Some thoughts: 1) Develop yourself. It gets a lot cheaper developing yourself. 2) Digital make film cheap. You can pop off 400 shots of your kids running around, select the best 30, and not care how many shots you took. Then use film for other things. 3) I get the idea that there are guys like the ones you mentioned who live in, say, NYC, they walk out their door, and there are 100 interesting things to shoot that aren't their kids. Yeah, film could get pricy for them. Me, I drive to where I shoot, and like you, don't take a lot of shots. It takes me a month to get through a roll of 35, a week to get through a roll of 120. For me, gas costs a lot more than the film. 4) Good SLRs are CHEAP. You're going to have to shoot a lot of film on a $50-$100 SLR to hit the Fuji X100F price. Heck, you could pick up a good SLR and an older M43 with the 20 1.7 Lumix lens and still have lots of money for film.
What's my relationship with film... I dig it, and I'm glad that the two cameras I listed online a few months back didn't immediately sell (a Rolleiflex and a Yashica T5). There's something about the film experience that gives it heft and gravitas. Maybe it's the time spent anticipating the result, maybe it's the various risks associated with even getting a result, maybe it's the look, maybe it's being a part of a cool community, maybe it's fascination with the ingenious little machine that a film camera is--or maybe it's all of these and some stuff I didn't consider. Do I shoot digital? Heck, yes, because some digital cameras check these boxes, too. And there are times that I appreciate the immediacy of the medium. But candidly, for me digital cameras don't check as many boxes, and as digital technology improves I find myself liking it less and less. Some of the skill and effort that the hobby used to demand has been shifted to the tech, and it's the effort and struggle--and, indeed, risk of failure--that gives so much of the photographic experience richness. To me, anyway. Now you've got me doing some film math. Great video, as always.
I’m glad you didn’t sell those cameras as well 👏 yeah film has benefits way beyond the image itself. Digital is important and always will be. Let me know how you go with the maths on it 😅
For me the expense problem of film isn't so much the outright price but that it has an expense at all; I don't think film makes me a better or more thoughtful shooter so much as it materially penalizes me for making mistakes, and for something I do for fun as a hobby I just have no interest in that. I personally prefer the positive reinforcement of getting a great picture because I shot thougtfully period, digital or not. Not to mention the editing process of digital, watching my pictures spring to life in front of me exactly the way I choose, is a creatively indispensable experience that I miss with film, but that's certainly not the case for everyone. The soulfulness of film is undeniable, but that's why I've fallen so in love with my Foveons as they are basically as close as digital can get :)
Nice insight 👌 you make some strong points. There is a lot of enjoyment from editing digital images and it doesn’t penalise you for the amount of images you take 👏 valid point. Thanks for sharing 🙏
Pretty much my relationship with film. Shoot average 1-2 rolls a week though it has shifted to more for travel and special projects. I still shoot a LOT of digital also as I document every day with it. Digital I have explored the whole Old classic DSLRs (Olympus E500, Nikon D700, 5D1) along with my main Fuji xt2 which has the most lens. I also have a Sony a7iv for Birding. Latest exploration is old CCD small point and shoots since size is a factor in everyday life. Film has definitely taught me a lot and for some reasons I like those photos better. I am now trying to arrange my digital photos also in sets like a camera roll.
I shoot film occasionally, bw fomapan. Love it, but no lab near me and my development skills are not great. With bw the problem is not money, problem is ease of use and consistency, I think. On the other hand, digital just doesn't come close to film in "beautifulness". Film just have a soul. So its complicated, i guess I'll just simplify it by shooting digital and try to compensate digital inferiority with my composition powers hahahah. Oh well...
TL:DR man re-arranges discretionary purchases to buy film.
Some thoughts:
1) Develop yourself. It gets a lot cheaper developing yourself.
2) Digital make film cheap. You can pop off 400 shots of your kids running around, select the best 30, and not care how many shots you took. Then use film for other things.
3) I get the idea that there are guys like the ones you mentioned who live in, say, NYC, they walk out their door, and there are 100 interesting things to shoot that aren't their kids. Yeah, film could get pricy for them. Me, I drive to where I shoot, and like you, don't take a lot of shots. It takes me a month to get through a roll of 35, a week to get through a roll of 120. For me, gas costs a lot more than the film.
4) Good SLRs are CHEAP. You're going to have to shoot a lot of film on a $50-$100 SLR to hit the Fuji X100F price. Heck, you could pick up a good SLR and an older M43 with the 20 1.7 Lumix lens and still have lots of money for film.
Good point, use film for (hopefully) top shots mostly.
Great points and I totally agree 🙏 I’d be happy to shoot 1 roll a month for the rest of my life 💪
What's my relationship with film... I dig it, and I'm glad that the two cameras I listed online a few months back didn't immediately sell (a Rolleiflex and a Yashica T5). There's something about the film experience that gives it heft and gravitas. Maybe it's the time spent anticipating the result, maybe it's the various risks associated with even getting a result, maybe it's the look, maybe it's being a part of a cool community, maybe it's fascination with the ingenious little machine that a film camera is--or maybe it's all of these and some stuff I didn't consider.
Do I shoot digital? Heck, yes, because some digital cameras check these boxes, too. And there are times that I appreciate the immediacy of the medium. But candidly, for me digital cameras don't check as many boxes, and as digital technology improves I find myself liking it less and less. Some of the skill and effort that the hobby used to demand has been shifted to the tech, and it's the effort and struggle--and, indeed, risk of failure--that gives so much of the photographic experience richness. To me, anyway.
Now you've got me doing some film math. Great video, as always.
I’m glad you didn’t sell those cameras as well 👏 yeah film has benefits way beyond the image itself.
Digital is important and always will be.
Let me know how you go with the maths on it 😅
Btw Nikon Ti35 is the most beautiful, luxurious and SLOOOWEEEST camera I ever had.
Good to know…. Maybe I’d swing towards the Konica then 😅
For me the expense problem of film isn't so much the outright price but that it has an expense at all; I don't think film makes me a better or more thoughtful shooter so much as it materially penalizes me for making mistakes, and for something I do for fun as a hobby I just have no interest in that. I personally prefer the positive reinforcement of getting a great picture because I shot thougtfully period, digital or not.
Not to mention the editing process of digital, watching my pictures spring to life in front of me exactly the way I choose, is a creatively indispensable experience that I miss with film, but that's certainly not the case for everyone.
The soulfulness of film is undeniable, but that's why I've fallen so in love with my Foveons as they are basically as close as digital can get :)
Nice insight 👌 you make some strong points. There is a lot of enjoyment from editing digital images and it doesn’t penalise you for the amount of images you take 👏 valid point. Thanks for sharing 🙏
Pretty much my relationship with film. Shoot average 1-2 rolls a week though it has shifted to more for travel and special projects. I still shoot a LOT of digital also as I document every day with it. Digital I have explored the whole Old classic DSLRs (Olympus E500, Nikon D700, 5D1) along with my main Fuji xt2 which has the most lens. I also have a Sony a7iv for Birding. Latest exploration is old CCD small point and shoots since size is a factor in everyday life.
Film has definitely taught me a lot and for some reasons I like those photos better. I am now trying to arrange my digital photos also in sets like a camera roll.
Film camera is actually coming back for the younger generation Gen Z likes Film camera
I shoot film occasionally, bw fomapan. Love it, but no lab near me and my development skills are not great. With bw the problem is not money, problem is ease of use and consistency, I think. On the other hand, digital just doesn't come close to film in "beautifulness". Film just have a soul. So its complicated, i guess I'll just simplify it by shooting digital and try to compensate digital inferiority with my composition powers hahahah. Oh well...
Yeah, not having a lab can complicate things 😅 ain’t no shame in digital. All that matters is that you’re shooting 💪
I want to get a film camera before I get a digital camera