Why Shoot Film?

[marc_bergman1]

<p>Steve,</p>

<p>I hope the change in the film market doesn't prevent you from engaging in film photography. You may not be able to purchase film and chemicals at your local camera store like you once could however the availability is still quite good.</p>

<p>Freestyle Photographic Supplies has been in business since 1946. They put out a wonderful catalog filled with B&W and color films along with the darkroom chemicals needed to develop them.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.freestylephoto.biz/">http://www.freestylephoto.biz/</a></p>

<p>You can also sign up for their email newsletter to keep abreast of current products.</p>

<p>Here on Photo.net we have several interesting forums for film users.</p>

<p><a href="/black-and-white-photo-film-processing-forum/">http://www.photo.net/black-and-white-photo-film-processing-forum/</a></p>

<p><a href="/film-and-processing-forum/">http://www.photo.net/film-and-processing-forum/</a></p>

<p><a href="/classic-cameras-forum/">http://www.photo.net/classic-cameras-forum/</a></p>

<p><a href="/modern-film-cameras-forum/">http://www.photo.net/modern-film-cameras-forum/</a></p>

<p>There are also a Leica and Rangefinder forum, a Medium Format forum, and a Large Format forum. These forums are filled with enthusiasts sharing their film interests.</p>

<p>If you don't like your Nikon EM, stop by the Classic Manual Cameras forum. You are sure to find some good advice. Nikon built many models and we all have a favorite. The nice thing is that film SLRs are very affordable.</p>

 

[cyanatic]

<p>And Satan whispers in my ear in the guise of Marc Bergman...<br>

;-) Thanks, Marc. </p>

[malcom_knight]

<p>I don't know about you, but I shoot both. I love my DSLR. Both require digital darkroom post-processing skills to get the best out of each.<br>

I find the film needs more post processing to clean it up unless I want the grainy look.<br>

On a recent trip to Italy, I compared shots from my Pentax K-X (old entry level 12mp from a few years back) to my Mamyia 645 Velvia 100 shots. The resolution was almost identical. And that was from a crop sensor! An old crop sensor! I liked the color better from the Pentax.. I used one of the Pentax prime lenses. Now if a dinky little crop sensor can match Velvia 100 on a tripod with a trigger cord, I can only dream of what a full frame Nikon D-800 could do.<br>

I did use a Nikon 9000 scanner. Perhaps a drumscan would give the Mamyia a slight edge in resolution, but you also pick up more artifacts from the film that requires more digital darkroom processing to clean it up. </p>

[f_ph1]

<p>Malcolm:<br /> With all due respect, have you considered that you are not actually comparing the two in their best respective forms? Film was not originally meant to be digitized; not matter how refined the scanner is, something (a great deal, in most cases) will be lost in the digitization process. A more accurate comparison would involve looking at an optically produced print (darkroom) vs. the digital print from the dslr. <br>

Having done this with my own work, I find that darkroom prints are very much different. I am not an accoplished darkroom printer, alas, but still find that even digitized 35mm provides me with a look that I have only been able to get with film, thus my preference for the ridiculously expensive stuff.</p>