another incentive, which is that MF film is still likely to outresolve FF digital systems. If the film workflow turns out to be workable and fun then at some point the Hassy might well see itself replaced with a film M.

 

Now, have a couple rolls of different films to get acquainted with...

[NB23]

I have wasted more money than I can admit on DSLR's. They just do not satisfy. Started out with a nice Bessa R3A, then a Zeiss Ikon, finally the M7. So quiet and smooth.

 

And 3 weeks later you sold that beautiful BP M7 for a D700

[MPJMP]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

Without spending $2000 for a Nikon scanner, what is a practical way to deal with scanning after the film is developed? I closed my b/w and color darkroom, and have absolutely no interest in staring it up again. So, I'd have a roll of processed film or a box of mounted slides. Now what? Walgreen's photo disk? Low res, I think. Any suggestions of a practical way to go from film/slides to a digital file would be very welcome.

 

I don't know what resolution your Minolta scanner is, but I suspect either your Minolta or Epson flatbed would be more than adequate for what you want. The higher-end scanners offer no practical benefit for the majority of hobbyist 35mm film shooters out there, IMO. If you were a pro shooting film a better scanner or outsourcing to a pro lab would be justified.

 

Since you mentioned it, a Walgreens photo disc is good as a sort of "digital contact sheet." I recently started to have my film processed at Costco and scanned to a DVD with no prints made. They do a suprisingly good job with the processing and seem to handle the negs with care. Costs $2 for processing + $3 for the DVD. The quality of the scans is pretty low, but plenty good enough for e-mail or the web. For the better shots that I envision printing, the DVD allows me to quickly determine which are the keepers that I want to spend more time with by scanning and tweaking in PS. When I am feeling particularly thrifty, I don't even spend the extra $3 on the DVD. I have a small 10 x 12" Gepe light table and 8x loupe sitting next to my scanner that I can use to quickly view my slides or negatives to determine which are "scan worthy."

Edited January 8, 2010 by MPJMP

[too old to care]

I have been digital for about 4 years, currently a DLux 4 and a Nikon D70s. Last night, however, I started looking at all of the beautiful Leica M stuff I haven't touched since then, and I got the urge to shoot a roll of film. However...

I have an old Dimage film scanner and a less old Epson 2580 photo/film scanner, which are both ok, but not great.

So here is the question. Without spending $2000 for a Nikon scanner, what is a practical way to deal with scanning after the film is developed? I closed my b/w and color darkroom, and have absolutely no interest in staring it up again. So, I'd have a roll of processed film or a box of mounted slides. Now what? Walgreen's photo disk? Low res, I think. Any suggestions of a practical way to go from film/slides to a digital file would be very welcome.

Thanks.

 

No personal experience with them, but I am going to try them. Negative Scanning - Services - ScanCafe

[taildraggin]

I haven't developed and printed in 25 years, but for B&W I'm going to try developing again (simply, with a bag) and then scanning. Color will be slide, trying NCPS's transparency processing with "full roll" scan, as Rockwell suggests.

 

The discontinued Nikon V looks like the correct, but... I'm now debating the Reflecta/Pacific Image 7200 RPS for the job. (I also want to digitize the best of Dad's slides.) I'd then just have transparencies processed outside, then scan them myself.

 

This seems like the best way to keep the film cameras going in this digital world.

[ducttape]

Thanks, man... My decision was based on both look and workflow...

 

Cheers,

I like your wedding work very much. It has a very nice feel to it

 

David

[Knomad]

I've been back and forth. I'm currently moving back in the direction of film.

 

I've been shooting primarily Leica since 1999, with an M6TTL. I tried digital around 2002-2003, with an old Nikon D100, and gave up on it almost immediately. It was slow, I was afraid I was going to break it, I was afraid to take it out in the rain, and it made skin look like plastic. So back to film.

 

Then I tried a D300 a couple of years ago. They'd fixed most of my major gripes about the earlier body... now it had a metal frame and at least a little weather sealing. But the images still looked artificial, un-natural, and the viewfinder was still a dim little piece of junk which was hard to use for manual focus... you'd never guess photography is about seeing, with the approach most DSLRs take to it.

 

So the D300 is on the shelf, and I use it about once a year when I need to do macro work.

 

I did finally find a digital camera I can live with after picking up a demo M8 last summer. I'm still using it quite a lot, and most of the time I'm happy with it.

 

But a couple of days ago I did a mixed studio and on-location night shoot with a model, a pretty girl with some fashion experience. I used both the M8 and the M6TTL. The results were just... different. Both good, but different. The film images are more... organic, for lack of a better word. And I found that I prefer the handling of the M6TTL over the M8, the M6 is more intuitive.

 

I'm bringing both cameras to San Francisco later this week where I already have one shoot booked and possibly as many as three. I think the film body is going to see a lot of use.

 

This points up another attraction of the M-system. I can bring both bodies, a set of lenses to work on either camera, a spare battery and charger, a bunch of film, and it all still fits in my small Domke satchel with ease, and without breaking my shoulder. Try to carry two DSLRs and a few lenses and see how well that works.

[ChrisPS]

My first Leica was an R4 during the late 80's, then an R6.2 (beautiful camera), then an M6 - all with a V35 in the darkroom. Then I started to take some photo's in connection with my work and found that 35mm didn't meet my clients quality standards (that said, some of my M6 images beat Hasselblad images for the front of glossy brochures on more than one occasion).

 

I sold all my 35mm Leica cameras, even the R6.2, and purchased a medium format Linhof, which gave excellent results. But then my clients wanted the speed of digital and after some investigations I purchased the then newly introduced Canon 1Ds - I needed a wide angle lens to be a wide angle lens so I needed a full frame sensor. I still use this camera today and I must say it has proven to be a very reliable workhorse. I wouldn’t go back to film for my type of professional photography, but:

 

I shoot in RAW file format and regularly have 20 to 30 images a day to put through my computer - very time consuming and very, very boring. Add to that all the battery charging (camera + spare/flash/note-book camera/phone/PDA - every day) and the constant upgrade path we can all be pushed down if we are not careful.

 

So two years ago I purchased an MP - rangefinders are my favorite type of camera. There are no batteries necessary, it’s reasonably compact and, of course, has a quality feel). I added a 35mm f2, a 50mm f2 and a 90mm f4 (all take the same filter size), a macro adapter and I resurrected my Weston Master 5. I shoot transparencies mainly so very little post processing (some masks required) with some B&W and have been lucky enough to put together a complete darkroom at almost zero cost.

 

Heaven.

[joeyveee]

last year i bought a Leica V LUX1 digital camera and have been satisfied shooting nature photos with 35 to 450mm leica lens, but something is missing with digital, something that got me into photography in the first place. I was not able to afford a leica m6 so i purchased a Contax G1 with a Carl Zeiss used i shot some rolls of film processed them and scanned film with a Plustek 35mm Scanner. i dont use my durst enlarger much as i did but B&W shots are what photography should be about. A person can learn more about photography. Many people buying expensive digital cameras are using them as point and shoot and not learning about photography

[jorgen83]

Not sure if you're going to save so much if you get a Contax or a CL/CLE instead. Chances are, the M6 will last longer. Try to find a battered (but still working) one which collectors aren't interested in and maybe have it CLA'd. If you can live with an external light meter (just bought an old Gossen Sixtino for 4 Euros), go for an M4-P.

 

As this seems to fit with what you're thinking about, I'll once again post these two links:

 

The Online Photographer: The Leica as Teacher

The Online Photographer: Why It Has To Be a Leica

 

Right, so I'm going to do the one year program, only I'm starting out with a CL. I got an awesomely good deal on it, so I'm going to use it for a year, and if I finish the reward will be an M6.

 

See, I always start stuff like this and never finish. This way I'm committed to it, hopefully.

 

Btw, the CL is slightly battered but CLA'd in 2007, and fully functional, plus it comes with the really nice 40 summicron-c.

[nhabedi]

Right, so I'm going to do the one year program, only I'm starting out with a CL. I got an awesomely good deal on it, so I'm going to use it for a year, and if I finish the reward will be an M6.

 

See, I always start stuff like this and never finish. This way I'm committed to it, hopefully.

 

Btw, the CL is slightly battered but CLA'd in 2007, and fully functional, plus it comes with the really nice 40 summicron-c.

 

Sounds good. Good luck!

[carbon_dragon]

It's certainly not unreasonable for someone to feel more comfortable with what they're used to (or the workflow they're used to). It's also not unreasonable for a pro who made his living with digital, but reluctantly, to retire and go back to film. The truth is that you take better pictures with what you're comfortable with. It was hard to transition to digital, but if you give them a fair chance, you can take the same pictures you're taking with film (especially with the M8 and M9) but there's no reason you have to. Of course film, supplies, chemicals, and processing is more marginalized all the time, but with a hobby that's hardly a dealkiller.

 

It was probably easier for me to transition because even though I'm in my 50s, I'm also a software engineer so I have a head start handling the computers we call cameras these days. As far as quality goes, the latest in DSLRs (and the M9) are verging into medium format category I'd say, and the new Leica S2 is probably way beyond that. And if you work at your skill in photoshop, you can do very nice black and whites using digital raws as your starting point.

 

I'm not saying any of you are doing the wrong thing. Far from it. No-one can say that. But you shouldn't kid yourself that the output of the M8 or M9 (or 5D for that matter) is any less art or any lower in quality than you get from a good film camera like the M7. Art is art, and photography is photography, whether it comes out of an M7 or an M8.

[likealeica]

Sorry for the delay in responding to you folks who responded to my earlier comments. I haven't been back for a while. In the meantime, I have been shooting with my M6, 35mm and 50mm Summicrons, and 90 mm teleElmar. Plus a handheld Gossen Luna Star meter. I really forgot how much differently you shoot when you are taking the time to frame the image, measure exposure, set aperture and speed, and focus manually. It really feels like doing photography again, rather than just taking pictures. I have convinced myself that by giving up the instant gratification of seeing results immediately, I have equalled an M9 with my M6, and no dirty sensor to worry about. Next I take out one of the M3's. After that, maybe a IIIf. All gathering dust at the moment. Not to mention M2's, an M4, a IIa and IIIa, etc.

[Haskell]

New to this forum so hello all. Interesting thread. My background and education was in film but the digital world sort swept me up along the way and as an indie filmmaker it made sense. Now I shoot majority with a RED cam.

 

I try to look at digital and film like an painter would look at oil and Acrylic...that both have their place and I try to choose the one that best suits my project, budget etc.

 

As a RED owner and operator I make my living off the advancement of the digital world and I always found it interesting that over the years we have been trying to achieve sharper stocks of film, high definition video and now that we are there and beyond I see myself and others trying to take steps backwards. How can I soften up this up. For me I find that shooting with old film lenses helps, high end digital cameras sort of breathe a new life into old glass.

 

Now I am cruising this forum cause I want something mechanical without batteries required and I am day dreaming of a Leica MP...trying to get back to my roots. Hopefully I will find one and have something to share here.

 

best

[Imaji]

I was a lazy film shooter back in the day. My last film body was a Nikon F100. When I sold it the buyer swore it was brand new, testament of how often I put a film through it. Bought a used D1 and off I went. A few digital bodies later my domke bag was so heavy my shoulders was crying for help.

Enter a used M8. Been eyeing Leica for a while and wanting to try. But film workflow sounds so complicated that I decided to get a nice condition M8 and a 35 cron to get my feet wet. I was having so much fun it got me thinking of a film M again. But the M8 put a big hole in my wallet. What if I hate it and then I have to sell the film M? Then an ad in a local rangefinder forum. "User condition M4-2" selling for cheap. Hell, why dont I take a look, no obligations. The seller produced a beat up lightbox that looked overpriced for what he was asking. Guess what, the moment I played around with that piece of crap, I couldn't let go. I love my M8, but this thing felt so right. Just gone through my second roll with it, but I'm all set with my new gear. M8 and M4-2 in my F-5XZ, a meter, a few rolls and a couple of lenses, goes with me everywhere.

 

[Advertisement]

Hallo,

Look here: Interesting Leica gear