In the blink of an eye, it's been a year since I took up film photography. Besides complaining and lamenting "tempus fugit", I wanted to review the progression of my technique over time.
Cameras:
In the span of one year, I got my hands on a couple of different cameras. Starting with:
Fujifilm Discovery 270 Zoom
This is a little point-and-shoot 35mm film camera I picked up from the Brooklyn Flea, on a visit in April '23.
A delightful little full frame camera, it is easy to carry and to use. It has a nice zoom feature that allows for close-ups, as well as a "faux" panorama mode (exposes a smaller section of the 35mm frame). For the next couple of months I took it around NYC, SF, LA, Boulder - the pictures all looked great.
Favorite film types for this camera include:
Kodak Ultramax 400;
Fujicolor Superia 400;
Kodak Gold 200.
While I used this camera, there was never any pressure, which felt nice. It was my constant companion on strolls and trips, and I liked being able to document life in this format.
Canon F-1
While I was very happy with the P&S and would have used it as my only camera for the foreseeable future, I chatted with a friend (shoutout to Maggie) who recommended that I try shooting on an SLR. I had a lot of hangups about manual mode. I knew nothing about ISO, aperture, shutter speed, depth of field, etc.. I also never tried manual focus in my life. Maggie still said that the learning curve isn't actually that scary, so I decided to look for a camera. My family historically liked Canon cameras (my mom had a DSLR and got me a digital P&S for my 10th birthday), so I started digging through their SLR collections. I settled on the F-1 for their modularity, as well as the wide range of high quality FD lenses available. My (first) Canon F-1 came in October '23.
In retrospect, this camera (and its successor which is the exact same model) was one of the most fulfilling purchases I've made. It is so sturdy and well built, made of brass all over. It came with the AE finder that would eliminate the need to manually set the shutter speed, although I don't really ever use the AE mode, and only focused on shooting manual.
I have learned so much with this camera. It is equipped with every functionality one could want in an SLR and more. It works with and without a battery (except some slower shutter speeds would not be available). It can take ultra-long and multi-exposures, which I used to experiment with astrophotography. So sturdy, so wonderful. I won't need another SLR than this one.
Favorite film types for this camera include:
Kodak Portra 400;
Kodak Tmax P3200;
Anything expired.
Favorite lenses for this camera include:
85mm f/1.2 - amazing for portraits and landscape alike, my day-to-day carry;
15mm f/2.8 fisheye - newest in my collection, takes really cool close-ups and street scenes;
500mm f/4.5 - insane super telephoto lens for astrophotography.
Mamiya RZ67
This is a camera I rented for fun when my Canon F-1 was getting a repair. It came with a 110mm lens. Overall, it gave me a reality check about medium format cameras. I am sure they would be great to use for prints, but they are way too unwieldy. Definitely not meant for lazy people like me.
What I did love about it, however, was the ability to shoot 35mm panoramas. Not the cropped ones like on the P&S, real, full-length panoramas. They were absolutely gorgeous and blew my mind. I wrote a little bit more about this camera in a previous post, so read up for details.
Film Types:
I have also been blowing a pretty significant chunk of my income on film... So here is my review...
Budget 35mm
I am talking about the three packs you'd find at Target. The Kodak Ultramaxes and Fujicolor Superias. Honestly, they are underrated. I really should try shooting these more. I find that Superias tend to look cooler/more vibrant, whereas the Ultramaxes look warmer/more contrasty.
Kodak Portra 400
I remember seeing the first roll of Portra, which I shot in Big Sur of all places, come out of the scanner. These were some of the most stunning photos I had ever seen, period. No edits either. I also shot it with the F-1. So overall, I was blown away from the beginning. For a long time I was enthralled by its pastel shades and its versatility. Anything from portraits to street scenes to astro, it has seen them all. The downsides include: 1) it is goddam expensive; 2) it doesn't do well in low-light conditions. But this film combined with the 85mm lens make my dreams come true.
Kodak Tmax P3200
I started shooting B&W as well late '23. For winter and dreary weather, I was pushed towards this format. I started off with Kodak Tmax 400, and although it looked fine, I wasn't blown away or anything. I got the P3200 on a whim, because I wanted to shoot something that had a higher ISO. Little did I know, this film was rather interesting, as in it is really an 800 ISO film, but can be shot/pushed to 3200. But what it really meant to me was that I could try some different looks on this film. I always shot it at 800, but develop it at box speed. I just love the high contrast, grainy effects that come through each photo. I find that it reflects the mood rather perfectly.
Slide Film
I currently have a love/hate relationship with E-6 slides. I love them because it's the stock I used for the solar eclipse. I hate them because they have no latitude, and tend to blue. So many photos I shot came out not the way I wanted because it was not perfectly metered, or the colors just didn't work. Oh, and they are expensive.
Expired Film
I went on an expired film spree recently. I have acquired some of the following:
Polaroid HD 400 (05/2007) - yes, Polaroid manufactured 35mm color negative film, optimal results for these were at ISO 125;
Kodak Ektachrome P1600 (05/2001) - yes, slide film with such high ISO existed;
Kodak Vericolor III Type S (10/1994) - color negative bulk roll, not yet tested;
Kodak Traffic Surveillance Film SO-033 (06/2003) - b&w bulk roll, not yet tested.
I got a Watson 100 that I have been practicing with loading bulk film, nervous but excited for how it's going to come out.
So far, if I don't know how the film was stored and assuming they were not stored properly, I followed the over-expose by one stop per decade rule. So I'd set the camera ISO to slower than box speed, and process at box speed. This has worked out for me so far with color negative film. Expired slide film is going to be tricky, however. Here is a whole thread of different takes on how expired slide film should be shot. I shall experiment myself and report back.
Subject Matter:
I think photography (not just film) in general gets me to pay close attention to my surroundings. Now I always keep an eye out for interesting characters/sceneries. Honestly, I don't really have a strict preference of any subject matter. As long as it is shot well, I like them all. Ok, I may have a slide preference for portraits. Singular subjects. I learned the importance of framing and DoF especially for these. I definitely sucked for a while, and am still trying to learn. I recently saw an exhibit for Irving Penn at the De Young Museum in SF. I am in awe of how beautiful his portraits looked. It has inspired me to shoot more B&W and intentional portraits in the future.
Conclusion:
This has been a very rewarding hobby. Perhaps because it is so easy to just pick up a camera and start shooting. As long as I get a little better with each roll, as long as these photos resonate with someone out there, I am one happy camper.