Beginner First time out with film camera

woody12

woody12

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paul
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I posted awhile ago telling everybody i had been left some film cameras and decided i liked the look of the Minolta 505si which with new batteries seems to work. I've loaded a fujifilm X-TRA 400 and off to the city with a friend tomorrow. I was just wondering about the iso does that have to stay the same over all 36 shots. I've set it to 400 or i'm i being an idiot. Looking forward to a great day also with my nikon digital just in case. Anything else i need to be aware off? Thanks you film guys are so helpful
 
Yes, in theory the iso should be set to the same as the film you are using and to keep things simple on your first shoot I would definitely do this. Good luck and enjoy the 'not knowing'.
 
woody12 said:
does that have to stay the same over all 36 shots. I've set it to 400 or i'm i being an idiot.
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Camera set at 400 iso wien loaded with a 400 speed film sounds good to me (y)

Enjpy your time in the city tomorrow!
 
Enjoy spending the time looking at the city and for photo opportunities...rather than chimping all day long! ;)
 
And as you say the ISO has to stay the same for all 36 shots because when it is developed the whole film is developed for a length of time determined by the ISO, amongst other things. So if you exposed frames at different ISO's you wouldn't know which development time to use. Getting complicated, it is possible to expose a film at a different ISO than "box speed" but the whole film still l has to be at the at that ISO.

It makes you think a bit harder about the lighting conditions than digital where you can alter the ISO at will ;) but of course what you really need is more film cameras then you can put a different speed film in each one.
 
sirch said:
And as you say the ISO has to stay the same for all 36 shots because when it is developed the whole film is developed for a length of time determined by the ISO, amongst other things. So if you exposed frames at different ISO's you wouldn't know which development time to use. Getting complicated, it is possible to expose a film at a different ISO than "box speed" but the whole film still l has to be at the at that ISO.

It makes you think a bit harder about the lighting conditions than digital where you can alter the ISO at will ;) but of course what you really need is more film cameras then you can put a different speed film in each one.
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Or a ‘blad with multiple backs...but we may be getting a little ahead of ourselves! :p
 
FujiLove said:
Or a ‘blad with multiple backs...but we may be getting a little ahead of ourselves! :p
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Not just 'blads though, Bronica, Mamiya, or even better 5x4 because then you can have a different ISO for each shot. As is usual with the F&C crowd the OP is going to be glad they asked :)
 
Just to add what every one has said...there is only one problem using 400 iso (or 200 , 100 or 50 iso) film and when it's in low light situations when you will need rock steady hands or a tripod. The only other slight problem is: - when using 400 iso film in bright sun light when using the lens at say f2.8, to isolated the subject from the back ground, and your camera only has a top shutter speed of 1/400 sec or 1/500 sec....in that case would have to use a filter for correct exposure or rely on the film's latitude for a well over exposed neg.
 
The other thing you can do when wanting to change ISO (by doing different development) half way through a film is to wind the film off, take it out of the camera, note where you got to in shots, and put in a new film (noting the ISO you're using that one with!). Then later when wanting the old ISO you can return to the old half-used film, wind it on to where you were with it, plus one for safety, and continue. And of course your camera probably had a slot on the back where you could put the torn off end label of the film plus your notes to remind you what you were up to!

What fun it all was back it the old film days!
 
As Andy and Asha said, first trial with a camera should pretty much be with the straight box speed of 400 to start out with, then you'll be able to judge your results when you get them back. If there seems to be funny results, post them here and we'll try to figure out the issues for you in time for your next film. If you can be bothered, it might be worth recording the shutter speed and aperture as there's none of this fancy-dan exif stuff with film. ;)
 
chris malcolm said:
And of course your camera probably had a slot on the back where you could put the torn off end label of the film plus your notes to remind you what you were up to!

What fun it all was back it the old film days!
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A surprisingly large number of cameras lacked this important slot. In which case, I used the accessory shoe which will hold the film carton end folded in two. If the camera has neither slot nor accessory shoe - I will always forget which film I have loaded.
 
With negative film, the one major difference from film, AFAIK, is to meter for the shadows rather than the highlights. Good luck, hope you have a great day!
 
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