I hate digital

I got into film photography in 2010 after shooting digital for so long. I've a stack of old film bodies and lenses that I play with from time to time and process my own black and white films (time consuming but fun).

It's changed the way I take photos; even when shooting digital, I only press the shutter once and then only when I'm sure it's a keeper. I often scowl and the machine gun approach of digital photographers.
 
I got into film photography in 2010 after shooting digital for so long. I've a stack of old film bodies and lenses that I play with from time to time and process my own black and white films (time consuming but fun).

It's changed the way I take photos; even when shooting digital, I only press the shutter once and then only when I'm sure it's a keeper. I often scowl and the machine gun approach of digital photographers.
With you all the way on that. I used film cameras and processed and printed all my own films (transparencies, colour included) for years, and I had my first camera at the end of the 1950s. The big attraction of digital was, for me, the absence of the rocketing costs of film and consumables, together with a massive decline in the range and choice available. Many of my favourite 35mm films just disappeared.

I think that those of us who have an analogue background of some long duration have retained the disciplines of shooting with film (framing, composition, "get it right first time" mentality, plus a view on financial economy), and personally, I always look and think before I take a photograph. That said, there are sometimes occasions when taking a lot of photographs rapidly with a digital camera can be great; for example, when I photograph my grandsons, who seem to be still for only nanoseconds.

My wife of more than 50 years died recently, and this prompted me to go through thousands of prints, slides, contacts and negs, and in doing so, it struck me that a large proportion of them (taken mostly with Nikon F series F2AS,F2SB,F3) look better to me than a lot of my later digital stuff.

When I sold my film Nikons (but keeping a couple of favourite lenses), I also parted with all my darkroom gear. Nowadays, I could probably set most of it up again, with second-hand equipment, at a fraction of what it cost me back then, but the cost and scarcity of film and consumables nowadays makes it a no-no.
 
With you all the way on that. I used film cameras and processed and printed all my own films (transparencies, colour included) for years, and I had my first camera at the end of the 1950s. The big attraction of digital was, for me, the absence of the rocketing costs of film and consumables, together with a massive decline in the range and choice available. Many of my favourite 35mm films just disappeared.

I think that those of us who have an analogue background of some long duration have retained the disciplines of shooting with film (framing, composition, "get it right first time" mentality, plus a view on financial economy), and personally, I always look and think before I take a photograph. That said, there are sometimes occasions when taking a lot of photographs rapidly with a digital camera can be great; for example, when I photograph my grandsons, who seem to be still for only nanoseconds.

My wife of more than 50 years died recently, and this prompted me to go through thousands of prints, slides, contacts and negs, and in doing so, it struck me that a large proportion of them (taken mostly with Nikon F series F2AS,F2SB,F3) look better to me than a lot of my later digital stuff.

When I sold my film Nikons (but keeping a couple of favourite lenses), I also parted with all my darkroom gear. Nowadays, I could probably set most of it up again, with second-hand equipment, at a fraction of what it cost me back then, but the cost and scarcity of film and consumables nowadays makes it a no-no.
I'm sorry for your loss.
 
With you all the way on that. I used film cameras and processed and printed all my own films (transparencies, colour included) for years, and I had my first camera at the end of the 1950s. The big attraction of digital was, for me, the absence of the rocketing costs of film and consumables, together with a massive decline in the range and choice available. Many of my favourite 35mm films just disappeared.

I think that those of us who have an analogue background of some long duration have retained the disciplines of shooting with film (framing, composition, "get it right first time" mentality, plus a view on financial economy), and personally, I always look and think before I take a photograph. That said, there are sometimes occasions when taking a lot of photographs rapidly with a digital camera can be great; for example, when I photograph my grandsons, who seem to be still for only nanoseconds.

My wife of more than 50 years died recently, and this prompted me to go through thousands of prints, slides, contacts and negs, and in doing so, it struck me that a large proportion of them (taken mostly with Nikon F series F2AS,F2SB,F3) look better to me than a lot of my later digital stuff.

When I sold my film Nikons (but keeping a couple of favourite lenses), I also parted with all my darkroom gear. Nowadays, I could probably set most of it up again, with second-hand equipment, at a fraction of what it cost me back then, but the cost and scarcity of film and consumables nowadays makes it a no-no.
Very sorry to hear that.
Glad you have all those memories recorded.
 
The best camera for a particular shot is the one that you actually have with you.
You can go down the route of old-fashioned large-format cameras that make great pictures you develop yourself, but you won't always carry it with you.
If you see a great photo opportunity and all you have with you is your phone... and these days you always do... that's the camera of choice. And they are very capable cameras.

By all means, plan your artistic photos and use an old camera or shoot in RAW, but I believe that the likes of Henri Cartier-Bresson would have loved the latest iPhone (insert brand of choice here).
 
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