Film-like pictures in a digital camera

[petter_furuseth]

Hello!

Proud owner of a Leica Minilux. Can anyone please help me? Which camera are

making the most "film-like" pictures straight out of camera? Little grain, and

not so "digital look" on pics... I was perhaps thinking of the Ricoh GR

Digital, or the Panasonic Lumix L1... But honestly, I have no clue. Tips and

hints very much appreciated... I don't expect to see that Velvia look in any

digital camera, but what camera is closest, do you think?

[leicaglow]

I don't know that it's camera specific. There are plug ins for PhotoShop that give you some options for converting color digital to B&W, and one (though I forget the brand and product name) allows you to select the type of film you want the result to look like, such as Ilford Delta 400, Tri-X, etc.

 

To me, the issue is how the lens works with the sensor, and I'd say that the M8 is one of the best digital cameras I've seen for B&W using conventional Leica lenses.

[roger_kallet]

Petter, I remembered this 9/9/06 post on the Digital Darkroom forum. A poster had written a

Photoshop Action for converting color to BW so as to simulate the various BW films, showing

about twelve different BW-looks to pick from. I downloaded it and it works quite well.

 

 

http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=00HyXx

[w.smith]

Gents, the OP asked for film-like pictures "straight out of camera" . . .

 

I don't think there is such a thing, Petter. You can make digital photos look like anything

you like, provided you do the appropriate editing.

[wyman_ladd]

All digital camera images look digital because thats what they are.And just about all digital camera pictures have to be slightly corrected in photoshop to equal the image quality of film.You can use imaging software on your images to make them look a little closer to a sort of film look.But if the film like look is important to you....USE FILM.

[Nowhereman]

The Ricoh GR-D often has film-like grain but, as others say, the important thing is post-

processing to get the tones to look like you want: actually, it's the same concept as you

would use for contrast control in the darkroom. I don't really strive for a film look as such,

but go for contrast and tones that I like. You can see the results withe the GR-D and Leica D-

Lux 3 <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/10268776@N00/"><u>here</u>.</a>

<p>

--Mitch/Cape Town

[Spearhead]

<i>But if the film like look is important to you....USE FILM.</i><p>

 

WHY? If you can make it look like film, why do you have to use film?<p>

 

<center><img src="http://www.spirer.com/images/smokernyc.jpg"><br><i>Smoker, Copyright 2006 Jeff Spirer</i></center><p>

 

Digital, I get asked "What film?" regularly.

[Nowhereman]

Good point, Jeff!

[ned1]

The Fuji S3 has six stops of latitude and give you more film-like tonalities. It still suffers from the unnatural color-smoothing effect that comes from the aggressive color interpolation that digital sensor do. The only way around that is to have a lot of pixels, which means 22MP or higher.

 

Here's an S3 picture.<div></div>

[stan_belyaev]

Digital b&w, especially from small cameras....

Are you kidding?

It looks ugly.

If you like look of the film, use it! Unless your image is more importaint to you that printed images.

[James G. Dainis]

<I>"Which camera are making the most "film-like" pictures straight out of camera?</I>" <P>

 

Which film are you talking about? The highly color saturated Velvia with blocked colors, the more muted colors of Fuji 400H with good flesh tones or perhaps the high contrast Konica VX200 which really gave blotchy skin tones.

[harvey_edelstein1]

Fuji just started shipping their S5 PRO, its got 400 percent more dynamic range and a Velvia mode. Colors and high iso usefulness are its best features. This camera is built on a Nikon D200 body and takes almost all Nikon accessories. This includes F mount lenses even old ones, the CLS system flashes etc. If you don't go over 11x14 prints it should give you great out of camera film like results.

[dennis_mook]

Petter: I use a Photoshop Plug-in called Alienskin Exposure. The Plug-in allows you to convert any digital file to a film-like look, either in color or black & white. There are many films listed and each has its own look. It also has Degeurrerotypes, Calotypes, Infrared and other special proceses listed. They even insert a grain-like look that replicates the grain in the specific film you desire. I believe they may have a free trial download. If this meets your needs, then a specific digital camera should not be necessary as it will apply these actions to any of them.

[ned1]

The latitude issue means that you will never be able to create a film-like look simply by using Photoshop. If the high-end information isn't there then it isn't there, and no amount of manipulation can bring it back.

 

Some medium format digital backs have the full latitude and color of film. They can do that because their pixles are just plain bigger. APS sized sensor will never be able to do that, although the S3 comes close.

[wyman_ladd]

Jeff I belive the question was "film look straight out of camera"for which I belive (IMO)my answer is correct.I also stated that software could be used to get a CLOSE to film look as you have made us aware.But in "my" opinion its easier to just use the film that has the look you like than to spend time in front of your computer clicking your mouse trying to achieve a similar look.We all have two great formats (digital and film) we can use to create great images.Don't get hung up on one or the other,use both to their advantages and you can't go wrong.

[Spearhead]

I use an action I wrote along with a commercial package. The time to go through 50 photos is less than the time it takes to drive to the lab or to get water into the trays. Given that black and white negatives out of the camera aren't usable without processing, a fair comparison should include processing on the digital results. You are looking to create a highly biased comparison that ignores the real world.

[wyman_ladd]

Jeff I agree with what you say, however, my answer was to the question only, not whatever it is you are talking about.I LOVE both formats and USE both formats,I think the only biased one is you!.?

[steve_mareno]

I have been wondering the same thing as Peter, and have come to a conclusion based upon looking at sample images for months, shooting a variety of DSLR's, and working w/ the files in Photoshop. There are no digital cameras that can produce the equivalent tonal graduations of film, although the M8 can sometimes give the appearance of coming close in color. You may get the image looking pretty close by all manner of PS manipulations, but printing will quickly disclose the flaws in that argument. In B&W it isn't even close. MAYBE a MF digital camera can do it, but I haven't seen any consistent output to confirm that.

 

So as much as I dislike scanning film and paying for the film and development costs, that's just how it works. As Edward so concisely put it, if the information isn't there, it isn't there. And trust me, it isn't there.