Next spend. Home Developing Equip or Digital Back

What next???

  • Home developing

    Votes: 12 66.7%

  • 2nd hand older MF digital back

    Votes: 6 33.3%
  • Total voters
    18
Mahoneyd187

Mahoneyd187

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Danny
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Can I have some advice please guys.

I'm freeing up some cash by selling off all my nikon gear.

Now...I have the opportunity to EITHER

Buy into all the stuff I need to start developing at home, so a real chance to improve my analogue photography and understanding...

Or....

Buy a second hand Phase one H20 back and be done with it...

At the moment I'm leaning towards the film option, firstly as I believe I can achieve better quality image utilising the 6x7 format, and secondly if I just get a digital back I might just be lazy and continue to shoot exactly the same way I did with my Nikon. Which was at a point where I just wasn't improving, or pushing myself to improve.

So...I need experienced help here and advice.

What do you guys think?

All the best

Dan
 
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Both. The dev kit will not cost too much. You can probably get all you need for £100 or so. Unless you plan to do your own prints.
 
Both isn't an option! Jeez!! 2nd post and it's already gone tits up ;)
 
Well- if you buy the film dev kit, it'll only be around £100 tops, whereas dijikal MF is going to cost a packet. Buy the dev. kit, and play with it while you save up for the other option.
 
I can afford both at this point in time, but I only want to go one route for the moment :)
 
Definitely go the Dev route, it's a whole new world that will let you experiment with different films and processes and if you enjoy it you can move onto printing your own.
 
"I love film"
"I'm selling my digital stuffs"


"where can I get a digi back"


I'm confused....:)
 
joxby said:
"I love film"
"I'm selling my digital stuffs"


"where can I get a digi back"


I'm confused....:)
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Lol, me too. I only wanted a digital back initially to work as a digital polaroid back. I'm talking an old school back, not IQ180. Trying to use the best of both worlds in that case. Instant feedback on laptop etc from the digital...switch to film..and get film quality in the end result :thumbs:

Now it's come to a point where I really want to just commit, and go one way or the other. I'm confused about what to do, and hence, I'm asking for advice from those more experienced than myself :D
 
Developing at home is nice, but I would say you need to be able to do your own prints too. I now very rarely scan images tbh, if it looks decent I will make a print and stick it on my wall at work (nice having my own office to litter with pictures :)). A basic enlarger is not too expensive you just need a nice dark room to work in.
 
Unfortunately printing isn't an option, just not enough room in my apartment ;) lol
 
in fact , i'll make you an offer Dan ,if you can get to north Kent anytime , with some negs you can have a go at printing some off to see how you get on ,and what you think of wet printing
 
Mahoneyd187 said:
Lol, me too. I only wanted a digital back initially to work as a digital polaroid back. I'm talking an old school back, not IQ180. Trying to use the best of both worlds in that case. Instant feedback on laptop etc from the digital...switch to film..and get film quality in the end result :thumbs:

Now it's come to a point where I really want to just commit, and go one way or the other. I'm confused about what to do, and hence, I'm asking for advice from those more experienced than myself :D
Click to expand...


I write 10 times more crap than I actually post, I ought to have posted in your sell digital thread because its seems more relevant now.
I did write, keep your digital just thin it out a bit, you never know when it might come in useful, its just another way of making a picture, you don't have to choose one or the other.
There is your instant feedback fix, you don't need it to shoot film just accept you have no idea what you have got, learn to let it go, its part of the process.

The film thing takes some getting used to, you just have to be patient, let it wash over you gently, enjoy the time you spend with it, savour it and like all good cakes, don't try eat any before its ******* cooked.
:)
 
I'll swing the other way then...

if you can't print then I would say get the digital back and tune your pic taking for now.

kit to develop is cheap, I mean £25 covered me for starting to develop film. what res do you want from your scans? you could always rig up a slide copier setup and use the digital back to copy the negs to your computer or get a 3rd party to scan for you (our local snappy snaps will scan a roll of film for £1or2 from memory).
 
erm what's the hurry assuming you are not a pro...play with film and if you get bored then get a digital back, or better to enjoy both.
 
Do you have a scanner?

Home dev and a scanner best of both worlds :)

Welcome to the world of us Hybrid Photographers :love:
 
puggie said:
I'll swing the other way then...

if you can't print then I would say get the digital back and tune your pic taking for now.

kit to develop is cheap, I mean £25 covered me for starting to develop film. what res do you want from your scans? you could always rig up a slide copier setup and use the digital back to copy the negs to your computer or get a 3rd party to scan for you (our local snappy snaps will scan a roll of film for £1or2 from memory).
Click to expand...

Is that also for 120 format as I couldn't see any mention of 120 on their website. I'd rather pay a couple of pounds at a local store than splash out on a scanner right now
 
donutagain said:
in fact , i'll make you an offer Dan ,if you can get to north Kent anytime , with some negs you can have a go at printing some off to see how you get on ,and what you think of wet printing
Click to expand...

Legend!! Would love to come over, even if it's just to get to see the process!!! :cool: :thumbs:

joxby said:
I write 10 times more crap than I actually post, I ought to have posted in your sell digital thread because its seems more relevant now.
I did write, keep your digital just thin it out a bit, you never know when it might come in useful, its just another way of making a picture, you don't have to choose one or the other.
There is your instant feedback fix, you don't need it to shoot film just accept you have no idea what you have got, learn to let it go, its part of the process.

The film thing takes some getting used to, you just have to be patient, let it wash over you gently, enjoy the time you spend with it, savour it and like all good cakes, don't try eat any before its ******* cooked.
:)
Click to expand...

The only reason I've been using my digital gear, is for the feedback, and to get some shots in the bank before I bring the film gear out! It's totally lack of experience with using a light meter and confidence in the results.

It's going....the digital stuff is going!!

I've upgraded my light meter from a 308S to an L-758D...and I've just been kindly given a Pentax ME Super along with 3 lenses by my uncle who only used it about 3 times!! :D So I'll shoot some 35mm too and just put some time in and get used to it! :thumbs:

puggie said:
I'll swing the other way then...

if you can't print then I would say get the digital back and tune your pic taking for now.

kit to develop is cheap, I mean £25 covered me for starting to develop film. what res do you want from your scans? you could always rig up a slide copier setup and use the digital back to copy the negs to your computer or get a 3rd party to scan for you (our local snappy snaps will scan a roll of film for £1or2 from memory).
Click to expand...

I've already got a V500 scanner, which is working well for me right now. Though if I'm moving solely over to film I may invest in a V750 and a third party film holder for wet scanning :)

excalibur2 said:
erm what's the hurry assuming you are not a pro...play with film and if you get bored then get a digital back, or better to enjoy both.
Click to expand...

I was full time pro until 4 weeks ago...now I'm only part time, but still only shoot when I'm getting paid really. Hence the lack of experience with this stuff, I stopped doing all personal stuff when I was shooting pokey family portraits (dont mean to offend anyone, just didn't enjoy it at all).

I've sort of got a new lease of life with my photography now thats why I'm motivated to go in the right direction :)

Knikki said:
Do you have a scanner?

Home dev and a scanner best of both worlds :)

Welcome to the world of us Hybrid Photographers :love:
Click to expand...

Yep, V500 :) As mentioned above, if I stick to film 100% I may fork out for a V750 and betterscanning holder for wet scanning :thumbs:
 
Mahoneyd187 said:
The only reason I've been using my digital gear, is for the feedback,
Click to expand...


Nobody needed instant feedback for....well.....170 years, only for the last 15 has film been unworkable....ehem....without it.
Polaroids are neither economic nor all that useful outside a narrow genre of studio photography.
I have forgotten what its like to fret about my pictures and what its like to put 40,000 actuations on a shutter mechanism in 2 hours....

its such a relief....:D
 
No going back now....

The only thing I've got left to sell now thats Nikon dijicool related is the camera body.

So far this week I've bought all my chemicals, some more film, a peli 1600 case for my mamiya and accessories, and a Sekonic L-758D.

I just need a paterson tank, a thermometer and some jugs.....I think lol
 
Mahoneyd187 said:
No going back now....

The only thing I've got left to sell now thats Nikon dijicool related is the camera body.

So far this week I've bought all my chemicals, some more film, a peli 1600 case for my mamiya and accessories, and a Sekonic L-758D.

I just need a paterson tank, a thermometer and some jugs.....I think lol
Click to expand...

And a changing bag!
 
Is there anything I'm missing?

I'm going to be ordering tonight. Any recommendations on particular models would be great, I'm not sure what changing bag to buy..

Changing bag
Paterson Tank
Measuring cylinders/jugs
Thermometer
....?
 
Show some ambition girls, get a darkroom, changing bags are for pansies..:p
 
Darkroom for loading film is over-kill. A darkroom is still necessary though because B&W scans are for pansies!:p

Prints FTW.:thumbs:
 
bet you didn't expect breeze blocks, cement, plaster and roofing materials to be recomended as part of your developing kit..:lol:
 
digi back will be a big big change to how you work, especially if it's a H20 - you can only shoot tethered, and got to use a powered firewire hub = relative amounts of faffing about :(

as others have said, the home dev stuff is cool - but for work, I'm pretty sure you'll get frustrated with it. I've never had a water stain or drip mark on a digital file... either way, the dev kit was relatively dead cheap so worth having anyway :)
 
joxby said:
bet you didn't expect breeze blocks, cement, plaster and roofing materials to be recomended as part of your developing kit..:lol:
Click to expand...

Nope not at all,lol

Received a tasty parcel yesterday :) all my chemicals. It's like xmas :thumbs:
 
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