Why is film coming back
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Musicman
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Those of us who shot film for years and subsequently 'moved' to digital did so at different times. Some embraced it straight away whilst others were less convinced and moved over later.
My guess (having seen many young film users) is that we now have a whole generation of keen DSLR photographers who aren't old enough to have really done much with film and are undestandably interested to see what its all about.
My guess (having seen many young film users) is that we now have a whole generation of keen DSLR photographers who aren't old enough to have really done much with film and are undestandably interested to see what its all about.
Kemble3
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Far more challenging.
That's the main reason I'd like to shoot film eventually. Right now I feel as tough I'm missing a lot of the hands on dirty side of photography, DIY developing and things like that. Would be good to experience that work process.
guybrush
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Yep, certainly makes sense as that's me in a nutshell right there. I'm a young photographer so I never got chance to use film so it's certainly something I'd like to try out.
Other than a wider dynamic range with less clipping of highlights and greater resolution?
Time. You don't get to 'see' what you have done instantly, so if you want a 'good' picture you learn (by making mistakes usually!) that you have to think before taking pictures. And although you have to wait before you can see the result, that is a physical thing - be it the negative, slide or resultant prints - not just some transient pixels on a screen.
I guess that film is now for people who still want to take photographs while digital is largely for those who want to make pictures.
grey.squirrel
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Cause kids today are obsessed with being retro, trying to cling onto an era that they were never even a part of anyway. So what cooler way to impress your iphone using friends by saying, "OMG I like totally use film because you get a warmer tone like with vinyl over MP3".
Grumpy old git rant over. You'd never guess I'm only 23 lol.
Grumpy old git rant over. You'd never guess I'm only 23 lol.
Dave Pickett
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Its not, at least for me. My A4 prints from digital are better than anything I ever produced on film and I can crop/fix a picture in minutes in daylight, whereas I could spend an entire evening to get one decent film print.
If anyone wantsto back to film they are welcome to it.......
If anyone wantsto back to film they are welcome to it.......
Burningflan
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I think flim has been the 'old way' of producing photographs for long enough now that it has a retro appeal. I'm 28 and had film cameras when younger but switched to digital at around age 16, and from there digital really took over, it changed from being a gadget to the main way of taking photos. Within a very short time frame digital took over.
Twelve years is long enough that people who are 17/18/19/20 now won't of had a film camera so it will be a curiosity to them and have retro-cool appeal.
Well, that's my theory for part of films supposed comeback anyway, and I'm sticking to it!
Twelve years is long enough that people who are 17/18/19/20 now won't of had a film camera so it will be a curiosity to them and have retro-cool appeal.
Well, that's my theory for part of films supposed comeback anyway, and I'm sticking to it!
Undercrank
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Hello Stewart,
For quite a few I suppose it never really went away, and that includes those who don't bother with wet darkrooms.
I prefer it myself, though I found slide film’s tonal range is a bit limiting in computer manipulation – never enough in the shadows.
Really good bit-depth 4000 ppi scans of fine grain neg film is hard to beat (4000 ppi from a dedicated film scanner wrings the very best out of the 35mm frame). There's more inherent tonal range there to play with, and even more with an additonal scan of a single frame, if you can be bothered. If B&W is your thing there’s excellent potential in layer work from split 48-bit RGB channels, or maybe even CMYK – the very best way to get B&W digital images, in my opinion.
BUT (had to be one!), the biggest drawback is how time consuming working with film is. Doing it properly is a real craft and I don’t know about you but I’ve spent way too long at the computer as it is!
The sheer convenience of digital and our DSLRs is a major plus. Irresistible really, especially now that bigger images mean more detailed editing is possible.
For quite a few I suppose it never really went away, and that includes those who don't bother with wet darkrooms.
I prefer it myself, though I found slide film’s tonal range is a bit limiting in computer manipulation – never enough in the shadows.
Really good bit-depth 4000 ppi scans of fine grain neg film is hard to beat (4000 ppi from a dedicated film scanner wrings the very best out of the 35mm frame). There's more inherent tonal range there to play with, and even more with an additonal scan of a single frame, if you can be bothered. If B&W is your thing there’s excellent potential in layer work from split 48-bit RGB channels, or maybe even CMYK – the very best way to get B&W digital images, in my opinion.
BUT (had to be one!), the biggest drawback is how time consuming working with film is. Doing it properly is a real craft and I don’t know about you but I’ve spent way too long at the computer as it is!
The sheer convenience of digital and our DSLRs is a major plus. Irresistible really, especially now that bigger images mean more detailed editing is possible.
joescrivens
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Same reason that real ale is coming back. It's a tradition that people love to experiment with, much like real ale tastes better than your poncy lager boy drinks, film is a bit more hardcore than digital, i think you have to have a greater skill to get good results from it than digital so it's more of a challenge
Careful now!
I listen to vinyl on a decent system because it's better than an MP3...I listen to my iphone's ipod when I'm on the go but thats it.
I shoot film for the better dynamic range etc. but I agree that there are far too many try hard kids with checked shirts, skinny jeans and pork pie hats with a pentax on their chests so they can look cool.
I'm only 25 (26 tomorrow - get those birthday messages ready now!)
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petersmart
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grey.squirrel
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Happy Birthday in advance
I'm glad you got my point about the trendy kids. I used to DJ quite a lot and would never give up my vinyl for CD or MP3 decks mainly cause I want something I can pick up and can read the groove to know when the breaks are plus I did like the crackle of a well worn first beat from constant cueing lol. That said however I'd never sit back and listen to vinyl over crisp MP3 but I like my trance and deep house music so distracting crackles and hums are a no no for me lol.
I'd love to properly develop film but I know I'd have a go, appreciate what was done before me, but move on.
PJSPhotography
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I love film and would like to use it more often... have a Bronica ETRsi sat on my desk looking at me, really should take it out and get some shots with it again. Also, would love to get back in a darkroom... spent a lot of time in them in the past, great places. I wouldn't bother for any commercial work, just for fun... and only with B&W. Have a Canon T90 and A1 sat in a bag too... the T90 has shot some lovely photos.
Happy Birthday in advance
I'm glad you got my point about the trendy kids. I used to DJ quite a lot and would never give up my vinyl for CD or MP3 decks mainly cause I want something I can pick up and can read the groove to know when the breaks are plus I did like the crackle of a well worn first beat from constant cueing lol. That said however I'd never sit back and listen to vinyl over crisp MP3 but I like my trance and deep house music so distracting crackles and hums are a no no for me lol.
I'd love to properly develop film but I know I'd have a go, appreciate what was done before me, but move on.
You should give it a crack. A proper manual focus, manual exposure camera will give you some good results if you take the time to think about your exposures. It's more than just snapping and (if necessary) correcting PP. It gets it right first time and with a lot more technical thought...I found it's helped immensely with shooting digital as well as it made me think about everything a lot more.
Also, you only get crackle and hum if you've got dirty vinyl. Clean them properly and take care of them (that goes for keeping your styli clean too) and you get a much nicer sound than CD.
I have a sony a350 and a minolta x300. If you ask me, i enjoy using the x300 more. Ive been into photography for like 3 years, so still learning, and i find it much better to use the Minolta. The whole feeling of pressing the shutter button, moving the handle to jump to the next photo, and not being able to see ** pic makes it much nicer. You feel u are trully capturing a moment.
While with digital, u arent restricted, and it takes away the challenge, and doesnt help u learn.
since ive used the minolta, ive started to take my time on a picture, really analyze it and think about it before i snap, and this has helped me in using the digital cam.
And the end result, when comparing a film photo to a digital one, it feels crispier and more natural than digital.
I hope the minolta doesnt die on me soon, got it used, so fingers crossed it last for a long time
While with digital, u arent restricted, and it takes away the challenge, and doesnt help u learn.
since ive used the minolta, ive started to take my time on a picture, really analyze it and think about it before i snap, and this has helped me in using the digital cam.
And the end result, when comparing a film photo to a digital one, it feels crispier and more natural than digital.
I hope the minolta doesnt die on me soon, got it used, so fingers crossed it last for a long time
grey.squirrel
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Will give it a shot when funds are better then.
Also, my vinyl IS filthy but that's cause I always get my grubby mitts all over them when DJing lol.
david1701
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because:
a.) I have a larger penis than you
b.) I find the 'process', both shooting and developing to be rewarding and relaxing
c.) my penis is a lot larger than yours because I shoot 67 medium format, those who shoot xpan's or large format have larger penises still
d.) chemicals make me high, while I smoke drink listen to music and dev
e.) chicks dig film
f.) aforementioned chicks who dig film often want to either be in pics or be in darkroom
g.) seriously you need more reasons than chicks dig film
h.) actual wet prints look cool round the house
a.) I have a larger penis than you
b.) I find the 'process', both shooting and developing to be rewarding and relaxing
c.) my penis is a lot larger than yours because I shoot 67 medium format, those who shoot xpan's or large format have larger penises still
d.) chemicals make me high, while I smoke drink listen to music and dev
e.) chicks dig film
f.) aforementioned chicks who dig film often want to either be in pics or be in darkroom
g.) seriously you need more reasons than chicks dig film
h.) actual wet prints look cool round the house
tdcist
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My friend is doing a photography course at college, she had to do all the film stuff for the first year!! before even being let anywhere near a digital...
grey.squirrel
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I don't 100% agree.
So you don't bother getting the right settings when using film, you get a bad photo.
So you don't bother getting the right settings when using digital, you ALSO get a bad photo.
The only difference is you can take hundreds with loadsa different settings till you get it right with digital but how many people bother? The only part I agree on is getting the right composition can be easier with digital because of the ease of cropping and plenty shots.
grey.squirrel
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Film is magical in the same way steam is to trains, or growing your own veg is to Tescos
It gives people a strange pleasure and often a feeling of unworthy superiority, but is otherwise pointless in our modern world
DD
Haha, but I love the smell of steam trains (reminds me of Christmas
) and I really do believe that veg grown yourself tastes better, even if it is just the sweet taste of success. 
menthel
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We will have to disagree then. I certainly plan my shots much more knowing I only have 36 exposures on the film. It doesn't mean my photos are any better though, just more are worth keeping!
trencheel303
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A gorgeous colour gamut for one - which is not always easy to reproduce on digital.
DiddyDave
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Haha, but I love the smell of steam trains (reminds me of Christmas
There you go then - pleasure from 'old' techniques - perfectly acceptable to do so
But old techniques are rarely, if ever, better than modern techniques - otherwise we wouldn't have moved on to the modern stuff would we
Film is easier (ok not slide film) to get an acceptable image from at the taking, but in all other respects is a right PITA
(all IMHO of course
)DD
TheTimeChamber
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It is true, though, vinyl is soooo much better than MP3. Until you consider the space you need
david1701
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There you go then - pleasure from 'old' techniques - perfectly acceptable to do so
But old techniques are rarely, if ever, better than modern techniques - otherwise we wouldn't have moved on to the modern stuff would we
Film is easier (ok not slide film) to get an acceptable image from at the taking, but in all other respects is a right PITA
(all IMHO of course
DD
I see where you're coming from digi kit all the way for actual jobs, but film for a lot of personal work
DiddyDave
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Undercrank
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Voyager, I like what you have to say there and the photographs and pictures thing is worth thinking about too.
Analogue or digital, photography should be where practical training and creative vision meet.
Maybe this new convenience simply means there are more picture-takers even with DSLRs. But I wonder if it delivers many more true photographers. Hmmmm
TheTimeChamber
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But you haven't got to wait a week for it to be developed, so you can instantly try again.
Film forces you to think more about getting the photo that thinking, I can delete it if it is pap and try again...
grey.squirrel
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I guess the answer is simply buy a teeny memory card that only holds 36 photos and disconnect the delete button 
lol.
lol.High-street labs take 30 minutes to D&P plus scan to CD, so even the 'wait' isn't that long any more...