Film slr's

[Analog6]

I have kept my T90 but only for long astronomical work, I'm talking 45mins+. I don't use it often, but it's worth so little now there is no point selling it, so it lives in its case in the corner.

Digital wins every time, and the savings on film development costs have let me buy lots of extrra goodies I could never afford. I would not go back to film for quids.

[pirate59]

I still use film. And i enjoy it!

I agree with the arguments about digi being easier and more convenient.

I mostly only use my film back for B&W and staged shots (usually colour 100ISO situations).

I took both bodies to the Sydney Light Walk and comparatively the film edged out it the end. Well in my opinion.

To me when i use film, its be cause i feel a bit more creative juices flowing then.

In the end i have fun shooting in film. BUT i also enjoy shooting digital as well. Both have a different feel for me in the end...

[MTV]

Man, that was an unexpected slag-fest...

As for film, I love it.

Have to agree that it isn't for convenience sake, although I do LOVE how light they are. And cheap too! I own a Nikon F75 and just stick my 50 prime on it and it is so light that even with the glass on it weighs less than 50g more than the body of my D40x with no lens, which is not exactly a heavy bit of kit. You can pick up a used F70, which sits towards the bottom end of the 'newer' FSLRs for less than $50. Sometimes they include a lens for that price!

I also love the quality of film. Granted, if you are shooting with a top of the range DSLR you are unlikely to notice the difference. But once again, you are talking about a heavy and VERY expensive piece of kit, without even taking glass into account.

Don't get me wrong, if I could only have one or the other I wouldn't even hesitate to go digital. But given that entering the film market nowadays is so cheap and easy (although those F6's are still pricey) I would recommend getting a FSLR, or if you have one like the OP at your disposal, if only to learn a bit more about photography.

There is just something so fun about film.

[smallfooties]

I've been shooting film for quite some time now - i use the holga and my fisheye 2. And just a few days ago i bought a film slr and have started to use that too. My 400D is collecting dust at the moment because i am having so much fun with film - i like being surprised even though they have been lousy results. But that is ok because i am starting to learn about exposure etc.
Use your dad's film slr and have lots of fun with it. If you want to get one for yourself, they come really cheap now i think.

[jim]

Just to back up a bit here is one way that film is generally more convenient than digital photography.

Digital: my camera lasts about one day of shooting before I need to recharge the battery (less if using the built-in flash, or leaving it connected to the computer).

Film: I can generally get a year's shooting on one set of batteries. Maybe a bit more or a bit less, who cares?

[Krzys]

I practice film photography for fun not convenience. If convenience is needed then you are kidding yourself and at a steep disadvantage shooting film...but so what? I like a challenge.

[heartyfisher]

Hello Chad,

There are a number of advantages of using film instead of digital.

You need to think a few more steps before you snap.
I double check and triple check the composition.
Make sure you have the exposture correct..
make sure the DOF is correct.. You do this by pressing the DOF button.
Lens choice.

All in all it can take some 10mins or more just to take one shot. Slows down the whole
process. and makes it more of a craft. You get to think and feel the creation
of the image.

Once you have your crafted image. Its all done .. no more PP.
Just Print directly from the negative. You can print much bigger from film
than you can print from any DSLR. Scanning neg to digital and then printing
from the scan just looses details.

Biggest advantage of Film is the High DR and lots of highlight and shadow detail.. Sunsets are great! because the bright sun does not Bleed light into the other pixels the sun actually looks small and well defined and not a big blob. Night shots are good too with the point lights being points.. and no digital bleed at all! You will find that many of the best landscape photographers still use film.

Now for sports DSLR just is much more convenient.. However shooting with Film has its place still.

Oh and the battery of my film camera has not been changed for 7 years...