35mm film vs digital (2 Viewers)

[Marys1001]

I don't actually photograph much at which point my cell is what's to hand. And I have taken a few pictures I've really liked. In a new house with just a few places for art (its small with lots of doors and windows) I would like to blow them up and use them.
But of course cell phone pics dont have big enough sensors or pixels to blow up to poster or bigger size which is what I want. Really big.
These are pictures around my place on a small lake with lots of natural shoreline.

I have a bridge camera but other than basic shots find I just hate trying to figure it out. And then I can't remember because I dint use it often The green boxes that move around the white boxes, the pressing through endless menus. I don't have the patience. Maybe if there were a class idk. I used the older simpler 24x Lumix I had which had a nice lens but stupidly sold it fir a longer zoom. I rarely use it. And I don't think it has a big enough sensor anyway either.

Leaving me with the idea that maybe I should buy an old used 35mm film camera? 40 years ago I was into photography a bit and setting f-stop vs speed etc seemed manageable. I feel like that wouldn't drive me crazy to refresh my learning and use.

Also good DSLRs are pretty pricey for random occasional use.

What do you think? Is going 35mm going to work for poster size prints? There is a shop in town that processes. Camera and lens recommendations to find in the used market?

 

[Richard D]

The big problem with film is getting hold of good film. Kodachrome 25 which would have been ideal hasn't been made for 20 years. Black and White film stock is still supported but there's little high quality colour - I'm not sure whether Extar 100 is still available.

 

[Farnboro John]

Practice makes perfect and the superiority of digital in that respect - not only the ability to instantly view and assess what you've taken and for non-time sensitive stuff change the settings and do it again, but also being able to just delete the duff stuff and any duplicate shots - beats the living daylights out of film photography.

Embrace digital photography and reject film as you would recording wildlife with a lump of wood and a chisel.

John

 

[Marys1001]

Not happening. Did you read my post? I take a few pictures around my place. No desire for practice makes perfect. If I want pics of more you all have a bazillion pics. Bazillions. Why would I need to take any?

 

[vergan]

Not happening. Did you read my post? I take a few pictures around my place. No desire for practice makes perfect. If I want pics of more you all have a bazillion pics. Bazillions. Why would I need to take any?

For fun? As a hobby?

 

[njlarsen]

If you want a phone with large sensor, you should take a look at this list:

The IMX989 released by Sony in Q2 2022 officially brought mobile image sensors into the 1-inch era. As of now, the models equipped with this 1-inch CIS as the main camera include the Sharp Aquos R7, Xiaomi 12s Ultra, vivo X90 Pro, vivo X90 Pro+ and Xiaomi 13 Pro.Feb 14, 2023

However, you should probably be able to purchase a point and shoot camera with a similar size sensor which is not necessarily a superzoom (perhaps only secondhand these days). Place those in auto and you probably can have an experience similar to what you have with the phone, but with better sensor and optics which would allow you to enlarge the results.

Thinking about your initial post: film cameras back then were to the best of my memory more dependent on getting the settings exactly right than the current digital cameras.

Niels

 

[paddyluke]

Not happening. Did you read my post? I take a few pictures around my place. No desire for practice makes perfect. If I want pics of more you all have a bazillion pics. Bazillions. Why would I need to take any?

a bit abrupt!

 

[delia todd]

How many rolls of film would you waste with no pictures at all? The cost of that would make my eyes water LOL.

 

[TomFG]

I don't actually photograph much at which point my cell is what's to hand. And I have taken a few pictures I've really liked. In a new house with just a few places for art (its small with lots of doors and windows) I would like to blow them up and use them.
But of course cell phone pics dont have big enough sensors or pixels to blow up to poster or bigger size which is what I want. Really big.
These are pictures around my place on a small lake with lots of natural shoreline.

I have a bridge camera but other than basic shots find I just hate trying to figure it out. And then I can't remember because I dint use it often The green boxes that move around the white boxes, the pressing through endless menus. I don't have the patience. Maybe if there were a class idk. I used the older simpler 24x Lumix I had which had a nice lens but stupidly sold it fir a longer zoom. I rarely use it. And I don't think it has a big enough sensor anyway either.

Leaving me with the idea that maybe I should buy an old used 35mm film camera? 40 years ago I was into photography a bit and setting f-stop vs speed etc seemed manageable. I feel like that wouldn't drive me crazy to refresh my learning and use.

Also good DSLRs are pretty pricey for random occasional use.

What do you think? Is going 35mm going to work for poster size prints? There is a shop in town that processes. Camera and lens recommendations to find in the used market?

Oh, man! Film does not come close to modern digital cameras, and I was pretty interested in holding onto film for a long time. Of course I don’t know what your budget permits, but there should be plenty of decent point-and-shoot digital cameras (not DSLRs!) in the three-figure range, with zoom capabilities. I also imagine that film and processing, besides being iffy, is pretty expensive nowadays. How much film are you willing to burn through to get the photo you want? And after you’ve spent money on film and processing, will it have been cheaper to go digital? Jumping to digital can be intimidating, so perhaps you can find a local store, photography club or - best of all - maybe a community education program, something offered in the public schools system. Last thought: I’d be happy to sell my old Nikon F-1 to someone who knows the limitations of an older camera - what to expect from both use and, mostly, disuse over nearly fifty years - but I would not want to just dump it on anyone. Film has its own quirks and, looking at some of my old slides, I wasn’t very good at it.

 

[Mono]

People still like to mess about with steam trains.

 

[Farnboro John]

How many rolls of film would you waste with no pictures at all? The cost of that would make my eyes water LOL.

Exactly. And you don't get to see the results for days/weeks and then you can't remember what your settings were... its a lottery. Modern digital cameras will give you the results you want for sharpness and colour, settings revisable on inspection at the time, enlargement if anything to larger than wet film. With care and suitable practice. Even with the best equipment photography requires SOME effort.

John

 

[Barred Wobbler]

People still like to mess about with steam trains.

I'm one of them. Used to spend all my pocket money and paper round money on fares, film & processing when I first photographed this particular locomotive well over 50 years ago. This photo, however, was taken only yesterday.

Give me digital every time, not only for cost, but more importantly, image quality. Many is the time I've lamented the fact that my film gear, even the expensive Nikon 35mm SLR that I used just before my switch to digital couldn't give me the results I take for granted these days.

 

[Richard D]

I still occasionally run a roll of film through my 70's Nikon FE, but it's an expensive treat and not having a darkroom it's a bit of a gamble as to how well the processing is done. If I do shoot film it's purely B&W. If you want an old SLR to play around with the Nikon FE/FM series are pretty cheap and bomb proof, but if I was asked what I should buy for general use I'd probably recommend one of the digital mirrorless options with interchangeable lens.

 

[Barred Wobbler]

I still occasionally run a roll of film through my 70's Nikon FE, but it's an expensive treat and not having a darkroom it's a bit of a gamble as to how well the processing is done. If I do shoot film it's purely B&W. If you want an old SLR to play around with the Nikon FE/FM series are pretty cheap and bomb proof, but if I was asked what I should buy for general use I'd probably recommend one of the digital mirrorless options with interchangeable lens.

My Nikon is the FM, bought in 1981, just as the FM2 was about to come out and the FE was emerging. It's still there in a drawer, and still in good nick - my old friend, but he's out to pasture now.

 

[Ignatius]

Don't be afraid of old tech. Analogue photography is still going strong.
In the USA the best place to buy film is FPP and the best place for development including prints and digital download if you want is The Darkroom.
As to what camera ... hmmm, that depends on your wallet mostly. Both Canon and Nikon analog cameras are plentiful on the second-hand market, as are lenses for them, both oem and Sigma. Even analog Leicas can be had for a song. I have just picked up a Leica R-E (1992 Olympics LE), a Canon T70 and a Canon EOS 700 plus at least two lenses for each, and I am looking forward to playing around with them over the summer. One will go with me on a trip to the Toscana, Italy later in the year.
I have been using a Rolleicord Vb from my birth year for about 12 years now. It takes fantastic pictures and large prints are not an issue. The same goes for 35 mil btw - posters were not invented after the advent of digital imaging.