how do people react when you tell them you shoot film?

mehguy · Feb 12, 2016

KidA said:
Downtown Camera is great! Do you know of Film Plus towards the West end of the city?? Different kind of store (more towards rental), but they have competitive prices and some interesting stuff for sale. I'll warn you, the staff is definitely not as cheery as the predominantly Asian people working at Downtown Camera!

really? I never heard about that place before. I'll definitely check it out!

Ferdi · Apr 6, 2018

I allowed two kids to look through the finder of my Rolleiflex TLR. The 'expert' six year old told his 'dummy' 5 year old brother: "It looks old but it has a big display, so it's digital".

mmerig · Apr 6, 2018

While walking along a trail in Death Valley NP last week, with a Nikon F3 slung lazily over my back, a fellow with the newest Nikon DSLR camera (as he pointed out) asked me "is that an old Nikon film camera?", plus some other related questions. He said that he had not used film since 2007, and went over the usual advantages of digital cameras, which I agreed with. But I told him a main reason for my not using a digital camera was the cost -- I just don't take that many pictures to make it worthwhile, plus I prefer film anyway, for the usual reasons besides economy. That day, I finished up a roll of 36-shot slide film that was in the camera since the end of September. I also took 16 b & w shots with my 6 x 9 folder during the week-long vacation. It was a very nice conversation, by the way. The F3 is the newest, fanciest camera I own, and maybe it's good I was carrying it instead of the folder.

Craig · Apr 7, 2018

I was out with my 4x5 in the Rockies and a car with Japanese tourists stopped at the same viewpoint I was at and all wanted photos taken with me and each other and the 4x5. They didn't speak any English and I didn't speak any Japanese, but I could tell they liked the camera. One had the very latest Nikon D something SLR, so was obviously into photography.

David Lingham · Apr 7, 2018

Whilst I was down at a beach recently with a F2A, I had a conversation with a young chap who showed interest in the "cool retro camera" I was using . Then he stood right in front of my tripod and took several pictures with his iphone.

kb3lms · Apr 7, 2018

I think a lot of people today that aren't familiar with film take "film" to mean "Polaroid" ans see lots of imperfections with that format. Many people 40 and younger may not have used a "real" film camera with a high quality film.

locutus · Apr 7, 2018

I think the weirdest case with this i've ever head was a guy walking up and telling me, 'theres no reason to use that anymore, digital is really good nowadays'.

....While i was setting up a 8x10" field camera.....

jssaraiva · Apr 7, 2018

The last time someone approached me while I was shooting, was a 11 or 12 year old in the street, asking me if I was a photographer. I told him this was an hobby. He commented that he'd like to be a photographer and so on. This eventually lead to a situation where I'm not sure who was more surprised afterwards: if the kid when he saw I was using a (borrowed) Leica or if myself and the kid recognized it as a film Leica.

E. von Hoegh · Apr 7, 2018

I don't "shoot" film, I shoot firearms. I use film, I expose film, I develop film, and I suppose I could make a rifle target out of film in which case I really would be shooting film, but shooting is not done with a camera. Or film.

mshchem · Apr 7, 2018

People ask me "Do you have a blackroom?"

Truzi · Apr 7, 2018

There were always people on both sides when they saw me using film, but most were diehard digital users trying to tell me something was wrong with me for using it - as if they needed me to switch in order to justify their own choices. It never bothered me that someone used digital. What bothered me was when someone tried to turn the two choices into a pissing contest, quoting marketing material, and demonstrating no true understanding of the digital tech (which, being in IT, I understand quite well).

It has been very interesting over the past 5 years - I get much less of the above, and more people who think it is okay, or even cool, that I still use film. More people accept my choice and want to talk photography in general, regardless of what they use.

This is very understandable. The pixel wars are all but over, the push to convert people to digital cameras has diminished, and people who use digital cameras are getting flack about not using a cell phone in the same way I got flack for not using digital.

faberryman · Apr 7, 2018

Who tells people they shoot film? Why? Not something I volunteer unless asked.

Theo Sulphate · Apr 7, 2018

faberryman said:
Who tells people they shoot film? Why? Not something I volunteer unless asked.

Film camera users usually don't explicitly tell others. Rather, other people either ecognise a camera as being a film camera or notice that it's not the usual black plastic blob with a rear screen.

As I noted in an earlier posting in this thread, one group of young men couldn't figure out what my F4s was. It had the contours and size of a digital camera, yet there were all those exotic controls on it...

narsuitus · Apr 7, 2018

I once took an Argus C3 35mm film rangefinder to shoot an antique auto show. Many of the car owners expressed approval for my camera choice.

My Oldest Big Three by Narsuitus, on Flickr

GRHazelton · Apr 7, 2018

A while ago while I was enjoying an exhibition of Walker Evans' work at the High Museum in Atlanta someone saw my Nikon S2 and asked me if it was one of those mirror-less cameras. When I replied "No, its a Nikon rangefinder film camera" he walked away. More fool he to snub an iconic camera.

cliveh · Apr 7, 2018

locutus said:
I think the weirdest case with this i've ever head was a guy walking up and telling me, 'theres no reason to use that anymore, digital is really good nowadays'.

....While i was setting up a 8x10" field camera.....

But it won't be long before his phone will record more detail than your 8" X 10" field camera.

E. von Hoegh · Apr 7, 2018

cliveh said:
But it won't be long before his phone will record more detail than your 8" X 10" field camera.

Yes it will (be long. Very very long, if ever).

locutus · Apr 7, 2018

Even if a digital camera would shoot the same amount of information (and a 100Megapixel medium format is probably in practical terms and for most print sizes already getting close...)...

It must be obvious that if you haul around a huge wood and leather camera that you probably are dedicated to it. >50% of the enjoyment of shooting large format is to me the workflow...

Oh well...

oreston · Apr 7, 2018

cliveh said:
But it won't be long before his phone will record more detail than your 8" X 10" field camera.

A phone sized sensor, regardless of its pixel count, isn't going to be able to capture that much information any time soon. Then there's the tiny lens and the lack of camera movements to consider.

mshchem · Apr 7, 2018

oreston said:
A phone sized sensor, regardless of its pixel count, isn't going to be able to capture that much information any time soon. Then there's the tiny lens and the lack of camera movements to consider.

Exactly, when someone comes up with a 8x10 sensor that will fit into a film holder, and a digital "negative " that will fit into my enlarger. Same dynamic range ,same everything, I will quit film. They ain't even close! And they won’t for a long time.
Marvelous thing digital . Equally marvelous is film.

E. von Hoegh · Apr 7, 2018

mshchem said:
Exactly, when someone comes up with a 8x10 sensor that will fit into a film holder, and a digital "negative " that will fit into my enlarger. Same dynamic range ,same everything, I will quit film. They ain't even close! And they won’t for a long time.
Marvelous thing digital . Equally marvelous is film.

When there is a handmade of pattern gade mahogany digital camera, capable of reproducing the tonality of Panatomic 4x5,
that will be useable when it is four decades of age; I will give every single piece of film equipment that I own a Viking chieftan's funeral.

Born2Late · Apr 7, 2018

A lot of the young ones don't know what film is.

Craig · Apr 7, 2018

Born2Late said:
A lot of the young ones don't know what film is.

Not necessary! Friend of mine is taking a photo course in college and the first half of the course is film and darkroom work. I loaned him a Canon F-1N and a bunch of FD lenses for the course and he really enjoyed himself.

E. von Hoegh · Apr 7, 2018

Born2Late said:
A lot of the young ones don't know what film is.

Dunning-Kruger effect strikes again.

Sirius Glass · Apr 7, 2018

I used to get crap from digital users. That has for the most part passed. Now people show interest and ask questions or ignore me.

how do people react when you tell them you shoot film?

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