Quote:
Originally Posted by Gidders
So Did I Alex, and I agree that those cameras taught you/me/us in a way that the modern dSLR does not... However I believe that was NOT because they were film cameras ... but because they were manual cameras. My first 35mm SLR was manual focus and manual exposure control - no auto or semi auto mode. The only help you got was split screen focusing & match needle metering. Film & processing were both expensive (to me anyway) so this all forced you to think about what you were doing - choose your shutter speed & aperture, think about you composition etc in a way that that a dSLR doesn't. That said my keep rate was still only 3~5/roll  ... but again I agree still better that I achieve now.
However your post has made me think .... how about this for an idea ... go out with the camera set on manual exposure and take just one 256 memory card  and see what you came back with.
BTW if your interest is B&W I can strongly recommend Silver Efex Pro which can simulate all your B&W film styles, paper types and toning techniques from your digital files  . Not cheep but they offer a 15 day trial |
Hi Gidders
It sounds to me like you are suffering from the same problem that alex has, you are treating your DSLR as a point and shoot camera and not respecting the potential quality you have in your hands. Nearly all modern DSLR cameras are more than capable of producing images that can easily exceed the quality you can get from film, but, there is a proviso, that is you will only obtain the quality results if you forget about point and shoot and treat your DSLR with the respect it deserves. Use a tripod whenever possible, check the focus is actually where you want it to be, many modern focussing systems are so fast that the camera can refocus where it thinks the focus point should be without you even realising it has done so, leaving your photo out of focus on the point intended. Don't leave the camera on program, use aperture and shutter priority, check the metering and adjust the aperture/speed to that which gives the result you want, not the cameras version, although in many cases it will be the same. Modern zooms are marvels, but you don't have to use the one that came with the camera, there are thousands of older manual lenses that can be had very cheaply on places like ebay, many can work very well on a DSLR, sometimes an adapter may be necessary. Obviously you may have to focus and set the aperture by hand, but the results can be stunning, I use several manual lenses on my Nikon DSLR's, a Tamron 90mm Macro, it's superb for flowers and insects, a very old Nikon 200mm Macro, once again it's superb, great for butterflies etc. I don't find the lack of autofocus a problem with these lenses, the type of close up photography I do doesn't call for it. Same can be said for landscapes, I have an old Tokina 17mm manual lens in excellent condition which I picked up on ebay for less than £30, it's approx a 25.5mm lens on my Nikons, excellent for landscapes and superb definition and contrast. A comparable Nikon 24mm costs about £300. Modern DSLR's are now so good just about anybody can go out and obtain photos that are to most people acceptable, not good enough for a photography enthusiast or serious amateur, easy to fall into the trap, not easy to get out of! Next time you go out take your tripod, force yourself to look for an image that requires some effort from you to obtain a good result, don't just aim the camera, don't just zoom into approx the right frame size, don't let the camera decide where it wants to focus, remember hyperfocal distance? Don't let the camera decide what apperture and shutter speed to use choose your own to give the depth of field you require, set the camera manually to the lowest possible ASA setting available for the subject in hand. If you've got one use a cable release, if you haven't got one go out and buy one immediately, they can be had on ebay from about £5. Treat your DSLR as if it were an old manual film camera where you had to do everthing yourself.
nirofo.