Greetings from a film convert!

[Trevor Whitaker]

I was a film photographer (35mm) for a number of years before making the switch to digital. A few months ago I started a project to sort through old negatives and scan old images. In the process of looking at negatives I found myself more and more in love with the look and feel of the images on film. I tried experimenting with digital images and recreating the look of grain from films I had loved but it never was the same for me.

By this time I had cut back to a single film body - a Nikon F4s that was suffering from a failing shutter so I started researching for a replacement. I've always been a fan of medium format (6x6 specifically) so I looked at a number of options and finally settled on getting myself a Bronica SQ. Through some diligent web searching and eBay auction watching over a few months I've managed to put together a great kit consisting of a mint SQ-Ai body, 80mm f/2.8 PS lens, waist level and prism (non-metered) finders, several mint/new 120 backs, a Polaroid back new in box, speed winder and even a bellows-type lens shade all for under $1000.

So far I've been testing with a number of different films finding ones I like (so far I think Ilford HP5 tops my list, but I'm always looking for recommendations) and having them processed by a local lab. Next up is starting to develop myself, but it's been a number of years since I've worked in a darkroom so I'm taking it one step at a time for now.

Anyway, I was very happy to come across APUG and have been lurking for a bit so I figured I should get out and start contributing to this great community.

 

[Jeff Kubach]

Hello and a warm welcome to APUG!

Jeff

 

[Molli]

Hiya, Uriel! Welcome to APUG from Australia

 

[Sirius Glass]

Welcome to APUG

 

[JohnMeadows]

Welcome home!

My favourite film right now for medium format (mainly Mamiya M645's) is Fomapan 100, developed in either xTol or Rodinal. A holiday bonus, when I pour out the developer, the dissolved anti-halation layer turns the solution a cheerful Christmas green

 

[Chazzy]

Welcome to APUG, Uriel. Like you, I really like HP5+.

 

[mooseontheloose]

Uriel, welcome to APUG! You are now shooting with my exact set-up (SQAi, H5P5+, etc) -- I'm sure you'll love the combination.

 

[Poisson Du Jour]

Another welcome from Australia. San Diego is where my much-loved Pentax 67 came from.
Your Bronica SQ kit, all of it minty, would be a dream catch. It's pretty darn difficult to assess stuff on FleaBay without imparting a great deal of cautionary risk and hope for the best!

 

[papagene]

Uriel - hello and welcome to APUG from western Massachusetts.

 

[Dshambli]

Welcome. I also use a Bronica SQ with HP5. I also really like the Delta 100, if you ever get a chance to try that.

 

[lancekingphoto]

Welcome! I bought my Bronica SQ this past summer (my first MF aside from a Holga), and I absolutely love the images I shoot with it. I've tried a number of interesting films, but I think my favorite is Tri-X.

 

[stavrosk]

Fortunately or unfortunately the perfect kit is not enough for film. Great development is also key for a great photo.
I am looking for a great lab to use in Greece because I am not sure that sending my film to another country for developing and scan is economically viable for me. And I do not want to scan it myself.

 

[Trevor Whitaker]

Thank you for the warm welcome everyone!

Dshambli: I was at the Freestyle store in L.A. this past weekend and almost bought a couple rolls of the Delta to try out I guess I'll have to get a few in my next order and give them a try.

stavrosk: Yes, processing is definitely important. Thankfully I have a few lab options to choose from locally that do good work and I'm going to start doing some of my own developing. I've done it before (35mm) but it's been at least a decade so I'll need some time to get back up to speed.