Good forums for B/W film advice ?

stevewestern

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Anyone know of any good forums for help and information on film cameras and black and white in particular...?
 
Short of a google, I dunno.
There aren't many not hammered by Americanisms and with the same atmosphere as tpf.
I've been kinda surprised by the number of closet film shooters at tpf, a quick glance sorta passing through the threads like and you'd think it was digitised front to back.
Maybe there's a coo afoot, an under current of discontent:lol:
Seriously though, the more members there are the more likely there is to be knowledgable film peeps, even if they have gone to digital.
If your going to find somewhere, it will be specific, a b/w search just throws up a million results about "conversion" like b/w is some sort of photoshop filter???:bang:
Should start a thread on that...
 
hmmm - I have to say I am rather surprised that there has been so few replies to this - I thought there would be a few from people here who use film, maybe one suggesting a seperate section for film users, especially given the fact that there have been a couple of questions over the last few days about chemicals, ASA and the suchlike...
 
The forums I frequent for film advice are apug.org and rangefinderforum (not film specific but most RFs are film anyway).

As much as a film forum on here would be great I think it would be fairly empty. If there was the demand it would be nice, but i don't think there are enough people actively shooting film to make it viable (unless there's a huge wedge of people just waiting?)

The two forums i suggested can be abit advanced though. The best way to learn is to just shoot a few rolls, and then mess with the chemicals.
 
A film section would be a good idea.

I guess the responses are a bit limited as most film workers will be old f@rts who will have solved most of their film type problems, whereas digital will have loads of new users with newbie questions (well, that's my profile anyway :lol:).
 
My name is Steve.
I am an old fart.
I am in fact so old that I am getting into film for the second time.
Actually, john-oh, one of the reasons I am getting into it is that with digital, it is so easy to just shoot and never think. How ofter are there questions about DoF, links between shutter speed and aperture etc. How often do you spend ages going through all the shots you (this is not a dig in any way - it applies to lots of us) have taken to find the one or two you like ? I am hoping that by being forced to meter, set the shutter/aperture, focus then shoot, that I might also learn to look as well, and think about what I want in or out of the shot. Then, there is the idea that film might have something different about it - some say it is much higher quality, with more subtlty and tonality. I won't say it is proper photography, but I feel that I, and maybe many others might be able to learn a lot from it. In fact, I am going to suggest it to the mods right now !
 
There are a few forums similar and bigger to here in numbers that have a film forum, but generally they're pretty quiet.
I think the, and I quote "old farts" have their own places that the go that are specific to film only, and the only new posts in a tpf type forum are from peeps wanting to try film out for the first time out of interest.
All the expertise and general natter is in the specific forums.
There is less of an incentive to ask a film question without a dedicated sub-forum though.
I think there are far more shooters interested in film than not...if not actually shooting it...and theres bound to be an army of digital starters looking for a change of tack.
Its difficult to push film away if your a complete total photo nutjob:lol:
 
Steve,

I know exactly what you mean about film work, I still have all my film equipment and darkroom setup. I considered selling it all when I had taken up digital but just can't bring myself to do it.

I think (maybe) the darkroom will go and I'll scan in my films - but not yet.

I've still got a Mamiya 330 6*6 with various lenses, it rarely gets used, but one day I'll blow the dust off it and give it a good workout and I'm sure I will really enjoy it.
 
My name is Steve.
I am an old fart.
I am in fact so old that I am getting into film for the second time.

LOL Sorry Steve but I read that as "I'm so old, I'm getting old for the second time" lol
 
You, Marcel, may find that funny.
I have recently enjoyed my 2nd childhood, and heading for the dark days again is not so appealing..
 
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