Now I've Done It.

Dale.

Dale.

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Dale.
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Something I've been meaning to for a while, bought a film SLR. It's a Canon EOS 500 and for next to nothing. Full working order with 14 days to find out, can't be bad. If it fails, it will make a nice doorstop for what I paid for it.

I've been meaning to try film for a while and this was too good an opportunity to let go. Now to find some film for it.

It could be the start of something, maybe, maybe not, we'll see. :snaphappy:
 
Welcome to the light side Dale, good luck on your film adventure.
 
I never stopped using film but, over the past five years I’ve shot more and more film. My favourite Canon cameras are the A-1 and the T90. I had an EOS500 in the mid 90’s, it was a nice little camera with excellent exposure metering.
 
EOS650 was my first foray into proper film photography. I'm guessing you've got Canon glass to go with it?

Hope you enjoy the journey!
 
Harlequin565 said:
I'm guessing you've got Canon glass to go with it?
Click to expand...

Yes, heavily invested in Canon glass, mainly L but few 3rd party ones too.

I'm just checking compatibilty of a Sigma 17-70 f2.8 I have.

EDIT:- It doesn't look like the Sigma will work as it's EF-S. No biggy.
 
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Dale. said:
It doesn't look like the Sigma will work as it's EF-S. No biggy.
Click to expand...

I had a Sigma 10-20 EF-S which was fine on my 650. At the wide end though, it was a hard vignette (like when you've got the wrong lens hood on) because the lens wasn't big enough to cover the 35mm frame. IIRC it even focussed fine too. Can't find the image at the moment... Was back in 2010...
 
Harlequin565 said:
I had a Sigma 10-20 EF-S which was fine on my 650. At the wide end though, it was a hard vignette (like when you've got the wrong lens hood on) because the lens wasn't big enough to cover the 35mm frame. IIRC it even focussed fine too. Can't find the image at the moment... Was back in 2010...
Click to expand...

I suspect my Sigma lens would vignette badly too. Apparently, some EF-S lenses will work, some won't.

Happy to stick with my EF glass, though. :)
 
Pentacon said:
I never stopped using film but, over the past five years I’ve shot more and more film. My favourite Canon cameras are the A-1 and the T90. I had an EOS500 in the mid 90’s, it was a nice little camera with excellent exposure metering.
Click to expand...

(y) another T90 user (y)
 
Now the quest for film begins, is it just mail order or can it be bought in shops?

I'm thinking a colour roll and a B+W roll to begin with. ISO 400 a good choice? Any recommendations welcomed.

Thanks.
 
Dale. said:
Now the quest for film begins, is it just mail order or can it be bought in shops?

I'm thinking a colour roll and a B+W roll to begin with. ISO 400 a good choice? Any recommendations welcomed.

Thanks.
Click to expand...

ISO 400 is a great place to start. Be warned that unless you’re developing at home (which I’m sure you’ll get into sooner or later) black and white can be difficult to get developed. Apart from Ilford XP2 which is weird as its colour film but without the colour so it can be developed anywhere. I’d grab some fujifilm x-tra 400. I use Kodak Portra for special occasions. I’d order online as it’s usually cheaper.

Enjoy it and make sure you post some pics here.
 
Online... Amongst others...

Analogue Wonderland
Nick & Trick
AG Photographic
West End Cameras
Speed Graphic
Discount Film Direct
7 Day Shop

Be wary of : Excessive postage & prices quoted exc VAT. The sites above don't fall into those categories (too much)

My B&W recommendation would be HP5 Plus or Kodak Tri-X. Colour would be Lomo 800.
 
Tom Pinchenzo said:
ISO 400 is a great place to start. Be warned that unless you’re developing at home (which I’m sure you’ll get into sooner or later) black and white can be difficult to get developed. Apart from Ilford XP2 which is weird as its colour film but without the colour so it can be developed anywhere. I’d grab some fujifilm x-tra 400. I use Kodak Portra for special occasions. I’d order online as it’s usually cheaper.

Enjoy it and make sure you post some pics here.
Click to expand...
Harlequin565 said:
Online... Amongst others...

Analogue Wonderland
Nick & Trick
AG Photographic
West End Cameras
Speed Graphic
Discount Film Direct
7 Day Shop

Be wary of : Excessive postage & prices quoted exc VAT. The sites above don't fall into those categories (too much)

My B&W recommendation would be HP5 Plus or Kodak Tri-X. Colour would be Lomo 800.
Click to expand...


Awesome, thanks.

I've dealt with 7 Dayshop before, I will look in there.


I've developed B+W many years ago at school, quite enjoyed it.
 
Have fun, and if you enjoy using film then perhaps think about an upgrade to one of these... works great with modern lenses and the eye controlled focus point selection has to be seen to be believed, it's so useful. Expect to pay £40 to £60 for one in VG to Mint- condition on eBay if you're patient.

 
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PeterSpencer said:
Cracking lens, I use it a lot with my EOS 3 and the other camera whose name cannot be spoken.
Click to expand...
Have you tried the EF 40mm f/2.8 pancake lens? If not, I think it's well worth thinking about if you find one at handy money. I find 40mm is closer to the human eye's field of view (I often find 50mm is a bit too tight in its framing) and, despite its miniscule size and odd looks, the 40mm pancake seems even sharper than the 50mm II and less prone to lens flare too.
 
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10 exposures done on my first reel, and I've only looked at the back of the camera 7 times, is that about right? :LOL:


I'm trying to work out an exposure.

The sync speed on my film camera is 1/90sec. I want to try some shots (daughter, dog etc) with a speedlight. I normally use my Fuji for this kind of thing, set at 1/180 sec, f8 and iso 800 and bounce the flash off the ceiling.

Am I right in thinking that with the film camera, as the sync speed is 1/90 sec and I'm using ISO 400 film, that I will get the same exposure as with my Fuji settings as long as I shoot at f8, as both the ISO and shutter speed have been halved with the film camera? The flash will of course be set to the same power as it would be on my Fuji.

Not something I'd normally put much thought into as with my Fuji, you can check results instantly.

I love film. (y)
 
Not quite because the shutter speed only affects the amount of ambient light that the film is exposed to, the amount of light from the flash is not affected by shutter speed. The sync speed is just to ensure the shutter is open before the flash fires and closes after it has fired. In a dark-ish room a flash will also freeze subject movement regardless of shutter speed. Unless you have a light meter capable of taking flash readings your best bet is to set your Fuji to 1/90th (or the nearest, probably 1/100) and ISO 400 and take a shot and then adjust the aperture and/or flash output to get good exposure - i.e. use the Fuji as a meter...
 
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sirch said:
Not quite because the shutter speed only affects the amount of ambient light that the film is exposed to, the amount of light from the flash is not affected by shutter speed. The sync speed is just to ensure the shutter is open before the flash fires and closes after it has fired. In a dark-ish room a flash will also freeze subject movement regardless of shutter speed. Unless you have a light meter capable of taking flash readings your best bet is to set your Fuji to 1/90th (or the nearest, probably 1/100) and ISO 400 and take a shot and then adjust the aperture and/or flash output to get good exposure - i.e. use the Fuji as a meter...
Click to expand...


Awesome, thanks.

I'll try that, flash isn't my forte but that makes total sense. (y)
 
What flash unit are you using? If it's a genuine Canon Speedlite that's compatible with the camera then it should work things out for itself. Here's a link to some info from Canon as to camera/flash compatibility: https://cpn.canon-europe.com/content/education/infobank/flash/speedlite_compatibility.do

I have Canon EOS 3, 30 and 30v cameras, and use 430EX II and 580EX II Speedlites on them. From what I understand (please check this to avoid melting your camera!), the EX series Speedlites are backwards compatible with the older Canon EOS film SLRs, but the older EZ series Speedlites won't work on EOS Digital SLRs.

You're on your own with any non-Canon, third-party makes of flash gun as to what models of camera they'll be compatible with.

As a precautionary measure, do check the trigger voltage of any flash gun you're considering fitting though, because if it's outside the flash trigger voltage range of the camera then it can damage/break the camera's electronics! The trigger voltage info/specs should be lurking on the internet somewhere.

If in doubt then perhaps think about a cheap second-hand 430EX II (after checking the trigger voltage is OK for your camera), because if that works OK on your 500 it should also work on any later model of EOS film SLR you may buy. Hope this is useful.
 
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Mr Badger said:
What flash unit are you using? If it's a genuine Canon Speedlite that's compatible with the camera then it should work things out for itself. Here's a link to some info from Canon as to camera/flash compatibility: https://cpn.canon-europe.com/content/education/infobank/flash/speedlite_compatibility.do

I have Canon EOS 3, 30 and 30v cameras, and use 430EX II and 580EX II Speedlites on them. From what I understand (please check this to avoid melting your camera!), the EX series Speedlites are backwards compatible with the older Canon EOS film SLRs, but the older EZ series Speedlites won't work on EOS Digital SLRs.

You're on your own with any non-Canon, third-party makes of flash gun as to what models of camera they'll be compatible with.

As a precautionary measure, do check the trigger voltage of any flash gun you're considering fitting though, because if it's outside the flash trigger voltage range of the camera then it can damage/break the camera's electronics! The trigger voltage info/specs should be lurking on the internet somewhere.

If in doubt then perhaps think about a cheap second-hand 430EX II (after checking the trigger voltage is OK for your camera), because if that works OK on your 500 it should also work on any later model of EOS film SLR you may buy. Hope this is useful.
Click to expand...


Thanks for that. (y)

I have 2 speedlights, both bought for my Canon cameras. The one I prefer is a Younguo YN565EXII, which I beileve is a pattern of a previous Canon model. It works on my Fuji but only in manual, which I do most of the time even with Canon cameras. I will check compatibilty though.

I prefer the colours off the Yongnuo over my Nissin speedlight.
 
I think forward and backward compatibility can be a bit of a gamble with third party flash units, so probably only one way to find out... a couple of test shots, with direct and bounce if it seems to fire OK?

I tend to keep things simple and go for a dome type diffuser (around £12 from eBay) on a Canon Speedlite and leave it to the camera and flash to work out the fill-in exposure. It seems to work OK for me in most situations such as taking indoor photos and produces reasonably natural looking results, but with slightly more saturated colours. Martin Parr uses similar flash kit with his 5D iv camera.

Here's an example from my EOS-3 and 430EX II with dome diffuser, with flash pointing straight up to the ceiling and everything set to auto on Kodak Ektar 100. Unfortunately I missed the 'decisive moment' with the shopkeeper, but it shows the fill-in lighting I got, with good but natural-looking detail in the shadow areas, which would have been lost with a natural light only shot, and no significantly distracting shadows from the flash.

 
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I have 2 EOS 500's they were my dad's ( sadly departed 25/6/08 )
I keep them for sentimental reasons along with all his other photo gear :)
 
Dale. said:
10 exposures done on my first reel, and I've only looked at the back of the camera 7 times, is that about right? :LOL:
<snip>
I love film. (y)
Click to expand...
Because my brain is basically addled with old age, I always chimp when using my film cameras but never think to when using digital.
 
Still only 10 exposures, I really don't take many photos. I have a 5Dmkiv, 2 1/2 years old and not 5000 clicks yet.

That will change tomorrow as both the 5D and the 500 are getting an hopefully epic run out in The Highlands. :banana:
 
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