Back to film

[Creativesnaps]

I am going back to film (I've missed it) and just picked up a Mamiya RB67

Looking forward to it and taking some film shots for a change and just keeping my Canon G15 for general use.

 

Won't be posting myself for a while but i'll be popping in.

[Phil]

You will be missed

 

But I wish you luck and look forward to a few scans

[NannyFerret]

Hope you won't stay away too long.
Good camera's are Mimaya's aren't they?  A friend of ours (now deceased) had a Mimaya and it turned out some really good shots.

[ChrisLumix]

Hope you won't stay away too long.

Good camera's are Mimaya's aren't they?  A friend of ours (now deceased) had a Mimaya and it turned out some really good shots.

 

"Mamamiya here I go again, my my, how can I resist you"   

Edited September 17, 2013 by ChrisLumix

[Phil]

"Mamamiya here I go again, my my, how can I resist you"   

 

 

Oh dear!

[Creativesnaps]

I'm not leaving just busy sorting my setup out.  

Yeah it is a cracking camera.  Needs a little TLC though as i have to replace the light seals on the rotating plate and mirror buffers and also sort the problem with the lens and radio triggers out as the flash will only fire when connect straight to the lens and not via triggers.

[FUJI]

I've just Googled your Mamiya RB67 ......it looks to be ....le....Creme De la Creme .....of film jobbies.....I can appreciate your enthusiasm especially if you process the film yourself......but I just couldn't afford it now, or the hassle of waiting to see results.....pity no one has thought of how to Marry old, good cameras like that with a digital back.....I'm sure that some clever bod could come up with something?

FUJI

[FUJI]

Hi again Creative.....this should be of interest to you?

FUJI

[Creativesnaps]

Hi Fuji,  I am just a bit fed up with digital at the moment and my self discipline with getting it right in camera is starting to relax.  I will also be being more creative and experimenting more this time round.

I will be developing my own negatives and scanning them for now but later on i will be doing my own B&W prints.  I am also going to be scanning the negatives of the polaroid film and also doing some image transfers.

 

You can get the digital backs for the old medium format cameras but they cost big time.

[Creativesnaps]

Yeah he has the pro and pro S backs.  I have the SD backs which don't need the light seals so i only have to replace the rotating plates seal now and then.  They are heavy buggers too which isn't bad at first but you start to notice after a while.

[ChrisLumix]

I've just Googled your Mamiya RB67 ......it looks to be ....le....Creme De la Creme .....of film jobbies.....I can appreciate your enthusiasm especially if you process the film yourself......but I just couldn't afford it now, or the hassle of waiting to see results.....pity no one has thought of how to Marry old, good cameras like that with a digital back.....I'm sure that some clever bod could come up with something?

FUJI

 

I'm sure someone has? But I'm a bit lost as to what would be the point - after all, modern cameras (leaving digital aside for a moment) are as good as they've ever been, with exposure control, programs, shutter and lens technology, etc. The real point it seems to me, is that people might want to go back to film on occasion, in which case the film has to be developed. What would have been fascinating, assuming digital had never been invented, is if someone had taken the Polaroid principle to new levels where you could either develop film in-camera, or produce instant prints while also having the negative for better quality prints if the picture was worth keeping. 

 

In fact, continuing this monologue... wouldn't it be cool if they made a camera that married film and digital technologies? In other words, an SLR that when the mirror was raised revealed first a sensor that rapidly also rose to expose the film behind it. Or perhaps a sensor in the pentaprism that wrote a file to SD at the same instant that the film was exposed?I'm sure, if the demand was there, it should be possible without too much extra bulk being added (a sensor and an SD card wouldn't take up much space).

[Creativesnaps]

I'm sure someone has? But I'm a bit lost as to what would be the point - after all, modern cameras (leaving digital aside for a moment) are as good as they've ever been, with exposure control, programs, shutter and lens technology, etc. The real point it seems to me, is that people might want to go back to film on occasion, in which case the film has to be developed. What would have been fascinating, assuming digital had never been invented, is if someone had taken the Polaroid principle to new levels where you could either develop film in-camera, or produce instant prints while also having the negative for better quality prints if the picture was worth keeping. 

 

In fact, continuing this monologue... wouldn't it be cool if they made a camera that married film and digital technologies? In other words, an SLR that when the mirror was raised revealed first a sensor that rapidly also rose to expose the film behind it. Or perhaps a sensor in the pentaprism that wrote a file to SD at the same instant that the film was exposed?I'm sure, if the demand was there, it should be possible without too much extra bulk being added (a sensor and an SD card wouldn't take up much space).

Hi Chris,  they do have digital backs that you can use on some medium format cameras.  Some just buy the digital back and save money on the body especially if the camera is working fine. Unbelievably expensive though

 

As you said about the polaroid  (just found out after getting advice that polaroid don't make it now its Fuji) you can get a negative from the polaroid by using bleach to get the chemicals off the back once separated and left to dry.  Your then left with a nice big negative to play with

 

Your idea with mixing the two would be nice

Edited September 18, 2013 by Creativesnaps

[Guest DaveW]

Lets hope stills film will still be a commercial proposition to produce for a while, but even the cinema which subsidised 35mm stills film production is now converting to digital, therefore they have lost that market where film was consumed by the mile and bulk chemicals had to be produced to process it. Will stills photography be enough to sustain the film and developing chemicals industry on it's own in future?

 

http://www.screendaily.com/uk-digital-cinema-rollout-likely-complete-by-q1-2013/5040664.article

 

http://www.rollingstone.com/movies/news/how-digital-conversion-is-killing-independent-movie-theaters-20130904

[Creativesnaps]

Hi Dave,  I hope so.  From what i can see there still is a good market for film and its still a big part in courses at collage and university.

[ChrisLumix]

Hi Dave,  I hope so.  From what i can see there still is a good market for film and its still a big part in courses at collage and university.

 

Yes, film is still king for larger formats where sensors would have to be inordinately large (and therefore too expensive). 

 

I do like the way that the latest digicams have 'film modes' where you can recapture the characteristics of legendary films such as Ilford FP4/HP4, Tri-X, and Kodachrome 25/64. Mind you, I think digital surpassed colour print film long ago.

Edited September 19, 2013 by ChrisLumix

[Guest DaveW]

Sensors are simply processor chips and these tumble in price every year. As technology improves no doubt someday they will be able to make sensors as large as the old full plate cameras. When you see what some of the top photographers charge they can easily afford such sensors, the technology for which eventually filters down to the mass market.

 

http://gizmodo.com/5834699/this-is-the-largest-camera-sensor-in-the-world

 

http://www.dpreview.com/news/2010/8/31/canonlargestsensor

 

A lot of new developments are in the pipeline that could affect the video v. dedicated stills camera situation in the future, click on the video demo here:-

 

http://hardware.slashdot.org/story/13/03/05/0219240/canon-shows-the-most-sensitive-camera-sensor-in-the-world

 

http://petapixel.com/2012/11/12/a-look-at-the-worlds-largest-digital-camera/

 

http://www.techhive.com/article/227243/university_creates_worlds_biggest_microchip_too_big_for_your_laptop.html

 

Many traditionalists said digital cameras would never replace film cameras, they were proved wrong even though they still claim film is best though usually can't demonstrate in in proper blind scientific tests. In the original video the photographer could not tell which was taken by the Hasselblad and which by the video camera without consulting his files. If he had known in advance that one was taken by the Hasselblad it may have fooled his brain into seeing subtle differences that were in fact not there. Our brain interprets everything we see and often applies our preconceived ideas to it, which is why blind scientific tests were introduced to remove such inbuilt bias.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blind_experiment

 

I only ever saw the result of one proper blind scientific trial of images produced by different film cameras, both 35mm and medium format in a photo magazine many years ago.  The images were displayed all the same size and under the same conditions side by side and virtually all the Pro's who always claimed they could tell images from a certain camera or format were proved wrong. The few that did could simply have been put down to chance or guesswork. 

 

 

[Creativesnaps]

One thing off the top of my head is that film has more highlight range control.

 

Its all down to choice i guess and they both have there good and bad points but while film is still available, i am going to enjoy it.

 

I have just a few things to sort out with my new set up and i should be up and shooting.

[Creativesnaps]

I took a couple of polaroids (due to having dodgy seals and not wanting to use the film backs.) and I am well impressed and forgot how good it was. 

Well I've replaced the light seals and mirror buffers today and all is well. Can't wait to use film now the seals are done.

Edited September 23, 2013 by Creativesnaps

[NannyFerret]

It will be good to see the result.

[Guest DaveW]

Film is OK if you are conventionally printing it using darkroom chemical means, or projecting it as slides as in the past. The problem starts if you want to use modern digital methods to print or display it such as inkjet printers or computer screens as it then has to be converted to a digital copy and a copy is never as good as the original, or an image taken directly digital.  Therefore to really enjoy film at it's best you have to stick to conventional methods of display and printing rather than then convert it to digital images.

 

As Fuji has proved it is always easier to convert monochrome film images to digital than colour ones where you run into more troubles with contrast and colour fidelity.

[Creativesnaps]

Hi Dave,  Yeah very true.   

For sharing on the web purpose i will be using a epson scanner but anything going to print i will be getting them scanned with a drum scanner.

Also i will have to learn the art of scanning as its an art in itself and when done properly the results are amazing.