Why have I started using film again?

Mozziephotography

Mozziephotography

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Building up a collection of old cameras for a display and a thought crossed my mind. "Why not have another go at film photography?" Scoured fleabay for a Canon AE1 Program and then bought film for it, plus film for a Yashica Matt I've had for over 50 years. Film isn't cheap, you hope that the settings are correct, no instant check on whether exposure and speed were spot on, are the images in focus, 36 exposures to get through, post the film off, wait and pray something reasonable appears in the form of negatives. More expense.
Why on earth am I putting myself through this?
It's fun, it's different, it's creative, it slows you down, it makes you think.
 
I liken it to buying vinyl as well as listening to streaming. Buying books when I also read on my Kindle. Owning an analogue watch when I can also get the time from my phone.

There's just something tangible about it.

I develop my own B&W which helps keep costs down but then I also shoot 5x7; 4x5 and 9x12 and 6x7 which doesn't. But hey, I won't live forever though I think my 125 year old 5x7 camera might :)

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Returning to film after many years it felt like an old friend. I still like the look of it today. In my experience film and digital inform one another. I shoot digital as if it were film, and vice versa.
 
Because it feels natural AND it does make you think. I'm going to do some film shooting and I'm just going through my many many cameras to decide which to use. I'm edging towards my Nikon FM2N as it's totally manual and it'll be down to me and my skills. They'll be B&W too as I love that medium when it'd done right. Old cameras are like steam trains or a turntable or an automatic watch, they have lots of moving parts and it's the engineering too. Call me old fashioned but I love it.
 
Around 2005 I was becoming quite frustrated with the lack of dynamic range on shots from my digital cameras so I had a look at ebay and saw a lot of my dream film cameras going for next to nothing, so I dived in and bought a Zenit TTL, soon followed by an Olympus OM10. It was about this time that Poundland started selling Agfa Vista at a pound a roll. The developing (and scan to CD) was done by the local Max Spielmann and was normally withing an hour. Considering that in 2003 I paid over £300 for a 3Mp Nikon Compact, film felt like quite a cheap option and the results meant no blown highlights. I was (and still am) hooked. Nowadays, film camera prices are going up daily, colour film prices are scarey and I still love it.
 
Seen the light!

I have just posted that I am about to give up colour photography, partly because of the cost of the D&P even though I have always done my own. and partly I used to produce morcolour slides that prints. The obvious is in plain sight, use digital for colour and turn those pictures int PDI.s

The B&W is where I started and always gives me greater pleasure to make a 12x16 print which is full of tone and atmosphere and which takes skill to get it right. The PDI's slot in nicely where the old E6 slides used to be (Now they are expensive!) Why do they slot in nicely well developing a roll of E6 is purely mechanical, get the dilutions correct, the temperature right and the time right and you are there. Home and dry. Scan the colour negs and change the size to that used in a PDI projector and you have your picture just like but different
 
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I love my film photography as I do my vinyl records. When it comes down to it I use my main digital camera either when I'm in a rush for a result or I must absolutely must get the shots, like with my recent foray as a volunteer museum photographer. Of course, I've been using film cameras for almost seventy years so it also feels much more natural, all that stuff with exposure settings, focus and a limited number of exposures.

I went to The National Science and Media Museum yesterday and took some pictures with my phone camera and some with my Robot Star.
 
After around 50 years of photography I decided to change to digital. I changed back after a while because it is just not as satisfying. To my mind nothing digital can match the thrill of watching a print 'come up' in the developing tray.
I equate it to my motorbikes. My 1936 BSA is busy to ride as you have to juggle with a lever throttle, hand gearchange, manual mixture control and ignition advance and adjust the oil delivery whilst on the move. It is, however, so much more satisfying than just pressing a starter button and leaving the rest to an ECU.
Maybe I just like to choose the hard way in life (my wife would probably agree with that) but the feeling of achievement is so much greater when I do things myself.
 
Mozziephotography said:
Building up a collection of old cameras for a display and a thought crossed my mind. "Why not have another go at film photography?" Scoured fleabay for a Canon AE1 Program and then bought film for it, plus film for a Yashica Matt I've had for over 50 years. Film isn't cheap, you hope that the settings are correct, no instant check on whether exposure and speed were spot on, are the images in focus, 36 exposures to get through, post the film off, wait and pray something reasonable appears in the form of negatives. More expense.
Why on earth am I putting myself through this?
It's fun, it's different, it's creative, it slows you down, it makes you think.
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And it also keeps those old cameras alive, they need to be used, unfortunately cameras die in display cabinets. Don’t forget to post up your results when they finally get developed and enjoy the journey.
 
RaglanSurf said:
And it also keeps those old cameras alive, they need to be used, unfortunately cameras die in display cabinets. Don’t forget to post up your results when they finally get developed and enjoy the journey.
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Most of them ARE dead. They'd cost way too much to repair. Some of them WILL have a roll of film put through their creaking bodies and I'm looking forward to creating a book, containing a selection of the images taken.
 
David_Mug said:
My 1936 BSA is busy to ride as you have to juggle with a lever throttle, hand gearchange, manual mixture control and ignition advance and adjust the oil delivery whilst on the move.
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o_O Well I ride a motorbike and take my hat off to you, mine is used for sunny days to travel to places to see and take photos.
 
I wouldn't dare try and kick anything of any size over these days! I reckon my hip would shatter if I got bitten!!!
 
Nod said:
I wouldn't dare try and kick anything of any size over these days! I reckon my hip would shatter if I got bitten!!!
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I can still recall some painful 'back of the leg' moments from kicking over motorbikes in the early 80's.

It makes me think of how a boxer must feel when he just got smacked in the head at the end of the round and he knows he's going to have to shake it off and try again................and again..............and again. :D
 
moggi1964 said:
I can still recall some painful 'back of the leg' moments from kicking over motorbikes in the early 80's.

It makes me think of how a boxer must feel when he just got smacked in the head at the end of the round and he knows he's going to have to shake it off and try again................and again..............and again. :D
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esp the BSA Goldstar....how to do it in the motorbike show on tv.
 
Mozziephotography said:
Most of them ARE dead. They'd cost way too much to repair. Some of them WILL have a roll of film put through their creaking bodies and I'm looking forward to creating a book, containing a selection of the images taken.
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I feel certain that there are literally thousands of elderly cameras in Britain alone that are stored and never used. Where have all the Pentax screw thread bodies gone? Where have all the older mechanical Nikormats gone; in fact the Olympus SLR's the Minolta SLR's and all the other similar makes as well? They will be in someones cupboard somewhere with the owner not giving a jot about them because they are not worth anything, so they think!

I don't include the later electronic models because of the lack of spare parts they will probably be unrepairable anyway but having said that I have a Nikon F601 sitting in my cupboard that has 'been around a bit' but still works perfectly. Likewise 2 Minolta bodies, and a Nikormat FT3 and a F2a which operate exactly as they did perhaps 50+ years ago

I am sure that the company 'Cash Cow', that advertise on the television are aware of this ignorance of the possible value and make an offer which is acceptable to the seller but knowing that they can get a much higher offer from people who know the true value. One particular version of the advert shows what appears to be a Rollieflex, possible a Planar lensed 'D' or 'F'. If they get a £120 offer they are going to grab it with both hands. Even if it needs a service, selling it on for perhaps £300 they are coining it in. I would love the hear what their sales blurb is. Will it be honest?
 
Mozziephotography said:
, it slows you down, it makes you think.
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That's what I've always felt was the great thing about using film. It's far too easy with digital to use the 'machine gun approach' of blasting off dozens of shots in the hope that one of them will be OK. Although I do only use digital cameras now, my approach to taking photographs has changed very little from the days of using film.
 
Mozziephotography said:
Building up a collection of old cameras for a display and a thought crossed my mind. "Why not have another go at film photography?" Scoured fleabay for a Canon AE1 Program and then bought film for it, plus film for a Yashica Matt I've had for over 50 years. Film isn't cheap, you hope that the settings are correct, no instant check on whether exposure and speed were spot on, are the images in focus, 36 exposures to get through, post the film off, wait and pray something reasonable appears in the form of negatives. More expense.
Why on earth am I putting myself through this?
It's fun, it's different, it's creative, it slows you down, it makes you think.
Click to expand...

Because you are on a roll?
 
kt53 said:
That's what I've always felt was the great thing about using film. It's far too easy with digital to use the 'machine gun approach' of blasting off dozens of shots in the hope that one of them will be OK. Although I do only use digital cameras now, my approach to taking photographs has changed very little from the days of using film.
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I often think that when using DSLR or mirror less camera I do take far more pictures than I really need to, oddly a digital rangefinder puts me back in the film think about every shot you take way of working.
 
I like Digital photography, but growing up photography always seemed to me a very technical hobby, calculating exposure and shutter speeds etc, that was part of the appeal. Going out there into the wilds finding your subject and hoping that you just might have got everything right "this time". I enjoyed the advent of digital and the freedom that it brought combined with the instant gratification of seeing the image, but the format never aesthetically pleased me in the same way.

I have stopped buying new equipment because they manufacturers are trying to force me down an avenue I dont need or want, there is so much emphasis on the "video" capabilities that I feel I am buying half a camera that I will never use and dont want. I picked up one of my F90's the other week and it was like going home and putting your slippers on after a 10 mile walk in new boots, all the controls were right were they should be and no flipping screen on the back.

Photography will never lose its essence but it is so close to losing its soul.

So instead of upgrading to the latest whiz bang, of which there will be another "must have or your photos are s*** " next year. I have just bought an old Olympus OM2n with a 35-105 zoom and half a dozen rolls of film. :)
 
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First roll of film through my fleabay purchase. Caught the train into town and gave myself an hour before the return journey home. Loved every minute of it. Notebook and pen came in useful to jot down readings given by the camera. Need to see what the images turn out "like" when the negs are scanned. Shadows f8 highlights f16 Hmm, what should I set it at. Creative brain in full flow. Decisions, decisions. Sounded a bit noisy when winding back the film, hopefully no problems there. Can't wait to send it off with the roll of 120 through the Yashica Matt.
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Glad you enjoyed it. Just remember that film loves over-exposure, but not under-exposure.

35mm rewind often sounds surprisingly noisy to me. I have one camera with a power-rewind; I had to turn the speed down - it was far too scary!
 
Boots said:
Glad you enjoyed it. Just remember that film loves over-exposure, but not under-exposure.

35mm rewind often sounds surprisingly noisy to me. I have one camera with a power-rewind; I had to turn the speed down - it was far too scary!
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Thanks for the advice. Hopefully they won't be too good and I'll have to spend months trying to get it right.
 
Don't forget that when the film's winding on, it's only doing so for a fraction of a second at a time whereas it's rewinding for rather longer so it's more noticeable.
 
You should be. They are very good.
 
Impressive set, even ignoring the "first film" label. You know where to stand, which is the most important thing, and exactly when to release the shutter judging by one of the photographs.
 
nice set

I know my first roll wont be that good for sure!
 
Mozziephotography said:
First roll of film developed and I'm over the moon with the results. Why? Because I actually managed to capture something and the camera is obviously working okay. Yeah! Rest of the images are on Flickr. https://www.flickr.com/photos/198818959@N06/albums/72177720323665744/
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That is a great set of pictures on Flickr, you were obviously thinking in B&W for some of them which is half the work. Here's to the second and third roll.


Edit to add: They do look like they have been nicely processed and scanned, I know that you sent them off for this but I have seen much worse from a commercial lab.
 
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zx9 said:
That is a great set of pictures on Flickr, you were obviously thinking in B&W for some of them which is half the work. Here's to the second and third roll.


Edit to add: They do look like they have been nicely processed and scanned, I know that you sent them off for this but I have seen much worse from a commercial lab.
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I used "filmdev" recommended by quite a few people on here.
 
after months in hospital, I'm home and browsing through my Nikon D300 camera bag, I thought ''why not''

and unearthed my Nikon F3 and Canon A1

6 rolls of unexposed ILFORD XP2 400 film in the fridge since 2020 ......... will it still be usable..?
 
Made a real mess of Roll #2 in my attempt to return to film. Put a roll of film in a camera. Few days later I tried a lens on the same camera, forgetting that I'd put a film in. Click wind on, click and wind on. SUGAR! There's a film in this one! Idiot. Went out to snap the local area and test the camera, hopefully I'll find that there are no light leaks or other problems. Still managed to accidently press the shutter button when I shouldn't have. Note to self: Don't wind the film on until you are ready to take another shot. DOH!
 
Mozziephotography said:
Made a real mess of Roll #2 in my attempt to return to film. Put a roll of film in a camera. Few days later I tried a lens on the same camera, forgetting that I'd put a film in. Click wind on, click and wind on. SUGAR! There's a film in this one! Idiot. Went out to snap the local area and test the camera, hopefully I'll find that there are no light leaks or other problems. Still managed to accidently press the shutter button when I shouldn't have. Note to self: Don't wind the film on until you are ready to take another shot. DOH!
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That's how I work on 35mm. So, so many of the YouTube people wind on instantly though! I guess it is partly depending on what you are shooting though and if you need to be instantly ready.
 
Mozziephotography said:
Building up a collection of old cameras for a display and a thought crossed my mind. "Why not have another go at film photography?" Scoured fleabay for a Canon AE1 Program and then bought film for it, plus film for a Yashica Matt I've had for over 50 years. Film isn't cheap, you hope that the settings are correct, no instant check on whether exposure and speed were spot on, are the images in focus, 36 exposures to get through, post the film off, wait and pray something reasonable appears in the form of negatives. More expense.
Why on earth am I putting myself through this?
It's fun, it's different, it's creative, it slows you down, it makes you think.
Click to expand...

Completely agree @Mozziephotography I think slowing down makes the process more intentional and less stressful. Personally, I also enjoy being able to focus purely on shooting without having to worry about editing 300+ photos after a full day outdoors. Unfortunately, my recent purchase – a Petri Color 35 – arrived damaged, so I’ve been using the Fuji X100V with its recipes as a digital substitute as good as possible
 
Yardbent said:
after months in hospital, I'm home and browsing through my Nikon D300 camera bag, I thought ''why not''

and unearthed my Nikon F3 and Canon A1

6 rolls of unexposed ILFORD XP2 400 film in the fridge since 2020 ......... will it still be usable..?
Click to expand...

That film will be perfectly fine. 2020 is no time at all, especially if fridge stored.
 
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