Film (Analog) Photography Thread

84westI would make some test prints first to see if it is fogged/expired. Storage is a big deal with paper, and that looks like old stock (although I may be wrong). I’m not the most familiar with Agfa products, we had to be on top of our fuji stock when I was printing commercially.

@DingoSean and anyone else who wants to mess with ra4 the real trick is sourcing good original chemistry. I am constantly disappointed by the results with the kits available for retail. If you can find an original starter kit or even replenisher cartridges you can do some math and will get way better results. If you have a local lab you can see if you can talk them into ordering extra for you next time they put in an order but that may be against their contract so it helps if you know someone/work there. It’s key that they know you can read directions and won’t screw up and mix the starter with the bleach fix and chlorine gas yourself with concentrated ra4 starters.

**This post was edited on Jul 6th 2021 at 10:55:41pm

Yeah RA4 is actually still pretty popular in Japan, so you can go to a Yodobashi and buy RA4 starter kits and replenishers pretty easily.

...like its easier to find than fucking D76 right now which is hilarious.

my grandpa took this of my dad on my dads nikon in 1998 in the dakotas

I absolutely love my little Olympus Pen cameras... half frame is so fun. These are from my tiny little Pen-D

I see why some of you love shooting to film and almost exclusively do it. And I think imma start leaning that way after my road ride around town. Just stopping and tryna take photos on my Fm2. Super fricken fun

WoFlowzI see why some of you love shooting to film and almost exclusively do it. And I think imma start leaning that way after my road ride around town. Just stopping and tryna take photos on my Fm2. Super fricken fun

Oh damn that is possibly my dream camera. Such a good one.

I have an F2 which is a beast in comparison.

DingoSeanOh damn that is possibly my dream camera. Such a good one.

I have an F2 which is a beast in comparison.

My dad gave it to me used to be his, he’s had it since college it’s been all over with him. The black hills, Florida keys, Fuji, Australia, Europe, Montana, Utah, Wyoming. Super easy to shoot with and super fun. Vv lucky to have it

Just got two rolls of Kodak 400 developed sorry about the hair in some of the shots. And I got a cool double exposure on one of these.

WoFlowzJust got two rolls of Kodak 400 developed sorry about the hair in some of the shots. And I got a cool double exposure on one of these.

dope stuff bro keep gettin it

graveldope stuff bro keep gettin it

Thanks man. It’s my first time shooting film so I’m just happy they turned out at all 🤷🏼‍♂️ I should have another roll filled and developed by next week

Two questions for Film/Analog NS as I have no clue what I’m doing. What type of manual zoom lense would be best for a Nikon FM2 I’m assuming some old nikkor but idk maybe there’s a less expensive option or something? Also how difficult is developing and scanning your own film and does it require a actual dark room? Or make shift dark room?

WoFlowzTwo questions for Film/Analog NS as I have no clue what I’m doing. What type of manual zoom lense would be best for a Nikon FM2 I’m assuming some old nikkor but idk maybe there’s a less expensive option or something? Also how difficult is developing and scanning your own film and does it require a actual dark room? Or make shift dark room?

First things first - I am jealous of your FM2...

Now..


If youre looking for a zoom lens, that completely depends on what youre going to be using it for. for film, I like to keep my lenses pretty compact, so I usually use primes.. But you can find some really nice old zooms for cheap (under 50$ or so).

One of my favourite lenses ever is the Nikon Series E 75-150 f3.5. It is compact, sharp as shit, built well, and fixed f3.5 aperture. It was sold as an amateur lens, but professionals loved the thing.

However, 75-150 is only for telephoto... if youre looking for a do-everything walk around zoom, you have two solid options... the Nikon Series E 36-72mm f3.5 and the Nikkor 35-105 f3.5-f4.5. Theyre both good options - the 35-105 being a little bigger and zoomier. Id get the 35-105 if I was just looking for one lens to do everything, and the 36-72 if youre also going to pick up the aformentioned 75-150, since they work together extremely well and both have fixed f3.5 max apertures (and both are useable at that aperture)

If you want a wide-angle zoom, you dont have a ton of options on the cheap unfortunately, but the FM2 takes Nikkor AF and AFD lenses, so you could go with the Nikkor AF/AF-D 24-50 f3.3-4.5. I dont know how great this lens is - It is most likely just okay at best, but I know you can get them pretty cheap (under 100$ for sure) and they work great on that camera, so there you have it.

I used to have the nikkor 28-50 f3.5, and would use that as a walk-around option along with the 75-150 f3.5, and that was an absolutely awesome lens, but it will surely cost a lot more.

For wide angle stuff I would probably stick to a prime, since zooms tend to make the widest angles real fucking distorted unless youre willing to fork out some serious cash. I love my Nikkor 24 f2.8 for a do-everything wide angle. You dont need wider than 24mm for 98% of anything.

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As for developing and scanning...

You dont need a fully dark room to do either.

For developing, you need a changing bag, and a developing tank. Youtube has an absolute plethora of information on this.

For scanning, that depends on how youre going about it. If youre using a flatbed then it doesnt matter at all (although it is slow, and stupid and you end up with a big honking scanner in your room all the time and I hated that). If you are using a DSLR and macro lens to scan like I do, you dont need a dark room, but you definitely dont want a specifically well lit room with an overhead lamp, since you might get reflections on your film that will mess up your scans.

DingoSeanFirst things first - I am jealous of your FM2...

Now..


If youre looking for a zoom lens, that completely depends on what youre going to be using it for. for film, I like to keep my lenses pretty compact, so I usually use primes.. But you can find some really nice old zooms for cheap (under 50$ or so).

One of my favourite lenses ever is the Nikon Series E 75-150 f3.5. It is compact, sharp as shit, built well, and fixed f3.5 aperture. It was sold as an amateur lens, but professionals loved the thing.

However, 75-150 is only for telephoto... if youre looking for a do-everything walk around zoom, you have two solid options... the Nikon Series E 36-72mm f3.5 and the Nikkor 35-105 f3.5-f4.5. Theyre both good options - the 35-105 being a little bigger and zoomier. Id get the 35-105 if I was just looking for one lens to do everything, and the 36-72 if youre also going to pick up the aformentioned 75-150, since they work together extremely well and both have fixed f3.5 max apertures (and both are useable at that aperture)

If you want a wide-angle zoom, you dont have a ton of options on the cheap unfortunately, but the FM2 takes Nikkor AF and AFD lenses, so you could go with the Nikkor AF/AF-D 24-50 f3.3-4.5. I dont know how great this lens is - It is most likely just okay at best, but I know you can get them pretty cheap (under 100$ for sure) and they work great on that camera, so there you have it.

I used to have the nikkor 28-50 f3.5, and would use that as a walk-around option along with the 75-150 f3.5, and that was an absolutely awesome lens, but it will surely cost a lot more.

For wide angle stuff I would probably stick to a prime, since zooms tend to make the widest angles real fucking distorted unless youre willing to fork out some serious cash. I love my Nikkor 24 f2.8 for a do-everything wide angle. You dont need wider than 24mm for 98% of anything.

----



As for developing and scanning...

You dont need a fully dark room to do either.

For developing, you need a changing bag, and a developing tank. Youtube has an absolute plethora of information on this.

For scanning, that depends on how youre going about it. If youre using a flatbed then it doesnt matter at all (although it is slow, and stupid and you end up with a big honking scanner in your room all the time and I hated that). If you are using a DSLR and macro lens to scan like I do, you dont need a dark room, but you definitely dont want a specifically well lit room with an overhead lamp, since you might get reflections on your film that will mess up your scans.

Ok thanks so much for the help. I’ll look into the developing tank and changing bag etc on YouTube… As for scanning I would end up using a DSLR. I’ll look into that more also..

Lense wise I’m looking more toward the Nikkor 35-105 f3.5-f4.5 as just a do it all type lens like you suggested. I already have a Nikkor 24mm lense that came with the camera when my dad bought it. But since I already have the wide angle 24mm would the Series E 75-150 be more appropriate?

WoFlowzOk thanks so much for the help. I’ll look into the developing tank and changing bag etc on YouTube… As for scanning I would end up using a DSLR. I’ll look into that more also..

Lense wise I’m looking more toward the Nikkor 35-105 f3.5-f4.5 as just a do it all type lens like you suggested. I already have a Nikkor 24mm lense that came with the camera when my dad bought it. But since I already have the wide angle 24mm would the Series E 75-150 be more appropriate?

Here are a couple videos I recommend you watch..

https://www.newschoolers.com/videos/watch/1010038/Developing-Black-And-White-Film
https://www.newschoolers.com/videos/watch/1010039/This-Is-What-You-Need-To-Develop-Film
https://www.newschoolers.com/videos/watch/1010040/How-to--Develop-black-and-white-filmIts generally a really easy process, and you dont even have to be as clinical and careful about it as these guys - who are professional photographers who have been doing this for years. If youre just doing it for yourself, dont be afraid to not do it as clinically and make mistakes... chances are even a small mistake is un-noticible or not even a big deal at the end of the day.




As for lenses, yeah the 35-105 is a pretty useful lens. If you already have the 24 mm, thats a good 2-lens setup for most things, and I would generally be happy with that setup. I wouldnt go with only the 24 and the 75-150, as the majority of your shots are going to happen in the 35mm-80mm focal lengths, hence why those are usually the most popular lenses.

Actually, a common thing that I do is take my FE along with my own 24 and the 75-150, and then either a 35mm or a 50mm to cover the middle. That's my usual 3 lens setup if I go on a trip and want a good variety of shot options in a compact and light kit. 24,50,75-150 will cover 99% of all shots youll make on a regular basis.

larger mid-range zooms like the 35-105 only will end up on my camera if I am on a winter hike or backcountry tour or something where changing lenses in weather is zero fun and Its nice to have a good range. I have used my AF 28-70 f2.8 in this capacity for some time now, but I think I might ditch it for a lens with a bit longer zoom range and lighter weight like the 28-105 or 35-135 autofocus lenses - which are also both good ideas for your FM2.

WoFlowzLense wise I’m looking more toward the Nikkor 35-105 f3.5-f4.5 as just a do it all type lens like you suggested. I already have a Nikkor 24mm lense that came with the camera when my dad bought it. But since I already have the wide angle 24mm would the Series E 75-150 be more appropriate?

If you are okay with a prime, and since you already have a 24, You might look into a nikkor 105 2.5. Nikon made a ton of different versions of it over the years so it is easy to find in good shape for cheap and it is one of the most legendary portrait/short tele lenses ever.

I have the chance to shoot with this monster if i want to pay for materials. 11x14 deardorff studio camera (pictured with 8x10 lens board and back (although you can't see the back). Obviously it is not very mobile so it would have to stay in place at the studio. But the owner has the original ground glass and a ton of lens options. I guess i need to save some money to order film for it. (and think of a portrait series worth doing)

h

And here's a picture of a different one in use since i wasn't able to do much besides grab a couple quick phone photos while i was there:

84westI have the chance to shoot with this monster if i want to pay for materials. 11x14 deardorff studio camera (pictured with 8x10 lens board and back (although you can't see the back). Obviously it is not very mobile so it would have to stay in place at the studio. But the owner has the original ground glass and a ton of lens options. I guess i need to save some money to order film for it. (and think of a portrait series worth doing)

h

And here's a picture of a different one in use since i wasn't able to do much besides grab a couple quick phone photos while i was there:

OH GOD YESSS

That is fucking sick.



As for paper, and materials.. shoot paper negatives or Arista's ortho-litho film (which is basically like thin film negatives with Arista paper emulsion) and maybe source out some 8x10 film somewhere.



Id froth over access to that thing.