If you were going to start from scratch with film, what would be your advice...

Topsy said:
like you Lee I have started my roll for FPOTY and have 6 themes done already. I've made it harder for myself as I have decided to shoot each subjecton digital and film at the same time (Leica M9 for digital and MP for film) with the same focal length. I'll need, like you, to get my film finished by 22nd to have any chace of making the Jan film deadline.
Click to expand...

I did think about shooting the same scene or subject on both myself but tbh I was more concerned with the film images :ROFLMAO: The trouble is, I can't recall EXACTLY what I've shot :ROFLMAO:
 
I made the mistake of selling a large Bronica SQ-A outfit to fund a digital camera back in the day. I enjoyed using it for a while until the novelty wore off. I realised that I really missed the joy of developing film and making prints. I love the fact that I can look at a photograph of which I am proud of and know that it is all my own work. I alone am responsible for every aspect of that image. (not a computer chip in my camera).
Personally, I would start with a MF camera, Yashica TLR or similar. Shoot a few films. You will soon realise what is 'for you'. or what you want to ignore.
 
Without turning the thread into digi ver film and just AAMOI there is one advantage of a manual film camera in that I can leave my camera (with film) on a shelf for 6 months, a year and whose knows 50 years o_O and instantly pick it up to take a shot. With digi it's just another modern inconvenience from mobile phones to electric cars for recharging batteries.
 
A truckload of good advice…no I have not read every response in detail…

There is a lot you didn’t tell us (I think) such as your current experience in digital photography and exactly what you are planning to do with film to name but 2 aspects…did you and I missed it?

So here is my 5c worth with a disclaimer or 6…

I am a gear hoarder and I overthink and over-engineer everything I do in order to be able to make HUGE prints of good quality.

So, with that being said what you are about to embark on what sounds like an amazing adventure with the potential for some minor disappointments along the way…

Start out with 35mm but don’t over-invest on equipment. If you want to sell it on as you migrate to medium format or keep everything that is up to you. 35mm film is MUCH easier to develop at home BUT you are ultimately limited with how big you can print. I don’t know if this is an issue to you?

Large format is AMAZING and you can get very decent results scanning your negs even on a humble flatbed scanner like the Epson V750 or V850. It is not an easy or cheap way to start your film journey though...

35mm film needs to be digitised with a decent D-SLR and macro lens or scanned with a dedicated 35mm film scanner. The former option can be quite a laborious mission and the latter can be costly especially if you wish to own the scanner.

Medium format (120 roll film) is a good happy medium IMHO and there are MANY options in terms of cameras, lenses and film. Do some searches on youtube…I can particularly recommend the channel of Steve O’ Nions as a great place to start.

Good luck, have lots of fun and let us know how it goes!
 
OK, so I only started shooting film 6ish months ago and then had a bit of GAS and now have four film cameras.. 2 35mm and 2 medium format.
I've had the most with the K1000 and I carry it whenever I leave the house. I look at my medium format cameras and ask myself what am I going to use these for! but also, I struggle to take 36 shots - so I'm sure I'll settle on the medium formats eventually.
Seeing as I had the most fun with the K1000 - my advice would have been to just get that and enjoy it.
 
Agree with most things above, and would just say buy an old manual camera, enjoy the process.. In the 35mm world I have a Contax RTSII and a couple of EOS3's ... I find the EOS 3s boring to use as they are to close to my digital cameras, whilst the fully manual process of the Contax, or my Medium Format cameras is much more fun...

It's also a slippery slope! I now have a new Shen Hao 4x5, waiting to be Christened!

As someone said, it's all about the journey. If the end product turns out to be amazing then it's a bonus (most times they are just average or rubbish lol)
 
benc98 said:
OK, so I only started shooting film 6ish months ago and then had a bit of GAS and now have four film cameras.. 2 35mm and 2 medium format.
I've had the most with the K1000 and I carry it whenever I leave the house. I look at my medium format cameras and ask myself what am I going to use these for! but also, I struggle to take 36 shots - so I'm sure I'll settle on the medium formats eventually.
Seeing as I had the most fun with the K1000 - my advice would have been to just get that and enjoy it.
Click to expand...
8920DE10-DCD4-480A-B2DF-2EB29B5D41E0.jpeg

Would this be enough K-1000 cameras? No, I didn’t think so either…
 
No. You need a couple with teles on them!
 
Nod said:
No. You need a couple with teles on them!
Click to expand...
I have a Super Takumar 70-150 and it seems pretty decent in sharpness;)

If I was planning to shoot much more 35mm film I had my eye on a SMC 35mm f/2…

So not too many 35mm lenses planned, tele or otherwise…

I prefer shooting in the 35-80 or so mm perspective range…oh wait…80 or 85 is tele… ;)
 
Last edited:
benc98 said:
OK, so I only started shooting film 6ish months ago and then had a bit of GAS and now have four film cameras.. 2 35mm and 2 medium format.
I've had the most with the K1000 and I carry it whenever I leave the house. I look at my medium format cameras and ask myself what am I going to use these for! but also, I struggle to take 36 shots - so I'm sure I'll settle on the medium formats eventually.
Seeing as I had the most fun with the K1000 - my advice would have been to just get that and enjoy it.
Click to expand...
Glad I'm not the only one, grew up with film so came back to it at the start of last year, similary 2 35mm, 2 med format and now a large format, too many lenses and all the gear - no idea
 
Is "enough" a word you should using in this context? As I often say, if a thing's worth doing, it's worth doing to excess.
 
StephenM said:
Is "enough" a word you should using in this context? As I often say, if a thing's worth doing, it's worth doing to excess.
Click to expand...


I've said before that there's no such thing as "Too many". There's "Not enough", "Enough" and possibly even "More than enough" but never "Too many".
Once wrote a song called "Excess Is Never Enough!" (not the one by Rancid Hell Spawn!!!)
 
Thanks for all the responses. Super helpful. I've been quite busy with work but have started to narrow down options.
 
Back in my film days I used everything, Nikon, Canon, Olympus, Minolta, Yashica etc etc, The ones I stuck with and still have ended up as Pentax. I found them reliable, good lens and could take a lot of use.
As for large format vs 35mm a then well known news tog called Victor Blackman of the Daily Express did a test, he did 20x16 of the same subject off both, he struggled to tell the difference close up, and 35mm has a the size and easy of use going for it. That said I still have my medium format stuff too. :)
 
I have a pretty extensive set of 35mm Pentaxes (4 different Spotmatic versions plus KX, LX, MX) of which my undoubted favourite is the LX but the MX and KX are really reliable great cameras too, I have a selection of lenses for them in M42 and PK mounts. In medium format, I've really fallen for the Mamiya C330 I bought here on TP a while ago, although I have a Pentax 645, that needs attention to the battery compartment, which may become a second favourite. Then my two 4x5 cameras. I'm glad I'm not in company that thinks I'm greedy!!
 
lindsay said:
I have a pretty extensive set of 35mm Pentaxes (4 different Spotmatic versions plus KX, LX, MX) of which my undoubted favourite is the LX but the MX and KX are really reliable great cameras too, I have a selection of lenses for them in M42 and PK mounts. In medium format, I've really fallen for the Mamiya C330 I bought here on TP a while ago, although I have a Pentax 645, that needs attention to the battery compartment, which may become a second favourite. Then my two 4x5 cameras. I'm glad I'm not in company that thinks I'm greedy!!
Click to expand...
I was looking at the a portrait lens for my p30, and I thought well the pentax-a 50mm is cheap, bet the 85mm is too...boy was i wrong, not something I will acquire maybe ever
 
Oh and another thing. if you are not going to shoot often then treat yourself to a a decent developer. e.g DD-X is "expensive" in dev terms but actually its well regarded as one of the best and if you decant it into smaller bottles will keep for two years until you use it.
I myself am guilty of trying to save the pennies too much and in fact I dont shoot enough film so may as well get the good stuff
 
swanseamale47 said:
Back in my film days I used everything, Nikon, Canon, Olympus, Minolta, Yashica etc etc, The ones I stuck with and still have ended up as Pentax. I found them reliable, good lens and could take a lot of use.
As for large format vs 35mm a then well known news tog called Victor Blackman of the Daily Express did a test, he did 20x16 of the same subject off both, he struggled to tell the difference close up, and 35mm has a the size and easy of use going for it. That said I still have my medium format stuff too. :)
Click to expand...
The Tri-x man
 
excalibur2 said:
The Tri-x man
Click to expand...
swanseamale47 said:
Back in my film days I used everything, Nikon, Canon, Olympus, Minolta, Yashica etc etc, The ones I stuck with and still have ended up as Pentax. I found them reliable, good lens and could take a lot of use.
As for large format vs 35mm a then well known news tog called Victor Blackman of the Daily Express did a test, he did 20x16 of the same subject off both, he struggled to tell the difference close up, and 35mm has a the size and easy of use going for it. That said I still have my medium format stuff too. :)
Click to expand...
Id like to see this test and what was printed
 
swanseamale47 said:
As for large format vs 35mm a then well known news tog called Victor Blackman of the Daily Express did a test, he did 20x16 of the same subject off both, he struggled to tell the difference close up,
Click to expand...

Did he then realise that perhaps he had need to visit an optician?!!

Édit: Fair enough that if the negative is spot on then a 20x16 is possible depending on what IQ is acceptable to the recipient of the print but to state blatantly that he struggled to see a substantial difference between the two formats is lining himself up to be ridiculed

Édit édit: Given how due to health issues I have increasing difficulties to lug LF gear around, I really have a yearn to be informed by Mr Blackman ( assuming that he is still alive) , as to how I can obtain a 20x16 print from a 35mm negative that offers the same or even better IQ than what is available from a 5x4 negative.
 
Last edited:
Asha said:
Did he then realise that perhaps he had need to visit an optician?!!

Édit: Fair enough that if the negative is spot on then a 20x16 is possible depending on what IQ is acceptable to the recipient of the print but to state blatantly that he struggled to see a substantial difference between the two formats is lining himself up to be ridiculed

Édit édit: Given how due to health issues I have increasing difficulties to lug LF gear around, I really have a yearn to be informed by Mr Blackman ( assuming that he is still alive) , as to how I can obtain a 20x16 print from a 35mm negative that offers the same or even better IQ than what is available from a 5x4 negative.
Click to expand...
:plus1:
 
I have to agree with Asha. In passing, Victor Blackman has passed away now. He always used to say in AP "a good big 'un will always beat a good little 'un". I have "My way with a camera" so I may try and find the context.

Sometimes context changes a meaning considerably. Years ago, Spurgeon was cited as saying that he was proud to be called an antinomian, which is pretty clear in what it means (assuming antinomian is in your vocabulary) but in the context, the following words rather change what he meant "... but I would hate to actually be one". In total context, the quote carries a weight of meaning outside the scope even of F&C.
 
Last edited:
StephenM said:
I have to agree with Asha. In passing, Victor Blackman has passed away now. He always used to say in AP "a good big 'un wild always beat a good little 'un". I have "My way with a camera" so I may try and find the context.

Sometimes context changes a meaning considerably. Years ago, Spurgeon was cited as saying that he was proud to be called an antinomian, which is pretty clear in what it means (assuming antinomian is in your vocabulary) but in the context, the following words rather change what he meant "... but I would hate to actually be one". In total context, the quote carries a weight of meaning outside the scope even of F&C.
Click to expand...

As the gentleman is no longer with us, I wish to express that my comments are in no way meant to be disrespectful ( given how he can no longer defend his views ).

Nonetheless I stand by my opinion concerning the IQ of a 20x16 print produced from the two different formats and would have been happy to discuss / debate our differences with Mr Blackman were it still possible.
 
I have Mr Blackman's (1922-1988) book beside me. I couldn't find a reference to large format or sheet film in the index; but near the begining he mentions making 20x16 prints from 35mm and a Rolleiflex and needing to get to a few inches away to spot the difference.
 
StephenM said:
I have Mr Blackman's (1922-1988) book beside me. I couldn't find a reference to large format or sheet film in the index; but near the begining he mentions making 20x16 prints from 35mm and a Rolleiflex and needing to get to a few inches away to spot the difference.
Click to expand...
Well I know what a pro lab can do enlarging a 35mm neg by posting here an example in the past, although as it was done about 15 years ago would think they would use photoshop (or whatever) to help produce an excellent enlargement and cost about £100........... Just IMO would think 35mm ver LF would depend on the subject as there is a difference between a 35mm child portrait (with smooth skin and other parts masked by being acceptable OOF) and a LF detailed enlargment of say a church., and just to add the shot I took was with a Canon 28mm without a tripod although IIRC used a flashgun.
 
StephenM said:
I have to agree with Asha. In passing, Victor Blackman has passed away now. He always used to say in AP "a good big 'un will always beat a good little 'un". I have "My way with a camera" so I may try and find the context.

Sometimes context changes a meaning considerably. Years ago, Spurgeon was cited as saying that he was proud to be called an antinomian, which is pretty clear in what it means (assuming antinomian is in your vocabulary) but in the context, the following words rather change what he meant "... but I would hate to actually be one". In total context, the quote carries a weight of meaning outside the scope even of F&C.
Click to expand...
Page 19/20
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top