How many S2 users still shoot film?

[Tim]

Everytime I open my refrigerator and see a couple hundred rolls of 35mm film, and cans of bulk film, it reminds me that I don't use it anymore...

I question whether it's worth keeping as a backup these days as my last few major photo trips haven't included a film body at all.

I haven't found an application where film would be an advantage over my S2...


Regards,

Tim

[lightwrangler]

Actually, I jest. I do use film still - 4x5 for that really nice reproduction and perspective control. I think that I could get similar results with the S2 and a couple of shift lenses, but I don't have those (yet). I sold my Hasselblads in September after I realized that they had only been out of the cupboard 4 times in the past year and not one of those jobs really needed 120mm film. I have kept my Nikon film bodies in case I feel the or find a need that only film will satisfy. Frankly I think film is going to be hard to find in the not so distant future. For backup I am using an Olympus E-10 that I have owned for two years (it still takes a good picture). On the wishlist for next year is another S2 (or maybe a Kodak 14n), more lenses (shift would be nice), more CF cards and of course more batteries.:)

[X-Sync]

IN MY DAY IT WAS ALL FILM, NON OF THIS DIGITAL GADGETRY :o
Well not for a while yet I hope.
I love film, its great to use a favourite film. Iford FP4, T-max, Velvia or maybe Kodachrome. Understanding a film, its strengths and its downfalls its wonderful.
The darkroom is an other story, smelly, time consuming and prehaps hazadous to your health, don't miss that.
Now for the honest bit, film as much as I love it has become a bit like owning a classic car. I have not used 35mm film on a paid job for a long while. I still carry a film camera as a back-up, but I am thinking of replacing this with a digital body.
But I still shoot film, for my own photography there is nothing better than shooting a few rolls of your favourite films once in a while.
Is film dead? Well its future is certainly limited, me thinks.

Happy shooting (on film or Digital)

[Topngu]

Are we all "digital world"? how much? 40%?...20% ?...or ...?
Hope "Kodak&Fuji" don't go out business because we don't
use any more film!The fact i know a company spent over $100.000
a month...film,paper,chemical...and they intend to go to "Digital"...
how much they 'll spent....$1,000.000...??? just to start...for digital
equipment....so on...my opinion film still alive!

[Tom V]

I have been using digital more and more during the last 4 years, and now with the S2, digital is my primary tool for photography. I haven't gotten the 4x5 camera out of the case 2 years, and the last time I shot 120 film was perhaps 1 year ago. However, I still shoot 35mm now and then. Why?:

1) Wide angle photography. I had to shoot a model home interior and my 14mm lens provided the perfect compostion - on the film camera. On the S2, it was simply not wide enough. When larger digital sensors are in affordable digital cameras, this won't be an issue.

2) Fast motor drive sequences. I went to a Formula One race and utilized my Nikon F-100's fast motor drive for a few blasts. When it became apparent that the cars were not going to be crashing in the hairpin I was stationed at, I put it away and used the S2. My futile attempt at capturing some spectacular action became an expensive film-eating excersize. The race became very predictable, and even a 1-frame per lap rate would be acceptable to watch the Ferraris parade unchallenged 1-2 to the finish. When I have a need for a fast motor drive to capture some elusive moment, my film cameras are the only tools I currently own that can do that for me. The Nikon D1H is a digital camera that shoots fast, makes small pictures, and costs too much for my toolkit.

3) I have an oddball assortment of accessories that work with my film cameras. I have a Nikon Bellows closeup outfit that does not meter with the S2, but it does with my 8008s. I have a Nikon Right Angle Viewfinder that does not work with the S2, but does with my 8008s and F-100. I have a Nikon MF-21 MultiFunction back on my 8008s that allows for interval timing and trap focus (camera fires only when something is in focus at a pre-determined point), etc. I find these things useful tools.

I used to need my 4x5 for high resolution for product photography. The S2 has enough resolution for any shot I have EVER done. Any perspective control I needed to do with the 4x5 can be applied to digital images in software. Focus control with a 4x5 usually meant simply trying to get enough depth of field - which is far less of a problem with the S2, ISO equivalents up to 1600, and 2400 ws of Speedotron studio strobes.

I guess it comes down to this: I don't need the film cameras to shoot film, I just need the film cameras for the functions they provide. Someday, these features will be available on digital cameras, and I won't need my film cameras at all. And when that happens, I won't need film at all.:(

[memobug]

Originally posted by Tim
...I haven't found an application where film would be an advantage over my S2...


Regards,

Tim

35mm film would be good for: higher contrast environments than the CCD can handle
longer shutter times than the CCD can handle
wider angles than the CCD can provide
making slides
limiting depth of field
photographing UFOs and crime scenes for archival purposesRegards,

Matt

[jknights]

Not any more. Stopped at end of 2001.

I only shoot film if a customer insists that I use film.
I use my old F301 for that. No Autofocus seems strange now.

[jbfocus]

I deceided to sell all of my 120 and 220 roll film it has been refrigerated from the day I bought it and much of it is good till 2004 check out my auction Im selling like 450. film and asking a reserve of $200.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1395321821

[Tim]

I just sold all of my 220 roll film a few weeks ago, along with a lot of my 120. I also sold all but one MF camera.

Tonight I was taking pictures of the bulk rolls of 35mm film, bulk loaders, and cassettes. I also inventoried my 35mm cartridge film.

I plan to keep some of it around, but not in the volume I have now.

It will probably go to my friends locally, but I bet eBay will see some of it before it's over with!


Tim

[Tom V]

I also shoot film when I think the camera may get wet. I have a Canon A1 SureShot rangefinder camera. It is rated to 10 feet underwater, so it can take a good dunking. It has a high-eyepoint finder so I can see thru its large viewfinder even with goggles or a mask. It is small enough to put in a bike jersey pocket. It is very rugged, and I have bought one for a sister and one for a brother.

I use it on bike trips because beside surviving hail storms, downpours and leaky hydration systems, it is also not fazed by 100s of miles of sweat. It survived a good near-drowning while rafting (never again!), kids by the swimming pool, spilled beer. It has survived cross-country skiing mishaps and lots of snow sledding trips. It has survived camping in snow, mud and rain without fail. It has been to the North Sea, the Grand Canyon, the Great Lakes, the Atlantic Ocean, and my bath tub.

It uses film.

[Morrow]

I spent an hour yestreday excercising my Hasselblad shutters and left them all without tension. I have not been using them since I got my S2.I am going to hang on to them with the hope that there will ba an affordable back for them in the future.I packed up my Sinar months ago and put it in a box.I have not used film professionally since I got my Fuji. I do not miss the lab runs and the waiting to see film.

[lightwrangler]

Originally posted by Morrow
I do not miss the lab runs and the waiting to see film.

I hear you loud and clear! What a pleasure it is to know at the time of the shoot that you have the goods! Think of the savings in couriers and/or fuel,oil and maintenance of your own car. Not to mention the time!

Re: Keeping your Hassies in hopes of a decent and well priced back.... I looked at that option too, but discovered that the technology of the older Blad equipment was not very digital ready. While they will work with many backs they lack the functions of a truly digital camera system. The newer stuff with digital contacts to the lenses will "talk to" digital backs. In the end this is why I sold mine. If you are considering trading in your Blad stuff, do it now, the value of it is falling as we speak.

All the best:D

[The']

Any body wants to buy an F3 :-))

The'

[lightwrangler]

It doesn't get much use these days, but it's in perfect working order, ready as ever. My F3 is tarnished, dented and heavily scratched (I did some of that but a lot was already there when I bought it used). Full of character one might say and with it's drive attached has great street credibility. But since the S2 has arrived, it and my F90x have been on vacation. And no I wouldn't dream of punishing the S2 in the same way that the F3 has been abused, I doubt that it could take it.

Keep shootin'

[Roy Cummins]

Hey Tim!

For those that buy my medium format equipment, they will recieve a couple of rolls of film as a freebie!

Fought the "digital thing" until I saw results with S1-S2.I decided to buy the S2 only when I was convinced that digital would be my capture of choice. At my age I figured switching between fim/digital would only hinder my competancy in the eventual change to digital. I love the S2 results and they get even better as I use the system.

No more film! My workflow would have to change back and to me that is not progress!

Regards,

Roy

[kai]

film? yeah.. still use it for some weddings and events. some of the magazines i shoot for, still prefer tranny over digital files.. but instead of using pola, i can use my s2 as proofs while having back-up copies :D

[jomar]

Having been used to seeing the results on tranny and picking the best exposure for enlarging, I am wondering how I will acheive this level of control with my new S2.

Sending off a tranny to a pro lab normally results in a good matching print becuse they have the tranny for referance.
Digital seems to suffer from the same problem as neg, the lab operator will select a color balance that looks aceptable to them.

Have I got this wrong, love some feed back

[X-Sync]

I agree Jomar,
Digital has opened up a whole new nightmare world of print matching and colour profiling. But its getting better, I can check and correct my monitor to make sure I am seeing colours correctly. My printer matches colours in whatever colour space very well. But as you mentioned in your post I am still having a few problems with the pink fleshy thing that prints at the lab. Even this is improving, providing your lab has their monitors calibrated, then they should be able to preview on screen before they print anything. Not an ideal solution though.
If only it were possible to get the lab peoples eyes calibrated so they could see the same as mine.:p

Happy Shooting

[jomar]

THanks X-sync ,

I spoke to my lab about the problem and they are going to send me a cd to calibrate my monitor to same settings as theirs

They said it is normally provided to customers who want to do their own color adjustments and provide the file to the lab.

In my case I just want to see that the image is good to print and that the lab will produce what I see.

Trusting this goes a long way to solve the problem

Joe

[Michael]

Hi Guys,
Here is another take on the same question. Comming from a Slide background into digital how do you move your slide portfolio into digital. Buying a slide scanner for the 250 slides and then leaving it obsolete aside seems a tad extravagant considering it is a one way deal for ever. Could I use the camera to photograph slides projected onto a screen? Is this a viable approach?:confused:

[quill]

If you only have 250 slides, I'd get them done at your local pro photo shop. They'll give you S2-sized files for about $1 each, and that is way cheaper than the retail on the scanner they use ($16,000 at the shop in Ottawa), and probably even cheaper than you'd charge for the time it takes to do yourself!

[X-Sync]

Have to agree with that last post. Only 250 slides, get them scanned by your local pro lab. Having seen the benefits of digital long ago, I bought a film scanner (DSLR's didn't quite cut it at the time), I owned said scanner for a year and a half. Without any hesitation I can say that film scanning is the most time consuming and boring job I have ever come across. After buying my S2 I sold my film scanner, glad to see the back of it. Great results but life to short to be sat in front of the computer, pay a lab to scan and spend the time saved shooting the S2.

Just my two pence

Simon

[LiVe]

I still use my N80 for inferedd film. I know I could go into photoshop and do it with the S2 photo but its not the same. I know I have saved so much money now using a digital over a film camera

[Super 2]

Film, sorry remind me what does it look like?

Joking aside, bought an e10 2 years ago, and the f100 and f4 went to sleep never to return, in fact after 6 months I sold the f4, earlier this year I sold the f100.

I shoot all my stuff on the S2, weddings, portrait, commercial cannot see the need to use film ever again. Even my stock submissions are digital files from the S2.

The nicest things about dig is the instant gratification, you know you have the shot and you go away happy in the knowledge that the client will be happy.

I reckon someday film will be in again, when we are all fed up with looking at a screen, and we will want to smell the darkroom smell again, you know the aroma of fixer, aah nostalgia!

Regards

Nick

[spOOky79]

I love film. Film is my fetish ;-) It could be nice to be filthy f.....g rich and make everything on film and then have someone scan it if there is such a need. Totally impractical... This impracticality makes me think that film is like martial arts - almost totally useless, yet so f......g beautiful!

I'm just thinking that all the youngsters that go into photography now should go through a survival camp of film photography, with all the tedious alchemy and anxiety, so when they switch to digital afterwards, they will be grateful and they won't be complaining so much.

Another thought: I was at one cafe yesterday and saw a print that was about 150x100 cm big... It was a girl with a sad face in a funny gown. When i looked at it from like two or three inches i could see the slightest tiniest details, every thread of the gown, every freckle on her face. And this is when i thought - sorry, this can never be done with digital. Maybe in 10 years, maybe 20... When i calculated it i think it would require a 400 MP CCD... When actually human eye is rated to be 127 MP as i read once on dpreview.com... Of course you may all ask - what for? Well... for one thing - the everpresent perfectionism.

(Offtopic: damn, why the english name for a... well, print is 'print'? ;-) Just kidding, but really, it reminds me of inkjet or screenprint... Polish word is more suitable for that, but cannot really find a proper english translation of that for you to feel it. Anyone knows the roots of the word 'print' then?)

[ianmcc]

A few times I shoot film

-When the shot is intended for outdoor, cuz most designers can't wrap their heads around using these files for billboards. They are stuck with 300dpi-itis. "what's your file sizze at 300 dpi?" meanwhile the outdoor board is printed at what line screen?

-Perspective control. Interiors and such. I can see someone taking that idea of fitting yer dusty Cambo and mass producing the needed parts, and it becoming popular

-Wide angle work

-copy work, 4x5 trannie

I cling to my RZ gear cuz I am waiting for the digi-backs to come down in price. But I have an old F4,F90 and a F100 that covered in as much dust as my B&W darkroom.

[Tom V]

In the last year, I have several film cameras on ebay. I sold my Olympus XA rangefinder, two Nikon Action-Touch waterproof point-and-shoots, a Pentax K1000 outfit with 3 lenses, my pristine Nikon F-100 w MB-15, and I have my Cambo Legend 4x5 view camera up for sale.

I am keeping one 35mm film camera in case I need it. Everything else is going out the door as soon as possible.

[Serge]

Heard a news story today that Kodak is suspending production of
all film based cameras, others to follow?
So I thought it timely to review this thread.


I think it still has a place and a look, that is unique and will be emulated for a long time to come.


Fujichrome 100
Nikkor 28mm f2.8 at f4
1/15 sec. hand held in available light

[Chris M.]

I had a tough groom who insisted on film. So I'm hanging onto my F100 for that wedding on 3/6. I finally got him to loosen up and allow me to shoot the b&w photos in digital. But after this wedding, I will be selling the F100/MB15 combo (less than a year old, mint, it's going to make me cry). The F100's build qulaity is light years ahead of the S2, but I figure two S2 cameras will get me through until I buy a higher end DSLR. I was contemplating keeping the F100 and just storing it for 20 or 30 years, then putting it in my collectors cabinet alongside my TLRs.

Right now I have a Nikon N80 up for grabs, and the F100 will be available soon... along with a ton of Fuji NPH film.

Chris

[noidea]

I don't own an S2 yet. If I want to shoot digital I have to borrow the Canon 10D from a friend.

Though I don't like the Canon much (ergonomically), I like the digital shooting meanwhile - it took a while for me to get used to it.

When I get the S2 I'll still keep my FM2 and the RB 67 (I just got ... that's the reason I'm broke). I love mechanical cameras and still love to work in the dark room (maybe the latter may change when I have more practice in Photoshop, but I'd miss the smell).

The F90x goes to my wife.

Both media have their andvantages and disadvantages. I'll just use the medium I need/want for my shots.

In any case I'll miss the flirts with that nice good looking lady in our local lab ;)
:cheers:

[Bujo]

Speed…I worked at a local manufacturing plant and got a call at the close of day from our marketing department who wanted a shot for something and it needed to be sent out today. I ran over to the plant, did the shot, worked up the images, e-mailed the link to a web page, and in a few minutes I got a phone call saying what images she wanted to send. Total time walking, shooting, work up, web build and e-mail to phone call…1 hour.
Film would have been a bit longer, and cost a bit more and then all the scanning for her to proof the images.


I like the look and feel of film...but I am poor and the digi does a great job at saving me money. I can also shoot more than I did in film and not worry about it.
I wish the archival life of the storage media had been figured out a little better. Where can I get gold discs these days anyway?

Bujo

[jeffinkansas]

I shoot artwork with my S2 and then output it to my local lab. They have a machine which is a high res monitor that exposes slide film. So I get slides that are perfect every time. I also use this to submit pics to schools. I just send them a file. When the format is off, the computer makes the border around the pic black, hence no taping!!!!!!!

[Yamatan]

Interesting topic. I thought it would take me a long time before I give up taking pictures with my film cameras. But, after I got my S2, I proved myself to be wrong.

It's been little less than a year and half since I got my S2, I have pretty much stopped using film. I logged my Minolta and lenses around for first six months or so on vacations. I also shot identical shots with both camera for insurance. But, I am very happy with my Fuji results. So, slide I shoot for $0.50 a frame was just too expensive to sit in a box after development since I take pictures just for money. Never earned a single cents from pictures I took or every tried to.

I took my MF to a camping trip to Olympic NP and shot three 120 rolls and shot a couple of rolls of potrait of my mome while she was visiting here.

Other than that, I have not used my film camera at all (both 35mm and MF). But, my wife still does as she is waiting for Minolta to release something someday.

I will still keep my film gear, but digital is what I use for little photography I do.

-Tanka

[KeithM]

An amateur perspective...

Haven't used film in years.

Started with an MX-700 and the digital benefits ( go out, take pictures, go home, download onto PC, play and print ) beat the film workflow ( go out, take pictures , get home, get out developing tank and kit, black out spare room as darkroom.... etc etc ). True the quality wasn't as good resolution wise but the prints were much cleaner :lol:

After that, it was just the steady climb up the technology ladder and now there is no way I could surpass the quality of digital print I now get, and I now get the same flexibility of shooting capability with the S2 as I did before.

( my darkroom skills were never very good btw - getting a dust free, well exposed, drying mark free picture was an achievement - and that's before any fancy dodging and burning :) )

Going slightly off thread, one caveat with digital is safety of images. It bothers me that everyone ( we're talking general public here ) is jumping to digital without thinking about the long term preservation of their images. I know a number of people who have gone digital but do not backup their images in any way - some even print from the media card with inkjet and then erase the image. Getting them to spend possibly as much again on archiving is difficult. There's a sting in the digital tail for many people - preserving memories as photographs may fade, or disappear, very quickly.

Keith.

[killians913]

Joe (Jomar),

Which lab are you working with who are willing to send you a CD so you can calibrate your monitor to their output device?

Inquiring minds would like to know!

[big_ben_blue]

Film, hmmm,..., aren't that those long dark strips I have seen my grandpa using?

Alright, I admit, I am still somewhat partial to film *sorry *. Film, especially B/W, has certain qualities which I just can't get from my S2. Besides, it also forces you to work more careful, instead of banging off a gazillion shots digital, in the hope to get one good shot. Have seen far too many pro shooters, who became sloppy after going digital.

And if anyone cares, here's what I am using besides the S2:
Minolta SRT 202 (a tank of a camera)
Minolta Maxxum7000 (my first camera, keep it for sentimental reasons)
an Nikon FM2 (for when you have to bang a nail into the wall; or when the S2 runs out of juice)
a couple of RB 67's (in a big green army box with "special investigation unit" printed on it, makes me look like some shady guy on a mission, especially with that huge grey tripod bag over the shoulder; not a wise idea to bring to the airport)
a Hassy 503
a ZeroImage pinhole camera (one reason to stay with film)
a Diana plastic toy camera (love it one day, hate it the next)
a Lubitel 166 russian plastic TLR, bought it to get those soft blurry pics, but the frickin thing is almost as sharp as my Hassy, and I don't think, that I can bring it back to the store (for giving too sharp images)
a Linhof 4x5 studio mono rail
a 4x5 Canham field camera (another reason to shot film)
And, no, I am NOT selling (yet).
BTW, anyone having a nice 5x7 or 8x10 Ansco or Kodak 2D for sale?

Cheers,
Chris

[petej]

I Still use some film---it all depends what i am doing---i shoot as a hooby so its nice to go light with say a f80 or fm3a walking for the day and not have to lug loads of batterys ect about----then you have the fact that say my f5 will go 8 fps --- has super quick focus---and is a shear joy to use so i wont be giving that up---i think that film will end up as a specialist market---a bit like vinyl records are today. I find it hard to see a day when they stop making film and we all know the word "retro" i think.

Peter

[sem123]

Sorry, I haven't dialed arotary phone in years...... :-):cheers:

[ianmcc]

Check this story out,.. shooting film and 4X5 as a novel gimmick. "film" will be one of those quaint processes, like Cyanotype or Collodian.

PDN story (http://www.pdnonline.com/photodistrictnews/headlines/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=2071563)

[Glasseye]

yep its called progress, when did you last use flash powder and a little tent and wet plates,

I've got some of my father old 3'' sq glass plates about 70 years old absolute zero grain beautiful tones (misty mountain views) he bought a leica about 1945 yes it was 35mm but people needed convincing. I wish he was here today to see what can be done with an S2.

6mths ago I sold all my Bronica kit , with my 2, F4s, and have I have taken the batteries out of my F5's, luv 'em to much to sell 'em. but the 90x pro is going when my 12-24 zoom arrives.

But what do I do with 50+ rolls of velvia & provia F slowly going out of date:confused:

As a wildlife photographer and conservationist, one thing nobody has mentioned is the importance that digital''film'' and inkjet printing usage will greatly help towards the reduction all the caustic chemicals required in our ''wet film and print proccessing systems'' and the expense of safely dissposeing of them.


Andy

[chaser of light]

Im still new to the S2 and still unable to match film results with my S2!
I do see that digital will eventually replace film...sooner more than later, but till I get better with the S2 I cant help felling jioned at the hip with film. Another concern since I do alot with my Mamia RB67, will digital ever come up to the medium format's resolution?

[lightwrangler]

I just did my tabulations for 2003 on film usage. No 35mm, no 120mm, I bought 250 sheets total of 4 x 5 transparency film, with about 75 sheets left in the freezer that makes 175 sheets. Polaroid purchases for 4 x 5 amounted to 80 sheets with almost a full pack left in storage. Neither the film manufacturers nor the labs are getting rich on my business! Overall my business volume was slightly up in 2003 (it was kind of a soft year).

I sold my 'Blads in 2002, I kept my Nikons (F90X and F3) and 4 x 5 camera (Arca Swiss). I'm thinking very seriously of parting with the Nikons and just hanging on to the 4 x 5. So far in 2004 - no film shot yet. I predict by 2008 it will be very hard to buy film, pro stock will cost big bucks and be restricted in supply and selection. But I won't care because I won't need the stuff.

[Roger M]

I use my S2 for all of my commercial work. I sold my RZ and F100 this year. Good riddance to 35mm film. If I need more resolution than the S2, I'll rent an RZ for the job.

For my personal work I still shoot a Fuji 645zi with 120 color negative film(my favorite), and the S2 on occasion. I wish I would have bought a 690 before they stopped production... I'll most likely buy the Epson 4800 dpi scanner as well. I use the 645zi for the exposure latitude and it's simplicity. Truth be told, I prefer rangefinders over slrs- compact and light battery needs.:rofl: