Shooting with film

Ben D Bus

So I bought a Nikon FE a few weeks ago and got a couple of rolls of Ilford FP4 (B&W 125) to go with it.

Happy enough with the results for a first attempt but curious to hear from other users of film.

Where do you buy your film? Where do you get it processed (does it matter or does it end up in the same lab regardless of where I hand them in?).

If you know your film, any recommendations for B&W for a studio environment - shooting people & portraits? I picked up a couple of rolls of Fuji Neopan 100 Acros today to try that out.

Or if you just want to wax lyrical about the joys of film photography then please do so here

Studio120

I have used FP4 for years and it is still my main film. I prefer the more traditional look it offers compared to the more modern emulsions like the Delta range.

I would recommend getting yourself the basics needed and start developing the film yourself this way you can find a developer / developing time combination that suits you. If you do have to get it done in a lab You will probably get very different results from different labs as they may use different developers etc, so if you find a place that gives a result you are happy with stick with them.

Fp4 is also a fine film for portraits so no worries there.

If you continue down this road I would also recommend printing your images in a darkroom at some stage, still nothing like a genuine silver gelatin photographic print and the process of getting there is great fun and very rewarding.

Adrian.Sadlier

If you are in Dublin I would go to Gunne's on Camden Street. They have a vast range of film - and all of the chemicals etc if you want to develop and/or print yourself. The full kit to develop your own negatives will cost less than €100.

I like Ilford Pan F Plus. It has the finest grain of any film I have used. It is quite a slow film ISO 50, but that shouldn't be a problem in a studio with flash. This was taken in natural light, outdoors on a bright December day .

Ben D Bus

Adrian.Sadlier wrote: »

If you are in Dublin I would go to Gunne's on Camden Street.

That's where I went today and got the Fuji Neopan. Didn't have much time but they seemed to know what they were talking about. I can't believe this was my first time inside Gunns. Luckily it was a warm day and the door was propped open. It was easy to stick my head in

Nice picture by the way!

magicbastarder

i'm a great fan of delta 3200. great in low light, and forgiving of minor focus errors.

magicbastarder

usable in daylight too:

pete4130

Kodak TMax and Tri-X is 400 iso and pretty adaptable film. Can be pushed a fair bit if you need to.

It's my film of choice in Ireland. I'm in Australia now so film wise I'll go more for Velvia 50 slide, Velvia 100 slide, Reala 100 neg and sometimes some portra 160 or Kodak Ektar 100 neg film.

IF you get yourself a scanner, something like an Epson V500 (the scanner I currently have) or something a little older in the Epson scanner range, it can pay for itself within 10-20 rolls of film. Just get the film developed and scan yourself. Much more control, saves money and higher res scans. You can always come back and rescan if you want/need to.

I scanned some 120 during the week on the V500, here's some of the results. Film was Velvia 50.

aidanic

Interesting time for a thread... as I wait for some rolls of Fuji Provia 100F to dry in 80% humidity... slowly...

I've just been looking around at film prices, as I felt a bit mugged paying $9.95 per (35mm) roll of Provia last week in B&H in New York.

So, I did a quick run around on my preferred films...

Film Type | thephotoshop.ie | mailshots.co.uk | macodirect.de | B&H | 7daysshop.com
Rollei CR200| €4.49 | - | €5.50 | $6.49 | -
Fuji 100F Provia| - | £10.15 | €11.90 | $9.95 | £9.79
Fuji 100 ACROS | €6.96 | £5.90 | €6.99 | $5.89 | £5.14
Kodak Tri-X | €5.66 | £4.75 | €4.90 | $5.95 | £5.29


Prices do not include delivery...

And I suddenly feel a lot less mugged...

In some of the German discounters (Aldi/Lidl), and the German Drug Stores (DM, Rossman) you can find C41 film at ~ €1 per roll.

It has been some two years since I last bought film in any quantity, outside of the cheap C41, and it's become much more expensive!

In 2010, I paid €6.40, and €8.33 in 2012 for the 100F. Looks like about €12 now

Like many of the others here, I do my own development - B&W, C41 and even E6. (and risking a fight, I use Tetenal C41 and E6 kits). R09 for B&W. All in the bath

Wax Lyrical?

I like the 100 Acros myself - it's fine grain likely hides my crap darkroom processing.

Couple of small ones from Kiel Week, some few weeks ago... These are straight from the scanner - no clean up at all. Developed in R09, which had not been opened for 2 years.

The first two are 100 Acros





and this is the Fuji 1600

aidanic

Just as a follow-up, I have some rolls of P3200 in the freezer, waiting for an opportune moment!

Will post some of my NY pics later over on the random thread - looks like one might be dry now.

Ben D Bus

aidanic wrote: »

So, I did a quick run around on my preferred films...

Film Type | thephotoshop.ie | mailshots.co.uk | macodirect.de | B&H | 7daysshop.com
Rollei CR200| €4.49 | - | €5.50 | $6.49 | -
Fuji 100F Provia| - | £10.15 | €11.90 | $9.95 | £9.79
Fuji 100 ACROS | €6.96 | £5.90 | €6.99 | $5.89 | £5.14
Kodak Tri-X | €5.66 | £4.75 | €4.90 | $5.95 | £5.29

Thanks for that. I wasn't aware of thephotoshop.ie

thefizz

Studio120 wrote: »

I have used FP4 for years and it is still my main film. I prefer the more traditional look it offers compared to the more modern emulsions like the Delta range.

I would recommend getting yourself the basics needed and start developing the film yourself this way you can find a developer / developing time combination that suits you. If you do have to get it done in a lab You will probably get very different results from different labs as they may use different developers etc, so if you find a place that gives a result you are happy with stick with them.

Fp4 is also a fine film for portraits so no worries there.

If you continue down this road I would also recommend printing your images in a darkroom at some stage, still nothing like a genuine silver gelatin photographic print and the process of getting there is great fun and very rewarding.

I would agree with everything said here. If you feel you'd like to develop the films yourself, we sell a kit which will get you going: http://www.thephotoshop.ie/index.php?route=product/product&path=62&product_id=382

If you can completely darken a room to load the films, then you won't need the changing bag and the kit will only cost €71.65

Peter

aidanic

Hi Peter,

Any chance you could give us the "insider" view of the longevity of films, such as the ones in my table above.

I've clearly been on another planet, as I've just noticed (discovered) that all the Kodak slide films were discontinued in 2013, and Fuji are upping the prices on their slide range. (~€12 each from your email earlier takes my breath away).

Given the niche use of some of the film products (and I'm not using any of the nice C41 ranges myself), what might we be left with in 2 years? 5 years?

Do I buy an industrial quantity of 100F, and freeze it?

Aidan

thefizz

aidanic wrote: »

Hi Peter,

Any chance you could give us the "insider" view of the longevity of films, such as the ones in my table above.

I've clearly been on another planet, as I've just noticed (discovered) that all the Kodak slide films were discontinued in 2013, and Fuji are upping the prices on their slide range. (~€12 each from your email earlier takes my breath away).

Given the niche use of some of the film products (and I'm not using any of the nice C41 ranges myself), what might we be left with in 2 years? 5 years?

Do I buy an industrial quantity of 100F, and freeze it?

Aidan

Hi Aidan,

Impossible to predict how long film will be around for. I remember reading on lots of forums that film would be gone within five years. Well that was over ten years ago and we still have a huge sellection of films being made today.

Yes Kodak ceased manufacturing E6 films a few years back and Fuji's prices have gone up a lot recently. On a plus note, Ferrania in Italy will hopefully have their new E6 films available before the year is out, so that will be healthy competition for Fuji.

With regard to B&W films, Ilford have openly stated they they intent to be the "last man standing". They in my opinion are the most dedicated manufacturer of B&W films and have introduced new products (mostly paper) recently, rather than discontinuing products.

Like any product, if its not selling or making a profit, companies will stop making it. So keep shooting and don't worry, I think we are safe for some years yet.

Peter

Adrian.Sadlier

Peter

I just finished processing a shot, taken with Ilford Pan F Plus (bought from you - nearly out; only a couple of rolls left).

Its not as crisp as the digital shots from my D810, and more suited to portraiture - but I still love it.

Must start to do some wet prints to explore the full latitude of dynamic range film gives but for now will continue with my Epson V750 scanner (which I still don't know how to use properly).

Anyway, as you say, let's just keep shooting

RDM_83 again

Since your based in Dublin maybe you could join the Dublin Camera Club, AFAIK they have a darkroom you can use and the courses they (used to been a few years) have on are good. I've an old SLR film camera that I used a lot for a while (don't have a dSLR) but have barely touched it in over a year since getting stuff developed or printed ends up being surprisingly expensive.

aidanic

I was in the UK last week and popped into Jessops to get a feel for film prices... OMG - ~£15 for a roll of Provia 100F.

Effects

35mm or 120mm?

aidanic

Effects wrote: »

35mm or 120mm?

35mm - 36 exposures. Link here

JayEnnis

HP5 and ID-11 are my best friends for portraiture. Gives sharp negs with a very fine grain. It's a powder developer that you make up to a litre so it's not as economical as some. I use it one shot (125ml of stock solution and then make up to 500ml with water) and love the results. At €4.80 a roll in Gunns you can't go wrong either. I'm a big believer in supporting Ilford as they're the one manufacturer that is actually introducing new products!

For developing I wait until it's dark then load my dev tank in the closet in my bedroom. I'm sure under a blanket would do. I use ID-11 1+3 for 20 minutes, agitating for 30 seconds at the start and then ten seconds every minute. I don't use a stop bath, just water, lots of it. Then onto fix for which I use Ilford rapid fixer. 5 min, agitate for ten seconds every minute. Rinse for 2-3 minutes and you're golden. I was using a film squeegee but after finding a scratch through 3-4 frames I'm not so sure about it now. Hang to dry in a bathroom after a hot shower and make sure you weigh the ends with a clothes peg.

Gunns sell archival sheets for 25c a pop. Well worth it.

amdgilmore

JayEnnis wrote: »

For developing I wait until it's dark then load my dev tank in the closet in my bedroom. I'm sure under a blanket would do.

Why don't you get a changing bag? They're only 20 quid.

JayEnnis

amdgilmore wrote: »

Why don't you get a changing bag? They're only 20 quid.

I probably should but that's 4 rolls of HP5 Here's one.

amdgilmore

Very nice. Have you got a Flickr or 500px? I like to keep an eye on what other film folk in Ireland are doing.

JayEnnis

Sure! I've just started a new blog actually. I'd like to see some other peoples photographs too!

Moments On Film

Flickr

Insta

Ben D Bus

JayEnnis wrote: »

Here's one.

Off topic, but one of the better local models. Shot her myself a couple of weeks ago but not on film so can't link to this thread.

STG.Otaku

I am learning shooting with film. So far with my toy Holga. But I've a few other cameras I am testing out (notably a Zorki 4, but it's a handful to use so I haven't had much of a chance to take it out properly yet) and will post negatives soon. Just bought a lot of old developing kit on eBay for peanuts so a trip to Gunns is in order later this week for some developer, stopper and fixer. Love Gunns, the staff in there are ace, and the prices very keen.

Excuse my amatuerness. Everyone has to start somewhere.

http://www.flickr.com/thecoterie

JayEnnis

STG.Otaku wrote: »

I am learning shooting with film. So far with my toy Holga. But I've a few other cameras I am testing out (notably a Zorki 4, but it's a handful to use so I haven't had much of a chance to take it out properly yet) and will post negatives soon. Just bought a lot of old developing kit on eBay for peanuts so a trip to Gunns is in order later this week for some developer, stopper and fixer. Love Gunns, the staff in there are ace, and the prices very keen.

Excuse my amatuerness. Everyone has to start somewhere.

http://www.flickr.com/thecoterie

I've a zorki 4k. Takes a while to get used and I've had some issues with it. I have everything sorted now I think. Rangefinder patch isn't as bright as I'd like.

Studio120

aidanic wrote: »

I was in the UK last week and popped into Jessops to get a feel for film prices... OMG - ~£15 for a roll of Provia 100F.

You will find that significantly cheaper if you shop around. I wouldn't take example as an overall indication of film prices

JayEnnis

That's a crazy price but colour film is getting ridiculously expensive. €7.50 for a 120 roll of portra 400.

aidanic

Studio120 wrote: »

You will find that significantly cheaper if you shop around. I wouldn't take example as an overall indication of film prices

Upthread I mentioned that Provia has gone up in price quite a bit in the past few years, with ~€12 (not £) as the lowest price for fresh film I've seen. I'm not buying new film at the moment (if I can help it) as I have a largish backlog of expired film in a real mixed bag of B&W, C41 and E6.