For those who still owns film bodies...

[rolandwong]

Hi,

 

For those who still owns film bodies, do you still use it frequently? Will

you be keeping it or selling it? =) Also, for those keeping it, do you

purchase DX lens for your DSLR? It's such a pity that it cannot be

interchangeable with film bodies, isn't it? Any comments?

 

 

Cheers!

[cbender]

Is this a serious post, or a troll?

 

To answer your questions, I only shoot with film bodies (FM3A,FG,Mat124G), and will be keeping them.

[vivek iyer]

I use my F2, FM2, FM, etc sporadically. Won't be selling it.

 

No new Nikon DX lenses. Might get a 10.5.

 

I just bought a bunch of LTM cameras/gear for 35mm film captures. These, I use everyday.

[mario_mazariegos]

I only use film bodies so will be using them as usual, pretty much, and I will be keeping them as far as I can tell. No need for digital yet! cheers

[franklin_z.___actually_a_s]

Troll? I don't think so. Troll looks for stupid, obvbious and/or funny replies. This post

looks for pretty straightforward replies. So, here goes...

 

I still shoot film, almost only b&w, though I do more digital. No, I won't sell my F6. Or my

F3. Or my Leica M4. Or - God forbid - my Rolleiflex 2.8F. The only DX lens I have bought

is Sigma 10-20/4-5.6. but I am considering Nikon 17-55, even if I have a hunch Nikon

will come up with a full-frame sensor sooner rather than later. Let's say when sales of the

18-70 and 18-200 will start to decline.

[ky2]

<i>"For those who still owns film bodies, do you still use it frequently?"</i> -- I use an Fm3a and a D200. They get used evenly. And not only have I avoided DX lenses-- I've let go of most of my AF lenses.

[albertdarmali]

Just curios, why are you avoiding the DX lens? Because it only works on digital, or for other reasons?

 

Or because you prefer an old manual focus lens above all? This is a genuine question, not troll bait - in case someone is wondering.

[aeiffel]

My FM3a, F5 & F6 work a lot, I even bought a second F6 3 months ago.<br>

I didn't purchase a DX lens except for the 18-70 bundled with the D70. If I was more seriously into digital I'd probably buy at least the 12-24 as I'm a wide angle addict. But my main production is B&W where I still favor film.

[Ed_Ingold]

I have (and intend to keep) F5 and F100 (and other) film bodies. However, I have used neither since I bought a D1x early in 2003. The D1x was more convenient to use, but more important, gives better results than film. I do continue to use medium format film with an Hasselblad system. The Hasselblad has no significant advantage over a D2x in a 16x20 inch enlargement or smaller.

 

I have not purchased any DX lenses because I have the necessary focal length coverage with high quality, standard Nikkor lenses. I will consider purchasing a 12-24/4 DX or a 17-55/2.8 DX in the future.

[BernardMiller]

I still own an FE and an F4, both of which I like very much (particularly the latter), but except for black and white, I rarely use them compared to my D70, which I would guess I employ about 90% of the time now. I really prefer the way film looks still for most things, but it is just way more convenient (and less expensive) to use digital for paid work or work I do for the Web or publication.

 

I haven't bought any DX lenses, nor will I be buying any of the G lenses in the forseeable future. I want lenses that can work on all my bodies. That's one reason that, as soon as I can afford it, I'm planning on upgrading to a D200--I want to be able to use my AIS lenses (the 105/2.5 and the 28/2.0) as flexibly--and as conveniently--as possible.

[rolandwong]

Hi,

 

My apologies for not being clear... What I meant is for those who have just purchased a DSLR, or had just moved over to digital photography. It's not really a poll, but I just wanted to know whether people are selling their film body since the usage are so low. Hope I've made myself clear... Thanks.

[lahuasteca]

I just purchased a D70s with the kit lens. However, I still own the following film bodies: FE2,

F100, and FM3a plus scads of prime lenses, and don't plan to sell any of them. The FE2 and

FM3a get a lot of use, the F100 doesn't. Do I plan to purchase any DX lenses? Not really -

have my eye on a 16 mm AFd fisheye.

 

I consider myself a "fine art" photography. If I'm out in the field (usually very rough

backcountry) the film bodies still get used. I've got an upcoming trip in August to the

rainforest of the Sierra Madre Oriental of Mexico, the D70s will get its first real workout then.

[neil_parker]

Yes...no...maybe...

 

I have a collection of some of the finest old mechanical beasts; F, F2, F3, Leica, Rollei, etc.,

they have mostly collected dust since I got a D200 and the fantastic 17-55 f2.8 a few

months ago. I am now trying to decide what to sell of these bodies and my 10 or so MF

nikkors. It seems a bit of a shame though to sell some of this gear for what it will fetch

these days. I am definitely keeping an FM2n as a compact lightweight backup.

 

For me it was a huge culture shock, going from using mostly MF fast primes to an AF DX

lens. I photograph concerts regularly and results are what count, and I am getting much

cleaner shots, both in noise/grain and in focus with the new rig compared to the film

cameras.

 

It's quite difficult to focus the MF lenses on the D200 compared to my former concert rig;

F3/MD4. So my big decision is whether to equip it with the katzeye screen, or just dump

some of the MF lenses and go for AF lenses.

[mawz]

I still shoot regularly with the F3 and FA, as well as my Pentax LX and Chinon CM-3. The F601m and EM see less use.

 

My D50 is my 'play' body. For serious work I'll usually use the F3 or FA.

 

I currently own no DX lenses, my only AF lenses are a Tokina 28-70 f2.6-2.8 and a Tamron 19-35 f3.5-4.5, both of which see steady use on the film bodies as well as digital. I'm, seriously considering a 10.5 DX for ultra-wide and fisheye use (Defishing courtesy of Capture NX) though. If Nikon had a nice range of DX primes like Pentax is bringing out I'd seriously look at buying some, especially an equivalent to Pentax's 14mm f2.8 DA (Which around 1/3 of the cost of the FF Nikon 14mm, and easily a match optically)

[k_k_chan]

I use FM3a and Leica M6. Will keep using them. I only have AIS primes for my Nikon. Recently equiped a F100, and considering what AF lens should I get. I think the compact mid range zoom AFS 24-85 would suit my purposes.

[loreneidahl]

I own many , many digital and many, many film bodies that use my Nikon lenses. I buy only lenses that will work on both types because I use both digital and film at the events I shoot.

 

( one of my workhorse cameras is a F3/MD4 connected to a remote trigger - I have 4 :) ) My Favorite digital is the D2 and the D2x

 

Digital and film both have strengths.

 

I am still buying film bodies because I use film bodies as much as my digital bodies. Since I added digital to my tool box my usage of film has gone up. :)

 

As a direct result of my competitiors "going" digital, I now use more film than ever. In addition I have added Large Format and for some types of my shots that have always been shot on 35mm, I now have a distinct edge on image quality that digital camera users can only dream about.

[asharma]

I use D70 atleast once a week, but use my Mamiya 645 AFd only once a month. I love film,

but I am planning to keep D70. I have 2 DX lenses, 18-200mm and recently bought Nikkor

12-24mm. I am planning to keep D70 for long time, if it keeps working. Even if Nikon

comes up with FF sensor, I am not planning to upgrade for another 2 years and by then my

DX lenses would see a lot of use.

[conrad_hoffman]

Neil pretty much wrote my answer. I have all the film stuff and lenses a person could ever want, so there's no need to worry about compatibility. I'll be buying DX from here on out. Very few of my primes offer anything when used on the digital body, as I'm not a long lens shooter. Why would I use my beloved 20mm f/2.8 AiS when it's not that wide on the digital, and the zoom covers it just fine? Sure, I'll keep my 105 and 200, and certainly my micro/macro stuff. I can't give any good reason to keep the rest of my film gear, other than it took me forever to collect it, and the resale value isn't enough to warrant selling it. I don't think I've shot a roll or sheet of film in more than a year or even two. And then there's the darkroom, with all the chems to brew up just about any old formula, fifteen enlarger lenses, temperature control valve, densitometers, sensitometers, etc. I don't use it, but can't bear to sell it. If nothing else, it's a good place to refill inkjet cartridges.

[ky2]

<i>"Just curios, why are you avoiding the DX lens? Because it only works on digital, or for other reasons?"</i><br><br>

The reason I like my Fm3a so much, is because it involves me better in the photo-taking process: it has better ergonomics and a much nicer form factor than anything else out there. The D200 comes very close, and the AI/AIS glass I have is simply superb-- why change it? I'm not much of a wide angle person anyway, and buying a DX lens just to satisfy this "need" (or Nikon's craving for extra-profit) is simply a none-issue... Moreover, I manually focus more accurately than any AF module.<br><br>

There's also the compatibility issue-- I want an aperture ring on my lenses, because I do use them on my Fm3a. Killing backwards compatibility is a deal breaker for me.

[michaelkh]

I have an F80 and a Fuji S2. The F80 sees much more use and with my film scanner (and

Provia, XP2, Delta 400) generally produces far better results. Lenses: currently a dirt cheap

sigma 70-210 (once in a very blue moon), Cosina 100mm macro (sometimes), 24-85 f/

3.5-4.5 AF-S (on the S2 most of the time), 50mm f/1.8 (on the F80 99% of the time).

 

I'm still not quite at the point of buying a DX lens - I use the F80 too much, and I don't

consider the F80 to be the last Nikon film SLR purchase I'll make. That said, the Sigma

30mm f/1.4 tempts, but then, so does the Nikon 35mm f/2 (it's a focal length I love on

film). Unless I have a very specific requirement, buying a DX lens does not make good

sense.

 

I also have a reasonable investment in nikon TTL flashes, so I guess I won't be parting

company with the S2 for a while.

[cbender]

<I>What I meant is for those who have just purchased a DSLR, or had just moved over to digital photography.</I>

 

<P>OK, that qualifier makes for a very different question (and I no longer think you're a troll).

[photo5]

I've been shooting digital since December, 2000, and I've never stopped shooting film.

Until I bought my D70 last year, film was still it for me. Now I have a D70s (after selling

the D70 last year to get quick cash to replace a car that was totalled by a guy who rear

ended me) and I'm shooting it all the time. I have to drive to Seattle to get my slide film

developed and that takes a lot of time. The D70s shoots fine images and I'm very satisfied

with the quality. I just shot 125 photos at my nephews 11th birthday party with the D70s,

kit 18-70mm lens, and an SB-600 and they turned out very nice.

 

That being said, I still have my F3HP and my uncle's old Rolleicord III, and I won't be selling

them. I've got scads of film in the freezer that I can dip into whenever I want.

 

Dave

[cooper8168]

When I purchased my D200, my thought was to keep my FM3a and small collection of MF

primes. After getting deep into the D200, I found that I never used the FM3a and

eventually sold it, putting the money towards a second D200. However, I eventually

reasoned that it wasn't because of film that I no longer used the FM - it was because of the

AF. I just got so used to the AF that I didn't like switching back to the MF. To test this

theory, I picked up one of those factory-refurbished F100's that were recently available on

eBay. Now, when shooting for fun, I find that I reach for the F100 sooner than the D's. A

recent batch of slides that I picked up from the late AIM (RIP) really drove it home for me.

 

I held out as long as I could, but eventually purchased the 17-55DX for the D's and just

use a 24 and 50mm prime for the F100 to cover the wider end. I really struggled with this

decision because I didn't want to purchase such an expensive lens that couldn't be used

on both the film and digital bodies. I ultimately decided that I wanted to keep the F100 as

light as possible, so the obvious crossover zoom choice, the 28-70mm, was just too heavy

(and having owned one at one time, I have to say that I prefer the 17-55 anyway).

Everything longer crosses over.

 

This setup works really well for me and satisfies virtually all my needs. Now I just have to

decide whether or not to keep my Mamiya 6, which is slowly gathering dust.

[erik_loza]

My sole reamining film body is the F5, which I will likely never part with. Though I shoot

our DSLR for company advertising on a weekly basis and find it handy as a "walking

around" camera, I still prefer a film body. Couldn't tell you why, but it's kind of like going

to the garage and taking the cover off your weekend sports coupe. You either enjoy it or

you don't. There is a camera for everybody and enjoy what you have. If you don't enjoy it,

then sell it.

[jjo1]

I have a D200 and an N80. I plan to continue doing some of my work with the N80 but want to expand my horizons with the D200.