Poor newbie / photographer come in share yr thoughts

[buddy]

can you shoot a roll of 36 and print for 13-14? a typical roll of film costs me 3-5+ bucks and processing is arount $15.60 for 4R which comes to a total of around 20 bucks. to me that sure makes me compose/select my shots more carefully knowing that each frame will cost me 55cts!!! this is THE major reason why most people are switching to digital - you just need hard disk space and a memory card for digital. i am contemplating just doing the processing and then getting the negatives scanned to CD and then printing the shots i want.

but back to the topic - to me, this, the post shooting cost - makes more of a difference than the camera cost. you will be amazed at the quality of shots my small and cheap ($90 new) olympus mju film compact can produce.

 

[Barret]

olympus mju film compact can produce.

The mju 2 is freaking superb

 

[pshing]

i think, digital has make life too easy for people who want to learn photography.

when i am using my digital cam (minolta A1), i quite often got pampered by the functions of it. (and i am spoiled by minolta's 28~200 lenses! lolx...)

it is especially so when we have digital work flow. what are underexpose or overexpose? picture composition? color contrast? lighting? if u dont know, the P mode on the cam will happily take up ur job, photoshop will turn ur picture properly exposed and crop it nicely as the way you like. (BUT, i still love using manual mode with assistant of histogram, exposal just cannot be wrong! ha~)

So after shooting for a year or so, i decided get myself i film camear where every single shot also count. Just got a second hand minolta 505si few days back. hehe... come with 50mm F1.7 and two kit lens. i think i will only use the 50mm for this month first.

For those who can master film, i think dslr is really easy for them. Whereas, the opposite is different. I often get hesitated and have to re-check all the settings when the moment i need to press the shutter on a film camera. May be just because i chicken lar, haha... but not sure how the rest feel about it.

This is what a newbie (mi) feel after shooting for a year.
Just keep on shooting =)

 

[theITguy]

For those who can master film, i think dslr is really easy for them. Whereas, the opposite is different. I often get hesitated and have to re-check all the settings when the moment i need to press the shutter on a film camera. May be just because i chicken lar, haha... but not sure how the rest feel about it.

The cost in mastering film is actually quite high over time. It is not only about shooting and printing, more on creating that image with your film. This is also the point where digital wins big time. For slide users, this is less problematic as most likely it will be scanned and digitally processed before printing unless using cibachrome printing method.

 

[dawgbyte77]

The cost in mastering film is actually quite high over time. It is not only about shooting and printing, more on creating that image with your film. This is also the point where digital wins big time. For slide users, this is less problematic as most likely it will be scanned and digitally processed before printing unless using cibachrome printing method.

I agree digital makes life easier for amateur. I always get confused with EV and WB and stuff like that. For digital, you can see right away. For film, you are happily snapping and later, to your disappointment, the whole roll is useless. Plus, digital is WYSIWYG. For film, the processing shop sometimes fix the color for you so you won't know you suck until you switch to digital. The other side is that the print you just developed today won't look the same on the reprint because a different guy processed it.

 

[Barret]

For those who can master film, i think dslr is really easy for them. Whereas, the opposite is different. I often get hesitated and have to re-check all the settings when the moment i need to press the shutter on a film camera.

This is sooo true, but very debatable!

 

[SniperD]

Everyone goes through a learning period and constantly you will be learning. How to improve - shoot more, read more and ask more. It's true to the saying that the more you make mistakes, the more you learn.

If you feel that film is costing you a fair bit of your monthly income, then invest in a digital cam. You learn to adjust for your mistakes faster without having to fork out much like developing the whole roll of film and without eXIF to know what you have been doing wrong.

There's really no rushing things here, photography is a skill developed over time. Doesn't really mean that once you own a dSLR system, you expect to get gradification from your shots. Yes better equipment does yield slightly better results but if you do not have the passion to know your craft from the basics and the understanding of the whys and hows, then you will never get a 'level-up'. You will still end up back to ground zero and then you might find yourself asking the same questions you are asking now.

it's really a long debate. Film or Digital... it's the same at the end of the day.
What is produced on the final print counts.

some says film is a hard thing to master, I would say it's true and yet it's false:
1) Film is more forgiving than digital in terms of color latitude
2) It takes control and experience to master both formats although your learning curve is steeper in Digital than in film, but the basic principles of metering and compositing applies in BOTH formats.
3) Becoz of film's color latitude, it's hard to master the medium to gain the full potential of showing just the right amount of tones and colors wherelse it's easier on digital

I started with 35mm film but due to the progress in time and the upscale market of demand of instanteous shots from clients, I switched over to digital for practical and economical reasons although I still love using film to shoot my own projects

Stick around the forum more to learn. Perhaps one day you will find your own level-up

 

[espn]

Everyone goes through a learning period and constantly you will be learning. How to improve - shoot more, read more and ask more. It's true to the saying that the more you make mistakes, the more you learn.

If you feel that film is costing you a fair bit of your monthly income, then invest in a digital cam. You learn to adjust for your mistakes faster without having to fork out much like developing the whole roll of film and without eXIF to know what you have been doing wrong.

There's really no rushing things here, photography is a skill developed over time. Doesn't really mean that once you own a dSLR system, you expect to get gradification from your shots. Yes better equipment does yield slightly better results but if you do not have the passion to know your craft from the basics and the understanding of the whys and hows, then you will never get a 'level-up'. You will still end up back to ground zero and then you might find yourself asking the same questions you are asking now.

it's really a long debate. Film or Digital... it's the same at the end of the day.
What is produced on the final print counts.

some says film is a hard thing to master, I would say it's true and yet it's false:
1) Film is more forgiving than digital in terms of color latitude
2) It takes control and experience to master both formats although your learning curve is steeper in Digital than in film, but the basic principles of metering and compositing applies in BOTH formats.
3) Becoz of film's color latitude, it's hard to master the medium to gain the full potential of showing just the right amount of tones and colors wherelse it's easier on digital

I started with 35mm film but due to the progress in time and the upscale market of demand of instanteous shots from clients, I switched over to digital for practical and economical reasons although I still love using film to shoot my own projects

Stick around the forum more to learn. Perhaps one day you will find your own level-up

Pro comment!!

 

[SniperD]

Pro comment!!

espn :kok: sD

 

[Slim]

Whats yr common problem for those newbie/photographer who is poor and really love to shoot as much as his own life? How do u find ways to improve yr shots and ways to help u level up more faster ? Whats yr problem in photography (refering to those who are poor) .

Think this thread might be quiet since most people here are quite rich with really gd equipment in the beginning to help them improve faster .

Hiaz just wondering when will i own my first DSLR

really envy those newbie who can own those DSLR .
does learning the hardway really help ? :dunno:
Just discuss whatever u like regarding the above topic.
:cry:

Patience, Patience, Patience!

Photography cannot rush. I believe to improve your skills is not something you can achieve in a short time frame. While I agree that equipment do play a part in good pictures, I believe it's ultimately still the person behind the machine.

I started photography with a point and shoot film camera (abt 3 yrs back). Later I moved on to a SLR to have more control over my pictures. Till now still using my EOS300 film camera. I have a compact digi camera as well. Like you, also envy others with digital SLR and think that if I own one, I will also be able to take beautiful pictures n improve my skills faster (excuses I think to get myself to spend on a dslr)

Read more and learn from books. try slides instead. It will force you to think before you shoot.

2 cents worth opinion from a newbie!

 

[Klose]

It's not the camera but the person behind the viewfinder . Photography can be compared to a child learning to walk. Learning to walk is like learning all the basic functions of a pns once you learn how to walk you increase your pace a little with a basic slr (film). Learning to run can be viewed as using more pro bodies. etc etc.

Learning with film can be hard at times but it's rewarding. I am learning through film before i jump to digital. Starting with a DSLR with no basic is like learning on a auto drive car. my 2 cents of brain matter

 

[mpenza]

u don't need the best equipment to get good pics. but that said, you'll need the proper tools for the job, e.g. a digital compact won't fare too well in birding, and a DSLR with a pro super tele zoom/prime won't be good for table shots at dinners. u'll want to have the proper tools at hand for the shoot and the type of results that you want. once you have the proper tools, it's up to the photographer to capture the right pics.

 

[dawgbyte77]

Some of the advantages I find from digital is:

(1) I can play with bracketing without thinking of shot=money.
(2) Switch between ISO (You're stuck with 1 film until you finish it off).
(3) No need for scanning film or photos for PC users.
(4) Films have expiry date so have to use it up, unlike memcards.
(5) Need to finish the roll and wait for development to see your work.
(6) Bad shots will still be developed so have to pay for it.

Of course, I'm basing this to my experience against P&S film and I'm learning more with DSLR because I have liniency for experimentation.

 

[icarus]

Some of the advantages I find from digital is:

(2) Switch between ISO (You're stuck with 1 film until you finish it off).

Can mid roll mah... :bsmilie:
:bsmilie:

 

[y0ngcheng]

1 way to learn is to join "productive" outing like the recent ones i've join, AG outings organised by Azure. The group of them share their photos, knowledge and concept openly to us. This is where I learn alot of things from them through the outing. The recent sharing tip that Azure taught me how to adjust colors to "velvia-like" simply just amazed me. (yes i am noobie)

The recent AG that organised for Fuji-ians, this is where i realised everyone in the group are much more better. After that I joined the AG73 which its a mega long outing. No regrets! I learnt abt lightnings, studio lightnings and i got myself a new perspective on my photos. Too bad that Azure already has a full time PA, otherwise I'd want to join as his PA. :thumbsup:

 

[CYRN]

Whats yr common problem for those newbie/photographer who is poor and really love to shoot as much as his own life? How do u find ways to improve yr shots and ways to help u level up more faster ? Whats yr problem in photography (refering to those who are poor) .

Think this thread might be quiet since most people here are quite rich with really gd equipment in the beginning to help them improve faster .

Hiaz just wondering when will i own my first DSLR

really envy those newbie who can own those DSLR .
does learning the hardway really help ? :dunno:
Just discuss whatever u like regarding the above topic.
:cry:

S11... Pls eleborate how "poor" is "poor"?

Sometimes is really no option to take up certain hobbies... other than to envy others.

And by the way... photography is really about understanding... understand your subjects and understand the way to potray your subjecct.... if trigger happy... the I recommend VideoGraphy instead.

 

[kiumjoon]

I agree digital makes life easier for amateur. I always get confused with EV and WB and stuff like that. For digital, you can see right away. For film, you are happily snapping and later, to your disappointment, the whole roll is useless. Plus, digital is WYSIWYG. For film, the processing shop sometimes fix the color for you so you won't know you suck until you switch to digital. The other side is that the print you just developed today won't look the same on the reprint because a different guy processed it.

you can always request for "no colour correction" when you send your film to the lab. This will also prevent having different prints from printing at different places.

hey S11loop~..its not that bad to be poor when you are into photography. Esp when u are a film user, you will really treasure your shots more. meaning, you will spend more time calculating your exposure settings, composing and etc..and at the end of the day when u collect your prints if you are satisfied, the feeling is wonderful. no doubt digi cam can yield similar results...but its even more satisfying than getting a good printout from digicam. you know that your effort is paid off.

 

[icarus]

Esp when u are a film user, you will really treasure your shots more. meaning, you will spend more time calculating your exposure settings, composing and etc..and at the end of the day when u collect your prints if you are satisfied, the feeling is wonderful. no doubt digi cam can yield similar results...but its even more satisfying than getting a good printout from digicam. you know that your effort is paid off.

:thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: Fully agreed...

 

[S11loop]

S11... Pls eleborate how "poor" is "poor"?

Sometimes is really no option to take up certain hobbies... other than to envy others.

And by the way... photography is really about understanding... understand your subjects and understand the way to potray your subjecct.... if trigger happy... the I recommend VideoGraphy instead.

me trigger happy ? lol , those who know me would know trigger happy i am ! the reason i am poor is no money to keep on buying media + cost of developing , scanning ... etc serving my NS now so with my limited income i think ... hiaz ... dont flame me ba the reason i post this thread was to look for good solution i mean only those people who manage to walk tru this path will understand , others please keep those unfriendly comment to yrself ask yrself if u pay everything yrself or someone else pay for u . guess i will stop talking here lets keep those good ldea and solution coming in so that people like us can learn a things or two .

 

[zhuozehai]

i notice something that really amuse me. often in photography forums, when anyone talk about film and digital, there would be a war of words. but everything seems fine on this thread. Or maybe it haven't start yet. haha