Going film???

About a year and a half ago I got a Canon 20D. I love it. However, I don't like to take it everywhere since for one it's a bit heavy for carrying on my neck all day (at least for me) and secondly, I'm worried it'll get stolen or I'll ruin it (at the beach or pool for instance). A bit too expensive for me NOT to worry about that.

I started looking at digital point and shoots to carry around, but the ones I wanted were upward of $400 bucks. So what did I do? I got a second Canon AE-1 Program - manual focus, manual zoom film camera. I picked up one with a 50 mm f1.4 lens, a 28 mm f2.8 and a crappy zoom which I won't bother to put on plus a bunch of filters, lens cleaners, film and a camera bag for $110. I wanted a second camera so I can at least select from 2 different ISO or color/BW film because the flexibility of digital in that respect is great. And now that digital has allowed me to get much more practice in shooting that I don't feel like I'll be throwing away as much film. That's my thinking anyway.

Anyone else have a similar experience or thoughts?

Congrats on going film! :D

I bought my first digital p&s a few years ago. Some told me "once you go digital, you never go back." Well, not only have I NOT upgraded to a DSLR, but owning a digital camera has only reinforced my love for film! I guess digital is just not for everybody.

Let us know how your film shooting goes! It will undoubtedly be a different experience from your digital gear!

Rick

p.s. Great deal by the way!

I know where you're coming from. Once I went digital for a while and was able to practice, practice and do a little more practicing, I felt much more comfortable shooting film. I'm still 95% digital, but I did purchase a new film SLR a while back and I have a couple hundred bucks worth of film in my freezer. The practice I get with my DSLR has really broadend my film use also. I had never shot slide film until I went digital. That's what makes up the bulk of my film stock now and I love it! Experimenting with different types and brands of film is something I had never done before. Digital gave me the confidence to branch out and try new things.

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Originally Posted by 2kids2shoot

About a year and a half ago I got a Canon 20D. I love it. However, I don't like to take it everywhere since for one it's a bit heavy for carrying on my neck all day (at least for me) and secondly, I'm worried it'll get stolen or I'll ruin it (at the beach or pool for instance). A bit too expensive for me NOT to worry about that.

I started looking at digital point and shoots to carry around, but the ones I wanted were upward of $400 bucks. So what did I do? I got a second Canon AE-1 Program - manual focus, manual zoom film camera. I picked up one with a 50 mm f1.4 lens, a 28 mm f2.8 and a crappy zoom which I won't bother to put on plus a bunch of filters, lens cleaners, film and a camera bag for $110. I wanted a second camera so I can at least select from 2 different ISO or color/BW film because the flexibility of digital in that respect is great. And now that digital has allowed me to get much more practice in shooting that I don't feel like I'll be throwing away as much film. That's my thinking anyway.

Anyone else have a similar experience or thoughts?

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You're going to have to explain this to me more clearly.

I can understand perfectly that you don't want to carry around your 20D all day because it's expensive and heavy. I've chosen to use my D200 with my Pro f2.8 zooms which makes it a real monster. For most events I still use my D70 with the kit lens and a 28mm. And when there is no reason to have a camera with me - I still have my Fuji F10 point & shoot on my belt. Sure it cost more than 400$ but so what? It does an excellent job.

The AE-1 Program is hardly any lighter than your 20D. It's probably 20 years old - have you checked the exposure meter accuracy? You know that if it needs repair then you can just junk it and all the lenses you just bought because they're not compatible with the EOS system. Unless this second camera stuff means that you already have an AE-1 Program? Why carry around two systems? And so on. Makes no sense to me.

I shudder at what my digital cameras give me sometimes, but I'm persisting with the tools and gradually I'm getting the results I used to have with film. I don't shoot wildly with digital, but I worked out that if the pictures I've already done on digital had been done on film it would have cost me $5000 in film and processing.

Charles

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Originally Posted by Franglais

You're going to have to explain this to me more clearly.

I can understand perfectly that you don't want to carry around your 20D all day because it's expensive and heavy. I've chosen to use my D200 with my Pro f2.8 zooms which makes it a real monster. For most events I still use my D70 with the kit lens and a 28mm. And when there is no reason to have a camera with me - I still have my Fuji F10 point & shoot on my belt. Sure it cost more than 400$ but so what? It does an excellent job.

The AE-1 Program is hardly any lighter than your 20D. It's probably 20 years old - have you checked the exposure meter accuracy? You know that if it needs repair then you can just junk it and all the lenses you just bought because they're not compatible with the EOS system. Unless this second camera stuff means that you already have an AE-1 Program? Why carry around two systems? And so on. Makes no sense to me.

I shudder at what my digital cameras give me sometimes, but I'm persisting with the tools and gradually I'm getting the results I used to have with film. I don't shoot wildly with digital, but I worked out that if the pictures I've already done on digital had been done on film it would have cost me $5000 in film and processing.

Charles

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Charles,

The AE-1P is lighter for me because of my lens selection - I have a 28-135 zoom on the 20D (the only lens I own for it so far) and I'll either put the 28mm or the 50 mm on the AE-1. So treating that as a system it is lighter and less bulky.

I do like to always have a camera with me, especially when I'm doing stuff with my kids or traveling. When I'm at the pool or beach I find I'm always looking back to make sure my camera won't get stolen, not to mention worrying about the 20D getting wet or sandy! I have enough worries making sure the kids don't drown that I don't need that additional worry. That's where the $400 for the P&S comes in: I'd rather be out $100 than $400!! And I think I'm getting better quality for my $100 than I would with a $100 P&S.

And yes, I already had an AE-1P so having a second one just gave me more flexibility in film options. Your comment about meters is right but these are "only" 20 year old cameras - I haven't found a metering problem with the ones I've checked out yet. Light seals and squeal are another issue...

Now I'm not saying that I'm totally switching back to film. I love the flexibility and ability to take pictures that I can see right away and not having to worry about "wasting" film. But I chose to use a film camera instead of a digital P&S for situations where I don't want to risk bringing my 20D.

Does that make sense to you?

2k2s

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Originally Posted by 2kids2shoot

Charles,

The AE-1P is lighter for me because of my lens selection - I have a 28-135 zoom on the 20D (the only lens I own for it so far) and I'll either put the 28mm or the 50 mm on the AE-1. So treating that as a system it is lighter and less bulky.

I do like to always have a camera with me, especially when I'm doing stuff with my kids or traveling. When I'm at the pool or beach I find I'm always looking back to make sure my camera won't get stolen, not to mention worrying about the 20D getting wet or sandy! I have enough worries making sure the kids don't drown that I don't need that additional worry. That's where the $400 for the P&S comes in: I'd rather be out $100 than $400!! And I think I'm getting better quality for my $100 than I would with a $100 P&S.

And yes, I already had an AE-1P so having a second one just gave me more flexibility in film options. Your comment about meters is right but these are "only" 20 year old cameras - I haven't found a metering problem with the ones I've checked out yet. Light seals and squeal are another issue...

Now I'm not saying that I'm totally switching back to film. I love the flexibility and ability to take pictures that I can see right away and not having to worry about "wasting" film. But I chose to use a film camera instead of a digital P&S for situations where I don't want to risk bringing my 20D.

Does that make sense to you?

2k2s

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That makes much more sense. You've got a good bargain in expanding your existing film system for only $110. You don't need your digital images immediately.

I find my digital P&S to be well worth my $400+. It goes all the way to 1600 ISO, it's very useful in my work for recording things we are working on, and it's ability to record video has given me some precious souvenirs that would have been lost in stills (dance classes basically). If I'd been shooting the same thing on film then it would already have cost me $1200...

Charles

Although I am 100% digital for weddings and portraits, I still shoot some slides for landscapes and nature.

I LOVE my EOS 3. I currently have my Elan IIE for sale, but I will not sell my beloved EOS 3 ! :)

Sometimes I just get that old lonesome feeling and I get my EOS 3 (aka Black Beauty - yes, I name all of my SLR cameras :) :) ) and I shoot away! I do tend to take a DSLR along too and shoot a scene with both film and digital.


Have fun with film!

Kathy

HA! I do understand! I've been shooting professionally for more years than I care to admit! I now leave all my gear behind when I want to have fun. What do I carry?

Holgas! http://www.LITfoto.com/holga.html


And now I've created a body of work that I'm going to be self-publishing. Don't worry about the camera, worry about the images you experience!

Ooooooh! Me too! Another Holga lover... good to see you around these parts.

It's great seeing you on the forums again!

I recently got a D200, so it's going to be interesting to see how much (or how little) film I shoot now. I expect it drop off quite a bit, but I don't expect to stop shooting film entirely. If nothing else, I'll still shoot slides.

On the other hand, I've had a Coolpix 5700 for about two years now, and even though I've fired the shutter nearly 8500 times, I still shot mostly film. We'll see what the future brings.

BTW, congratulations on your "new" camera! It's always great to get new gear, even an old classic. (My classic is a Pentax K1000.)

Oh god, no. :shocked: I did the same thing -- bought a film camera back-up to take to places I didn't want to worrry about the good gear. All that happened was I had to pay $15 a roll to get bad prints and scans. After four rolls, I'm done forever. :D

I also do not want to bring my 30D where ever I go. I went to a troubling part of downtown over the weekend and decided to bring my cheaper lighter camera.

I brought my Canon Digital Rebel (300) and after removing the battery grip it was smaller and lighter than my 30D. :D

If I really need something smaller, I'll bring my old Canon G2....

It will be hard for me to go back to my trusty Canon A2 35mm. It's too costly if you want to take serious 35mm photography......to buy good film, develop the roll correctly, and get good prints cost a lot.

AND GAS IS EXPENSIVE!

I've been going thru some tough times recently and I haven't been able to focus much on picture taking and lurking on the forum. Hope to get back into things again soon.

After I got the digital camera, I didn't shoot film for nearly 2 years so it will be interesting to see what happens to you.

I actually was reasonably happy with my first roll of film. I think some of that was the appeal of shooting with a wide angle since I've never done that before. It was quite a different perspective and I got some shots I couldn't with less angle of inclusion. We'll see if I end up giving up after a few rolls like Lava Lamp did!

Now, now, Lava Lamp. We've seen your work before, and shooting film does NOT mean you had bad shots. Now if you're saying the lab you used messed up, then use a better lab. We've seen your work, and we know you produce excellent results with film. We've seen too many great photo's of your kids to think otherwise!

"After four rolls, I'm done forever." :D

Never say never. ;-)

I started a film system for £100
At two car boot sales, I found OM10, 50mm, telephoto zoom, flash, bag, and stuff £50 each.
I think one may have had a 2x converter in, I'm not sure.
So now I have a film system that I can use and even lose without too much investment.
Of course the power winder at £20 and the manual adapter for £10 were a little more investment, but I'm going to stop there, honest ...