Do you guys suggest a 35mm camera or medium format? (im not new to photography, just to film)
Also what would be a good film camera to start off on, nothing to expensive or crazy, something plain and simple that i could develop my own film at home.
Also what types of chemicals and accessories would i need to develop a roll of film?
edwardkaraa wrote:
It would make sense to buy a camera that is compatible with your existing gear.
... or with the future planed gear - like getting the lenses and a cheper film body.
You should consider what you like to shoot and what you want from film. If it is fun with developing and printing, then I would stay at 35mm or maybe 6x6, since after that you might have prblems getting a enlarger. If you consider medium format you might consier if you want only one lens or a system. After these initial questions are answered, I think we will gladly help you spend the cash in the right direction
I find it fun to develop my B&W film, no chance to build a darkroom so printing is out for the moment, but I'm working on this also - just as an example of a fellow film user.
Assuming you currently shoot a DSLR, I'd look at the follwoing cameras:
For a Canon shooter:
EOS 5
EOS A2(e)
Elan 7(N)
EOS 3
For a Nikon shooter:
F100
These choices will maximize price/performance and also offer the best compatibility with your current kit. Note that EF-S and DX lenses will not be usable, but any FF digital lenses will. In the case of Nikon there's little reason to buy anything other than an F100 unless you're looking at manual focus bodies, F100's are cheap and very, very good with full compatibility with VR and AF-S lenses as well as with manual focus glass (note that the F100 requires the older SB-800 and SB-600 flashes, Nikon broke compatibility with the SB-900, 910 and 700 and the only film camera which can use them is the F6). With the Canon's there's more tradeoffs so I offer more options, compatibility is also less of an issue as IS and USM are fully supported on all interesting EOS bodies. As to flashes, only the EOS5/A2 is not an E-TTL body and it can still operate any E-TTL flash in A-TTL mode, you just lose the ability to command wirelessly.
Do you guys think the Bronica SQ-A is a good camera? and yes i shoot Canon, have a 60D and 5D II. i want to learn on more of a film type body rather then the canon film cameras that feel exactly like a digital.
Sinec you don't want to shoot a newer Canon film body, I think it is worth asking if you want to stick with a 35mm negative which has minimal advantages over digital (and more disadvantages), or do you want to go for something larger like medium format where you will see a noticeable difference in the tonality of your shots.
Also, if you want to soup your own stuff, I would recommend starting out with B&W and getting good at that before working with C41 or E6 development.
Thirdly, do you want a digital workflow after processing or an analog one? A decent darkroom setup can usually be found used for about the same price, if not less, than a decent film scanner.
Kulig00 wrote:
Also what types of chemicals and accessories would i need to develop a roll of film?
thanks.
Going from memory, if I were to develop my own black and white roll film again (120/220/135) I'd make sure to have:
1. A dark changing bag.
2. A can opener or film leader extractor if you're shooting 35mm, factory-crimped cassettes.
3. A developing tank, with reel and light-tight top. I preferred Hewes' stainless steel stuff.
4. A heated tube dryer you load your developed rolls into, or a line to hang the film from with clips/weights at the bottom end to avoid curling.
5. Edwal film cleaner, for stubborn schmutz. I gingerly used Q-tips.
6. An accurate thermometer!
7. Brown jugs to keep out light, thereby increasing the longevity of your re-useable chemicals.
8. An accurate wall timer so you don't get chemicals over your watch, or your cell phone, etc.
9. A graduated measuring cylinder, with pouring lip (get plastic and get multiples)
10. A pippette for the hypo check
11. Cocktail ice cubes - the rubber ones you freeze and re-use, in case your water temperature is too high.
12. Archival pages (Printfile)
13. Archival binder
14. A SharpieŽ to label everything
Chemical-wise:
A. Developer of your choice
B. Stop bath (basically acetic acid)
C. Fix
D. Hypo check to test fixer for silver exhaustion
E. Hypo clear (I always used this for the wash)
F. Photo flow (optional but sparingly recommended as it's sudsy)
Freestyle in Los Angeles has all this stuff, and more than you could ever think of.
Mentally:
1. Patience
2. An analytical mind, to diagnose problems that might arise
3. Music!
I might have missed some points here but that's what I remember. It's much easier than it sounds and is very satisfying if you aren't under deadline pressure.
sirimiri wrote:
Going from memory, if I were to develop my own black and white roll film again (120/220/135) I'd make sure to have:
1. A dark changing bag.
2. A can opener or film leader extractor if you're shooting 35mm, factory-crimped cassettes.
3. A developing tank, with reel and light-tight top. I preferred Hewes' stainless steel stuff.
4. A heated tube dryer you load your developed rolls into, or a line to hang the film from with clips/weights at the bottom end to avoid curling.
5. Edwal film cleaner, for stubborn schmutz. I gingerly used Q-tips.
6. An accurate thermometer!
7. Brown jugs to keep out light, thereby increasing the longevity of your re-useable chemicals.
8. An accurate wall timer so you don't get chemicals over your watch, or your cell phone, etc.
9. A graduated measuring cylinder, with pouring lip (get plastic and get multiples)
10. A pippette for the hypo check
11. Cocktail ice cubes - the rubber ones you freeze and re-use, in case your water temperature is too high.
12. Archival pages (Printfile)
13. Archival binder
14. A SharpieŽ to label everything
Chemical-wise:
A. Developer of your choice
B. Stop bath (basically acetic acid)
C. Fix
D. Hypo check to test fixer for silver exhaustion
E. Hypo clear (I always used this for the wash)
F. Photo flow (optional but sparingly recommended as it's sudsy)
Freestyle in Los Angeles has all this stuff, and more than you could ever think of.
Mentally:
1. Patience
2. An analytical mind, to diagnose problems that might arise
3. Music!
I might have missed some points here but that's what I remember. It's much easier than it sounds and is very satisfying if you aren't under deadline pressure.
Kulig00 wrote:
Also what types of chemicals and accessories would i need to develop a roll of film?
.
You can get by with surprisingly little. I develop my film next to my PC and change my film either next to my PC at night or in a bathroom. Daylight tanks are incredibly cheap for 35mm and I also have one for 4x5 that works well. I open my 35mm rolls with my fingers. Developer is pretty cheap imo. You don't need stop bath and you can buy citric acid powder incredibly cheap for it if you want to use something besides a water stop bath. I don't develop a lot and use fixer one shot. You can also mix your own from sodium thiosulfate for cheap. artcraftchemicals sells the powder and both citric acid and sodium thiosulfate mix fairly easily. Beyond that you don't need much. Wash the film and hang it on a nail or from a wire hanger. Scan it or find a cheap darkroom on craigslist. I got a whole dark room a few years ago for I think $150.
Film / camera
Thermometer (though you don't 'need' one)
Daylight tank
Developer
Fixer
Water
On the developing front there is a lot of used developing gear available for nearly free these days. sirimiri's list is a good one for roll film. You also have the option of going 4x5 in which case you'll need an actual darkroom and trays instead of the tanks.
Don't bother developing color yourself, not worth it at all - waste of time, money and effort typically. B&W is a lot of fun. Well, depends on your definition of fun I guess. You appear to be in the LA area so you have a lot of options for developing labs of every kind of film imaginable.
If you go with a small format (35mm) you might prefer to shoot and scan slides (transparencies). For the larger formats print film gives you more exposure latitude and because of the increased size the grain amplification of a negative process is less objectionable.
I know you want to experiment with something different, and if you are really confident in that then another whole setup is fine. That said, I'd encourage anyone who already has a 5DII and the requisite glass to pick up a cheap EOS film body. Fastest way to see if you like the film media before going whole hog into equipment.
kwalsh wrote:
On the developing front there is a lot of used developing gear available for nearly free these days. sirimiri's list is a good one for roll film. You also have the option of going 4x5 in which case you'll need an actual darkroom and trays instead of the tanks.
Don't bother developing color yourself, not worth it at all - waste of time, money and effort typically. B&W is a lot of fun. Well, depends on your definition of fun I guess. You appear to be in the LA area so you have a lot of options for developing labs of every kind of film imaginable.
If you go with a small format (35mm) you might prefer to shoot and scan slides (transparencies). For the larger formats print film gives you more exposure latitude and because of the increased size the grain amplification of a negative process is less objectionable.
I know you want to experiment with something different, and if you are really confident in that then another whole setup is fine. That said, I'd encourage anyone who already has a 5DII and the requisite glass to pick up a cheap EOS film body. Fastest way to see if you like the film media before going whole hog into equipment.
Good luck!
Ken...Show more →
4x5 daylight tanks like the HP Combiplan work well. Easy to load and even development.
Zaitz wrote:
Film / camera
Thermometer (though you don't 'need' one)
Daylight tank
Developer
Fixer
Water
Really all you need.
That's pretty much it. I use an old bottle opener to pop the tops of my film canisters open and DO recommend Photo-Flo. You don't need the latter, but a little bit really helps with drying marks and it's cheap and lasts forever. Film clips are nice too to hang your film up with, but clothes pins function pretty well.
Everyone thanks for the responses. i looked t the Hasselblad 500CM which crazeazn suggested. i can buy one for 265 off keh body only, i would then have to buy the back, viewfinder and a lens. What would be a good cheap hassy lens (seriously) to use all around.
I would think that if you never got another lens than an 80mm on a Hasselblad, you could be happy. I'm not familiar with all the different models through the years, CF, CFi, etc.
You also might be better off buying a full kit: 500CM, popup finder, back, and lens.
Kulig00 wrote:
i looked t the Hasselblad 500CM which crazeazn suggested. i can buy one for 265 off keh body only, What would be a good cheap hassy lens (seriously) to use all around.
Cheap and Hasselblad in the same sentence - now that's a laugh! You could look into the C series - they are the oldest lenses available.
You realize that the vintage Hasselblads don't have a meter, right? Have you ever composed through ground glass?
