If 2020 has somehow given you an appreciation of tactile experiences and a slower pace of life, you might want to consider periodically leaving your digital camera at home in in the new year and start capturing the world on film instead. Here are a few good reasons why.
Film geek Jason Kummerfeldt of grainydays is something of an evangelist when it comes to shooting on film, and while he has some slightly rude things to say about digital, his reasons for you to start shooting on film are compelling and might give you the nudge that you need to hunt down the Nikon FE2 that you've been pondering. Some of these reasons will be familiar, but Kummerfeldt’s presentation is well worth your time, especially for anyone who just needs a gentle push.
While the choice of film stock isn’t as extensive as it once was, there’s a good argument that there’s never been a better time to shoot on film simply because creating high-quality scans of your negatives has possibly never been cheaper or easier. You can rig up your existing digital camera or splash out on a secondhand scanner and then use the widely-respected Negative Lab Pro as part of your workflow.
Do you have plans to shoot more film in 2021? Let us know in the comments below.
This is another Fstoppers article that should be in the National Inquirer alongside Aliens Impregnated My Mother! I still have my Canon F1 with motor and a Blad 500EL but never have regretted donating all my B&W and Color darkroom equipment to a college. Shooting a concert and spending the rest of the night in my darkroom is not something I want to return to. My Canon R5 shoots better images than my film gear and don't get me started on the RB67! Shooting film was fun but it's crazy to recommend that someone switch from digital to film. Stop posting these clickbait articles from people who were not born when this all went down!
Unless you are printing on photographic paper (the kind that is processed in chemicals), I see zero reason to be souping film. I love printing, and I love souping large format negatives, but the chemistry is nasty. Please don't get me wrong. I think there is tremendous value in learning how to soup film, and make traditional prints. My favorite thing in the entire medium is hand-coated-emulsion- printmaking. But I see this as specialized, and niche activity. The industry, the hobby, and even the art of the medium have moved on, and for good reasons.
If electric cars--a technology from the 1800s--can make a come-back, why not film? Old school is new school!
should just be like "cuz it's fun" and that's it.
Reading a lot of grumpy comments from film-haters here. Calm down, just don't shoot film if you don't like it. I started on a rangefinder Canon GIII over 40 years ago, and eventually settled on a Nikon FG-20 slr. When digital came out I was certain that I would never go back to film- but I was wrong. I am LOVING buying vintage legendary film cameras for a song and C-41 processing the film myself at home. While I dearly prize my mirrorless Z6, I equally prize my original photomic (the original F) beast, just for different reasons. It's all good. Just have fun and try to learn something new every day.
I'll have to try that!
I blew the dust off of my Ricoh KR-30SP, circa 1984, in February 2020 and enjoyed it. Any shoot I go on I have it along with one of my DSLR's.
And I enjoy it.
So that is reason enough for me to continue using film.
And when, or if, it is no longer fun and enjoyable, I can put that camera down again.
Film would be fun if getting it developed were easier.
Do what makes you happy. Film doesn't make me happy.
Rollei ortho 120, process by dr5 reversal, high quality drum scan . . . you might never go back to digital.
I just saw the Sotheby’s catalog for an Ansel Adam’s sale. Moonrise estimate $700,000 to $1m. Hello silver printing!!
I'm sure that if AA has facilities to digitally print his work, it would still be worth a small fortune.
Seriously, WTF is wrong with you people?
This whole place is a toxic dumpster fire.
I can totally understand why people want to shoot film. It's the process that is a challenge and it's also meditative. It's a break from the digital world of screens. You can almost liken it to wanting to make your own furniture or ceramics. It connects the physical, intellectual and emotional along with anticipation, all of which feel great to experience, however to do it commercially, or on a large scale is only reserved for people who have the financial means and / or big client budgets, because it's a very expensive process. I shoot both. Mostly medium format digital. If you want that slightly soft creamy nostalgic look, it's not so hard to either shoot with some pro mist filters and do the rest in post production. I can manage to make my film and digitial photos look like they're come from the same place. The fact that people are arguing over mediums is immature and moronic. Just use what pleases you and if you have the money to shoot thousands of frames of film, power to you. If you can only afford a few rolls here and there, savour the process, learn from it and mostly enjoy photography in all its mediums.