After checking out EdelŐs post on his new photographs, I was inspired to take a few rolls of Tri-X film to the developers that have been laying around my studio for the past few months. I have added some photos from this batch in my photography gallery, so check them out. I love to shoot with film, I love going analog, but I am having a more difficult time justifying the expe4nse with myself. For what I spent in developing five rolls of Tri-X, I could be an eighth of the way to buying a brand spankinŐ new digital Canon Rebel XT. I tried shooting on the cheesy black and white film that one can take to the one-hour developers, but it just doesnŐt have the versatility of Tri-X film. It does however; give you weird random effects because it is color negative film that is made into black and white. Sometimes you can get strange washes of violet on your black and white print with this film, but it is random and that in of itself can be annoying at times.
I got five rolls back from the developers, and the bill came to roughly $90! This is for 4x6 prints, not 5x7s. I know that if I were to only develop one roll at a time it would seem to be less expensive, but I always try to have my film developed in batches. If I need anything shot for reference, I just use my basic digital camera, and it works fine.
Two film cameras that I love to use- the Olympus XA and Zorki ŇSÓ.
The Olympus XA is one amazing camera. It looks like any other point and shoot, but has capabilities of a professional range finder. I have heard photographers prefer this little camera to some of their Leica rangefinders. I bought mine for forty bucks on e-bay a year or so ago, and It has been worth every penny. I take it around with me more than I do my digital point and shoot. The XA is silent, and it has been my experience that I have taken better reportage photos with it than my digital point and shoot. People donŐt notice it like they do the newer camera. Here is a
site devoted to the brilliant design of the Olympus XA.
The Zorki ŇSÓ is one of many Russian Leica clones out there. I bought this camera on e-bay as well, and it only cost me forty bucks. This camera operates in a similar fashion to the Leica IIIc, and has a collapsible lens like the Leica. It has funky optics, and gives you an ethereal feel sometimes when you shoot in low light. It takes patience to load this camera, you have to cut the film leader to a certain shape and load the film into the bottom of the camera. I now understand why old photos I have seen from the 1930s-40s of photojournalists with multiple Leica cameras around their necks. These cameras werenŐt made for loading on the fly. Here is a whole
site devoted to these cameras!
I guess I geek out over these old cameras because they are such amazing instruments. They are so basic in a way like the brushes or paper that I use. I love the smell of film, the sound an old camera makes when you wind it or shoot a picture with it. I love how you have to use your head to figure out the manual controls. I love how I donŐt have complete control over how it is going to turn out.
With all of that being said, I am going to get my digital set up sometime soon. I love what the new digital SLRs are capable of. They are really amazing. The Canon digital Rebel is a pro camera disguised as a hobbyist camera.
