Thu Mar 19, 2009 12:09 pm
I've been thinking of switching to digital since Nikon came up with D70. Instead of buying a digital camera that would go obsolete in couple of years, I purchased Nikon Coolscan scanner (for the price of D70 when it was new), and I get high resolution pictures better than the new Nikon D3X or Canon 1D. Here are some reasons I will stay shooting film:
- much better dynamic range
- greater color spectrum (you're not limited to sRGB or Photoshop colors)
- people's faces look better on film (with digital I see some red/green tint to skin's color)
- people who had a picture taken by you don't waste your batteries for previewing what you've just shot
- batteries last longer in film cameras
- no need for your laptop (+chargers, extra hard drives, etc) to take along
- film makes you think how to shoot, with digital you take 30 shots of one object/person and then pick only one
- never bother with dust on the CCD/CMOS sensor
- you can never acciddently erase a good shot with film
- no viruses, bad memory cards, hard drive crashes
- if your film gets wet, you just rinse it with distilled water and dry it. Try that with memory card.
- you can have your negs/slides scanned at the same time as film is developed. It's difficult and more expensive to go the other way.
- never need a computer to see your slides
- you can shoot infrared film. With digital you have to have two cameras: one for normal pictures, the other has to be modified to take infrared pictures.
- viewfinders are bigger and brighter than those found in digital cameras
- film is rated for at least 30 years, and Kodak claims their professional line of films to be rated to 80 years. Are CDs and DVDs going to last that long? Remember what VCR or VHS tape is now? I've got my parents' wedding recorded 31 years ago on 35mm film - looks like it was taken yesterday.
I could go on, and on, but you see the point. Most importantly great, well made film cameras are cheap to buy. I've got a Nikon F90x in mint condition (only 4000 clicks on it) for 100 EUROs, and recently I've got Nikon F70 for free!!! Both are capable of shooting great 24 MP pictures. How cool is that? Check out brand new Canon EOS 300x film camera (body only) that retails for 40 - 60 EUROs.
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Bodies: Nikon F90x + MB-10 + MF-26; F70; F65, Zenith 11
Glass: Nikkor 50; 28-80; 70-300; Sigma 24-70
Flash: Nikon SB-28; 2x SB-22s; 2x SU-4
Scanner: Nikon COOLSCAN V LS-50
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Mateusz, Matthew or Matt - whichever you prefer.