35 mm Film Camera Discusion

[Kuhlmann]

We are just now getting back into film photography and purchased two Canon AE-1 film cameras from the 1980's. Since it has been 10 years since either my wife or I have even held a film camera, we are a bit rusty. Are there any general tips that anyone would like to provide? Does anyone else solely use a film camera?

[jdemott]

I haven't shot film in a long time, but I used to shoot quite a bit of it. What kind of film to you plan to use--B&W, color neg, or slides?

My number one suggestion is to bracket exposures--especially if you are shooting slides. Number two is to remember that the ISO speeds available on film will typically be a lot less than any modern digital camera offers so there will be many more situations where the shutter speed will not allow hand held shooting and a tripod will be required. Number three is color balance (unless you're shooting B&W)--we are now spoiled by the great color rendition of digital cameras that do such a good job of setting white balance and don't have any color shift--so you will need to think about filters (at least a couple basic warming filters).

I enjoyed shooting film and working in the darkroom, but digital has me spoiled and I wouldn't go back.

[Kuhlmann]

I think what excited us the most about getting back into film the most is the ability to control more field of depth and the challenge of getting the colors more true without the assistance digital offers. We are starting with color negatives and may choose to experiment with B&W in the Grand Canyon later this year. Right now we have a polarizing filter we are experimenting with but don't know what step to take next honestly.

Good idea with the Bracketing technique. We are taking a notepad and recording what we do as well until we get the true hang of it.

Debating the tripod. Weight vs. usefulness. My wife thinks we can just use rocks as a tripod wherever we are.

[jdemott]

Color negative film is a lot easier to work with than slides--you will have much more exposure latitude. And the lab can do a lot of the color correction. Before your trip, it would make sense to pick out some films you like, with a range of ISOs to accommodate different lighting, and shoot some practice rolls. Have them processed at whatever lab you think you will be using. If you love the results...great! But if some of the shots disappoint you, take them to the lab and ask questions. Can the result be improved at the lab or is it something you are doing when shooting?

If you anticipate switching films a lot for different lighting conditions, you have a couple options to avoid wasting film when you have to switch in mid-roll. You could load different films in the two cameras. Or you could buy an inexpensive little gadget that lets you retrieve the end of a roll of film that has been rewound into the cassette.

Since you'll be traveling by car in the summer, remember that film doesn't like heat. The higher quality, pro films are particularly sensitive to heat and it would make sense to put them in a cooler if they're going to be a hot car for a long time. Consumer film sold in gift shops, etc., is formulated to be more heat tolerant.

You are right that the full 35mm frame of a film camera makes it somewhat easier to control depth of field (although high-end, full frame digital cameras will get identical depth of field). But to realize that benefit, you will need lenses that can be opened up to wide apertures, at least f/4 or better f/2.8. A 50mm f/1.8 lens is a great, reasonably priced choice for that purpose. If you want to get wide apertures at longer focal lengths, say a 70-200mm zoom, you need to be prepared for a big price tag and a very heavy lens.

There are various camera support options, short of a full size tripod, other than rocks. There are several tabletop size tripods, some of which allow you to quickly attach them to a hiking stick, or a branch, or a fencepost. And there are hiking sticks designed to mount a ballhead on the top to use as a monopod.

My biggest suggestion is to get out and practice with your cameras before your big trip so you'll be confident you get the shot when the time comes.

[Steve20050]

I do still use film for my own personal photos. I have used digital for work and non essential stuff. If your using transparency film(slide) then there isn't any digital involved to that stage. The post process of coming up with prints depends. I expect photo labs now days are printing digital prints. I know the last time I had a photo lab do a print (2002), they were in the process of switching over and the 20X30 I had done was done digital. Having said that, I do use 120 film still then scan it and print it at home using ink jet printers. To me this is the best of both worlds sorta speaking as I also don't miss the old darkrooms. Spent way too much time there both professional and for my own use.

I recall those old Canon cameras. I had an A-1 and an AT-1? carried 2 cameras in my pack for years. I could shoot Kodachrome in one and BW for home use in the other. As jdemott points out the ISO is much more limiting than what we have now with digital. The lens you have will have a big impact on your range as well. I recall having an aspherical 24-35mm 3.5L that was a superb lens Canon made. I was able to open full and still get decent results.

There are basic rules that can help if your not familiar with them. Without loading film, set the ISO to a standard setting and take a meter reading. Too slow a shutter or wide open aperture is going to be problematic and you should change to a higher ISO film for more latitude. The higher the ISO the more grain, so obviously the best result most times would be the lowest ISO you can get decent settings. Another rule to remember is that the magnification of lens tells you if you need to use a tripod. Example: Using a 50mm lens. I take the 50 and invert it to a fraction of 1/50. That means that I should use a tripod for any photo that the shutter is slower than 1/60. I do use a tripod on everything on 120 film. I often splice several frames together and you have to have a horizontal plain to work with.

[Kuhlmann]

I shot my first roll this past weekend. I had some problems with the camera getting dirty and for some reason I can't get the film to rewind so I will have to have someone do it in a dark room.

[Lurch]

I shot my first roll this past weekend. I had some problems with the camera getting dirty and for some reason I can't get the film to rewind so I will have to have someone do it in a dark room.

I'll ask the obviously question, did you press the release button on the bottom of the camera to release the winding mechanism?

I'll also assume you changed/checked the battery? That shouldn't hinder the rewind, but it will stop you from shooting or advancing film

[Kuhlmann]

Funny story, yes I did. After I was reminded of it by my wife. By this time I may have messed something up. The battery was replaced prior to shooting.

Leaning experience.

[Charley]

I have slightly different recommendations:

1. Use slide film. It's touchier (exposure wise), and more expensive to process, but, if you care about color, care about predictability in exposure, then slide film is superior to negative film. I'm a fan of Fuji Velvia 100; it has better reprocity than Velvia (50) and better colors than the other Fuji films.

2. Blow a roll shooting around your neighborhood to learn how to expose the film. At first, I recommend bracketing one whole stop over and under. After a while, you'll get a feel for the film and use half stop or 1/3 stop brackets, which will increase the subtlety of your process. I still shoot three frames per image, and one of those shots is always better than the other two.

3. If the two of you are going together, I recommend carrying two cameras- one film, and one digital. I use two some of the time, if carrying weight isn't an issue. The reason is that, since it costs a certain amount of money to process every single frame, I don't want to use the film camera for shots that don't exploit the artistic qualities of the medium. If, for instance, I'm just taking a "record" shot for future route-finding, or I find a great viewpoint in really poor, mid-day light, I'd rather not spend $ to have a photo: I'll just snap a shot with my phone. In fact, I shoot less film as times goes on, because I'm saving it for those great shots that won't work on digital. (More about my process here: viewtopic.php?f=16&t=21641&start=20 )

4. Don't fear filters. I use a graduated neutral density filter on most shots that have sky and land. Since the sky is so much brighter than the land, the film will not expose correctly for both at the same time. Either the land will be too dark, or the sky too bright. The graduated neutral density won't change the color (it's neutral), but will change the density (exposure), and it will do it in a subtle way in the transition area (graduated).

5. Don't fear the tripod. There are light ones available, and though Galen Rowell (my photo hero) often didn't use one, he had special skills, and was often traveling in vertical territory (where it's relatively easy to get a camera stabilized somehow- try doing that on a sagebrush steppe or a playa!). The tripod also makes fine composition more likely: when we take our time to get things arranged in the viewfinder, it's a pain to have to move a rock to fine tune it.

Have fun! Also, be careful. The addiction can get out of hand: those first two shots are on 4x5 film, shot with a view camera. It's a lovely piece of technology, but a real money sink!

[rainrunner]

This might be useful if you are shooting low light scenes:
Black Cat Extended Range Exposure Guide