How to request: digitizing film

[Gary Grant]

Any of you who know me in person, know that I'm not a camera geek. I'm a car geek who works with a tool called a camera. So, with my limited experience with cameras, I just bought a couple of Sigma lenses off ebay. They don't work with my 30D. I took them to the Canadian Sigma importer who told me they are analog/film lenses. I happen to have a couple of Canon EOS film bodies, but no lenses. I think I'm going to try playing around with film a bit, which leads me to a total newbie question.

How does one digitize 35mm film?

I know there are scanners that are specifically for slides and negatives, but how does one turn raw film into a negative without a darkroom etc?

[John Thawley]

Well... let me put it this way...

I owned a beautiful Leica M5 (35mm rangefinder) this winter - I put about 10 rolls of film through it. I sold it after 30 days.

The camera was spectacular. Film processing SUCKS!!! If you're not doing it yourself, you're not going to get what you NEED.

THEN... even if were to develop the film yourself, scanning negatives is a miserable, hit and miss solution. Dust, scratches, color mismatch... and on and on.

Sorry to the film aficionados... but it doesn't fly if you live in a digital world.

Find a home for the lenses. You're putting good money after bad. Did I mention film is expensive? :)

[Daniel Buck]

I agree with John, especially if you are shooting 35mm. Processing film is annoying if you are not already used to the waiting and cost of it, and are used to the instant results of digital. And unless you have a very good scanner (drum scanner) the results are probably going to disappoint you when scanning in small 35mm film shots.

I enjoy shooting film, but I shoot larger film formats, and I only shoot film when I am not expecting to take lots of photos.

Yes, you can develop your own film, black and white film is quite easy to develop, I develop it in my sink with daylight tanks and a dark tent (I have no dark room). Color film is more complicated and has to be more precise with temperatures and such, but it can be done at home as well.

[Todd Corzett]

I found doing film work to be fun. There was something relaxing about developing b&w film and waving your hands over paper to "create" the final print. I took a "Intro to Photography" course at my local community college and for a $50 materials fee was able to use their darkroom. Much cheaper and convenient than trying to set something up at home (dealing with mixing and disposing of chemicals, etc.). It was even better that I didn't care about the grade (despite getting an "A" and not having to take the final exam because I was out shooting a motorsports event).

-Todd...

[Daniel Buck]

Film can indeed be fun, however it would probably get un-fun quite quickly if you had to shoot an event entirely with film, and had rolls and rolls of photographs to process and scan or make wet proofs when you are used to shooting digital.

I would reserve film for your personal shooting where you are going for quality and fun, not quantity. Or for shooting when you are bringing digital and film, reserve the film shots for the special shots. That's how I do it.

[Steve Stein]

Having learned photography from the darkroom first, B&W is (was) a lot of fun. Having said that, I don't miss it.

I have a Canon Elan7 sitting in my closet gathering dust. Every year I tell myself I'm going to get it out of the closet and load up a roll of film in it. Just another layer of crap goes on top of it.

I have a friend who shoots with a Leica and does his own B&W development and scanning. It looks really good with the right subject matter. I think he uses an Epson V500 or 700 scanner to digitize the negs.

[Rob Stewart]

I first started with medium format film and still own my lovely Mamiya 645. I only use it for fun or when a client requests film to be used (never) or to get a different look to a shoot in addition to digital.

Compared to digital it is hassle to the power of N!

[Gary Grant]

Thanks guys - I'm going to bundle them up with the bodies I have and ebay them.