back to film

[smslavin]

When I was a working photographer, I never completely left film in favor of digital. Both had their merits and still do today. Over the past 6 months, I've been leaning more and more towards my film cameras and have been considering a few items to add to my quiver of cameras. I've had a sudden urge to go medium (645) and large (4x5) format.

I'm considering a Contax 645 with an 80/2 lens. Eventually, I'd add a wide angle and a telephoto but all I need for starters would be the 80.

4x5 is new territory for me. Pretty sure I want a field camera, maybe a used Toyo. Linhof would be at the top of my list but is just a dream unless I win the lottery.

Thoughts on 645 and 4x5 systems?

I'm also thinking of adding a M6 with a 35/2 for the days I want something simple, quiet and unobtrusive.

 

[Wander]

Some nice choices. I used to really enjoy using the Bronica etrs I used for group shots for the company and landscapes for my self. I picked up a F4s last fall and love shooting with it. The mechanical aspects are so satisfying. I do enjoy my D70s but it lacks that aspect. I have no time with a field camera but it seems that everything I read indicates that it's all about the lens as the body is really just a box that holds the film.

I like the M6 idea and hope to get a Leica myself some day-the absolute precision of those cameras is just impressive.

 

[MatthewThompson]

I'm rocking a Fuji GA645Pro right now. It's a really great little machine, the lens is surgical.

Best deal in the business for a 645 right now is easily the ETRSi from Bronica. Full system camera for the cost of a disposable P&S digicam. Those Contaxes are amazing machines, though.

 

[Michael Slade]

4x5...get a Speed Graphic with a 127 lens. Anything else and you're just spending money to look cool. No really, trust me.

Shoot that rig for a year then figure out what you want to add or replace it with.

For $250 you can have a camera, lens, holders and some film.

EDIT: Congratulations on getting back into film!!!! You will NOT regret it.

 

[JackW]

Second the Speed Graphic idea (although I've sold all of mine) - at one time had about six of the things - great camera.

 

[Overland Hadley]

A Toyo field camera is a battleship. I love mine.

 

[Overland Hadley]

Just a note on film processing.

There are not many labs left processing film, and very few of those have people at the controls that know what they are doing.

In the end there will only be a couple places that process film. It is important that one of those places has somebody who knows film, working with the film.

Please consider using AgX Imaging for your film processing.

(I write this because I had one of the top labs ruin a large batch of my film because they had somebody who did not know what they were doing working the controls. I now send my film to Mike at AgX.)

 

[DesertBoater]

I recently picked up a Mamiya 645 with an 80/2 lens from a friend at school for less than my digital p+s...It's so nice to have negatives that i can actually see! I've also played with both speedgraphics and toyos, and I definitely prefer the toyo field camera. It's a bit lighter, things are a little bit simpler, and it's a camera that for me, was much easier to become comfortable with. What Nathanael was saying about the film processing is definitely true. Personally I only shoot black and white film and am still going to school, so I can process everything myself, however once I graduate, I'm going to be thinking about my own darkroom, especially since I want to keep printing my own stuff.

 

[Michael Slade]

There's no doubt the Toyo is a 'better' camera...but it comes at a price. Right now on eBay there are a few ranging from 800-1400 bucks...no lens, no holders, no nothing.

My point is that you can get into LF, have a lot of fun and not have it cost a fortune. For that matter, he could even start shooting paper negatives and process them in his bathroom. He wouldn't have to send out for processing that way.

Do what you want, it's your hobby/profession, but the 'bang-for-the-buck' factor is high with the Speed Graphic.

 

[JackW]

I agree with Michael - most of my Speed Graphics sold for around $200-$250 in functioning condition. I did have one that was really nice with a great lens on it but it went for only around $400. There's a local used camera store (Wings Camera) that sells your old equipment on commission. He gets a lot of traffic from the local art school so I just took a bunch of the stuff that I had lying around gathering dust over to him and let Mike sell it for me. I just rolled what I got back into new Canon EOS stuff so it helped defray the cost from moving from my old manual focus film stuff to digital autofocus.

I still have my "Baby Speed" though - kept it just because it's cute and it looks good on the shelf.

I've seen some good deals on Mamiya 645's too along with the occasional screaming deal on a Hasselblad.

 

[smslavin]

There are not many labs left processing film, and very few of those have people at the controls that know what they are doing.

There's a few labs that I still trust who do excellent work. One is Richard in LA and the other is dr5 in Denver. I've been using both on and off for years and have yet to find anyone better for B&W development. The third lab is me and I'm hoping that someday I can build another darkroom. There's something about standing over a try of developer and watching that image appear on the paper.

4x5...get a Speed Graphic with a 127 lens.

Funny you should mention a Speed Graphic. My father-in-law collects antiques and a few years ago he gave me a box of random old camera gear. In it was a well used Speed Graphic. It sits on my desk next to a few other 30+ year old film cameras that I use on occasion. Unfortunately, it is no longer in working order. Might not be a bad way to go to pick up a working one.

 

[DaveInDenver]

the other is dr5 in Denver

In Denver there is also Englewood Camera and Denver Imaging that still do on-site processing. Pretty sure there are at least another couple. I'm a personal friend of the owner of Englewood, we ride cyclocross together, so I'm biased. I am not a pro, but I've never been unhappy with his lab and he does same day turns on E6 if you get to him by noon, which is nice.

The third lab is me and I'm hoping that someday I can build another darkroom. There's something about standing over a try of developer and watching that image appear on the paper.

Wet processing is I think a key component to my enjoyment of photography. I have not jumped to a digital SLR for a few reasons, one of which is how disconnected using a digital P&S seems. Just snapping abstracted, sterile 'images', not photographs, you know? To think about the efforts a guy like Mathew Brady went through to make photos, the least I can do is spend a few hours huffing hypo and vinegar.

 

[ccarm]

This is great. It's so sad that film has now become a niche of photography when it used to BE photography. I would say that every time I pick up my film camera and use it for a while (2-3 months) my digital pictures always turn out better afterwords. If anyone really wants to quickly develop their skills, get some film in your camera.

B&W developing is super easy in home, and when you scan the images into the computer, they are super easy to manipulate and put into print/the web. If I had a full darkroom in my house, I would develop myself, but I bet that even paper is now becoming a rarity to find.

Just my $.02

 

[DaveInDenver]

If I had a full darkroom in my house, I would develop myself, but I bet that even paper is now becoming a rarity to find.

I don't find darkroom stuff is much harder to find. It's been a long time since you could buy (if ever?) bulk film, chemicals and paper at Wal-Mart. Since I was a kid I've always gone to a camera store to buy that stuff and that's still the case. I would agree that the type of camera store is now going to be a true, dedicated camera store and not a Best Buy-like place that also wants to sell computers and DVD players. But seems to me if the shop buys and sells used gear and pro stuff, it generally has processing supplies. What is probably going to be the case is that Ilford will be the last one standing with a full line of B&W supplies and it will be an 'art' supply rather than a commodity.

 

[MatthewThompson]

Just a note on film processing.

Roll your own, Hadley. Jobo kits are dirt cheap right now, and chemicals aren't that hard to source. I've got a lot of recipes for mixing your own chemicals as well. PM me if you need anything like that.