I was a canon user and then switched to Nikon and am loving the move. I am mostly shooting wedding and the nikon is working perfect for that gig. I want to do some street and candid stuff and I have this huge urge to buy a Leica M7 and a 50mm f1.4 and carry it around with me everywhere.
I wonder how many people are still using film or have a rangerfinder that they use along with their dslr?
...I just scanned about 10 images from 35mm 100 ISO color and b/w film today on a Nikon scanner (expensive scanner)...and the results were poor. The resolution showed just how poor the resolution of the film actually was. It was good in it's day..and perhaps medium format is most likely much better...but the 35mm scans were crap compared to what I get digitally.
The large format camera business is as big as ever.
As for film in rangefinders, I still use film in my Mamiya 7II (as well as in other 6xX format cameras). My Contax G2 rangefinder has sadly only been used once in the past year.
I think a big part of it is I want to dive into the world of Leica where the M body is very compact and easy to take pics without people noticing what you are doing. The M8 is over 5k which makes it too much for me.
I think it's a good idea. I still shoot film regularly, along with my digital cameras. Street photography and shooting it on film goes hand in hand. Unless you absolutely have to have a Leica, you may also want to consider alternatives such as getting a Voigtlander Bessa body, and using the savings on a Leica lens. Some of the Cosina Voigtlander lenses are nearly as good. Just a thought, and good luck with it!
Tobin28 wrote:
I was a canon user and then switched to Nikon and am loving the move. I am mostly shooting wedding and the nikon is working perfect for that gig. I want to do some street and candid stuff and I have this huge urge to buy a Leica M7 and a 50mm f1.4 and carry it around with me everywhere.
I wonder how many people are still using film or have a rangerfinder that they use along with their dslr?
film will be here for a while , most people that were into cameras still are and still shoot film , it 's most of the mom and pop and birthday party crowed that stopped , but they did out numbers us.
blackfeather wrote:
...I just scanned about 10 images from 35mm 100 ISO color and b/w film today on a Nikon scanner (expensive scanner)...and the results were poor. The resolution showed just how poor the resolution of the film actually was. It was good in it's day..and perhaps medium format is most likely much better...but the 35mm scans were crap compared to what I get digitally.
your film is not big enough
Will the new P60 finally be what LF guys have needed to make the change? The HD39 does a superb job, although still can't beat a LF for detail, but when the new 50MP and 60MP monsters are released surely if the glass is upto it they must be getting close. And the Phase one has a 20% bigger sensor than the HD50 so pixels are the same size.
Pixel Perfect wrote:
Will the new P60 finally be what LF guys have needed to make the change? The HD39 does a superb job, although still can't beat a LF for detail, but when the new 50MP and 60MP monsters are released surely if the glass is upto it they must be getting close. And the Phase one has a 20% bigger sensor than the HD50 so pixels are the same size.
not at 40 grand, or whatever it costs
Pixel Perfect wrote:
Will the new P60 finally be what LF guys have needed to make the change? The HD39 does a superb job, although still can't beat a LF for detail, but when the new 50MP and 60MP monsters are released surely if the glass is upto it they must be getting close. And the Phase one has a 20% bigger sensor than the HD50 so pixels are the same size.
I will guess the 60mp sensor will match drum scanned 4x5 fairly well. Those 39mp backs were in within spitting distance and good enough for many 4x5 shooters to switch over.
Man I can't remember the last time I shot a roll of film. Sigh.
have you shot film before? Have you shot a rangefinder/Leica system before? If no to either of those questions, DON'T buy a M7 and 50lux to try it out haha, that is SO much money. Get a M6 and 50cron, or a Bessa and Nokton, hell there are so many cheaper options than a M7 + anything.
Scanning B&W on a Nikon Coolscan, unless you are very experience/know what you're doing, is no way to judge film.
film will pretty much go away *sometime*, but that time is not yet and certainly not in the next 5 years.
Regarding ISO 100 color and b&w films... your scans from a Nikon scanner should not suck. Maybe you were trying to look at 100% scans and comparing them to 100% digital images? You really have to compare prints. Your prints suck?
My scanned BW400CN prints come out ballpark 5D quality... tipping one way or the other depending on the viewer's aesthetic preference...
I think film will go away, at least from the retail market, unless you live in a huge city which is big enough to support a specialty store. I was recently living in a city of 250,000 people, and the last pro lab closed 2 years ago. There is nowhere left in that city to buy 120 film or get it processed. The film-based photographers there were forced to go digital whether they wanted to or not. As this pattern repeats itself in 1,000 other cities, the demand for film will almost completely die.
Perhaps the film producers will start selling over the internet as they run out of retailers.
According to what I have read film is practically equivalent to about 8MP (bayer not foveon). But to see that you need to do your own prints or possibly use very expensive scanners.
So I would suggest not getting hung up on megapixels and do it for other reasons.
Shooting film is a totally different experience to digital. It has satisfactions that don't really exist in the digital realm. It makes you really think before you take the shot. Each shot is much more likely to be carefully composed, rather than just a digital accident. You can take pleasure in a good accident, but not satisfaction.
Supposedly there is also a great deal of satisfaction in developing b&w yourself, and it is cheap and easy. You can get film in 100ft canisters that you then make up yourself to keep the cost low. Development is between 50c and $1 a roll, and takes no more than 30 minutes (several rolls at once). I've not done this, but I have heard of people's continued contentment at the process. You don't need a darkroom, just a changing bag.
Similar things are said over darkroom wet prints, especially with the aid of a scanner for selection purposes. And equipment is very cheap.
foto-z wrote:
I think film will go away, at least from the retail market, unless you live in a huge city which is big enough to support a specialty store. I was recently living in a city of 250,000 people, and the last pro lab closed 2 years ago. There is nowhere left in that city to buy 120 film or get it processed. The film-based photographers there were forced to go digital whether they wanted to or not. As this pattern repeats itself in 1,000 other cities, the demand for film will almost completely die.
Perhaps the film producers will start selling over the internet as they run out of retailers....Show more →
Tobin28 wrote:
Never used a rangefinder before. Maybe I should look for a used M3.
There is one at a shop a block from my office in Colorado Springs. PM me if you want more info.
If you're not afraid to stray from the Leica path, the Voightlander Bessa R2/3/4 models are recent and much cheaper. They even have Av mode if you want to speed up shooting. I've been thinking one of these could be fun, but then I smack myself over the head with one of my other cameras.
To the original topic, I don't think film is going away, but it isn't a growing industry either. Its obvious that there is some major reduction in consumer still film use. But Kodak and Fuji have released new films in recent years too. Kodak has very recently introduced a new and improved version of TMax 400 for example. But at the same time, they are cutting production of 4X5 readyload packet films (bastids).
