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Would like to shoot film after long hiatus

lilmsmaggie

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Mar 5, 2009
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Multi Format
Hi,

I have a Minolta X-700 that had been sitting in the closet for 20 some odd years. During a digital photography class discussion on depth-of-field (DOF) and lenses with DOF scales on their barrels, I decided to pull out the X-700 and play around with it only to find that the shutter advance lever was locked. After posting on the Camera repair forum, found out I just needed a fresh set of batteries.

In the past, at times, I preferred Ilford B&W films to Kodak Pan-X and Tri-X; I didn't shoot much color slide film. I doubt if I will be doing any of my own processing, although a local community college does offer some film classes but no offerings until maybe Spring 2010. Right now, I'm enrolled to take an intermediate digital class in the fall.

Anyway, its been a long time since I've shot film and was wondering if I could get some indication of people's preferences and suggestions for B&W and Color films. I've heard good things about Fujifilm's Velvia.
 
It's not difficult (nor expensive) to develop film yourself, especially if you still have the equipment in the closet your Minolta was in.

If, however, you don't want to develop it yourself, of course the college course is an option, or using Freestyle's or several other companies' send-out envelopes. Expect to pay $8+ a roll for B&W processing, however.

I actually really like Plus-X and Tri-X. I'm just beginning to explore Ilford films, if I like them I'll switch over.

Velvia is good if you want saturated colors. It isn't for portraits. Skin tones are wrong with Velvia; there are other slide films (and color neg films) that are good for portraits (I've heard that Ektar 100 is like Velvia in terms of colors, but also somehow manages to nail skin tones; I've never shot the stuff).
 
Ilford films are still good. FP4 Plus and HP5 Plus are still on the market (updated from the non-Plus versions in the mid- to late-1980s). There are also the finer-grained Delta films but they are slightly more temperamental. They are worth an experiment once you're comfortable again.

For reversal films Velvia is great and comes in three versions (50, 100 and 100F). I tend to shoot 100 the most but am shooting more 50 all the time. Ektachrome E100VS is also good but slightly grainier. These are all very saturated films.

For negative films there are a lot of choices, but I use the Fuji Superia films for everyday shooting (very inexpensive) and Kodak Ektar 100 for landscapes when I want to shoot negative instead of chrome.
 

Lots has changed in 20 years and nothing has changed in 20 years. One thing that has changed is that there are now very good chromogenic films, these are B&W films that are processed in the same chemistries as colour films. If you plan on having a lab do all the work, then you are best to choose Kodaks BW400CN film, which is intended for printing on colour paper at the local mini-lab, If you plan on doing your own darkroom printing at some point, you can choose Ilford's XP2Super, also a 400 speed film for C41 processing. If you plan on using a computer scanner for printing digitally, then either film should work equally well.

Other things that are new are the tabular grain films, these are processed in standard B&W chemistries, Ilford has the Delta series and Kodak the TMax series, not sure which is better but plan on trying both at 400 speed to see which I like, Home processing of these films is easy and requires little equipment. I am not familiar with what is new in colour films, I use a digital camera for the little colour I do now.

In some ways digital is much more difficult, in that it's possible to block up the shadows and blow out the highlights in the same image, something that is difficult to do with slide film and virtually impossible to do with B&W unless you really work at it.
 
For color I say Ektachrome all the way. There are still 5 diffrent Ektachromes and they are all outstanding preforming films.
 
Welcome back to film! It's nice to have you around
 
I'm happy to hear that you are going to give the X-700 a whirl. I have one myself and really love the camera. Don't be surprised if you have to replace a capacitor or two--it's a common problem.
 
Like you, I had been out of the B&W film mode for nearly 20 years. That changed recently, bought a Bronica ETRS system, some Franka 6x9 Rolfix cameras, and made some additions to my Nikon film set up, and an enlarger. Someone recommended I shoot Fuji Acros 100 using T-Max developer, and I have been very happy with the 11x14 prints I am making from this combination. Emulsions had some developers have changes, I am glad I asked, like you are , before "jumping back into it".
 

Excellent point. You can even buy the BW400CN at Wal-Mart.
 
There is a lot less choice and a lot less support now, but other than that it should pretty much be the same. There are some new products, but over all a very small selection compared to how it used to be even ten years ago...and you have been gone for 20.

The bare-bones line of black and white films from Kodak and Ilford still exist. Both companies have medium and low-speed regular-grained films. There are also medium, fast, and super speed T-grained films from each company. Ilford still has Pan F but Kodak got rid of their equivalent, Pan X. Kodak got rid if HIE, and Ilford recently introduced their near-IR film, SFX. Fuji has a 100, a 400, and a 1600. (All of which may be T grained, but I am not positive.) All three companies have C-41 black and white films (though Fuji's is a recent introduction and I have not tried it yet). These are monochromatic films, but can be processed in regular color negative chemistry. Agfa is gone entirely. The selection of printing papers is vastly reduced from what you are probably used to.

I think you should survey the selection of films available from Freestyle (www.freestylephoto.biz).

You will also be floored when you see what film equipment is selling for; especially medium and large format stuff.
 
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All the B&W films from Kodak, Ilford, and Fuji are first rate products. Which you prefer is strictly up to you. On chromogenics, Ilford XP2 super is optimized for printing onto standard B&W paper, making it a no-brainer choice for those who print in a traditional B&W darkroom. Kodak's BW400CN is optimized for printing onto RA4 papers, the same paper that's used to make color prints. Kodak has recently reformulated TMY (TMax 400) and the new stuff is really the bomb. I'm partial to Kodak's Plus-X and Tri-X myself. Now these two films are available at discount prices under the Arista Premium label from Freestyle Sales. Give 'em a shot.
 
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Sorry to see you were a casualty of Y2K Paul. Funny - Cobol is still going strong.

For chuckles, I think I'll try shooting a roll of Illford HP5 to see if I like it. I've never had any darkroom equipment. Always seemed to have access to photo film class facilities somewhere. Although, one of the community college campuses is discontinuing all of their film classes, fortunately, one is still offering them.
I attended a lecture given by John Sexton at one campus nearby and afterwards, contacted one of the instructors about the schools large format class. At least right know, the school expects students to have their own 4X5 camera for LF.

I have my eye on obtaining a Chamonix 045n-1 but it will have to wait until after the first of the year. Medium format is tempting but I think I would get more bang for the buck going with the Chamonix.

Paul, Say hello to Theophilus for me.
 

Yeah well, unfortunately I always hated COBOL, spend a number of years doing other programming though. Been away from it for a while though, doing something else. Still do some of my own stuff to keep my skills up though.

The school discontinuing film classes, you should contact them to see what is happening to their equipment, if you can pick up some equipment cheap, that may be a way to go. It doesn't really take much.

As for Theophilus, he was hit by a car back in April and is no longer with us.

On that sad note, I owe, I owe so off to work I go....
 
Sorry Paul. I know how it feels to lose a pet.

I live in California and unfortunately for me, I happen to work for the National Socialist Republic of Arnold's Kalifornia. I'm guessing here but because of budget problems and cutbacks to education in particular, any equipment not used at one campus would most likely be shifted to another and not necessarily sold. Fees and tuition increases for community colleges, state colleges and the U.C. system were made retroactive to July 1, even though the budget wasn't passed until much later.

There would be very little if any camera equipment -- maybe some enlargers but from what I've seen at the campus I attended last semester, most of this stuff is old and is pretty well worn out.

And to 2nd your quote, "I owe, oh boy do I owe, so off to work I must go ..."
 

It depends on whether colleges are independent organizations or whether they are a single entity. Moving equipment from one organization to another would be very difficult, within a single entity, much easier.

Fortunately, film cameras, enlargers and a lot of other stuff is cheaper then dirt right now. So if you can pick stuff up, even if you don't have space to set it up right now, may be a good idea, because in a few years, when it becomes the next big retro thing, it's going to be very tough.
 
Well, picked up a roll each of HP5 and Velvia 50 to take for a spin.
 
Ugh, bad for me. I wish i was a bit older. It's very possible that i'll catch the retro thing when I'm able to buy the good stuff.

I've had a 2 month hiatus without any considerable shooting and being this week in holiday, I've burnt a pair of rolls just in a day. I've got 2 rolls left. Wow, I even forgot how enjoyable is shooting.
 

I find it funny, if I shoot a roll of film, I want to get it processed and have a look at the results right away, if I shoot the same number of frames on the digital, I might get it downloaded sometime the same week, and it will probably sit in the on deck space on the computer for another month, before I get around to cataloguing it. I sometimes wonder if I should dump the digital completely and switch to slide film for the colour stuff.
 
I've never had much a feeling of need results inmediately (these rolls I shot this week will stay on the refrigerator for sometime, no lab close to here, too) sometimes I wonder what will come out but I'm able to wait.
The few digi stuff that is done nowadays in my house goes to the computer and usually, it ends there (printed 12 of +300 images in the computer). I left the P&S since I feel stupid, no viewfinder, which I need.
The advantadge of slides is that someone may find them x years in the future and they'll be able to view them. No need for weird tech. that may be obsolete.
This afternoon I and my uncle got entretained looking some slides he and my father shot 20-30 years ago.
I love slides. Even in the handheld viewer. It looks tridimensional, and very real, feels like I'm there.
 

I have an Omega D2v sitting in my wife's parents basement. I am hoping one day I will have a basement myself and a darkroom. I am set for when the moment arrives.
 
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