Old skool 35mm photography

[AzraelParticipant 502]

Yo bros!

I love checking out the fun/ cool forum. It’s so great to see what important stuff bros are really focusing on.

I love old school film photography. It’s cheap to get into. All kinds of awesome stuff on Ebay: frames, lenses, accessories, etc. (Although hipsters are driving up the prices).

35mm is the main practice, but there is also medium and large format. I have several 35mm cameras. I just got a 120 (medium format), a Bronica ETRS. With 120, you load the film into a magazine (called a back), so you can switch film types in between rolls. The backs are expensive, but again, EBay deals. The classic medium format is the Hasselblad, but your looking at a G-note for that camera. Mine is a copy of that. They call it the Japaselblad.

But I work mostly with 35mm. I have a rifle camera, a Pentax Spotmatic on a pistol grip with stock. The frame was professionally rebuilt by the former head of Pentax maintenance, just an old dude doing what he loves. He does it at cost, 100$ !

Here’s the full arsenal:

Pentax Spotmatic, with onboard meter.

Pentax ME Super, automatic shutter priority.

Pentax Espio 140V, maybe the best fully automatic camera ever.

Zeiss Ikon Contaflex II, one of the only 35mm leaf shutter models ever (the leaf shutter is the spiral type, used as an icon on phone cameras. Much more even exposures).

Zenza Bronica ETRS, with leaf shutter, speed grip, and prism finder.

Lenses: all are Super Takumar, incredible quality and all metal construction.

28mm f3.5 (wide angle)
50 f1.4 (fast lense)
50 f1.8 (general)
135 f3.5 (portrait)
300mm f3.5 (AWESOME telephoto).

And the kicker- Pentax Spotmeter V, the best analog Spotmeter ever produced. It’s the pistol meter every director used for decades. Usually over 100$ on Ebay, I got mine for 45$ !

Film is back, just like records/ LP’s. People want analog, they want the physical. Kodak is even making slide film again (https://www.kodak.com/US/en//corp/blog/blog_post?contentid=4295004769). I highly recommend it. If you have any questions or want more info, don’t hesitate to respond or PM me. Take care.

Quit looking at my signature, queer-mo.

[MonkParticipant 16977]

Film is definately making a comeback. One of the oldest UK suppliers of B&W film has started making it again.

It has a quality that digital images just doesn’t seem to have.

[AzraelParticipant 502]

Monk wrote:

Film is definately making a comeback. One of the oldest UK suppliers of B&W film has started making it again.

It has a quality that digital images just doesn’t seem to have.

It’s just that analog, you are right on it.

I’m a philosophy guy, and I would really like to take a class on digital/ vs. analog philosophy. Sounds interesting.

Quit looking at my signature, queer-mo.

[iMickey503Participant 12465]

And THAT is why I kept my Canon SLR. 35MM. Oh Yea baby! If it really means something to you, and you REALLY want to make sure it’s around forever, THIS is the tool you use.

Digital is always going to give you better results if you don’t know what your doing. But there has ALWAYS been something about film that just feels so much better than Digital.

You got to know what kind of film to use. Not one film fits all situations.

Its just a sensation that you just don’t get having the mechanical motor of the film mechanism slam the film where it needs to go.

It makes you APPRECIATE what pictures you took.

Yea, Its expensive. It keeps women out of there that for sure. They love cheap, share me pictures.

ME? I love getting the analog, and then scanning that puppy to digital on my flatbed scanner.

You are all alone. If you have been falsely accused of RAPE, DV, PLEASE let all men know about the people who did this. http://register-her.net/web/guest/home

[AzraelParticipant 502]

iMickey503 wrote:

And THAT is why I kept my Canon SLR. 35MM. Oh Yea baby! If it really means something to you, and you REALLY want to make sure it’s around forever, THIS is the tool you use.

Digital is always going to give you better results if you don’t know what your doing. But there has ALWAYS been something about film that just feels so much better than Digital.

You got to know what kind of film to use. Not one film fits all situations.

Its just a sensation that you just don’t get having the mechanical motor of the film mechanism slam the film where it needs to go.

It makes you APPRECIATE what pictures you took.

Yea, Its expensive. It keeps women out of there that for sure. They love cheap, share me pictures.

ME? I love getting the analog, and then scanning that puppy to digital on my flatbed scanner.

Hell yeah. Film selection is so important. I use Ektar 100 in bright conditions for its dynamic range, and Lomography 800 for my action stuff (higher iso means more sensitive/ faster film).

Quit looking at my signature, queer-mo.

[Anonymous 12]

Old film has a warmness that digital just doesn’t have. It’s like LP’s vs MP3 or CD. The LP is just warmer and the snaps and crackles add something as well.

[AzraelParticipant 502]

Anonymous wrote:

Old film has a warmness that digital just doesn’t have. It’s like LP’s vs MP3 or CD. The LP is just warmer and the snaps and crackles add something as well.

It’s the warmth, you’re dead on. And the knowledge you directly printed the light in that instant, it wasn’t processed by computer.

Quit looking at my signature, queer-mo.

[AzraelParticipant 502]

https://postimg.cc/image/tmp37kkff/<img src=”http://https://postimg.cc/image/tmp37kkff/” alt=”Zeiss”

Quit looking at my signature, queer-mo.

[BeachBumParticipant 813]

Not to sidetrack, more of an analogy..

Analog vs digital.. there’s the same argument in listening to music..

I have both a good turntable and a good DAC that both feed into an analog tube preamp..

The DAC is fantastic in digital reproduction of the music, but spinning records always sounds “more real”

[Anonymous 1]

Azrael wrote:

35mm is the main practice, but there is also medium and large format. I have several 35mm cameras. I just got a 120 (medium format), a Bronica ETRS.

These kids and their 35mm toys. Go big (or medium) or stay at home.
A thousand years ago, this was my tool:

[Blood AxeParticipant 1179]

I took a photography class in college many years ago. We learned how to develop our own film into pictures in a dark room and everything.

I have to say I like film way more than digital. Digital deals in pixels if I’m not mistaken. The smaller the pixels, the more their are, and the clearer the image.

With film the picture is developed using chemical reactions on a molecular level. That’s the way I understand it anyway. The downside is the chemicals involved. I believe it is possible to get clearer images using film, but that is just my opinion, and I don’t know to much about digital.

Anyway I got some damn nice pictures using an old 35 mm film camera back in the day. Black and white film was my favorite.

I always thought wildlife photography would have made a great profession. Well thanks for the good post Blaze.

Back off Barbie!

[AzraelParticipant 502]

Anonymous wrote:

BlazetheSunGod wrote:

35mm is the main practice, but there is also medium and large format. I have several 35mm cameras. I just got a 120 (medium format), a Bronica ETRS.

These kids and their 35mm toys. Go big (or medium) or stay at home.
A thousand years ago, this was my tool:

Sweet!

Quit looking at my signature, queer-mo.

[harpo-my-“SON”Participant 2410]

I was bound to be misunderstood, and I laugh at those who misunderstand me. Kind mockery at the well intentioned, but unfettered cruelty towards those would be prison guards of my creative possibilities. This so as to learn as much from misunderstanding as from understanding. Taking pleasure in worthy opponents and making language fluid and flowing like a river yet pointed and precise as a dagger. Contradicts the socialistic purpose of language and makes for a wonderful linguistic dance, A verbal martial art with constant parries that hone the weapon that is the two edged sword of my mouth.

[SantiagoParticipant 144]

Ooh, lovin’ film, though I still use my digitals more. I grew up on the stuff, and while I like the efficiency and ease of digital, there’s nothing quite like the feel of operating finely tooled real metal cameras. It isn’t even the output as much for me, as the experience.
I think this is one of the reason there’s a little bit of a market for “retro” styled digicams.

I’m fairly well heeled in the film department, though, with a Nikon F5, Canon EOS 1d, Pentax K1000 (really one of my favorites, for all its simplicity), Brownie Bullseye, ETRS, ETRSi, and a couple Kowa SIXes. Lenses would make this a far larger post, so I’ll just say I have good-to-middlin’ glass for it all.

We’re a little dry on local developers these days, though I can do some at home, even tried out a C41 kit with disappointing, but hopeful results. There is a place about half an hour away, however, that I want to try out.

[AzraelParticipant 502]

Santiago wrote:

Ooh, lovin’ film, though I still use my digitals more. I grew up on the stuff, and while I like the efficiency and ease of digital, there’s nothing quite like the feel of operating finely tooled real metal cameras. It isn’t even the output as much for me, as the experience.
I think this is one of the reason there’s a little bit of a market for “retro” styled digicams.

I’m fairly well heeled in the film department, though, with a Nikon F5, Canon EOS 1d, Pentax K1000 (really one of my favorites, for all its simplicity), Brownie Bullseye, ETRS, ETRSi, and a couple Kowa SIXes. Lenses would make this a far larger post, so I’ll just say I have good-to-middlin’ glass for it all.

We’re a little dry on local developers these days, though I can do some at home, even tried out a C41 kit with disappointing, but hopeful results. There is a place about half an hour away, however, that I want to try out.

The K1000 is a great frame. I have a Spotmatic, which is basically the same camera, just with an M42 lens mount instead of the bayonet mount, although I have an adapter. The onboard through the lens meter is so handy.

This is a great lab for developing. They return negatives, give you a disc, and free permanent cloud storage.

Film Developing

Quit looking at my signature, queer-mo.

[AzraelParticipant 502]

harpo-my-“SON” wrote:

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My mom would definitely take my Kodachrome away, just to be an abusive bitch lol.

Quit looking at my signature, queer-mo.

[SantiagoParticipant 144]

I’ve heard good things about The Darkroom.

Not too far away, American Shutterbug will develop rolls of 35mm for a couple bucks each, which I can scan to my heart’s content. I don’t think they do dev-only for MF, but the prices are still pretty reasonable.
It’s been a few years since I did much film photography, since the local lab closed, but I considered sending rolls to a few different labs, to see which I prefer in the end.

[AzraelParticipant 502]

Santiago wrote:

I’ve heard good things about The Darkroom.

Not too far away, American Shutterbug will develop rolls of 35mm for a couple bucks each, which I can scan to my heart’s content. I don’t think they do dev-only for MF, but the prices are still pretty reasonable.
It’s been a few years since I did much film photography, since the local lab closed, but I considered sending rolls to a few different labs, to see which I prefer in the end.

Awesome! Always good to hear about other’s photography.

Quit looking at my signature, queer-mo.

[ObserverParticipant 209]

I enjoy viewing my 35mm film photography on an old-school Kodak slide projector; elegant simplicity.

I am planning on buying my first full frame digital SLR in the coming weeks. Should be fun.

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