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

mweintraub · Jun 9, 2015

cooltouch said:
I guess Roberts must be hanging in there, though. I live in Texas, but I've bought film gear from them off eBay, then visited their Used Photo Pro website and bought even more gear. They have a good selection of Pentax 6x7 stuff, and their prices are at least as good as KEH's. I wish them all the best.

Here in Houston we have only two real camera shops left. It's kinda sad -- in a greater metropolitan area of over 4 million people, only two are left. The Wolf Camera and Prinz Camera shops all closed down years ago. But these two shops have good stuff. Both have a decent selection of used gear and sometimes really good prices on it. I've bought used items from both places on several occasions. I wish them well, also.

What about Camera Exchange?

mehguy said:

well its a rather lengthy drive from my place (45minutes) this place: http://www.downtowncamera.com/ probably has the best film selection. all the kodak, ilford and fuji films, and a lot of other film related stuff.

Click to expand...

From their website: "120mm" really?

DannL. · Jun 9, 2015

I don't get approached often, but today I took the Sands & Hunter Exhibition (Nadar's) to a local park to make some test exposures on paper negatives and a young feller toting his guitar walked by and checked her out. I gave him a quick tour, a look-see though the focusing screen, and explained how when not exposing paper negatives, I would be using coated plates, etc. I think the word for today is . . . "That's cool.".

cuthbert · Jun 9, 2015

cooltouch said:
Speaking of noisy drives, I bought a Pentax Winder LX and it arrived today. Mounted it to my LX and gave it a dry run. Geez looooeeez! It sounded loud enough to cause the dogs next door to start barking! Sounded like somebody dropped a bunch of rocks in a box and then rattled it around as hard as they could. This can't possibly be normal! It was doing the film advance and all the way it should; it was just being very noisy getting it done. I can't imagine taking that setup to a model shoot these days. I thought my F-1's winder was bad; it's positively muted compared to this thing.

I've got to send my LX in to fix the sticky mirror syndrome it's afflicted with and I think I'm gonna include the winder and ask him if he thinks there's anything to be done about the racket.

That's weird, my LX winder is very quiet, probably yours needs some fix, but nothing major I assume.

When are you showing us your LX pics?

Alan Gales · Jun 9, 2015

mooseontheloose said:
In Japan the sounds are on all cameras, including phone cameras - they cannot be turned off. It's to let people (near the photographer) know that a photo is being taken. Of course, there are ways around that, but it's useful if you don't want someone taking your photo unknowingly (upskirt photos are quite popular here, I've seen male students doing it to their fellow classmates here). However, as a photographer I find it quite annoying.

Annoying isn't quite the word. I'd call it sick and illegal. Today if you want to look at those pictures there are more than plenty of porn sites available on everyone's computer.

cooltouch · Jun 9, 2015

mweintraub said:
cooltouch said:

I guess Roberts must be hanging in there, though. I live in Texas, but I've bought film gear from them off eBay, then visited their Used Photo Pro website and bought even more gear. They have a good selection of Pentax 6x7 stuff, and their prices are at least as good as KEH's. I wish them all the best.

Here in Houston we have only two real camera shops left. It's kinda sad -- in a greater metropolitan area of over 4 million people, only two are left. The Wolf Camera and Prinz Camera shops all closed down years ago. But these two shops have good stuff. Both have a decent selection of used gear and sometimes really good prices on it. I've bought used items from both places on several occasions. I wish them well, also.

Click to expand...

What about Camera Exchange?

Houston Camera Exchange is one of the two "real" camera shops I'm talking about. The other one is Camera Co-Op.

cooltouch · Jun 9, 2015

cuthbert said:
That's weird, my LX winder is very quiet, probably yours needs some fix, but nothing major I assume.

When are you showing us your LX pics?

I don't have any good pics of my LX yet. I'll try to do something about that soon.

As for my LX winder. I received an email from Eric, the Pentax guru, and he tells me that the gear shafts are probably gettng worn, but that they'll last a long time before they develop enough slop for the gears to bind. I think I'm gonna open it up and take a look around. It's kind of hard to tell without looking but I'm wondering if there might be a way to do something about this.

Tamara · Jun 10, 2015

Alan Gales said:
Annoying isn't quite the word. I'd call it sick and illegal.

I think she was using the adjective "annoying" to describe...

mooseontheloose said:
the sounds are on all cameras, including phone cameras - they cannot be turned off.

...and not the creeperiffic reason for their existence.

mooseontheloose · Jun 10, 2015

Tamara said:
I think she was using the adjective "annoying" to describe...
...and not the creeperiffic reason for their existence.

Absolutely. Although I must correct myself - I thought it was all cameras, but it's just phone cameras, at least according to this article (one of many on the topic).

mehguy · Jun 10, 2015

cooltouch said:
Canon F-1, Canon FD 85mm f/1.2 SSC Aspherical @ f/1.2, Kodak Elite Chrome:

That is a very nice photograph. Colours are very rich and nice use of aperture.

Dan Fromm · Jun 10, 2015

They run away screaming. It can't be because I breathe fire (comment once made by a former colleague).

cooltouch · Jun 12, 2015

mehguy said:
That is a very nice photograph. Colours are very rich and nice use of aperture.

Thanks! That was the one shot of the photo shoot that made the entire event worthwhile for me.

KidA · Feb 4, 2016

mehguy said:
well its a rather lengthy drive from my place (45minutes) this place: http://www.downtowncamera.com/ probably has the best film selection. all the kodak, ilford and fuji films, and a lot of other film related stuff.

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!

jmlynek · Feb 9, 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!

Annex Photo on Bloor just west of Spadina has the lowest prices on some films that I've found in TO. It's also easier to park on the street than downtown ;-)

Jim Noel · Feb 9, 2016

mehguy said:
ive mostly got the question from people "can i see the the picture" or "can u delete the picture".

I don't have a gun so I don't shoot film. I expose it.

nolanr66 · Feb 9, 2016

People sometimes ask questions and I just answer them politely. I have a couple of 4x6 photos in my bag and I will show them what pictures from B/W film can look like. They are nice photos of the Grandkids and people are very surprised with the quality. I guess they forgot or have never actually seen a nice B/W print. Once people take a look at my 4x6 prints (usually 2 of them) they do not have anything negative to say about film. I carry a Domke F6 and it has a space in the back of the bag that keep the prints nice and flat and it's kind of a useless space for anything else anyway.

mooseontheloose · Feb 9, 2016

Well, a fellow teacher at my university, who used to shoot B&W but now is exclusively digital (despite recently publishing a book of his film images) was very pleasantly surprised to find out that I shoot film and have my own darkroom. I've since been invited to join a small group of photographers shooting a particular street project here in Kyoto. Can't wait to get involved!

Roger Cole · Feb 9, 2016

A guy who just repaired some old speakers for me (went in for new foam surrounds for the woofers, but one woofer had an open voice coil so he replaced the woofers in both so they sound the same, for the same price he was going to charge to do the foam surrounds) was amazed but then asked, "is there still demand for that?" He didn't grasp I was doing it for a hobby, not a business. He said he gave away five Nikons and lenses to a teacher at some school that wanted to teach kids film.

You'd think someone who repairs classic audio and builds custom tube amps and preamps would get it. Actually I think he did after I explained but I just thought the immediate question as if it were a commercial venture on my part was...odd.

Beilja · Feb 10, 2016

I found it funny how people approach me like i'm a more serious (pro) photographer when handling my Canon Ftb, whereas i use it mostly for fun as my professional workflow requires to be with some "unmentionable-here" cameras...

David Brown · Feb 10, 2016

Roger Cole said:
A guy who just repaired some old speakers for me ... for the same price ...

You'd think someone who repairs classic audio and builds custom tube amps and preamps would get it.

Yes, but the speaker guy does it commercially.

Roger Cole · Feb 10, 2016

David Brown said:
Yes, but the speaker guy does it commercially.

True enough. But I think he enjoys it. Then again he may just be one of those people who don't get into anything unless they see a profit potential, and I don't mean that as a criticism, just the way some people view things.

narsuitus · Feb 11, 2016

mehguy said:
"how do people react when you tell them you shoot film?"

"Its so big."

"It looks heavy."

"My father has one of those."

"My grandfather had one of those."

"I don't like cameras with all that glass."

Many teenagers say, "My cell phone is better."

The most common reaction is asking the question, "Why?"

Many people who assume that I only shoot film say, "You need to try a digital camera."

Back in 2002 when I was shooing a Nikon F2, one kid yelled, "Look Ma, an antique camera."

At least six people have said, "I have an old camera you can have."

In the attached image is a Sears 500MX 35mm SLR that was recently given to me by a person who discovered that I still shoot film.

Screw-Mounts by Narsuitus, on Flickr

DREW WILEY · Feb 11, 2016

Depends on the demographics. Around here we have a long tradition of famous photography. They never ask if I'm shooting film. It's obvious. They
generally ask if it's a 4x5 or 8x10 (I shoot both). But even if I'm carrying a Nikon or 6x7, they know it's film. They know what a film Nikon looks like,
versus digital versions. People are always polite. They won't pass in front of you without asking, and often ask to look under the darkcloth after the
shot is taken. I oblige. The most common reaction is "cool" (all age groups); the second comment is "I wish I could do REAL photography; do you have your own darkroom?" There are also lots of techies out on the trails, and quite a few of them express interest in darkroom work. Let's face it, things like software design and digital animation are their tedious day job, therefore NOT the kind of thing they'd choose to do on the weekend! Film gear
gets respect, but especially my Sinar monorail propped up on a maple Ries tripod. It just looks the role. The demographics are exactly the opposite once I drive over the immediate coastal hills inland. From there all the way east across the country its soggy pancakes, watered-down coffee, and little kids at turnouts with a slingshot aimed at your groundglass, at least until you get into real hiking country again.

emjo · Feb 11, 2016

Question 1A: "Do you still get film for that one?"

Rest of discussion is somewhere between "cool!" and "you're freakin' nuts!" (well they don't say it out loud but I can tell by the speed they distance me...)

jeffreythree · Feb 11, 2016

Reactions depend on where I encounter someone. The hipster side of town or suburbia. Even sadder than some of the shocked responses to my film use is lately I have been getting: "Wow, you still use a camera?" They just assume everyone is just using their phone these days.

Eliot · Feb 11, 2016

"Does it still work?"
"Where do you get film for it?"
"Do they still make film?"
"How old is that?"
"I used to have..."
"I still have..."
"Are there places that still develop film?"

I also get a lot of weird looks when I'm shooting pack film Polaroids in public.

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

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