Giving film a whirl

[Ultra Magnus]

My sister-in-law gave me this setup, used to belong to her late husband. I was a little disapointed when I figured out it didn't have a manual exposure mode, but it still should be fun.

[Xia_Ke]

You should still be able to have plenty of fun with that camera! At least it has Aperture-Priority mode. So what do you think you'll be shooting for film first? Not sure if you have or need it but, here's a link to the manual:

http://www.cameramanuals.org/pentax_...ntax_a3000.pdf

Looking forward to seeing some shots :thumbsup:

[Ultra Magnus]

First off, I don't know anything about film. I'm probably going to get some 400 speed film from walmart, four pack for $11 deal...

Should I try something better as I get the hang of this camera?

And as 2nd question, what should I do with film when I want it developed? How do you guys get such good quality scans of your film? In my experience, the photos on the CD you get from your ordinary 1hr photo place are very low quality, low resolution scans.

Thanks.
BM

[photophorous]

That's a nice looking camera. I bet it's a joy to use. I recommend trying some Fuji Superia X-tra 400. This is a great general purpose consumer film. No need to buy pro film right off the bat, unless you're shooting something important.

As for scanning, there is a lot of variation in the quality you get from mini-labs and Wal-mart type places. Some may do a pretty good job and others may be lousy, but even the best won't be suitable for anything over about 8x10. If you want top notch scans you'll either have to go to a pro lab and pay big bucks or scan them yourself. I scan mine on a Coolscan V, but there are cheaper scanners that do a good job.

Paul

[Xia_Ke]

I agree with Paul, forget the "pro" film for now and just go out and shoot with the cheap stuff. Get a good feel for the camera. When you start getting a better feel for it, and you find a worthy subject, then get some better film if you want. I would recommend getting some archival sleeves to store your film in after development. Most of us here do our own scanning. The Coolscan Paul mentioned is an excellent choice if you plan on only shooting 35mm but, they are a little pricy. There are some excellent flatbeds out there right now for cheap. If you get a flatbed, just make sure to pick up a microfiber cleaning cloth to help manage dust.

[Ultra Magnus]

Will any kind of scanner work? Do you guys scan your negatives or your prints? In my experience, scanning prints = crap quality, especially when scanning matte photos (wife preffers matte prints).

I've got one of those HP 4-in-1 printers... Is that scanner worth even messing with? Forgive the ignorance please!

Thanks.
BM

[photophorous]

Will any kind of scanner work? Do you guys scan your negatives or your prints? In my experience, scanning prints = crap quality, especially when scanning matte photos (wife preffers matte prints).

I've got one of those HP 4-in-1 printers... Is that scanner worth even messing with? Forgive the ignorance please!

Thanks.
BM

I scan my negatives on a dedicated 35mm film scanner. But as Aaron mentioned, there are many flatbed scanners that come with negative holders for different sizes of film, and they can also scan prints. Wether you should scan prints or negatives depends on your final output. If you want to make prints from your scans, you need to scan the negatives, because it will record much more detail. If you just want to scan them to display on the web, you might be able to get by scanning prints, but it won't allow you a lot of options for editing. Scanning negatives will give you better results.

Paul