Welcome aboard!
After reading through some of the older posts in this thread I think that I should say hello straight ahead, and not wait a year or two...
...snipped...
Then, three month ago, I inherited an old Pentax Super-A. I bought a roll of Kodak Elite Chrome, and went outside, testing the camera. It took some time exposing those 36 frames, since the film did cost about $14, I didn't want to waste a single frame. I then sent the film away for development, another $10. Two weeks later, the developed film was returned, and it was judgement day.
Out of 36 frames, I was pleased with 15. 10 frames where wasted on trying to figure out how the camera actually works, and the rest was just bad photography. But the number, 15 frames out of 36 possible, is in my mind a good ratio, compared to 300 digital ones, with 8-10 good ones.
...snipped...
After some research I found that I can buy a negative color film, as the Fujicolor Superia for less than $5 per roll, and develop for about 10-15 USD. Shooting a lot of positive color film, for $14 per roll, is currently not possible, since I live on a study loan. Being almost an engineer, I figured that I can buy some cheap film, and try to develop it myself. Currently, I'm waiting for a C41 startup-kit to arrive from Germany...
I hope to learn a lot from you guys here at apug!
Marcus
Marcus,
Welcome to APUG!
Allow me to share this bit of advice with you regarding film photography, preceded with a bit of background about myself.
I have been actively interested in photography since I was about ten years old; at 42, that means I've been into photography as a hobby for three-quarters of my life (has it really been that long?).
I'm chiefly self-taught, though I did take a darkroom photography course in college.
One thing I've learned is to be self-critical at the photos I got back (I shot 35mm slides mostly). Any time I had photos that were blurry, under- or overexposed, or otherwise "defective," I asked myself, "What did I do wrong?" It was through this method that my photography improved, and if you were to view my slide collection in sequence, you'd see this improvement over time, notwithstanding the occasional goof.
The advantage film has over digital when it comes to learning photography is that, unlike digital, film has a finite number of frames on a given roll. In order to make each photo a good one, it is necessary to put more thought into the process, rather than simply use the "machine gun" approach that digital encourages, and hope for the best. By definition, you
have to improve.
You don't say what you were photographing to test the camera, but 15 out of 36 exposures is good; I figured a 50% "good" rate on a roll of 36 slides shooting action was a good ratio, though at times I fell short. In your case, 42% is a good ratio. As you become more comfortable with your camera, that number will creep upward.
I will also recommend listening to a couple of podcasts, all available on iTunes:
(1)
Film Photography Podcast (FPP) Each episode is typically built around some kind of theme, whether it's a specific camera, film, or whatever. They also have film and camera giveaways each month to lucky listeners, and accept donations of unwanted film and working cameras.
Their website is
http://www.filmphotographypodcast.com
(2)
Inside Analog Photo Radio (IAPR) features news and its chief component, a photographer who uses film is interviewd by host Scott Sheppard, who can also be found on Facebook.
The IAPR URL is
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(3)
Lenswork - Photography and the Creative Process is a short podcast, typically about five minutes or less, that steers clear of gear discussions and talks about what goes into an image.
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(4)
This Week in Photo (TWiP) is a weekly podcast hosted by Frederick Van Johnson. While it has a decidedly digital bias, one may still find useful nuggets or kernels of information.
http://www.thisweekinphoto.com
(5)
The Art of Photography (AOP): A videocast dealing with a single subject per episode. I
think the URL is
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There are also a couple of Facebook groups of which I'm a member:
(1)
Film is Fun deals with film photography. Group members share their film photos. (IAPR host Scott Sheppard, and Figital Revolution host Scott DiSabato, can also be found here.) Buying and selling is also permitted.
(2)
Camera Gear This is for the sale and purchase of anything photographic, whether it's film, cameras, accessories, etc.
Dieter Zakas