Absorbing Modern Film Cameras

With the great disparity in posts between the Classic Manual Film Camera and the Modern Film Camera forums I'm wondering if we might be better served to simply let the Modern Film Camera forum (all of it or at least images) become part of the Classic Manual Film Cameras. Many of us in the Classic Manual Film Cameras forum do have Modern Film cameras that could provide even more images. In the Modern Film Camera forum I'm not seeing much in the way of image posting. This suggestion may still be ahead of its time and may or may not be well-received but I thought I'd suggest it. I would, of course, be glad to occasionally contribute from my more modern gear if the change is made. I'm thinking we'd still get plenty of manual film camera images and this would just give us more as well as invite comparisons as well. For example, I could post images from my Minolta Celtic 28mm and compare them with my Maxxum 28mm f2.8. Just a suggestion, and I won't be offended if no one likes the suggestion. I'd been thinking this for a while, but the redesigned website made it easier to compare the participation between the two forums.

I like the idea and have a few modern 35 photos I'd like to post. The Modern forum is pretty quiet, and it might increase participation.

No, no! Those who use modern film cameras are heathens and they will only corrupt us with their ways!

 

 

Kent in SD

I bought a Nikon F6 a year ago and use it with manual focus lenses. I have posted on Monochrome Monday if anyone is interested in the way I use it. Often, I set it manually. I could post on Nikon Wednesday but my style of photography fits Classic Manual Camera Weekend. For example I took a picture behind the Transportation Museum of the RR tracks with the F6 that is almost identical to the one Mike just posted but held back posting on CMC Weekend because I used the F6. The F6 is the last of the Nikon series and is one of a few film cameras still in production. It was introduced in late 2004 and is certainly a classic. By the way I mean F series Nikons.

It would not bother me, I have a couple AE-1's and an F1 that I occasionally use.

 

 

Don

If I remember right, Modern Film Cameras was started in order to reduce the amount of time spent arguing about what belonged in Classic Manual Cameras. In the old format of the site, there was a rubric for Modern Film Cameras which IIRC acknowledged that the two fora had some overlap, and said something along the lines that 'if you cannot be flexible about which forum your post appears in, it would be better not to post'.

 

If we recombined the two fora, there would probably be more threads like this one, talking about classification instead of talking about cameras: https://www.photo.net/discuss/threads/lines-in-the-sand-a-forum-definition-that-works.435433/

Aren't all film cameras "classic" by now? Of course, they are not all "manual" - but does that really matter? Most modern ones can be set to manual and work fine that way too.:D

I agree mike. The emphasis now should be on film users. I have posted from my Contax RTS II, which, like every camera I own, from 135 to 4x5 is operated in manual.

Tony Evans.

@ Mike; I also agree.

Hello everyone. If you want to toot your horn about all the whistles & bells of your "Modern Film Camera", go ahead. If you want to wax laconic about the folding bellows of that Agfa Isolette, go ahead. In either case, get off your duff and show some pictures along with your verbage! Leave the two separated. I gave up on the Medium Format forum some time ago. . . yak, yak, yak. What pictures? Everyones too busy to use the bloody cameras! I am starting to see the same in the "Modern" group. Aloha, Bill

One solution is to allow images taken with manual focus lenses regardless of whether I take it with my FM2n or F6 . I am attracted to CMC because of the images. We could allow the images taken with film regardless of camera body and the equipment talk where it is in Modern Film Cameras. I agree that we want to stay image oriented and allow the endless equipment discussions to other places. I used myself as an example but it would apply to other brands of cameras.

I would merge them to make a 'Classic Film Cameras' forum. Things have moved on since the forums were split, and there's no risk of this one being swamped by battery-dependent invaders! I see only 2 threads started this year on the Modern Film top page, and only 3 threads active this month. On the other hand, there have been quite a few excellent threads here in recent months on cameras like the Contax RTS that are technically 'Modern Film'. 'Modern' is also looking like a bit of a misnomer when most of the cameras discussed were made 2 or 3 decades ago - even the Nikon F6, the last of the line and supposedly still in production, is 13 years old this year.

I would support combining these forums. after all it is the lens which forms the image, not the camera which is basically a box with a film transport and shutter, whether it's an F6 full of bells and whistles, or a humble box Brownie. And the really indispensable common factor to all these cameras is the film itself. Now where did I put my F90X?

I'd love to see the two merged again!

I have always wondered why there were two film camera's forums myself. I prefer mechanical camera's but the truth of it is what's the difference if it was taken with an F6.

Glad to see so many responses. FWIW, I do prefer manual cameras (Spotmatic, Minolta SRT, various leaf shutter rangefinders, etc.) but occasionally do like to run film through a Maxxum, EOS Rebel K2, and my Pentax ZX-5. With this merger, if it occurs, one could even post from their film camera point and shoot cameras. Anyway, keep your comments coming on this subject and we'll see what the administrators (or whoever makes the decision) thinks. If it turns out to be "NO" perhaps we can revive the weekend thread on Modern Film Cameras to provide an outlet for posting from this gear.

I think it's important that there's one forum dedicated to older cameras.

I think it's important that there's one forum dedicated to older cameras.

I think most of us would consider ALL film cameras as "older cameras".

My vote for consolidation.

Merge would be my vote as well. As long as it is film!

Great suggestion! Merging will make the thread stronger.

As long as it is film!

Which brings up a related point--it looks like one of the B&W film forums got turned into a generic B&W forum--what's your opinion on that? It seemed to me that it was a vigorous and heavily used forum as it was. I've been pushing for an additional generic B&W forum that could bring film and digital B&W photographers together to discuss the kinds of issues common to both, but I don't want to see it happen at the expense of one of the existing B&W film forums. What are your thoughts?

Yes, merge ! Anyway, I was never shy about posting about my YashicaE35 (or others...) which are not manual at all, but old classics (dating 1967), because the way you use them is neverless with the manual spirit : sometimes when needed, you may alter the film speed in order to override their automaticity.

 

Paul

I'd support merging too. Given that there are two other forums covering medium and large format, perhaps the merged forum could be named '35mm film cameras' or even just plain 'Film cameras' if people are likely to submit using other formats like APS, 16mm etc.

Frankly, I never got the split to "Classic Manual" vs "Modern Film" in the first place. In the same way that there have been threads here on terrific classic lenses, showcased (or partially showcased) on digital cameras - why not? If classification of the gear used becomes more important than the image, I think the focus is on the wrong part anyway - neither manual focus or autofocus would solve that really.

Another vote to merge.

I've been posting about this sort of move, but with no response.

 

I'd go even farther and make a forum for "collectable Cameras" and include early digital as well... :|