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Archive 2016 · Could you go back to film?

  
 
jj_glos
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p.17 #1 · p.17 #1 · Could you go back to film?



George Orwell wrote:
That's you, not me. I'm not a pro so dont have cameras with that capability.

A ridiculously half baked comment. The scenario that I wrote about, actually happened. Do you really need to resort to such extremes in order to defend digital? I showed clearly that digital technology can fail. The follow up suggestion that carrying around a laptop to catch such problems isnt going to happen with a non pro like me. I did a little checking while out shooting today. Saw a bunch of families out enjoying the relatively warm weather. Many shooting their kids in the
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Not as half baked as complaining about hot pixels, which is really a minor issue. Did your sensor actually die? Lightroom 2 did mask out hot pixels during the RAW import process, were you shooting RAW or jpeg? More likely is a card failure, but even those are relativity uncommon. I've never lost a film though, but had a couple back from the lab with the prints backwards!

Digital may make it easier to take many more photographs, but that does not devalue the photos taken at all. If the photos taken have no value then that is down to the photographer not the medium used.

My bother actually does download to a tablet straight away via WiFi when he's out shooting. I think he's mad as I like to just enjoy myself when I'm out and about and leave pp to when I get home. I have occasionally used the functionality, but that's more to drop something quickly into Snapseed and share it.

For my sins I did shoot children's football competitions (for a company), a dozen games going on, multiple photographers, runners taking cards back to the photo tent, people on the laptops doing a basic crop and pushing to a front end for parents to pick and have shots printed. I admit to not really enjoying the experience from a photography point of view, but digital made the whole process possible. Not high brow photography for sure, but very important to the families involved.



Dec 28, 2016 at 07:28 PM
chez
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p.17 #2 · p.17 #2 · Could you go back to film?


I don't think anyone is saying that digital photography does not excel in certain areas...that is just obvious. I think more people are saying that shooting film also has it's place...be it for nostalgic reasons, better B&W prints, slowing down and focusing on the shot or whatever.

For me it's the end result that counts...well sometimes even the pure joy of shooting. If I'm out shooting a rodeo...I will always take my DSLR system over any of my film cameras...duh...but when I'm out shooting B&W landscapes, it's a tough choice if I bring my A7R camera or my 4x5 film camera. Depending on how I feel, I can grab either one.

I know the prints I'll make shot with my 4x5 film camera will be different than the prints from my A7R...so this just gives me options of what my vision is on any given day.

It's not about one medium better than the other...it's about options available for photogs to capture their visions. Sometimes digital....sometimes film.



Dec 28, 2016 at 07:43 PM
George Orwell
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p.17 #3 · p.17 #3 · Could you go back to film?


jj_glos wrote:
Not as half baked as complaining about hot pixels, which is really a minor issue.


Minor issue? If you throw away an entire shoot's worth of images, do you consider that to me a minor issue? If you toss the camera in the garbage because you find out that every single image shows up to 100 hot pixels, that's a minor issue?

Let me be very clear for you. In my opinion, that's not a minor issue.

Half baked? You are certainly very disingenuous.

jj_glos wrote:
Did your sensor actually die?


Yes, it did. The camera was not repairable (not worth the cost) so I tossed it into the garbage. That shoot I had with my kids was the last one I ever attempted with it.

jj_glos wrote:
Lightroom 2 did mask out hot pixels during the RAW import process, were you shooting RAW or jpeg?


I was shooting RAW and they were not mapped out automatically.

jj_glos wrote:
More likely is a card failure, but even those are relativity uncommon.


Even if it were a card failure (it wasn't), that would still be a problem with digital technology, again proving my point. Leica users have had quite a lot of munched cards so the problem is not that uncommon.




Dec 28, 2016 at 08:21 PM
Gunzorro
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p.17 #4 · p.17 #4 · Could you go back to film?


Of the last 63 thread responses, a staggering 23 were by one person, largely derailing the thread from its original subject.

Amazing!



Dec 28, 2016 at 08:26 PM
Gunzorro
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p.17 #5 · p.17 #5 · Could you go back to film?


I hope no one minds, but I'm going to start supplying quotes by Gandhi, Paul Westerberg, and Camus, to start with.

I can hardly wait to show you what Kant would think of acetate imagery!



Dec 28, 2016 at 08:28 PM
ScottHM
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p.17 #6 · p.17 #6 · Could you go back to film?


Could you...how about a entry for not using it but I Could go back to it...as the whole poll implies?


Dec 28, 2016 at 08:31 PM
Jon Buffington
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p.17 #7 · p.17 #7 · Could you go back to film?


For me, I am shooting more and more film, and less digital. In fact, I am almost 100% film. As most of my work is for pleasure and little is for pay, I find delight in using old mechanical rangefinders (Leica's) and old mechanical SLR's (Nikon, Canon, Minolta, Pentax, Olympus, etc). There is a pleasure, a tactile pleasure, and experience that I enjoy. I find digital boring today. Maybe because I feel I have mastered digital photography (I can get the results I want, to an extent. Can't emulate film but a topic for another post). I have not mastered film and neither will I ever, just improve. To a degree, the same with digital but again, the experience is different and not as enjoyable. Too many variables, too many challenges with film. There is absolutely (to me) nothing more enjoyable then pulling out my leica iiif, guessing exposure and winding on those knobs for the next frame. A pure tactile dream! My M5 is almost as pleasurable with the added spot meter. Then the fun of mixing my own chems and developing. Sometimes I mess up, other times I have great results, still other times I am wondering how the result I was after is different than what I had anticipated. Granted, this would not be for everyone, but I like the hands on approach. Probably why I roast my own coffee beans instead of buying them roasted. I like my results and the experience, or rather the journey, is part of it. Not the end result, but the whole thing. The process, the journey, getting there, and then starting down the next path. Digital doesn't give me this anymore. I'm starting at the end. It's like buying the bag of ground coffee and brewing it. Yes, I can use a French press or a mocha pot for something better than the Mr. Coffee machine but still...........

My 5dmkii is dusty, I usually pull it out to swap L lenses with my film EOS bodies essentially using the digital body as an expensive rear lens cap. My workflow works and is at times quicker than my digital, more rewarding and requires less post processing. Right now I am a hybrid shooter. I develop my film and scan on a Kodak Pakon f135+. It gives gorgeous 6mp files (this is not a flatbed but a dedicated lab scanner) and will scan a roll in about 2 minutes. Color is usually spot on with c-41 due to the Kodak built in color profiles. B&W is beautiful. My lightroom editing is minimal. Adjust levels and sharpening. That's it. 10 seconds max on an image, usually less. I could batch them all in the scanner and export jpeg and have no post processing but I like to fine tune things. Currently building a dark room for traditional printing, my winter project if you will.

I shoot digital for weddings and portraits but recently have been incorporating film into my wedding work. I sell fine art landscapes and have them in homes, on book covers and in office building across the country. Not a lot, but enough to keep me doing it. But that doesn't bring pleasure. Just work. I am mostly an amateur photographer and for this reason, I enjoy film. It is where my most personal work is made.



Dec 28, 2016 at 08:33 PM
chez
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p.17 #8 · p.17 #8 · Could you go back to film?


Gunzorro wrote:
Of the last 63 thread responses, a staggering 23 were by one person, largely derailing the thread from its original subject.

Amazing!


Yeh...threads do that as they evolve. This thread is now about shooting film...does that interest you?



Dec 28, 2016 at 08:34 PM
chez
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p.17 #9 · p.17 #9 · Could you go back to film?


Jon Buffington wrote:
For me, I am shooting more and more film, and less digital. In fact, I am almost 100% film. As most of my work is for pleasure and little is for pay, I find delight in using old mechanical rangefinders (Leica's) and old mechanical SLR's (Nikon, Canon, Minolta, Pentax, Olympus, etc). There is a pleasure, a tactile pleasure, and experience that I enjoy. I find digital boring today. Maybe because I feel I have mastered digital photography (I can get the results I want, to an extent. Can't emulate film but a topic for another post). I have not
...Show more

Well spoken and I'm sure shared by many here.



Dec 28, 2016 at 08:37 PM
Jon Buffington
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p.17 #10 · p.17 #10 · Could you go back to film?


chez wrote:
Well spoken and I'm sure shared by many here.


Thank you. Didn't want to come off as rambling and many more points to share but ultimately, for me, it is the experience of photography that matters. Hope I conveyed my feelings accurately.



Dec 28, 2016 at 08:44 PM
Alpha_Geist
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p.17 #11 · p.17 #11 · Could you go back to film?


I enjoy shooting both film and digital. I enjoy the physical, chemical and optical (enlarger) aspect of developing and printing my film than I do sitting behind my computer in LR or PS, even if PP'ing and printing in LR and PS is "faster".

Unfortunately, due to other priorities, I haven't shot film in quite awhile. I've been shooting digitally because partly of timing and also because the Mrs. loves to see the photos right away as well as send them to her family as soon as we get home. I just hope my c-41 chemicals haven't gone bad while I've been "away".



Dec 29, 2016 at 12:34 AM
Gunzorro
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p.17 #12 · p.17 #12 · Could you go back to film?


chez wrote:
Yeh...threads do that as they evolve. This thread is now about shooting film...does that interest you?


As a matter of fact, the manner in which the thread has now become about shooting film has captured my interest. I'll be happy to expand on my film experience and interest if you like.



Dec 29, 2016 at 01:51 AM
dhphoto
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p.17 #13 · p.17 #13 · Could you go back to film?


Gunzorro wrote:
Of the last 63 thread responses, a staggering 23 were by one person, largely derailing the thread from its original subject.

Amazing!


Eventually you realise you are banging your head against a wall and it's time to stop. I just did.



Dec 29, 2016 at 03:16 AM
jj_glos
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p.17 #14 · p.17 #14 · Could you go back to film?




George Orwell wrote:
Minor issue? If you throw away an entire shoot's worth of images, do you consider that to me a minor issue? If you toss the camera in the garbage because you find out that every single image shows up to 100 hot pixels, that's a minor issue?

Let me be very clear for you. In my opinion, that's not a minor issue.

Half baked? You are certainly very disingenuous.

Yes, it did. The camera was not repairable (not worth the cost) so I tossed it into the garbage. That shoot I had with my kids was the last one I
...Show more

Just lol.



Dec 29, 2016 at 03:35 AM
anselwannab
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p.17 #15 · p.17 #15 · Could you go back to film?


Jon Buffington wrote:
For me, I am shooting more and more film, and less digital. In fact, I am almost 100% film. As most of my work is for pleasure and little is for pay, I find delight in using old mechanical rangefinders (Leica's) and old mechanical SLR's (Nikon, Canon, Minolta, Pentax, Olympus, etc).... ....There is absolutely (to me) nothing more enjoyable then pulling out my leica iiif, guessing exposure and winding on those knobs for the next frame. A pure tactile dream! My M5 is almost as pleasurable with the added spot meter....

My workflow works and is at times quicker
...Show more

One of my most memorable photo nights was walking around downtown Chicago with a Zorki 6 and just guesstimating the exposure. Always wanted an M5, but I do t shoot my CL or F1NEW enough to warrant it.

Really interested in use of the Pakon. What computer set up you use. I have to think someone has come up with an Aurdino controlled film processor.



Dec 29, 2016 at 12:58 PM
Jon Buffington
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p.17 #16 · p.17 #16 · Could you go back to film?


anselwannab wrote:
One of my most memorable photo nights was walking around downtown Chicago with a Zorki 6 and just guesstimating the exposure. Always wanted an M5, but I do t shoot my CL or F1NEW enough to warrant it.

Really interested in use of the Pakon. What computer set up you use. I have to think someone has come up with an Aurdino controlled film processor.


That CL is fine camera, I have one as well.
Currently, I use Virtual XP in a windows 7 laptop to run the pakon. I native XP machine is less problematic but once you get things setup, it works fine. There is tremendous support on the dedicated FB Pakon f135+ page. Honestly, if I had to go back to flatbed scanning, I wouldn't be shooting film. It sucks. The pakon is/was a game changer for me. Been going 3+ years strong. There are other options as well. Mini Lab scanners have come way down in price and are attainable for those who want to shoot film and use a hybrid workflow that is convenient with good results. Especially if you shoot c-41.



Dec 29, 2016 at 02:33 PM
George Orwell
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p.17 #17 · p.17 #17 · Could you go back to film?


Several of the naysayers in this thread claimed, without evidence, that film use is still in decline. Kodak, with this announcement, shows clearly that film use continues to grow. This year Kodak is bringing back Ektachrome film. Discontinued a good 4 years or more ago, Kodak says the market for film continues to grow, enough to support NEW films.

"Resurgence in the popularity of analog photography has created demand for new and old film products alike. Sales of professional photographic films have been steadily rising over the last few years, with professionals and enthusiasts rediscovering the artistic control offered by manual processes and the creative satisfaction of a physical end product."


http://www.kodakalaris.com/en-us/about/press-releases/2016/kodak-alaris-reintroduces-iconic-ektachrome-still-film




Jan 05, 2017 at 06:40 PM
retrofocus
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p.17 #18 · p.17 #18 · Could you go back to film?


George Orwell wrote:
Several of the naysayers in this thread claimed, without evidence, that film use is still in decline. Kodak, with this announcement, shows clearly that film use continues to grow. This year Kodak is bringing back Ektachrome film. Discontinued a good 4 years or more ago, Kodak says the market for film continues to grow, enough to support NEW films.

"Resurgence in the popularity of analog photography has created demand for new and old film products alike. Sales of professional photographic films have been steadily rising over the last few years, with professionals and enthusiasts rediscovering the artistic control offered by
...Show more

See my recent post in my "Is film coming back" thread in this forum! Very interesting indeed, clearly a trend.



Jan 05, 2017 at 07:25 PM
chez
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p.17 #19 · p.17 #19 · Could you go back to film?


As long as I can still buy B&W film ( medium and large formats ) and the chemicals to develop the film, I'm a happy camper. Not really interested in trend or the herd mentality...especially when it comes to my relaxation times. It's so satisfying to escape the digital world at times and construct something with older technology.


Jan 05, 2017 at 07:35 PM
Gunzorro
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p.17 #20 · p.17 #20 · Could you go back to film?


Just replied to another thread regarding lenses to use with transparency, and it got me to thinking that I was maybe a bit too harsh in my previous post here about whether I'd ever go back to film.

In retrospect, I made far more money working with film. Partly it was the times: early-80s to early-90s, working for real estate developers in the So Cal area.

With all the mark-ups for film, lab services, printing, extra hours shuttling film to and from labs and clients -- there was a lot of fat on those invoices! It's all gone now with zero printing requests, transmitting files on-line -- sometimes I never physically come in contact with clients! And, of course, today everyone has an iPhone, meaning everyone is a photographer!

But -- If I had clients demanding I shoot film, I'd do it in a second! All those billable hours, all the mark-ups on materials, rentals (remember sleeving fluorescent bulbs? and Roscoe gels?), and lab services (remember masked Cibachrome prints and color internegs?) (and wall prints on 3/4" Foamcore?). Damn right! I'd jump right back on it.

For myself -- no, never again. Well, except for nostalgia purposes every few years, to remind myself why to avoid film use.




Jan 11, 2017 at 10:33 AM
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