Oh, dear. I hope it's not catching

[abdoujaparov]

Hey F&C people!

After lusting after some TLRs on eBay (there's just something about the way they look that gets me every time) I happened to mention it on Facebook. A friend of mine said they had a "very tatty" Yashica Mat that I could have for nothing. Apparently it all seems to work, although he's not quite sure that the shutter timings are spot on. I should get it in the next week.

Anyway, I'm a complete neophyte. Apart from some P&S cameras when I was a kid, I have no experience with film at all. Can anyone recommend a Film For Newbies website? I have no idea which 120 film to buy, how to load it, or how to shoot it. (I have, however, read the film processors sticky, so that bit should at least be ok)

 

[TheTimeChamber]

Head over to discountfilmsdirect.co.uk and grab a few rolls of what ever takes your fancy (I like to mix it up). What model is it, you should be able to find an instruction manual online somewhere.

 

[Steve]

welcome to the world of film....be careful, once under her spell there is no going back.

I love the look of TLRs too..they are so classy and interesting to look at....and produce great results too.

There are a lot of 'how to load' 120 film videos on youtube...thats how I learnt to load mine when I first got a MF camera.

Good luck and look forward to seeing the results

 

[Woodsy]

As for the film, it depends on what you want to shoot and whether you want to shoot B&W or colour. For colour *for beginners* and for use in brighter light conditions, Portra 160 is a great film. Colours are strong enough yet not over saturated, and is very forgiving when it comes to exposure latitude. I wouldn't recommend using slide film as a beginner as it is very picky and unforgiving with regards to exposure accuracy. As for B&W, I'd suggest using something like PanF 50 / Adox CHS 100 II / FP4 / Acros 100 for brighter work or when on a tripod, or something faster like HP5 for lower light levels. I personally tend to shoot only on a tripod so the lower ISO films work best for me

EDIT: Hah, just noticed you're after a film for newbies website... Ignor my post

 

[abdoujaparov]

Thanks all! It never occurred to me to look at Youtube. I've now watched a couple of videos so I think I'll be ok with loading.

Film recommendations are also good, thank you Jonathan! "forgiving" is just what I need. I'll probably run the first roll through outside - landscapes and architecture - and the Portra sounds like just the job.

So - Sunny16, or take my digi with me to meter? The former seems purer, the latter seems less likely to produce a roll that looks like a row on a chessboard.

 

[Woodsy]

I wouldn't bother with sunny16 myself, take the digital and use that for considerably better consistency. Failing that, if you have an iPhone or similar device, there are some light meter apps that one can use as a middle ground between the two. I've just downloaded one myself and will be testing it against my sekonic spot meter over the weekend.