Could this be my new home??

​Apologies, I originally wrote this in the OM group section as I couldn't for the life of me navigate my way around




Hi everyone


i only joined about 15minutes ago, that was about 5min after stumbling upon this site - never knew it existed prior to that. What brought me here, well here goes....


i haven't done any form of photography since 1997/8 unless you're counting snaps with a digital compact,, maybe I should have kept that bit quiet!!


1997/8 saw me finishing my HND in Design & Photography, prior to which I'd just completed the City&Guilds 7470 professional photography course that led on from completing both A level and O level in photography. With the exception of the HND (Dewsbury college) all other qualifications were gained at Stradbroke college Sheffield - for those unaware that's where Jeremy Clarkson completed his journalism course.


Apologies if I'm warbling.


What brought me here was my disillusion with today's photography. Most of my gear has long since gone, what remains is all 35mm plus a TLR and a couple of digital compacts. My partner said maybe I should sell all my gear as " you never use it now" and so checking ebay completed listings I was truly dismayed at their current values.


My EOS30 is worth penny's the several flash guns are worth even less - yet the 21mm & 40mm zuiko's are worth a fortune!! What the hell.....


i know my gear inside out, I know what aperture values are, what exposure compensation means and I even understand the scheimpflug principle!! What I don't understand are Raw files, unsharp mask, layers etc etc.
I'm pretty certain I can achieve whatever I want to achieve with the basic (worthless!!) kit I have.


What I need is to be amongst my own kind, photographers who actually want to get the picture right when the button gets pressed and not slave away at a desktop for hours trying to make an image work.


So, my question is...
Am I in the right place??

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Welcome Home Tosh !

~ Ron
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Ooohhhh, you are going to have fun!! Welcome back to the darkside!

Tosh,

Welcome.

You are in the right place.

Tosh said:

​Apologies, I originally wrote this in the OM group section as I couldn't for the life of me navigate my way around

So, my question is...
Am I in the right place??

Click to expand...

If you answer one simple question with a yes, then you are in the right place........Are you nuts (about film of course). Then welcome to the asylum.

Tosh said:

​
So, my question is...
Am I in the right place??

Click to expand...

Aye, you are that!

Hello Tosh and welcome to a good place.

Welcome!

Hi everyone
Thanks for the warm welcome.

.....and yes, I'm still in love celluloid!!
Back in the 90's I was absolutely driven by photography. From the moment I woke up until I went to sleep my mind would continually race trying to figure new ideas or solving existing ideas...boy I loved it.

Then digital came along...all those years studying, practising went out the window. I think digital is amazing and do use it still (compacts). But I really miss film. Towards the end of my HND course, I woke up one morning and everything just "clicked" it all made perfect sense. Fill in flash ratio, exposure compensation, balancing the image... All of it came together. I freely admit that I've forgotten loads, but I'm sure it's buried somewhere deep in my head.

I've had a quick look round the site and it's plain to see that film is far from dead - contrary to what we are led to believe, which is I guess the marketing machine by the camera manufacturers.

Would anyone care to recommend a good film/slide for me to whet my appetite once more....and more importantly where to get the processing done here in the UK, because from what I've read that's the real archiles heel so to speak.

I think I'm gonna luv it here!!

Welcome to APUG, Tosh. You're definitely in the right place.

Tosh said:

Would anyone care to recommend a good film/slide for me to whet my appetite once more....and more importantly where to get the processing done here in the UK, because from what I've read that's the real archiles heel so to speak.

Click to expand...

Ilford FP4+ is a pretty dependable film that you can process at home. If you want colour, Fuji or Kodak - Equally as good, and Peak Imaging in Sheffield can do the processing if you don't want to get your hands dirty.

Oh, and Ilford run their own process and print service (http://www.ilfordlab.com/)...

paul_c5x4 said:

Ilford FP4+ is a pretty dependable film that you can process at home. If you want colour, Fuji or Kodak - Equally as good, and Peak Imaging in Sheffield can do the processing if you don't want to get your hands dirty.

Oh, and Ilford run their own process and print service (http://www.ilfordlab.com/)...

Click to expand...

What's it like?? I'm not a fan of flat blacks - pure whites and deep blacks with plenty of tonal range between - if you please!

Has anyone used their service?

Welcome.
You must try Kodak Portra. It really is an amazing, current color print film especially in 120. Its old news to most of us but for someone returning to film after a long hiatus, never having seen it I think you will be pleased.

Velvia 50 slide film is currently available and is well loved.

I will let others share black and white favourites.

Hello Tosh and a warm welcome to APUG!

Jeff

Welcome to APUG

Color slide: Velvia 50, Provia 100F.
Color negative: Portra 400, Ektar 100, Kodak 400.
B&W: HP5+, Rollei IR400s.

Next year I plan to try some of the new Ferrania 100 E-6 film, once they've made a batch for sale. Welcome to the asylum known as film photography, and to APUG.

Yes. This is the place you were looking for.


Steve.

Hello, we ARE the droids you're looking for-welcome to APUGland! I'm a big fan of XP2 for b+w....lovely tones and C41 so you can get it done by any decent lab. HP5 + is a close second for me [I'm still mourning Verichrome Pan and all 3 Agfapans].