Demographic Survey #2: SLR users - Film or Digital

[Snoweagle]

Yeah.. The sound of Canon's film advance is more more muted than Nikon's and it has been like that since the FD age. Nikon's is quite distinctive and has remained very similar and I think it is something that keep people going back to the same brand, it's the familiarity of the sound it produces.

Yupz, but as compared to my previous EOS 500, the shutter sound is totally different from my EOS 30.

 

[lsisaxon]

Yupz, but as compared to my previous EOS 500, the shutter sound is totally different from my EOS 30.

Hmm.. Interesting.. maybe Nikon's is more consistent or more progressive..

 

[Snoweagle]

Hmm.. Interesting.. maybe Nikon's is more consistent or more progressive..

I'm not sure abt Nikon cos i haven't used it b4 hehe...

 

[neonorange]

Hi, i'm new to the forum (well not really, i was a member a long time ago and just let the account die) and i had a question to ask about this film vs digital thing.

I'm a die-hard film user, because of black and white. but i want to buy a digital SLR so that my film photography improves. If i were to buy a film AND a digital SLR camera that could share lenses (eg Nikon D70 and Nikon F50, or a pairing from Canon like that) which two cameras should i buy? Which two cameras are so similar that the film and digital outputs (given the same settings) are almost the same? I've heard that the Canon EOS1 and 350D give almost the same outputs, is that true?

Any help (or if you could redirect me to a better thread for this question) would be really appreciated!

 

[lsisaxon]

Hi, i'm new to the forum (well not really, i was a member a long time ago and just let the account die) and i had a question to ask about this film vs digital thing.

I'm a die-hard film user, because of black and white. but i want to buy a digital SLR so that my film photography improves. If i were to buy a film AND a digital SLR camera that could share lenses (eg Nikon D70 and Nikon F50, or a pairing from Canon like that) which two cameras should i buy? Which two cameras are so similar that the film and digital outputs (given the same settings) are almost the same? I've heard that the Canon EOS1 and 350D give almost the same outputs, is that true?

Any help (or if you could redirect me to a better thread for this question) would be really appreciated!

I doubt they will ever be the same. Film emulsion has variations and digital image sensors works differently from film. I can only say that they will be close but they can never be the same.

What you can do is to look at the digital body and see which film body did the manufacturer (eg, Nikon) based it on. Then as far as the metering is concerned, they shouldn't differ too much.

 

[neonorange]

Thanks Isisaxon - i've already heard about the different size of the CMOS sensor vs 35mm film size, so no matter what i know my lenses will not produce the same image. you're right, and maybe i should rephrase my question to - which would you guys recommend for a person who wanted to improve their film photography using a digital SLR, and share lenses, etc. I'm quite set on staying with film, since i've built my own darkroom at home, and it would be a waste to throw it all away

 

[lsisaxon]

Thanks Isisaxon - i've already heard about the different size of the CMOS sensor vs 35mm film size, so no matter what i know my lenses will not produce the same image. you're right, and maybe i should rephrase my question to - which would you guys recommend for a person who wanted to improve their film photography using a digital SLR, and share lenses, etc. I'm quite set on staying with film, since i've built my own darkroom at home, and it would be a waste to throw it all away

I think there's nothing wrong with sharing lenses but because of the crop factor, you will need shorter lenses for wide angle. In the case of the Nikon DX sensor, Ultra wide angle lenses for film will become like just wide angle, wide angle becomes like normal lenses, Normal lenses becomes medium telephoto.

Although I do have opinions about digital and film, I do not advocate one or another. Especially for B&W, they are totally different. You definitely may use one to complement the other and experience do count.

I do not know your existing film setup but if a digital body is available and the lens mount is the same, then you would be able to share lenses. As for those lenses with reduced image circle, you can only use them on the digital body because the image circle is not big enough to cover the whole 35mm frame.

 

[Snoweagle]

Thanks Isisaxon - i've already heard about the different size of the CMOS sensor vs 35mm film size, so no matter what i know my lenses will not produce the same image. you're right, and maybe i should rephrase my question to - which would you guys recommend for a person who wanted to improve their film photography using a digital SLR, and share lenses, etc. I'm quite set on staying with film, since i've built my own darkroom at home, and it would be a waste to throw it all away

U're just like me. Even though i send my films to the lab for post-processing, i'm also rather set to film.

 

[lsisaxon]

U're just like me. Even though i send my films to the lab for post-processing, i'm also rather set to film.

I was like you, until I see the power and convenience of digital. Hahaha... Same thing when AF came out.. those gurus always say they can focus faster than AF, until they see AF, their jaw dropped. I think if they still had the same mindset, their whole jaw will dislocate when they see AF-S.

 

[Snoweagle]

I was like you, until I see the power and convenience of digital. Hahaha... Same thing when AF came out.. those gurus always say they can focus faster than AF, until they see AF, their jaw dropped. I think if they still had the same mindset, their whole jaw will dislocate when they see AF-S.

Yes digital is convenient but i'm more into picture quality than convenience. Maybe in future then buy digital. Current target is 5D with grip and a new flash.

 

[neonorange]

I know that digital is probably the future, but the digital black and white that i've seen is... at best only passable. it has a long way to go before digital black and white can recreate the emotion and "feel" of a film black and white, so i'm still stuck to using film cameras until that day. perhaps if there's a great digital SLR with a good enough black&white spectrum, i'll convert fully... but sorry, that day hasn't come yet (not a normal person's budget, anyway)!!

 

[Snoweagle]

I know that digital is probably the future, but the digital black and white that i've seen is... at best only passable. it has a long way to go before digital black and white can recreate the emotion and "feel" of a film black and white, so i'm still stuck to using film cameras until that day. perhaps if there's a great digital SLR with a good enough black&white spectrum, i'll convert fully... but sorry, that day hasn't come yet (not a normal person's budget, anyway)!!

I heard that the EOS 5D has very gd black and white effects.

 

[neonorange]

yup, but it's still unable to recreate the "grain" from true film (esp high speed film like 1600/3200, which i love). Thanks so much for the advice everybody, looks like i'm going to try and pick up a Canon EOS3 or EOS1v(for my film stuff) and possibly and EOS10D (or 20D) second hand. I'll scour the forums and try finding a bargain for both...
thanks again!

 

[Snoweagle]

yup, but it's still unable to recreate the "grain" from true film (esp high speed film like 1600/3200, which i love). Thanks so much for the advice everybody, looks like i'm going to try and pick up a Canon EOS3 or EOS1v(for my film stuff) and possibly and EOS10D (or 20D) second hand. I'll scour the forums and try finding a bargain for both...
thanks again!

Good choice on the EOS 3 or 1V. I'm still using my 30 though....liked it super a lot!