Analog/film Photography

[Guest hankodie]

hello! Just wondering if any DOLers here use film/analog cameras for their photographs?

I've been feeling really uninspired lately with my photography and would love to try something different. I studied photography for many years as well as in my degree so I'm quite familiar with film/analog cameras but it's been a long time since I've used one. I really loved developing photos in the darkroom as well and the entire film process in general.

I'm currently looking into buying the Leica M6 in the next couple of months but was wondering if there were any alternatives out there in terms of analog cameras? I'm basically looking into just a simple point and shoot - 35mm, I also probably will mainly stick to shooting b&w. Something to take with me on my travels that isn't as annoying and bulky as my 5d. I owned a pentax k1000 in high school and loved it but would love to try something different.

Any and all suggestions welcome! Thank you :)

[huga]

I have a couple of really basic point and shoots that I've picked up. Friends gave me an Olympus Trip, which I love and I also have my great grandad's Yashica. I love them, but god they are hard to grasp when you've been working with digital for a while. Very much flying blind.

I picked up some expired disposable cameras a while ago too, I took one to the Color Run and the images that I got back are pretty fun. Full of grain and pretty colours :D

[PossumCorner]

.... would love to try something different. .... basically looking into just a simple point and shoot - 35mm, .... would love to try something different. ....

Aside from doing the darkroom bit (and you would need to: last time I checked the cost of pro-lab film camera develop-and-print black-and-white I fell about in shock) there is not huge difference between 35mil and digital so far as framing/cropping/image proportion go. Something about when digital was in its early days they kept to a sort of 35mil proportion so users would still be in their comfort zone and make transition more appealing. Worked.

So why not wait a bit longer just keep looking for a good but affordable old Hanimex or Rollei or Hasselblad for 120 film (two and a quarter inch square format). More fun more challenging more old-time photojournalist satisfying. Also way more time-consuming, I wouldn't go back to film for that reason but it has a "look" that is special.

[Guest hankodie]

Woops, just saw that people have replied to this, apologies!

I have a couple of really basic point and shoots that I've picked up. Friends gave me an Olympus Trip, which I love and I also have my great grandad's Yashica. I love them, but god they are hard to grasp when you've been working with digital for a while. Very much flying blind.

I picked up some expired disposable cameras a while ago too, I took one to the Color Run and the images that I got back are pretty fun. Full of grain and pretty colours :D

Huga I really love the grain that you get with film, I think it's so pretty. I'm also a fan of disposable cameras :D

William Eggleston is one of my favorite photographers and one of the first pioneers for colour photography, check out his work if you haven't already, beautiful grain and colour galore :D

.... would love to try something different. .... basically looking into just a simple point and shoot - 35mm, .... would love to try something different. ....

So why not wait a bit longer just keep looking for a good but affordable old Hanimex or Rollei or Hasselblad for 120 film (two and a quarter inch square format). More fun more challenging more old-time photojournalist satisfying. Also way more time-consuming, I wouldn't go back to film for that reason but it has a "look" that is special.

Thanks PC, how much different is shooting on medium format type cameras vs 35 mm? I've had a play with one once briefly for an assignment but was a little scary if I recall I LOVE the images they produce though.

[PossumCorner]

.... once briefly for an assignment but was a little scary if I recall ....

That's part of the comfort zone thing that the clever marketers of digital considered - as I said above it's why digital followed the popular 35mil format.

It's also a hobby-horse or soap-box of mine (disgressing) - people advise in choosing a camera "go to the shop pick one you feel comfortable with" - I think that's a bit rubbish: pick the camera that has the features you like want need, then work with it til it becomes your comfort zone, not the other way around and be stuck with something below your potential.

Anyway, square format: always loved it, you have the same good composition/proportion general rules to follow or break, but can fill the image to height with the important subject with less worry about distracting space at each end like overblown sky patches or dead pot-plants. So when enlargements are made, more of the negative area is useable so you get a better quality final image, less cropping - whether it's in the dark-room or computer.

I won't put any links here - if you google something like "photography square format" there is lots to look at, you can even get a feel for the passion about it just from the list.

As a pathetic example, I made some card boxes up and took this yesterday thinking of putting something on a flier for my farmers' market quail eggs. First shot is 'as shot' thinking to crop square to get rid of the Magna and Tym the Tractor. But should've got in closer as the crop as done isn't quite what I wanted. So today I'll put another egg-pot on a brick behind the front ones, and fill a square frame. (Or not). Me point is that square is better than oblong sometimes not always but mostly. And if I win the lottery I'll buy one of the you-beaut $40,000 cameras that can do it in spades with choice of film or digital, yum.