There seems to be some curiosity about shooting film among younger photographers and it’s reviving the medium (just when you thought the film vs. digital debate was dead, the bones get dug back up!). I enjoy shooting film but never, ever made a head-to-head comparison of film vs. digital on the same day / subject. I’ve been a bit curious so this weekend was a good occasion to have a little imaging shootout.

The truth is, a client hasn’t paid me to shoot film in over four years. It’s been all digital, all the time at the studio. Film is considered expensive to produce, purchase and process. There’s also an environmental cost (though we’re not necessarily ahead of the game if all of these digital cameras are destined for landfills). Black and white film and paper materials are on the wane and concessions in formulas are continually being made. But there’s something about film and those solid film cameras that I love.

This test is intended to compare sharpness and rendering detail of a full-frame Canon 5D, a 12.8 megapixel camera, against an aging Nikon 35mm film camera loaded with color neg film. A big question has to be dynamic range, an area where color neg film is considered superior. And what about color? I’m curious about those things, too.

To be honest, I don’t know how to test those things outside of a lab, where all conditions can be measured equally. But the real world is not a lab, the real world is software pushing and pulling on dynamic ranges and various ways to enhance all of these settings. The dynamic range of digital images can be expanded and the range of film images can be compressed. I don’t know how to draw a conclusion other than to suggest trying this test for yourself under the conditions you normally shoot and process under.

On the left side of the ring is a Nikon FE, circa 1981, on the right side a Canon 5D, circa 2007. Each are sporting standard 50mm lenses, a Nikkor 50mm f2.0 on the Nikon and a 50mm f1.8 EF on the Canon. The Nikon is noticeably smaller and lighter, despite the entirely metal camera body.

Nikon settings: Kodak Gold 200 color neg film, straight from the corner drug store shelf. I would have liked to use ISO 100 film for maximum detail but found that it’s hardly available. Instead, let’s go with something more “real world” like the 200.

Just like digital images, film doesn’t tolerate underexposure as much as overexposure, so this was shot at ISO 160. As a matter of fact, overexposing C-41 film a little tightens the grain up a bit, just like choosing a lower ISO with a digital camera. The image was scanned with a Nikon Coolscan V ED scanner using Digital Ice to mask any dust or scratches. The cool thing is the neg required no dust spotting at all (the 5D did a little). 1/500 sec @ f8.

Canon settings: ISO 160 to equal the film camera, 1/500 sec @ f8. The Canon image came out of Adobe Camera Raw at 4,368 x 2,912 pixels at 240 ppi, so that’s what the neg was scanned to, also.

An interesting note: the viewfinder on the 5D was maybe the slightest bit brighter but it was also considerably smaller. Manual focus with the manual focus camera was easier. Autofocus was, well, not an option on the FE, of course.

The results? Well, the Nikon Coolscan scanner is SHARP and ruthless. A cheaper scanner wouldn’t have shown this grain but also wouldn’t have shown the detail. You can find the full sized images available on Flickr if you would like to check out the fine details.

Kodak Gold 200 35mm film	Canon 5D Digital

Kodak Gold 200 35mm film	Canon 5D Digital

To my eye, the film renders fine detail but in a hail storm of grain at 100%. The 5D image looks very…digital. After years of shooting push-processed Tri-X I’m perfectly happy printing images at 6″ x 9″ at 300 dpi, so the grain is not nearly as noticeable at that size.

Film has grain and I’m used to it. I like film and enjoy the experience of using my old Nikon FE. It forces me to slow down and that’s not a bad thing, sometimes. But it’s not for everyone. Hey, that’s not a bad thing, either.

Why does this interest me so much?

1. If you haven’t shot film this is an excuse to do so without breaking the bank
2. If you have shot film it’s an excuse to buy a reasonably priced new toy
3. The resulting camera reviews will be a lasting resource for all photographers

There are many other good reasons, those are the highlights. For many this is a nostalgic trip and for others it will be their first time around with film. That should make it interesting.

It just so happens I shot a roll of Fuji 400 color neg film this past weekend in my Nikon FE. I plan to follow the contest closely and right now I’m setting up my home film scanning setup. In coming weeks I’ll write about how I’m setting up the scanning operation. I also have strong feelings about shooting film (and film cameras) and running that roll through this past weekend brought it all home. Thanks to Brian for giving me an excuse to break all of this stuff back out.

Attached to this post are some initial scanned images from the recent roll. They were scanned with my Nikon Coolscan V ED on automatic, pretty much (so this is what scanned Fuji 400 Superia color neg film looks like). As mentioned in a prior post, I’m setting about documenting “my town” and will be posting those images to my Flickr account.

Why do I seem to end up in downtown alleyways photographing patterns on walls? Honestly, I don’t see decay, I see very subtle colors and perfect impressionist compositions, the very things I wish I could use a paintbrush to create. But, sadly lacking in painting skills, I’m at least able to spot patterns and colors I like and am able to capture them in a photograph. It’s not something everyone finds appealing, but to me it’s urban and impressionistic and feels like a slideshow for a classic Coltrane jazz track. The colors, tonalities, grain and mechanics of 35mm film just seem so right for this application.

That’s one of the things that makes photography so cool. It gives us all a way to express ourselves, how we feel and the things we enjoy. Whether we strive to take pretty pictures, preserve memories or express a feeling, it’s all a matter of mastering the skills necessary to tell our particular story, a never ending journey of discovery. And it never hurts to (re)discover the old tools and ways of doing things.

With talk of starting a new photo project in August (some great suggestions in Friday’s comments) I’ve been thinking about what equipment to use for the project. For myself, I’m thinking film…35mm, 120 or 4″x5″? Hmmm, is there some new (used) camera that would totally spark my imagination? Camera hunting is a great excuse to start searching eBay.

Most of my camera equipment gets used on a fairly regular basis, I’m not that much of a collector. Yes, there are some odds ‘n’ ends: the Russian Iskra, the Seagull twin-lens 120 camera, a handful of manual Pentax lenses (where did those come from?) and some plastic toy cameras that don’t receive any use. Otherwise, for my personal use, I run a pretty lean ship. But from time to time the camera bug bites, about every other year, and I end up on eBay looking for something or other.

It really is a great place to locate and view vintage camera equipment. If you want a 70’s camera body or screw mount Pentax lens then it’s a cool place to start the journey. I’ve made a few purchases from Eastern Europe that have gone well, obtaining cameras that otherwise wouldn’t be available. But, overall, my experiences have been mixed.

I’ve yet to land that magical “steal”, purchasing a perfect piece at low, low cost. Yes, I’ve found a decent deal here and there but those have been offset by a sale or two that was maybe less than ideal. Those that can claim an amazing purchase on eBay might not be mentioning a few duds along the way. It seems to be a calculated risk. I like to check the seller’s rating and send them an email about the item, seeing how attentive they are. If they respond to questions then it seems more likely they’ll be there in case of any problems. I’d also insist on a reasonable return policy.

If you do buy used vintage equipment from eBay then factor in a good cleaning for whatever you purchase, lens or camera, despite what the listing says. It seems to me like the 70’s were just yesterday and I fondly remember my first Nikon FE. If that camera and lens are still somewhere in use I’m pretty sure the foam seals have deteriorated and the lens aperture blades are oily, despite my perfect memories.

So how about newer equipment? One area where I haven’t considered buying used is when it comes to digital SLRs, even those claiming to be lightly used. With prices steadily dropping (and features climbing) on new cameras I’d personally prefer to buy new. It’s worth it to start out with a clean sensor and a warranty in my book, even if it‘s a lesser camera model. Let me know if you think otherwise.

Newer, used lenses for digital cameras could be a potentially good deal but be sure to get a return policy if you test them and something’s not quite right. I’ve heard quite a few stories of lens quality inconsistencies from the same production run.

While I‘m pretty neutral on making purchases from eBay, there is one area where I find eBay to be a great asset: selling old equipment. No matter what you have gathering dust in the basement, there’s someone, somewhere, that wants it. You’ll be able to research the going rates for such equipment by looking at other eBay listings.

One of my eBay purchases included this free boat anchor

As a matter of fact, it’s probably time I gathered up some old enlargers and lenses and listed them. While local schools declined my free offer, there have to be a few bucks in sales value through eBay. I just have to be sure to pull the collected money out of PayPal before I spend it on another used camera with leaky foam seals.

If you haven’t ever sold through eBay you might want to give it a try. Start clearing out the closet and make a few bucks toward that next photo equipment purchase. If you’re looking to buy used camera gear from a dealer I’ve had good experiences with KEH Camera Brokers in Atlanta, B & H Photo in NYC and you’ll find used gear at all 29 locations when you Shop Calumet Photographic – It’s Where the Pros Go.

Today’s video is something really different, we’ll take a break from lighting this week and get back at it next Monday. It’s fun to change things up, it keeps things interesting and it seemed like this video could fill a need.

There are a few different reasons you might want to shoot with film. Maybe you prefer the feel of a vintage, mechanical SLR (EpicEdits has a great post on film vs. digital cameras) . And if you’re going to shoot the old-fashioned way, why not give processing your own black and white film at home a try? It’s not quite a lost art yet…as a matter of fact, it may be regaining popularity. Young photographers that have only known a digital world are especially curious. I hope this video proves a helpful resource for those wanting to get started. You’ll also need a way to scan the film to get the images into your computer. Or, better yet, find a local darkroom to print them old the old-fashioned way.

For those of you (like me) that have developed thousands of rolls of black and white, maybe you’ll want to take this journey just for the memories. Too bad I can’t conjure up the smell of fixer for you through the video.

For some things it’s best to see a video demonstration, like loading a reel or agitating a tank. To really process film, though, you’ll want to have a written guide handy. For great (free) information straight from the experts, check out:

Ilford’s wonderful pdf, processing your first black and white film

Kodak’s black and white tips and techniques

***Subscribers view video here:***

Remember, the steps are:

1. Load film in darkness
2. Developer
3. Stop Bath
4. Fixer
5. Rinse with water
6. Photo-flo
7. Hang to dry

If you don’t have a local camera store that sells darkroom supplies, I was able to make a grouping of products (thanks to Amazon.com) so you can see some recommendations, including reading. Trying to show you all of those products in any other manner would have taken hours, so thanks to Amazon.

P.S. I mentioned in the video that this was episode 20. Well, though there are over 20 videos on prophotolife but there wasn’t an official video episode 19. Somehow, it got passed by. Episode 19 will now be known as “the lost episode”.

Twenty five years ago I worked in a downtown Cincinnati camera store, a great place for a young man with dreams of becoming a professional photographer. Career connections could be made (along with a modest living) and being surrounded by all the toys of the trade made it fun to go to work every day.

During the day (when not waiting on customers) I played with the new equipment and shot tests in the store. Breaking for lunch meant grabbing brochures and literature and reading about what I’d just been using. The biggest downside was that my paycheck generally went right back to the store. With great used equipment constantly passing under my nose, how could I resist? A Nikkor 55mm f1.2 or a clean Hasselblad C might be my monthly “score”.

Looking back now the fondest memories aren’t of photo equipment, it’s the many characters I met in the store. There were regulars that came in at lunch every day. It was obvious they shared my obsession but had suit-and-tie jobs that allowed them to buy better lenses than I could imagine. A procession of professional photographers all came through the store and lifelong friendships were formed.

Eventually I graduated from retail sales to photo assisting in commercial studios. One of the important assisting jobs was to rush film back and forth to the photo lab. Some days it felt like I never turned my car off, just so it would be ready for the latest processing emergency.

Photographing most jobs meant shooting a color test of E-6 transparency film in preparation. Then the film for the actual job would be shot and delivered to the lab in batches. You didn’t want to send everything through in the same film run because, in the rare event that a processor would screw up, you had to have a backup for the job. Most jobs necessitated multiple trips back and forth.

It also meant killing time at the lab front counter waiting for processing, hanging out with the lab workers and meeting and greeting fellow photographers as we all passed by: “How’s business? What’s happening? Have you tried the new Fuji film?”

The photo lab was the center of local photography, it’s how we stayed connected. Today, with digital cameras, online ordering, big box stores and inkjet printing, local camera stores and photo labs are steadily shrinking in numbers. It should be pretty obvious that I miss those days of being tightly connected on a local level.

The photo community has certainly changed but has far from suffered as a result. A much larger community is now open to everyone with a computer, regardless of location or talent level. The internet connects us all in a broad way that the local store or lab never could.

A few weeks ago I made the acquaintance of renowned photographer and educator David Ziser through his always informative blog. This was especially interesting because we both live in greater Cincinnati and are separated by only a few miles. Perhaps we’ve passed each other in a local photo lab over the years without knowing it. When we finally did meet for the first time it was through a computer keyboard.

And how many of us have an interest in black and white photography? At any hour, day or night, regardless of location, we can hop online and connect with Brian at Epic Edits to learn how he shares this particular passion. I learned he’s even begun shooting more film to help influence how he approaches digital photography. In return I can share photos with him (and you…and you…) from my current black and white photography exhibit, “Forgotten America”, regardless of where we’re located or the language we speak.

But there is parity in the universe and sometimes you have to give a little in order to get. We’ve given up a little of the local connection, handshakes and shared coffees as a result.

In honor of “back in the day” I’ve invited area Cincinnati readers to visit my studio and hang out for an hour or two one evening. If you’re in the Cincinnati / Blue Ash area and feel like dropping by the night of Tuesday, June 10, from 7-9 p.m., we’ll have the lights on for you. Just send a note through this contact form so we’ll know to expect you.

And if you’re not in the Cincinnati area but have a photo group, feel free to mention it in the comments below. You just never know how people might end up connecting.

This is one of my favorite projects, a 35mm pinhole camera made from a tin box from the crafts store (it costs around $10 to make). The video does run a little longer than usual, over 7 minutes, so if you’re in a hurry there’s also a photo gallery below. If you’re a real DIY person the photos will tell you a bunch. Rather than ramble, I’m going to let the video and photos tell this story…

Any readers shooting with a pinhole?

Subscribers view video on website.

A few notes:

• Film loading must be done in a completely dark room or a changing bag. The film must be pulled out of the cassette before loading the camera, then the film advance pulls it back into the cassette with each 1 1/2 turns of the knob.
• The tin box was approximately 3 1/2″ x 5″ x 1 1/2″ and the wooden dowel was 3/8″ diameter. The holes in the wooden spools had to be enlarged with a drill to fit the dowel. I used a #9 sewing needle to make the pinhole because it was small, it’s what I had and it just felt right.

If you want to dive deeper into the technical details of pinhole photography and sizing a pinhole for best sharpness, try this Pinhole FAQ and the Mr. Pinhole pinhole size calculator. Another good starting point is the Pinhole Resource . If you don’t want to build a camera but want to find a pinhole body cap for your brand DSLR, you can Shop Calumet Photographic – It’s Where the Pros Go
.

I still shoot film on occasion for personal work but it’s all digital in the studio now. We were cleaning out some cabinets just the other day and reminiscing about the old equipment we found. It reminded me of some favorite things about shooting film…

1. Manual film advance – We have to go back a ways here, before every camera had a motor drive. This really separated the good cameras from the bad. A top of the line Nikon had a silky smooth film advance and the gears inside purred with each stroke of the thumb. This was when a camera’s ‘frames per second’ was determined by how fast your shutter finger and thumb could move. The downside? After 36 shots the darn thing stopped advancing.

2. The trusty hand-held light meter – Close personal relationships were developed with light meters: you had to understand their idiosyncrasies and put your trust in them. Especially for professionals shooting transparency (slide) film or black and white practitioners of the zone system.

3. Colored filters for black and white photography – Yellow, orange, red, blue and green filters, these all controlled the contrast of black and white film captures. Yes, contrast could be controlled in printing but, wow, did blue skies and puffy clouds absolutely sing with a (contrasty) red filter. Professionals and advanced amateurs all carried around a selection of various glass filters and a Kodak Professional Photo Guide, like the one pictured here.

4. Cable release – At any given time I might have three or four cable releases…but one would always be a favorite. The one that pushed down smoothly, not too springy and not too sticky, the one with the ‘just right’ feel. The one with the easy locking screw on the base that wasn’t too small and wasn’t too big. This might sound silly but if you know what I mean, you know what I mean.

5. Film – Last but not least, the thing I miss most about film is: the smell of a fresh roll. Like bread out of the oven, full of possibilities. Yes, I’m serious here. We all know film photography had more mechanical and tactile qualities than digital photography but maybe you never thought about the smells, too.

Were you (are you) a film shooter? What qualities do you like most about film? Let me know with a comment below…

—–