Good Old Film

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Geoff_Roughton
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Good Old Film

Post by Geoff_Roughton »

Just wondered if anyone here is using much film these days? We have started to shoot a lot more of our weddings using a mix of digital and MF film....I like the results and I dont think I'll buy another digital camera. I have found I think a lot more about the shot before shooting and my keeper rate is much higher....I'd like to hear what other thoughts there are.
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Geoff
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James
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Re: Good Old Film

Post by James »

Hi Geoff,

Good to see you posting again :)

I still shoot film sometimes but only really 35mm, and it's more for nostalgia for me I think. I'm not really a massive snapper anyway and rarely change ISO. I think I am still stuck in film days!

I still don't think that for tonality digital cameras look as natural for portraits as fuji superia reala (or kodak portra NC) and black and white film still has a certain quality to it that Silver Efex can get close to but never quite matches. Or maybe it's the contact prints - who knows? Not me!

My father still shoots a lot of 5x4 and medium format film on his view camera for landscape photography, I think that's mainly down to digital switchover costs being too high still at the moment though.

What medium format system are you using and what types of film? I was really impressed with the quality of Fuji Sensai slide film, I hadn't gone above ISO 100 film for a few years, but there's very little great on that and lovely colours.
Leen Koper
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Re: Good Old Film

Post by Leen Koper »

Since 2001 I went digital and never looked back. None of my clients (exept just only one, about two years ago) ever asked me te shoot film any more.
IMHO the difference in quality between 6 mpx and rollfilm is minimal and at 12 mpx it surpasses film. It is just a little different, but as cusomers are getting used to digital, nobody knows any more about the specific qualities of film. The world of imaging is digital, maybe except for some specific areas.
Leen Koper
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Re: Good Old Film

Post by Leen Koper »

Oh, I forgot the most important advantage of digital: the ability to shoot in places that used to be too dark.
Geoff_Roughton
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Re: Good Old Film

Post by Geoff_Roughton »

James wrote:Hi Geoff,
What medium format system are you using and what types of film? I was really impressed with the quality of Fuji Sensai slide film, I hadn't gone above ISO 100 film for a few years, but there's very little great on that and lovely colours.
Hi James yep ist good to be back:-)......we use a number of systems all MF....Pentax 645n is our workhorse camera with the Pentax 67 when we want BIG negs. For quiet work I use a Rolleiflex.
Best
Geoff
"always look on the bright side of life...."
www.gandsphotography.co.uk
Geoff_Roughton
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Re: Good Old Film

Post by Geoff_Roughton »

Leen Koper wrote:IMHO the difference in quality between 6 mpx and rollfilm is minimal and at 12 mpx it surpasses film.
Leen interesting comments....they havnt been our experience though. We've found it pretty easy with 645 to match the output of the 1dsmk2 and the 6x7 stands up well against the 5dmk2. from our viewpoint though we are not that interested in making side by side resolution tests.....its the look and character of film I like.....
Best
Geoff
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www.gandsphotography.co.uk
Geoff_Roughton
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Re: Good Old Film

Post by Geoff_Roughton »

Leen Koper wrote:Oh, I forgot the most important advantage of digital: the ability to shoot in places that used to be too dark.
Hmmm....some of the latest emulsions from Kodak are pretty good at iso3200 and will give you an iso-less camera because of their exposure latitude Kodak Portra 400, the latest one, is pretty good when exposed from iso100 to iso1600 without pushing and pulling in development.
Best
Geoff
"always look on the bright side of life...."
www.gandsphotography.co.uk
Geoff_Roughton
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Re: Good Old Film

Post by Geoff_Roughton »

James I meant to add we mostly use Kodak films.....Portra 160, 400, 800 and Ektar 100 for colour....XP 2 for BW
Best
Geoff
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www.gandsphotography.co.uk
James
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Re: Good Old Film

Post by James »

Geoff_Roughton wrote:
James wrote:Hi Geoff,
What medium format system are you using and what types of film? I was really impressed with the quality of Fuji Sensai slide film, I hadn't gone above ISO 100 film for a few years, but there's very little great on that and lovely colours.
Hi James yep ist good to be back:-)......we use a number of systems all MF....Pentax 645n is our workhorse camera with the Pentax 67 when we want BIG negs. For quiet work I use a Rolleiflex.
I've been toying with the idea of MF but purely for recreational photography and family portraiture, I wouldn't use it for my paid work as the turn around time is just too short (I did a fashion shoot on a Thursday a few weeks ago and 40+ product shots had to be turned into a lookbook for the press by the following Monday). I really think I'd love it though, there is something very different about film. I guess the biggest thing holding me back is that I don't know enough about any MF system to know what to look for.

I completely get what Leen says about people not knowing the difference between different film stocks - but I guess for you Geoff there must still be something different enough about the images that helps get you business!

I do disagree about the quality of digital vs film too, it's just an opinion but... I think that a 12mpix digital image will beat a 35mm film image at most things and can be made to look very similar, however if your negative is 6x7 I am guessing that this will still beat a 12mpix digital camera for resolution (as long as the lens is good enough) - I guess where it falls over is in the scanning - I have access to an Imacon scanner if I did get MF - (back to my father and his view camera there).

Anyway, this is a great conversation so far... I've shot about 10 rolls of 35mm film this year trying to put my finger on which bits I prefer from which system (and film), I think I'll just keep experimenting at that size until I can undersand what MF would give me and the differences between systems.

PS - Sorry if I cause offence Leen, I don't mean to - I am curious as to when you switched to digital though as I see portraits as being the strongest area for film still.
DiederikVP
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Re: Good Old Film

Post by DiederikVP »

More a nostalgic feeling than anything else.
James
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Re: Good Old Film

Post by James »

DiederikVP wrote:More a nostalgic feeling than anything else.
That was the same reasoning I gave in my first reply. There definitely is a different look though still...
Geoff_Roughton
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Re: Good Old Film

Post by Geoff_Roughton »

Its always nice to see the responses that the digital/film debate create. Its personal choice of course and there is no right or wrong in the decision made. For me, with film cameras I trust, the camera doesnt get in the way of creating images....I enjoy not checking the LCD or worrying about which iso to pick :) Other than the disparity in film costs what are the main reasons for picking digital? Do you guys believe its a better way to create images?
Best
Geoff
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www.gandsphotography.co.uk
Leen Koper
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Re: Good Old Film

Post by Leen Koper »

The main reason for choosing digital is the opportunity to decide yourself about the right colour and tone of ones images. Not being dependent about the way someone in a professional laboratory interpretes your image is a great advantage. Moreover, the way we are able to change our images bij means of removing unwanted objects etc. or in any other way makes digital that attractive that I am glad to sacrifice some minor advantages of film.

But that's just my opinion.
Geoff_Roughton
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Re: Good Old Film

Post by Geoff_Roughton »

Leen Koper wrote:The main reason for choosing digital is the opportunity to decide yourself about the right colour and tone of ones images. Not being dependent about the way someone in a professional laboratory interpretes your image is a great advantage. Moreover, the way we are able to change our images bij means of removing unwanted objects etc. or in any other way makes digital that attractive that I am glad to sacrifice some minor advantages of film.

But that's just my opinion.
And a very valid one at that Leen.....like I said there is no right or wrong. We've got round most of the hassles of working with film by, fortunately, having a good pro lab not very far from our studio. They are very experienced guys and do a great job of processing and scanning for us and we have worked together so that they understand the look and colour I expect from certain films. We end up with nice 17-25 mp files from rollfilm depending on the camera format used and we pay £6-00 for processing and scanning per film. The file can then be used digitally in anyway you wish from that point....for a lot of the bread butter stuff they are pretty much ready to go. Some of our BW stuff is wet printed still but not often. Our wedding season has already kicked off and it was noticeable that the keeper rate using film and digital was higher than when we shot with digital only.....I guess I was thinking a bit more:-)
Best
Geoff
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www.gandsphotography.co.uk
Leen Koper
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Re: Good Old Film

Post by Leen Koper »

In the Netherlands -where I live- I had one of the best labs one could imagine. They printed exatly the way I liked it, but a few years after I went digital, in 2002, they had to close as there was hardly any printing jobs left any more. There is hardly any printing and processing lab left in the whole country that will do the job for a reasonable price and, more important, that can get used to ones style of photography.
Here almost every lab closed their doors about 6-8 years ago as they went out of work. All photographers went digital. Instead of picking up their work every night they went to three days a week and soon ended this service as it was no longer profitable.
Geoff_Roughton
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Re: Good Old Film

Post by Geoff_Roughton »

Leen thats a shame....fortunately we still have a number of good pro labs within reasonable distance from us in Liverpool or Manchester. The lab we use based just outside Chester is very busy and used by quite a large number of film only pro's so its unlikely to disappear yet :)
Best
Geoff
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Leen Koper
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Re: Good Old Film

Post by Leen Koper »

The pro labs here almost all have closed down every professional photographer has gone digital. I happen to know quite a lot of professional photographers due to my former position as a member of the board of the BIPP, but I don't know anyone in the Netherlands that still uses analogue equipement.
Geoff_Roughton
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Re: Good Old Film

Post by Geoff_Roughton »

Leen its sad that it has moved that far that fast in the Netherlands but if everyone is happy with digital it doesnt matter. I should think about joining something like the BIPP, I have meant to do it for a long time but never got round to it and I've never been one for competitions or awards:-)
Best
Geoff
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James
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Re: Good Old Film

Post by James »

Geoff_Roughton wrote:
And a very valid one at that Leen.....like I said there is no right or wrong. We've got round most of the hassles of working with film by, fortunately, having a good pro lab not very far from our studio. They are very experienced guys and do a great job of processing and scanning for us and we have worked together so that they understand the look and colour I expect from certain films. We end up with nice 17-25 mp files from rollfilm depending on the camera format used and we pay £6-00 for processing and scanning per film. The file can then be used digitally in anyway you wish from that point....for a lot of the bread butter stuff they are pretty much ready to go. Some of our BW stuff is wet printed still but not often. Our wedding season has already kicked off and it was noticeable that the keeper rate using film and digital was higher than when we shot with digital only.....I guess I was thinking a bit more:-)
Hey Geoff (when you're next around!)

Do you know if your local lab work by post as well? That seems a very good rate including decent scans if they are a lab that you trust - if they do can you give me their details please?

I've got my first MF toy arriving tomorrow - I'm still annoyed with my Dad for selling trading all his Mamiya gear in without giving me first refusal!

Cheers,

James
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