Some of my film cameras.
Probably not. But if I were to go back to shooting film, some of the reasons are in the picture above. Clockwise from the top they are the Minolta Autocord twin-lens reflex, the Canon EOS A2, the Petri f1.9 RF, the Minolta Flashmeter III, the Olympus OM2n, and the Canon Pellix FT. In the center is the Canon AF35ML. The key piece of equipment here is the Minolta Flashmeter. It reads the light falling on the subject rather than the light reflected from it, and gives super-accurate exposure readings with any camera and under all conditions.
Digital cameras have reached a state of near-perfection.They are superbly accurate in focusing and exposing, and advance quietly to the next frame with no effort on the users part. They cost little or nothing to operate after the initial investment in camera and lens(es). So what's not to like?
Film cameras, on the other hand, require much more attention from their users. Later models, like the Canon A2, often have auto exposure, focus, and film advance, but even these conveniences need some monitoring. They have not reached the state of perfection achieved by modern digital cameras, because development of film cameras was mostly sidelined 25 years ago as digital imaging took the world of photography by storm and blew film cameras into the weeds. (To mix a few metaphors.)
So why would anyone use a film camera today? Especially with the current prices of film and developing?
For me, anyway, the difficulty is the attraction. With film, one has to really learn one's camera, film, and accompanying processes. No shortcuts here.
A few days ago I pulled a Petri f1.9 rangefinder camera from the 1960s out of a box in my study and fondled it for a few minutes as I remembered the fun I had and the pictures I made with a similar camera 55 years ago. I just don't get the satisfaction from my lovely Fuji digital cameras that I got from those antiquated film devices. Shooting film was simply more fun.
So, am I going back to film? Probably not. I have too many things I want to do and not enough life left to do them all as it is. But I will always miss my film-shooting days. They were the best part of my life in photography.
Just call it an old man's rant.
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Hi,
ReplyDeleteI am in my 8th decade and still shooting FILM. Not for profit of course, but for fun. I have been enjoying photography since I was about 10 years old. I still process my own film and scan the negatives now (occsaionally a darkroom printing session) just for fun. I have shot numerous film cameras over the years. However, I agree with you, digital is sometimes cheaper and you don't have to stop and change film as often...LOL Sometimes now, especially on a vacation I shoot mostly digital with a Nikon D780....Convenience, after all!!!!