Help! I need as many answers as I can get to a few questions for a college project!

Do you still use...

Do you still use film? You can bet that I will be using film for a long time yet. I am currently using almost 95% black and white and the rest is color reversal.

Do you develop your own? I develop all of my black and white. Twelve months ago I was using between 5 and ten rolls of Kodachrome a month which was processed by Dwayne's. I send out my slide film at this time as the volume is quite low.

What are the advantages of digital and film? The main two advantages of digital are 1) instant gratification or the lack thereof and 2) ability to easily transmit images electronically. The advantage of analog is that it is a very mature medium and I like the look of a silver gelatine print.

Can you, do you use both. I use only analog except if I post an image on-line and then it is a scan of analog.

Do you use Film then scan negs before printing? No.

Do you think that film offers more chance of producing art by mistake / happy accident? First, I am not an artist. I am willing to call a screw-up a screw-up. Best results come from a tight process and proper technique.

Have you any other thoughts...? That's a loaded question designed to provoke an analog vs. digital discussion. As a current count, there have been 1,124,254 posts on this site. Feel free to browse around.

still use film? Yes
develop myself? BW- yes, color- no
advantage/disadvantage? digi- speed film- permanence (we have family photo from the early 1900's displayed and still looking great)
use both? film for my work, digi for snapshots and internet postings
scan negs? no
art by mistake? no
different/worse,etc,? apples and oranges

Welcome to the site, good luck with your project

Mike

My answers in bold:

willy13664 said:

Do you still [sic] use Film? Yes
Do you Develope [sic] your own? Yes
What are the advantages/disadvantages of Digital and Film? I don't know or care
Do you use Film then scan the negs before printing? No

Do you think that film offers more chance of producing art by mistake / happy accident? I don't know

Have you any other thoughts as to why film feels different/worse/better/more precise / clumsier? No

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Do you still use Film?

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Film is not central to photography, light sensitive materials are. I use gelatin-silver paper for photographs either directly from the camera, via a paper negative intermediary, or a film negative intermediary.

Do you Develope your own?

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Development of the latent image is a creative part of the photograph-making process. If I didn't do the development the results would not be fully my "own".

What are the advantages/disadvantages of Digital and Film?

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Photographic processes (including film) use physical samples of subject matter to chemically alter sensitive surfaces and make pictures. Everything is real; nothing is virtual. Digital picture-making fashions only appearances. People wishing to encounter pictures which offer a dimension beyond appearance may find images touched by digital technology not worth looking at. A glib quote for you: If photography is pizza then digital is ordering pizza by telephone and having it delivered by television!

Can you, do you use both?

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Only photography. Digital is of no interest whatsoever.

Do you use Film then scan the negs before printing?

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I neither scan nor print to make photographs. I expose, develop, fix, wash , etc light sensitive materials to make pictures. The pictures proceed through the full cycle one at a time, in full, start to finish, by my own hand.

Do you think that film offers more chance of producing art by mistake / happy accident?

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I would not grant the premise that art emerges from mistake or accident. Presenting bloopers as art is too easily an exercise in self-indulgence, posturing, or pretention.

Have you any other thoughts as to why film feels different/worse/better/more precise / clumsier?

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Making pictures by photography is a uniquely singular process. Photographs incorporate a special relationship to subject matter and therefore offer a special relationship to the alert viewer. Everything else is traditional picture-making, either by hand, or mechanised in the case of digital.

Do you still use Film?

Yes

Do you Develope your own?

Yes

What are the advantages/disadvantages of Digital and Film?

It's all about the image : both methods have strengths and weaknesses - neither is more "valid". Digital offers the advantage of getting the image out quickly, and ease of adjustment. "Film" has the advantage of greater dynamic range and perhaps "artistic control". Both workflows can produce junk or masterpieces.

Can you, do you use both?

I use both.

Do you use Film then scan the negs before printing?

I sometimes scan film negs to produce enlarged negs for contact processes.

Do you think that film offers more chance of producing art by mistake / happy accident?

No.

Have you any other thoughts as to why film feels different/worse/better/more precise / clumsier?

"Film" (silver halide in this context) has me involved in every step of the process, particularly in the case my own emulsion coatings (sometimes on hand-made paper) - I truly own the result. The ease of digital post-processing got me in the habit of being lazy/sloppy, film keeps me honest and aware

willy13664 said:

Do you still use Film?
Oh sure I am an APUGER
Do you Develope your own?
Since I only use color print film I don't do C41 processing but I do make my own prints using darkroom and RA-4 process
What are the advantages/disadvantages of Digital and Film?
For me using film I don't have to buy new camera. I already have good film camera. There is no digital projector that can project an image of equal quality as a 35mm slide (digital projector currently limited to about 2MP). For small side print like 4x6 and 5x7 there is no digital printer can deliver as high resolution (dpi) as printing optically from a negative.
On the digital side there are many advantages. Instant result which is the greatest advantage in my opinion (I learned to do my own darkroom work because I couldn't wait to have my film developed). For low light digital is great as there are cameras that can deliver good result with ISO as high as 6400. It's easier to to have full control of the process with digital because with film you lose a lot of controls if you don't do the processing yourself. You're not limited to 36 frames before reload (there are ways to get more than 36 frames before reload with film but those method are cumbersome). Digital is much easier for archival purposes because I can keep a digital files definitely. With film as careful as I tried my film do get dirty.
Can you, do you use both?
I do use both but my digital camera is an el cheapo so I do not have serious digital camera so for more serious shooting I currently must use film.
Do you use Film then scan the negs before printing?
I scan all my films but not for the purpose of printing. I make prints optically and in my darkroom. I scan my film to see what I have on those negatives.

Do you think that film offers more chance of producing art by mistake / happy accident?
No and I actually hate happy accident. I don't want result good or bad that was not my intention. I am happy if the result turned out exactly as I thought it would.

Have you any other thoughts as to why film feels different/worse/better/more precise / clumsier?
No.

Many Thanks in advance, you will be doing me a huge favour, I have some answers but the more the better.

Also feel free to add any questions I should be asking..........

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Why do you ask?

I see that your post starting this thread is still your only post on APUG, but I'll bite anyway.

Do you still use Film? Yes

Do you Develope your own? B&W, yes. Color, no.

What are the advantages/disadvantages of Digital and Film? For me, film is more fun. I feel like I can say, "I did this." Digital is fast, but seems disposable to me. It does work well for my fast moving toddler, though. In reality, I've gotten my film shots developed sooner than I've gotten around to downloading the digital ones from the camera. Main advantage of digital for me - I can download them while my toddler is climbing on me. It's tough to do darkroom stuff while he's even in the house. I can produce a B&W print of which I'm proud much more easily in the darkroom than on the computer.

Can you, do you use both? yes

Do you use Film then scan the negs before printing? nope - got a darkroom and know how to use it

Do you think that film offers more chance of producing art by mistake / happy accident? not really. Larger film does make me slow down and think more about how to do it right. I have plenty of mistakes in both, but I don't usually call those art.

Have you any other thoughts as to why film feels different/worse/better/more precise / clumsier? I've been using it long enough that I know what I'll get. I know that with digital, too, but I like my time in the darkroom. Film is tangible.

I use film and I will continue to use film as long as there is film to use. Even then, I am considering the option of making my own films or photosensitive materials.

I own more than 100 cameras, from Baby Brownies all the way up to Graflex Super-D.
Two or three 35mm cameras for daily use and several collectibles. I have a Rolleiflex, a Yashica and a few other TLR type cameras. Again, a few for daily use and the others are collectible.

I own exactly one digital camera. A pocket-sized Canon Digital Elph. 2.1 MP Point-and-Shoot. Bought it in 2000. Still use it today. Still works almost as well as brand new.
I use it for snapshots, for posting photos via the internet and e-mail and I sometimes use it as a preview camera. (Like the way pros used to shoot Polaroids to preview their shots before burning a roll of film.)
I'm sure that I'll get another digital camera, some day but I'm not in a hurry. I like digital but I like film better.

I develop my own B/W film and print my own B/W prints. I shoot 90% B/W. Although I am capable of developing color, I prefer to send it out.
I would need to buy color chems, paper and supplies. I would need to get a set of good color filters for my enlarger or else buy a color head for it. This is money I prefer not to spend. I like black and white just fine, thank you.

There are times when color film is called for. Shooting pictures at sunset or of leaves in the fall probably wouldn't be the same without color film. Still, I just LIKE black and white. It teaches me to SEE.
When I don't have color to use as a crutch, I have to look at details in order to make a good photo.
I have to look at the dark and the light and the relationship between them in order to capture the texture and shape of my image. It forces me to deconstruct the picture before I even raise the camera to get the shot.
Then, when I shoot color, I feel like the world has opened up to a new way of seeing things.

Shooting black and white film teaches you to become a better photographer.
Even if you plan to shoot digital for the rest of your life, I still suggest you get a manual film camera and shoot with it for at least a year. Don't touch your digital unless you really need it. At the end of that year, I think you'll find that your photography skills have improved exponentially.

Let me close with this:
You could go to the store, buy a frozen dinner, pop it in the microwave and have your meal in 2:30 but wouldn't you really like a nice home cooked meal? You get to pick the ingredients. You get to choose the spices. You get to choose how much meat or veggies go into the soup. You get to make the meal the way YOU want it, from scratch? Your friends and family benefit in many ways from the meal that you cooked in your own kitchen with your own two hands.

Say the same thing about photography. You could use a digicam and snap off a hundred pictures in 2:30 but wouldn't you really like to make a nice photo the way YOU want it, from scratch? You get to pick the materials, the process and produce the final product. Your friends, your family and your audience benefit from the work you produced with your own two hands.

Photography is NOT about the camera. It's NOT about the film. It's NOT about the computer or the hard drive or the inkjet printer.
I dare say it's really not even about the image, itself. The essential thing about photography is that somebody put his hand to the task of creating something for the benefit of another.

Photography is about CRAFTSMANSHIP!

Until you have had film and photographic paper in your hand and used them to produce a finished product, I don't think you have experienced the essence of what it means to be a craftsman.

Chan Tran said:

Why do you ask?

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Seconded. Answers abound. Curious for the purpose of their need. Do you shoot film? Do you process your own? Are these answers to aid in a decision you will be making? For an assignment of some sort?

Again, just curious.

On the off-chance you are studying social research methods, this question is poorly worded:

willy13664 said:

Do you still use Film?

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Putting 'still' into the question loads it negatively and makes it seem that it's some sort of effort to shoot film or somehow arcane and unprecedented. It's rather like meeting an old school friend ten years on and finding out he's into cycling like he was at school: do you still do that? This type of negative questioning gets people's backs up and makes them defensive. Why shouldn't I do that? What's the other option? Etching?

willy13664 said:

Do you still use Film?
Do you Develope your own?
What are the advantages/disadvantages of Digital and Film?
Can you, do you use both?
Do you use Film then scan the negs before printing?

Do you think that film offers more chance of producing art by mistake / happy accident?

Have you any other thoughts as to why film feels different/worse/better/more precise / clumsier?

Many Thanks in advance, you will be doing me a huge favour, I have some answers but the more the better.

Also feel free to add any questions I should be asking..........

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Do you still beat your wife ?

I use both.

Do you still use Film? YES, 35mm only.

Do you Develope your own? No.

What are the advantages/disadvantages of Digital and Film?
Advantage Digital: photo to review time, learning curve, cost of processing
Advantage Film: anticipation of results, thoroughness of thought into the process, cost of equipment

Can you, do you use both? YES, mostly digital for anything moving.

Do you use Film then scan the negs before printing? No. Lab developed to CD, I review and get lab prints of what I like/want/need.

Do you think that film offers more chance of producing art by mistake / happy accident? Yes, but only because most people look at digital and immediately dispose of things that are not as intended. I am also guilty.

Have you any other thoughts as to why film feels different/worse/better/more precise / clumsier? I prefer film when shooting stationary/landscape type shots because I started with film. Shooting children's play with film would be folly. Digital is just plain faster.

Many Thanks in advance, you will be doing me a huge favour, I have some answers but the more the better.

Also feel free to add any questions I should be asking.......... No, but here is a question for you. Could you let us know how you used this information and the results you distilled from it, please?

Do you still use Film? Yes for my personal work.
Do you Develope your own? YES!
What are the advantages/disadvantages of Digital and Film? QUALITY B+W image sort of a real insturment vs digital insturmemt feel as it pertains to music... digital pianos sound just fine... except when listening to the finest music in the finest surroundings.
Can you, do you use both? Yes I do... film is no longer profitable, and everything I do for pay ends up in digital form anyway.
Do you use Film then scan the negs before printing? No... no dual path for me yet.

Do you think that film offers more chance of producing art by mistake / happy accident? If you are sloppy yes...

I was writting an eassy on this very thing in me head in Church today... more to come from me... I am drafting an editorial on the subject.

Do you still use Film? Yes.

Do you Develop your own? Yes, I process all my own black and white, and sometimes my own color.

What are the advantages/disadvantages of Digital and Film? Digital gives you more rapid turnaround and the ability to preview shots at minimal expense. Film is much more permanent and can always be scanned if a digital file is needed.

Can you, do you use both? Yes, I use both. Digital is mainly for snapshots; for a long time I used a DSLR for product shots. At the moment I rely on my phone's built-in digital camera (HTC EVO 4g) and do not own or use a DSLR.

Do you use Film then scan the negs before printing? Only if I need an electronic copy for some reason like posting online or emailing. Although I have put a lot of time and effort into learning to make good "monochrome" inkjet prints, I really prefer optical prints to all other methods.

Do you think that film offers more chance of producing art by mistake / happy accident? No. Digital and film both require the photographer to understand the process to get the desired results. Digital, however, never has that great feeling of KNOWING you got the shot, since you can just check the preview and delete, reshoot.

Have you any other thoughts as to why film feels different/worse/better/more precise / clumsier? Film requires more methodical work to produce good results. That doesn't mean that someone can't work slowly and methodically with a digital camera (I certainly did when I was doing product work), but it is much easier to just hold down the button at 8 frames per second and be forced to edit through a thousand pictures. Film won't let you do that and this is a big part of my preference for film. You might sum it up with the phrase "quality over quantity."

The subject line of this thread says this is for a college project.

I wonder if OP ever came back to read the result. His post count is still ONE.

Thank you all very much, I gave up beating my wife about three seconds after I managed to open my eyes and catch my breath, I was still doubled up for an hour though.

I asked - still, because I wanted all those with an opinion to be people that grew up with film rather than discovered it after digital.

I gave up developing about 30 yrs ago, and only took it up again when i started on this degree course.

It is so much more satisfying than Digital, which incidentally I have been using of a sort since 1983 ( I work in TV ) Ampex invented the digital timebase corrector in 1975 for video, so the idea of a stills digital stills camera was a long time coming. three CCD cameras for video were around in broadcasting a long time. Their resolution was however limited to 711 x 625 lines and that was 312.5 interlaced at 50Hz. (NTSC was 525)

The move to single tube CCD heralded in the Digital stills camera with the Sony M3. Before that registering three CCD's and needing a Dichromatic block to split the light made them too insensitive to light and they would have needed new Lenses a more parallel light source to the CCD than 35mm film and the allaying would have been terrible.

Thank you all again

Andrew

Thanks again, I waited until you had all replied, so as not to contaminate any answers Thank you all again read reply 41

Andrew

I left it until the week before the assignment is due. I will come back and give you a rundown of how the results collated

perkeleellinen said:

On the off-chance you are studying social research methods, this question is poorly worded:



Putting 'still' into the question loads it negatively and makes it seem that it's some sort of effort to shoot film or somehow arcane and unprecedented. It's rather like meeting an old school friend ten years on and finding out he's into cycling like he was at school: do you still do that? This type of negative questioning gets people's backs up and makes them defensive. Why shouldn't I do that? What's the other option? Etching?

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It wasn't my intention to get your backs up, I originally sent the questions to people I knew did use film, and I know have switched to digital, because I wanted to ask everyone the same question, and I had had two replies (neither does by the way) I kept it fair.....sorry for any offence given
And thank you for your help,

Andrew

I went to a lecture by Alun John former picture editor at the Independent in London, and he pointed out that the means to him was irrelevant, and Paul Trevor a street photographer who used an M3 and M2 with 35mm and 50mm f2 lenses with TriX 400ASA in 1975 to photograph the pictures recently displayed in the Walker Gallery in Liverpool, said the same, he isn't a purist and to him the equipment is purely a tool........ They both now shoot Digital, on compacts!..........

Not my idea of fun!

Do you still use Film?
• I have been using it, in the absence of anything else, since it was hip. A long, long, time.
Do you Develop your own?
• Not now, but I did in the 1990s
What are the advantages/disadvantages of Digital and Film?
• Film: permanence of image; colour spectrum and surety of storage
• Digital: immediacy, simple mass-redistribution, correction, fits the task for web-based sharing, ideal for representative images to give to clients of work produced for their consideration
Can you, do you use both?
• Yes, but only film is used for fine art print production. Digital is for FleaBay, snaps and the like
Do you use Film then scan the negs before printing?
• Yes. Images scanned for print production on an Epson V700
Do you think that film offers more chance of producing art by mistake / happy accident?
• That depends on how refined one's skills are. I usually have a set plan that I carry through, but sometimes it doesn't always work, and the results may occasionally be better than originally anticipated, but not often!
Have you any other thoughts as to why film feels different/worse/better/more precise / clumsier?
• Film is not clumsier! It is certainly not worse than digital. The image formation is much more precise and the end product proven archival– many more times so than a mathematical algorithm that must be repeatedly copied to new media to ensure its survival.

Closed by request of the original poster.