Am I alone?

I have returned to film completely. I have so many superb film-burners that I want to explore. Only in special circumstances would I pick up a digicam. I have a Leica M3, a Nikon F, and a Rolleiflex 3.5 F. Who could ask for anything more? How can I ignore such machines when I want to go out shooting? Anyone else in this position? I even have a Speed Graphic for LF! And a Minox for spying!

Well, I'd love to play with my "film-burners" but until I retire I have too much to do and too little time. Digital gets me the images I need in the timeframe I need them. I remember how much time it took to process film and make prints and it's just not practical at the moment. Still have the darkroom though.

I think it'S safe to say I am a "film photographer" only. I use my phone for lots of quick stuf becasue it'S convenient, but much like you I have so many beautiful film cameras, I can't use them all but I'm driven to use them. I certainly don'T make a living with photiography and to keep things in "check" I develop my own B&W film, not becasue I'm a control freak or "so involved" .. I do it because I can. and it's cheap..and with the current maket ..film is expensive to send off to be developed.

 

@ Conrad when I moved back in 1990, I lost my darkroom, but the digital info age has me scanning negatives instead of printing in the darkroom. Certainly after scanning, it is no longer film / print photography and while I mourn the darkroom nights with the ball game on the radio and redlight on, I have accepted it . Don'T wait till retirement. Jump in. IF you can bake brownies, you can develop film.Really!!

They say you can make time for anything you really want to do, but there's too many things I really want to do! I love the wet process, even the smells. Over the years I've processed and printed certainly many hundreds, probably thousands of black and white films and prints. Even though I haven't touched wet process in over a decade, I've little doubt I could walk in and do it without a hitch. Like riding a bicycle. As I've said in another thread, wet process color is, IMHO, a fools errand. Digital has simply raised the bar too far. Black and white wet process rules!

Am I Alone?

Do you feel alone? ;-)

 

I am afraid of being mistaken for a hipster when discussing film photography online these days - in fact I am just an old fart that never enjoyed digital for the hobby part of photography. Now I am actually “cool” with the youth.

Edited December 20, 2020 by NHSN

Mostly film cameras with me. Some of the few times I use digital- when family needs a quick picture or to post a quick image of my classic gear in the "What Camera are you Using This Weekend?" thread.

I switched to digital in 2005 (as did much of the rest of the world). Then I got all "nostalgiky" about all the film cameras I had and had formerly had.

So I bought one funny little camera on eBay that I was sorry I had got rid of -- a Praktica FX3.

 

Now 15 years later, I have something over (I need to update my spreadsheet) 270 film cameras. I have shot all of them that still work, and made many post here on Photo.net (although the search engine here is not great, a search will show up some of them).

 

Actually, I have also collected early digital cameras, but that's another story.

 

Here are some of my Contax S = Pentacon cameras

 

 

However, I confess that when I travel or shoot seriously, I almost always shoot digital - for ease, cost, and quality.

 

My film cameras are for fun, but getting harder and harder to shoot since I no longer have any local film processing and have to do it myself-- which slows down the pace considerably.:(

Edited December 20, 2020 by JDMvW

Aside from a few special films like Kodachrome, I was never much of a fan of FILM as such. I do like Ilford XP2, and much of my current film shooting is on that film.

 

It was the images that I was after.

 

There was a wonderful time, though, when film was king:

I have returned to film completely. I have so many superb film-burners that I want to explore. Only in special circumstances would I pick up a digicam. I have a Leica M3, a Nikon F, and a Rolleiflex 3.5 F. Who could ask for anything more? How can I ignore such machines when I want to go out shooting? Anyone else in this position? I even have a Speed Graphic for LF! And a Minox for spying!

 

You aren't alone.

 

When I travel, I bring an M6 and a 120 camera. The 120 is sometimes a Fuji 690 but I'm using a Rolleiflex E2 these days for reasons of weight and the bulk of the film that I need carry in my luggage. Shooting with a Rolleiflex is a good way to meet new people, especially in Europe.

 

Back home I use a 4x5 or a 5x7 along with a Barnack Leica or the M6. A view camera is also a good way to meet new people.

 

My wife does use a digital camera, a Fuji x100s, which serves her well, especially for grandkid snaps.

Edited December 20, 2020 by wendell_kelly

 

Now 15 years later, I have something over (I need to update my spreadsheet) 270 film cameras. I have shot all of them that still work, and made many post here on Photo.net (although the search engine here is not great, a search will show up some of them).

 

 

Wow JDM 270 film cameras? Thats a lot of collection! How big is your display cabinet? :)

Thats a lot of collection!

 

yes, it is a lot

 

How big is your display cabinet?

The "collection" has rather overflowed the cabinets.

I prefer b&w on film, always have and I keep a good supply on hand in three formats. On a trip to Europe last year I took an F4s and a D300s. Color just makes too much sense on digital but I went through four rolls of HP5 also.

 

Rick H.

Only in special circumstances would I pick up a digicam.

Like when you don't have time, money or natural resources to waste?

 

Or if you want great image quality without lugging 30 lbs of LF camera and tripod about?

"Or if you want great image quality without lugging 30 lbs of LF camera and tripod about?"

 

How come no one told me about this earlier?

 

Every couple of years I go through a phase where the classic camera call to me and I need shot from for a time. Although most times I’m using digital.

I still shoot film because I enjoy it. I use digital when it has an advantage. From 1966 to 2006 I only used film. From 2006 to late 2015 almost all digital. In late 2005 I tried a roll of black and white film and found it was fun. Ever since I shoot mostly film because it is fun for me. It has nothing to do with practical or better.

Ah for the glories of the old days, but I was younger then too..

I think maybe this pose was inspired by Arbus's boy with the grenade

My wife & I photograph weddings using modern digital gear, because clients expect lots of digital images and shooting with a digital camera is the fastest most convenient way to deliver them.

.

However, in my camera bag alongside the modern Canon is a 70-year-old Widelux FV. After I'm sure I have the expected digital images, I'll take some shots with the Widelux, when & where appropriate.

.

For our recent family vacation to Arizona in the second half of November, we took a Canon dSLR, a submersible compact digital, the Widelux, and a Holga. Film is in processing now. Shot almost as many film frames as digital.

.

Attached photo is from a recent shoot with my wife, our toddler, and a client couple with 4 dogs.

[ATTACH=full]1369502[/ATTACH]

My wife & I photograph weddings using modern digital gear, because clients expect lots of digital images and shooting with a digital camera is the fastest most convenient way to deliver them.

.

However, in my camera bag alongside the modern Canon is a 70-year-old Widelux FV. After I'm sure I have the expected digital images, I'll take some shots with the Widelux, when & where appropriate.

.

For our recent family vacation to Arizona in the second half of November, we took a Canon dSLR, a submersible compact digital, the Widelux, and a Holga. Film is in processing now. Shot almost as many film frames as digital.

.

Attached photo is from a recent shoot with my wife, our toddler, and a client couple with 4 dogs.

 

Great pandemic “optics.” What’s wrong in this picture? Jeesh...

Great pandemic “optics.” What’s wrong in this picture? Jeesh...

 

I realize the horizon isn't perfectly level.

Was there something else?

I seem to interest people the most when I shoot with an Argus C4. People my age (born in the '40s) cant believe they are seeing one of those again. It makes them happy!

I seem to interest people the most when I shoot with an Argus C4. People my age (born in the '40s) cant believe they are seeing one of those again. It makes them happy!

.

In my experience, twin-lens reflex cameras trigger that emotion in people for me. Any brand / model; they all look similar in form.

Just as a truly interested and curious (digit)al) photographer, I wonder wtf this thread is really about.

I shoot film, not quite exclusively, my *other* camera currently is my phone! I still have my mirrorless Olympus OMD EM1 but honestly I shoot it so rarely, it hardly counts.

I'd like to have a less co implicated digicam, but seems the less functions a digital camera has, the more it costs! I could MAYBE justify 2K tops for a new digital camera purchase. MAYBE but man it'd have be something pretty special.

Just as a truly interested and curious (digit)al) photographer, I wonder wtf this thread is really about.

 

Mike, it's a film thing. You wouldn't understand.