Film versus digital
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gad-westy
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Funnily enough, I see it the other way around. A digital camera is such a great tool for learning on as you can see your mistakes straight away and those mistakes don't cost a penny.
I love old film cameras now, there is something very satisfying about using them, but I don't think I could have hacked learning on them and have quite a bit of respect for those that did.
I love old film cameras now, there is something very satisfying about using them, but I don't think I could have hacked learning on them and have quite a bit of respect for those that did.
artyman
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You can pick up a decent DSLR s/hand for say £250 certainly good enough to learn with, which will give you unlimited shots. Now a twin lens reflex will give you 12 shots per roll, so say an average shoot of 50 a day plus processing, I think you will find that film will be considerably more expensive
HoppyUK
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Knikki
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Actually I think it is more a 'yes' and 'no'
Digital can be easier to and quicker to use but if you just go out and stick the camera on Program mode and shoot away thinking "I can fix that in photoshop" then I think you will learn very little.
Using a film camera as in a Twin Lens for example you only have 12 shots to use so in some respects would slow you down and make you think a little more. However then you have to wait for the film to be developed and sent back and there would be a little more cost evolved.
Thats assuming that you have a computer and some form of photo editing/viewing software.
Digital can be easier to and quicker to use but if you just go out and stick the camera on Program mode and shoot away thinking "I can fix that in photoshop" then I think you will learn very little.
Using a film camera as in a Twin Lens for example you only have 12 shots to use so in some respects would slow you down and make you think a little more. However then you have to wait for the film to be developed and sent back and there would be a little more cost evolved.
Thats assuming that you have a computer and some form of photo editing/viewing software.
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Personally I only got into film after using digital first. I was given my first digital camera however, so everything worked out as free, whereas I might have given up if I had to pay to develop half the mistakes and awful pics I took when I started.
Some film TLR's are quite expensive and I have seen then go for more than a cheap DSLR with a kit lens. In terms of film, is not so much the camera or the film that is expensive (as you may take less photos as you are paying for them) but the development and scanning afterwards.
To start off, if you were interested in film I would pick up a cheap 35mm and some expired film to see if it was for me. Personally I absolutely love film, but it might have been different if I was paying to develop a bunch of mistakes.
Some film TLR's are quite expensive and I have seen then go for more than a cheap DSLR with a kit lens. In terms of film, is not so much the camera or the film that is expensive (as you may take less photos as you are paying for them) but the development and scanning afterwards.
To start off, if you were interested in film I would pick up a cheap 35mm and some expired film to see if it was for me. Personally I absolutely love film, but it might have been different if I was paying to develop a bunch of mistakes.
freecom2
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There is where I stand on it - digital is great, the instant feedback is a very useful tool for learning the basics on exposure.
That said, once you are comfortable with that on a regular basis, an old TLR is a wonderful photographic tool - they are superb, and so different from any other camera type out there. And a decent medium format negative is an impressive bit of image!
AESamuel
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I would say 'Yes, absolutely!'
My reasoning? I started photography a year go. On an old manual twin lens-reflex camera, a lubitel 166b. Learning how to expose properly, composer properly and then do everything myself meant that I learnt incredibly quickly how to make things work. Then the process of developing my film and finding out which shots worked and which didn't. Only having 12 shots was a bonus because I could remember exactly what each shot was like and the setting I used for them. That then meant that if something hadn't worked how I wanted, I knew where I had gone wrong.
I then moved to a 35mm SLR (canon AE-1p) and this got me used to having more frames and I could use the auto feature when I wanted but most of the time I still had to think about the exposure triangle.
I've only had my digital camera for about a month or so and I know that if I had started on this camera I would have been all too tempting for me to use the auto mode and not learn about exposure and composition until much later on, and it is only when I have used those two aspects to their full that I am truly proud of my photographs.
My reasoning? I started photography a year go. On an old manual twin lens-reflex camera, a lubitel 166b. Learning how to expose properly, composer properly and then do everything myself meant that I learnt incredibly quickly how to make things work. Then the process of developing my film and finding out which shots worked and which didn't. Only having 12 shots was a bonus because I could remember exactly what each shot was like and the setting I used for them. That then meant that if something hadn't worked how I wanted, I knew where I had gone wrong.
I then moved to a 35mm SLR (canon AE-1p) and this got me used to having more frames and I could use the auto feature when I wanted but most of the time I still had to think about the exposure triangle.
I've only had my digital camera for about a month or so and I know that if I had started on this camera I would have been all too tempting for me to use the auto mode and not learn about exposure and composition until much later on, and it is only when I have used those two aspects to their full that I am truly proud of my photographs.