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by SantaFeJoe on Fri Jan 18, 2019 1:06 pm
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Some of you guys that started with film will likely get a laugh or two from this article. This guy went from digital to film and is just learning the finer aspects of using film. I couldn’t read all the way through because I, well, just couldn’t take any more. I don’t know what he thought it was all about before digital!

https://petapixel.com/2019/01/18/a-digital-landscape-photographers-introduction-to-film/

Joe
Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist.  -Pablo Picasso
 

by E.J. Peiker on Fri Jan 18, 2019 1:22 pm
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Makes me want to break out my 1954 Zeiss Icon 120/220 camera and shoot a roll :D
 

by Brian Stirling on Fri Jan 18, 2019 3:27 pm
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Often times its kind of a hipster thing to forsake the new for the forgotten old, but if it inspires him more power to him.

Reminds me of the Rush song "Red Barchetta".


Brian
 

by Ron Day on Sun Jan 20, 2019 10:18 pm
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Brings back the memory and the excitement of viewing a gorgeous transparency on a light table.  :)
 

by SantaFeJoe on Sun Jan 20, 2019 10:56 pm
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Ron Day wrote:Brings back the memory and the excitement of viewing a gorgeous transparency on a light table.  :)
I agree. The largest format I shot was 645 and it was amazing to view on a light table. What I find unusual in the article is the fact that the author took 3-4 months to get the exposure right. Digital is forgiving to the extent that many digital shooters don’t realize they are not shooting at the optimum exposure. Transparency film has no exposure latitude and must be exact for best results. Scanning the film and then doing a digital print, to me, takes away from the process. Viewing a scan can’t compare to viewing the transparency on a light table with a loupe, especially with a 22x loupe that shows any fault. Velvia is amazing under that power loupe! Unlike many people, I loved to see a properly printed Cibachrome image. No comparison to most digital prints except for a well done metal print. Others may disagree, but that’s the way I see it. Would I go back? Never, unless I had a very specific reason! I never really understood about color separations, but I always was happy with the way publishers printed my work using them.

Joe
Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist.  -Pablo Picasso
 

by Jeff Colburn on Mon Jan 21, 2019 3:42 pm
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I shot film for over 40 years.

It's interesting to see how a digital shooter views film, compared to those of us who started with film.

Would I go back to film? Absolutely. When I shot film I mainly did Plus X and Kodachrome 64. With Kodachrome you had a 1/2 stop latitude, beyond that and your slide was useless. And I had no problem getting proper exposure every time. With digital, I've never been able to do that. I really miss looking through the viewfinder, checking the exposure meter, adjusting the exposure based on experience and getting a properly exposed image. With digital, I'm always bracketing exposure.

I also miss that film was less work intensive than digital. You took the picture, developed the film (or had it done for you), made prints and you were done. No hours in front of a computer playing with digital images. I had a lot more spare time when I was shooting film.

In today's market, it depends if you need to digitize your images or not. If you do, then you're back in the same time-consuming situation as shooting digital.

Film and digital formats are only tools, and you need to choose the proper tool for the job you need to do. But I would suggest that every photographer should try shooting film. Even if you do it for only a couple of months. Used cameras are cheap, and your current lenses may work on a film camera (Canon lenses for Canon film camera and the same for Nikon.)

Whichever format you choose, have fun with it.

Have Fun,
Jeff
Fine Art Prints and Stock Photography of Arizona www.JeffColburn.com See my ebooks in the NatureScapes Store.
 

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