Using my old Nikon F60 film camera again

Just remember if you’re out taking street shots with a digital camera you’re just another weirdo with a camera, if you use a film camera you’re hip and quirky and interesting. You’re choice ;)

But will anyone know it is a film camera, they will just think it is just a retro style camera.
 
But will anyone know it is a film camera, they will just think it is just a retro style camera.
Oh they will know and more importantly you will know ;)
 
Film is fun, and the F2 is still my favourite camera by a long chalk, but that's just my personal feeling and isn't based on anything definitive. I use digital most of the time but most of my photography is just for the record, in case I need to refer to the images or write about the things/places in them later.
 
I am not omitting film entirely, just for the time being. I am putting film on hold, for a little while. It is just I am not focused on the whole concept of getting back into film, not just at the moment. I thought I was ready to go film again, but obviously I am not.

It was just a case of having to buy film off the internet, then send it off to get developed. Then the whole process of scanning them to a computer, meaning the film photos end up as digital images anyway.

H'mm even to much bother to use a film camera a few times a year :rolleyes:
 
I think I will put this on hold for a little while

:crying: Oh well, seems that we've failed at converting you to the darkside ( for the moment anyway)

It was just a case of having to buy film off the internet, then send it off to get developed. Then the whole process of scanning them to a computer, meaning the film photos end up as digital images anyway.

That's just it though they are not digital images captured on a sensor.
Even if the negs are scanned upto a computer and become a digital file prior to an ink jet print, they have still originated from film and as such have a completely different "feel" to them than any digital file ( even a digital file that has been manipulated in PP to resemble film, comparable to music captured on vinyl or reproduced onto CD)

As has been mentioned, it is entirely your choice John but personally I think you're missing out on some fun and nostalgia
 
I have not totally dismissed film, just my lifestyle at the moment suits digital. Film there is a cost outlay, and no guarantee of photos. Digital there no cost involved, other than purchasing a cheap digital. With digital, there is a guarantee of photos, unless camera and or camera fails.
 
H'mm even to much bother to use a film camera a few times a year :rolleyes:
Not really a bother, but more of a cost. During the week, I can take my camera out and get photos that I do like, probably about three times a week roughly. I might get about thirty or fifty images per outing, that I do keep. If using film, that would cost me about £120 / £150. Not sure of the exact cost involved with shooting film, it has been so long now.

One thing is for sure, there is no way I could use a film camera, like I use my digital camera.
 
Not really a bother, but more of a cost. During the week, I can take my camera out and get photos that I do like, probably about three times a week roughly. I might get about thirty or fifty images per outing, that I do keep. If using film, that would cost me about £120 / £150. Not sure of the exact cost involved with shooting film, it has been so long now.

One thing is for sure, there is no way I could use a film camera, like I use my digital camera.

From the company filmdev they will developed and scan (low scan) 36 exposures and you can download the scan for £4 and they will post the negs to you for free. The additional cost would be posting the film to them and cost of film.......so if you can't afford about £10 a few times a year then what can I say.
For me, I bought a stack of film when it was going cheap and use a 2nd class large letter stamp to post two films off in a jiffy bag....and unless the guy sorting the mail is a "jobs worth" they get through...so my actual cost for 72 shots is about £11, well using a film camera (not on holiday) can take me up to 6 months to get through 72 shots simply because I've just ran out of things to shoot...the comps here help out a bit.
Anyway I've always said if I was a digi guy and wanted to try film I'd go straight to medium format for quality, and use the digi for everyday things and relax shooting a MF camera..
 
From the company filmdev they will developed and scan (low scan) 36 exposures and you can download the scan for £4 and they will post the negs to you for free. The additional cost would be posting the film to them and cost of film.......so if you can't afford about £10 a few times a year then what can I say.
For me, I bought a stack of film when it was going cheap and use a 2nd class large letter stamp to post two films off in a jiffy bag....and unless the guy sorting the mail is a "jobs worth" they get through...so my actual cost for 72 shots is about £11, well using a film camera (not on holiday) can take me up to 6 months to get through 72 shots simply because I've just ran out of things to shoot...the comps here help out a bit.
Anyway I've always said if I was a digi guy and wanted to try film I'd go straight to medium format for quality, and use the digi for everyday things and relax shooting a MF camera..

I thought all that would cost a lot more.
 
I thought all that would cost a lot more.

......another thing digi guys forget is just to use a film camera for record shots, I've taken shots 60 years ago of sceney\places etc that don't exist anymore...where would your digi shots be in 60 year's time and could you display them on computer devices in the future. I would say there would always be some way of getting an image from a film neg as there must be millions of negs around from the last 100 years or so.
 
......another thing digi guys forget is just to use a film camera for record shots, I've taken shots 60 years ago of sceney\places etc that don't exist anymore...where would your digi shots be in 60 year's time and could you display them on computer devices in the future. I would say there would always be some way of getting an image from a film neg as there must be millions of negs around from the last 100 years or so.

I do love film, I would love to be able to use it as easily as digital. It is unfortunately a bit of a faff, for me that is all. I will admit it, I am very lazy. I always see a problem with anything I do, while most of you fellas just get out and do it.

I see it as a faff, having to order film off the net. I can't be a***d ordering film, because I worry I will not get it. I can't be a***d sending the film away, again too much of a faff for me, as I worry it will go missing in the post. All that faff, plus I have to keep fishing into my pocket to pay. Plus, I may not even get the results.

As you are all probably now aware, I am a moaning old whinging git, who can't be bothered to make the effort.

If there was a shop I could get reasonable priced film from, I would purchase it. If there was a developers that I could drop the film off at, I would do so. I have been looking at places near me, or not too far away, that still offer this sort of service.

I am looking at places in the North West, Cheshire , Lancashire, Merseyside regions. One or two have popped up in a search, just now reading up on them. Just to see what they offer, oh and their location. Places can't be too far to travel, because me being a grumpy whinging old git, does not like having to travel too far.
 
I do love film, I would love to be able to use it as easily as digital. It is unfortunately a bit of a faff, for me that is all. I will admit it, I am very lazy. I always see a problem with anything I do, while most of you fellas just get out and do it.

I see it as a faff, having to order film off the net. I can't be a***d ordering film, because I worry I will not get it. I can't be a***d sending the film away, again too much of a faff for me, as I worry it will go missing in the post. All that faff, plus I have to keep fishing into my pocket to pay. Plus, I may not even get the results.

As you are all probably now aware, I am a moaning old whinging git, who can't be bothered to make the effort.

If there was a shop I could get reasonable priced film from, I would purchase it. If there was a developers that I could drop the film off at, I would do so. I have been looking at places near me, or not too far away, that still offer this sort of service.

I am looking at places in the North West, Cheshire , Lancashire, Merseyside regions. One or two have popped up in a search, just now reading up on them. Just to see what they offer, oh and their location. Places can't be too far to travel, because me being a grumpy whinging old git, does not like having to travel too far.

Sounds to me that "the job's kn*ck*r*d then" :banghead:
 
I am not trying to get into an argument or anything, I am not saying digital gives better results or anything. Just my thoughts are, if I had of used a digital camera to take the following photos, I would have been able to get better results. I know you should get the correct exposure at point of taking the photo, and not fix things later. But I am only taking photos for myself, and for my own memories, I am not trying to impress anybody else with my photos.

IMG_2771.JPG

(Above) Took on the Nikon F60 over ten years ago. Had this been on digital, upping the ISO and altering the white balance, would have given a better image. Yes a better composition would have given an even better photo.



IMG_2772.JPG

(Above) Took on the Nikon F60 a few years ago. Before anyone says it, yes it is a c**p photo, badly composed. Had it been digital, I could have worked on the highlights and shadows. Most photos just show the Cathedral, but I wanted to get the Cathedral from where I was standing, and with the buildings in the foreground. The photo was for me only, and for my memories. The place has changed a lot, since I remember it as a kid.



IMG_2773.JPG

(Above) Taken with the Nikon F60 a few years ago. Again before anyone says anything, I know the composition is poop. But I took it at that angle because we have some from a similar angle, taken when I was a child, obviously taken by my mum. I just wanted to compare how things have changed. Had it of been digital I could have toned down the highlights, and brought out the shadows on the left.

I am not saying digital is better, I love film photos, and there are lots of film photos that are masterpieces out there. Just I am not trying to create anything special, just photos that help with my memories.

I can't recall what lens I used, I don't know what time I took them. No exif. :oops: :$

I hope I have not upset anyone, with my a*sing about, with thinking of trying film again.
 
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I am not trying to get into an argument or anything, I am not saying digital gives better results or anything. Just my thoughts are, if I had of used a digital camera to take the following photos, I would have been able to get better results. I know you should get the correct exposure at point of taking the photo, and not fix things later. But I am only taking photos for myself, and for my own memories, I am not trying to impress anybody else with my photos.

View attachment 267320

(Above) Took on the Nikon F60 over ten years ago. Had this been on digital, upping the ISO and altering the white balance, would have given a better image. Yes a better composition would have given an even better photo.



View attachment 267321

(Above) Took on the Nikon F60 a few years ago. Before anyone says it, yes it is a c**p photo, badly composed. Had it been digital, I could have worked on the highlights and shadows. Most photos just show the Cathedral, but I wanted to get the Cathedral from where I was standing, and with the buildings in the foreground. The photo was for me only, and for my memories. The place has changed a lot, since I remember it as a kid.



View attachment 267322

(Above) Taken with the Nikon F60 a few years ago. Again before anyone says anything, I know the composition is poop. But I took it at that angle because we have some from a similar angle, taken when I was a child, obviously taken by my mum. I just wanted to compare how things have changed. Had it of been digital I could have toned down the highlights, and brought out the shadows on the left.

I am not saying digital is better, I love film photos, and there are lots of film photos that are masterpieces out there. Just I am not trying to create anything special, just photos that help with my memories.

I can't recall what lens I used, I don't know what time I took them. No exif. :oops: :$

I hope I have not upset anyone, with my a*sing about, with thinking of trying film again.
A few years is plenty long enough to have learnt some basics and to have now improved your photography surely... ?
Looking at that second photo it doesn't look in focus, so I can't see how you'd have got a better image digitally..
I would at least try one roll of film, just to see...
 
A few years is plenty long enough to have learnt some basics and to have now improved your photography surely... ?
Looking at that second photo it doesn't look in focus, so I can't see how you'd have got a better image digitally..
I would at least try one roll of film, just to see...
Autofucs would have been better. My photos have since improved.
 
A few years is plenty long enough to have learnt some basics and to have now improved your photography surely... ?
Looking at that second photo it doesn't look in focus, so I can't see how you'd have got a better image digitally..
I would at least try one roll of film, just to see...

My digital camera would have nailed focus better, but I could have seen instantly by chimping, that it was not in focus, and simply took another shot.
 
My digital camera would have nailed focus better, but I could have seen instantly by chimping, that it was not in focus, and simply took another shot.

John my response is in no way meant disrespectfully so please don't take it as such.

When you decide to press the shutter button, are you not confident that the exposure that you have made is what you visualised to what would be the result in your minds eye when looking through the viewfinder?

I get the impression that to a degree, you are doing what I call PPP ( Point, Press and Pray!)
Point camera, Press shutter and Pray that you can get a reasonable result from the capture.

I rarely come away from shooting a frame without knowing in my head how the resulting negative will look like…..Sometimes I know that it will be a gamble like one i took the other day in extremely difficult lighting conditions that even grad filters wouldn't resolve.
The negative resembles what i expected and may well end up in the bin once i view the scanned image but I was fully aware that this would likely be the case at the time of pressing the shutter;
It wasn't a PPP shot...It was a very much calculated risk shot based on my knowledge of the behaviour of the film emulsion, the risk being that i may waste a sheet of film.



IMHO seeing as you already possess a film camera that you are familiar with ( or at least you were!), I would consider forcing yourself into using it alongside your digital which is clearly your preferred medium ( Nothing wrong with that at all ;)) as I am sure it would help to improve your abilities with digital, meaning less frames needed to obtain the ones you wish to keep so less time spent sifting through hundreds of non keepers.
The other huge benefit of course is that it may stop, or at least reduce your monkey impressions in public ( Chimping :LOL:)
 
John my response is in no way meant disrespectfully so please don't take it as such.

When you decide to press the shutter button, are you not confident that the exposure that you have made is what you visualised to what would be the result in your minds eye when looking through the viewfinder?

I get the impression that to a degree, you are doing what I call PPP ( Point, Press and Pray!)
Point camera, Press shutter and Pray that you can get a reasonable result from the capture.

I rarely come away from shooting a frame without knowing in my head how the resulting negative will look like…..Sometimes I know that it will be a gamble like one i took the other day in extremely difficult lighting conditions that even grad filters wouldn't resolve.
The negative resembles what i expected and may well end up in the bin once i view the scanned image but I was fully aware that this would likely be the case at the time of pressing the shutter;
It wasn't a PPP shot...It was a very much calculated risk shot based on my knowledge of the behaviour of the film emulsion, the risk being that i may waste a sheet of film.



IMHO seeing as you already possess a film camera that you are familiar with ( or at least you were!), I would consider forcing yourself into using it alongside your digital which is clearly your preferred medium ( Nothing wrong with that at all ;)) as I am sure it would help to improve your abilities with digital, meaning less frames needed to obtain the ones you wish to keep so less time spent sifting through hundreds of non keepers.
The other huge benefit of course is that it may stop, or at least reduce your monkey impressions in public ( Chimping :LOL:)

Trying to remember shooting my last roll of film, I think I tried to under expose, as my previous photos were coming out slightly over exposed. I did not want to take too long taking the photo, as I wanted to get the shot and move on quickly. Yes I know I should be taking care when taking photos, but sometimes standing about taking photos is not always a good thing, I like being discreet.

With my digital I always get the photo that I want, it does not have a viewfinder, so it can be used at waist level. A high enough ISO and whatever aperture, I can always crop later. I am not trying to impress anyone with my photos, they are only for me.

I don't see myself as a photographer, I am only someone wanting to get images for himself.


Back to film... I would not use film for better results, as I know I would not get better results.
Having said all the above, I still may give film another try at some point.
 
My digital camera would have nailed focus better, but I could have seen instantly by chimping, that it was not in focus, and simply took another shot.
I’m not familiar with your film camera so I can understand why you might be reluctant to try your film camera especially as your digital one seems to produce much better images. Nothing worse than feeling you’re taking a backwards step in using film... it’s not for everyone, and for sure I can relate to that as I use both digital and film.
 
I’m not familiar with your film camera so I can understand why you might be reluctant to try your film camera especially as your digital one seems to produce much better images. Nothing worse than feeling you’re taking a backwards step in using film... it’s not for everyone, and for sure I can relate to that as I use both digital and film.

I am sure a really good photographer, would be able to get just as good, if not possibly better photos, with my film camera. :)
 
I hope I have not annoyed any of you film shooters, especially after offering help, and me not grasping certain things, only for you guys to still come back with helpful more hints and tips. Then I come back with ahh, I can't be ars*d now.

So thanks for all your helpful input, and sorry for all the dithering about. :angelic:
 
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I hope I have not annoyed any of you film shooters, especially after offering help, and me not grasping certain things, only for you guys to still come back with helpful hints and tips. Then I come back with ahh, I can't be ars*d now.

So thanks for all your helpful input, and sorry for all the dithering about. :angelic:
Don’t worry about... anytime you want to give it a go just shout... I can send some film and even develop and scan it for you if that helps.
 
Don’t worry about... anytime you want to give it a go just shout... I can send some film and even develop and scan it for you if that helps.
Thank you for the kind offer. :)

I have actually been looking at film online, and film developers in my area. I have noted a couple down. :)
 
Don’t worry about... anytime you want to give it a go just shout... I can send some film and even develop and scan it for you if that helps.

Right THAT'S IT !!

John, I'm sorry ( ok I'm not :p), you now have absolutely no excuse.

By the sound of Lees very kind gesture, this film trial period is gunna cost you nowt but a bit of postage!

Therefor YOU NOW HAVE NO EXCUSE TO BACK OUT! :LOL:
 
I've just spotted that Lee isn't all that far from me so might have to arrange a meeting.
 
I should always have a roll in
Be sure to fridge it and it'll last forever ;)….well a long time anyway, although we hope to hear that you're buying more film fairly soon when you come to realise what fun you're having using your F60:)
 
View attachment 267322

(Above) Taken with the Nikon F60 a few years ago. Again before anyone says anything, I know the composition is poop. But I took it at that angle because we have some from a similar angle, taken when I was a child, obviously taken by my mum. I just wanted to compare how things have changed. Had it of been digital I could have toned down the highlights, and brought out the shadows on the left. .

You mean a bit like this?:

IMG_2773 edited.jpg

That took me about a minute in Photoshop Elements, and that's working from that low-quality digital photo of your pint. Had it been a good quality scan of a photographic negative I'm pretty sure I could have toned down the highlights more, and brought out the shadows more on the left. However, as with any photographic medium, there will always be limits to what can be achieved.

If you think you'd be better off with digital then that's fine, as I don't think anyone has suggested that you give up your digital camera and use film instead? I think the original question was, have you thought about shooting some film again for a bit of fun? If you don't think it would be fun then just give it a miss. (y)
 
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