Still using film in my head.

IntenseJason

IntenseJason

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Yesterday, while going through some storage boxes looking for a ringflash I bought ages ago I came across my old film outfit - Contax 139Q 28mm - 50mm and 135mm lenses. The batteries were long dead so no idea if it is still functioning. I packed it back in the box it they came from with a mental not to get batteries for it to check its condition, but with no intention to use it.

Last night I realised that despite using digital since circa 2003 (Sigma SD9) I still use take my shots as if it were a film camera.

I still think of ISO as 50= Pan F, 125=FP4, 400=HP5 amd anything above as XP2
I still use Cokin filters.
I don't like making adjustments in software other than cropping.

Obviously in this day and age it is a little daft to consider most digital techniques to be cheating.

Anyone else have this odd attitude?
 
Similar.

I went back to film for a short while through a moments madness.
But yes, in my mind, iso 400 is very high and I almost expect grain noise in digital. Having shot Kodachrome 25 a lot, that is my standard for fine grain.
 
IntenseJason said:
Yesterday, while going through some storage boxes looking for a ringflash I bought ages ago I came across my old film outfit - Contax 139Q 28mm - 50mm and 135mm lenses. The batteries were long dead so no idea if it is still functioning. I packed it back in the box it they came from with a mental not to get batteries for it to check its condition, but with no intention to use it.

Last night I realised that despite using digital since circa 2003 (Sigma SD9) I still use take my shots as if it were a film camera.

I still think of ISO as 50= Pan F, 125=FP4, 400=HP5 amd anything above as XP2
I still use Cokin filters.
I don't like making adjustments in software other than cropping.

Obviously in this day and age it is a little daft to consider most digital techniques to be cheating.

Anyone else have this odd attitude?
Click to expand...


ISO? Blimey, you're a bit modern, I still think of it as ASA! ;) Under the circumstances, I think there's only one thing you should do; buy new batteries for your camera and get a roll of Kodak Ektar 100 (nice fine grain and well-saturated colours) and enjoy some proper, retro, photography while the sun shines. (y) :)
 
There's that moment when you finally realise you can set aperture and shutter speed to manual and let auto ISO take up the slack. Witchcraft!
 
I straddle the divide. I use manual focus prime lenses on digital and film bodies that have optical vf's (and glass prisms). It's damned handy with digital to be able to select a chosen iso per shot rather than that given for a whole film. And a modern 'full frame' digital body gives a resolution on a par with medium format film.

There are many possibilties, and many mind-sets. I still claim that best inherent purpose of an image is its meaning. Meaning should be the mission.
 
Well I use my Nex 3 a few times on manual other than that don't do digi. But if film supplies stopped and I went completely digi and after 65 years probably would always think film. o_O
 
Mr Badger said:
ISO? Blimey, you're a bit modern, I still think of it as ASA! ;) Under the circumstances, I think there's only one thing you should do; buy new batteries for your camera and get a roll of Kodak Ektar 100 (nice fine grain and well-saturated colours) and enjoy some proper, retro, photography while the sun shines. (y) :)
Click to expand...


Yep, on it, it works fine after cycling the mechanism a hundred times or so.

Whats good for B+W these days? Xp2 still a good choice?
 
IntenseJason said:
Yep, on it, it works fine after cycling the mechanism a hundred times or so.

Whats good for B+W these days? Xp2 still a good choice?
Click to expand...

XP2 is an excellent choice if you're just going to run a few rolls and don't want to get into home developing (yet, sinister chuckles....). It's a "chromogenic" film, so black and white processed in C41 colour chemicals, which means you can get it processed anywhere (Boots, Snappy Snaps, Max Spielmann, or preferably proper labs like Filmdev). Proper black and white requires quite different developers and lots more individual care, so is now more expensive and harder to find (which is why so many of us do home processing).
 
Yes, XP2 is still a good choice and will give you some flexibility too... if it's bright and sunny then try shooting it at 200 ISO (it should look good and the shadows shouldn't block up as much as at 400 ISO), if it's overcast or dull then shoot it at the 'box' stated speed of 400 ISO, and you can switch between these two ISO setting on the same roll of film. So a bit more flexibility there for you until you get used to your camera again and predicting the weather and rattling through 36 exposures before the weather changes and you wish you'd chosen something faster or slower! Best of luck and I don't forget to post a few pics of your results. (y)
 
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