Film vs Digital

[Mattias Burling]

The subject is still going strong. The video was interesting imo.

Personally I use both but I sure know which one I like the best.

[Mattias Burling]

I like how the guy towards the end so perfectly put words on why I use film for all my casual still photography.
For every roll of film I develop in my kitchen I have learned more than I would from one month from shooting digital. It makes my compositions better, seeing the images better, finding the angles, shadows, highlights. The number of keepers go up.

And it also affects my digital video shooting. I see things I didn't use to see. But it also affects my casual video shooting negative since I never do it. Every time I bring a video camera to a family trip or something it gets left in the car. I just see so many things I want on film that video isn't worth it

Its also very fun imo to scavenge for old cameras, testing films and chemicals, processing. Its an extension of the hobby. Developing B&W and color can both be done in room temperature these days, with no special equipment. Its more contemplating than work.

Developing s8 and s16 motion film isn't to much of a hassle either if one can live with it not being perfect. If one goes for B&W its a walk in the park.
16mm scanners show up from time to time, always for free or a symbolic $50. But I rather send it away for scan or use my camera.
Its all for fun imo.

In the professional world I can never justify film. Nor would I want to. But I don't do narratives. If I was ever offered to do a feature I would definitely use film. 16mm is way cheaper than renting an Alexa. But its not a dream of mine nor something I steer my career towards, so it will most likely never happen.
I am however thinking of doing a good old fashion 16mm documentary with the Fuji stock Im hording.

 

[Bioskop.Inc]

I'm with you on this 100%.

I've shot film in the past & digital has become such a lazy way to do things. At the moment, when I shoot digital photos I want them to be perfect JPEGs. I'm fed up of spending time editing RAW files, when all you need to do is get it right the first time in-camera.

I'm on an anti-CGI, PS or whatever people use in post run atm. I'm fed up of looking at these perfect fake looking pictures/films. Nothing in life is perfect and that is how I would like the things I produce to be. Imperfections are beautiful and you can produce some great things by accident. I've got a great picture of an IKEA oven glove that's completely out of focus & it looks like a car - a complete accident, whilst testing out the bokeh potential of a new lens. The irony is, no matter how much I try to re-grade/alter it in a program, the original JPEG looks way better each time. So now I've stopped the RAW nonsense & I'm over the DR thing, it's just such a waste of time to worry about these things - more importantly, it stops you going out there & doing.

Seriously thinking of going back to shooting on film, for pictures or movies/docs - will make life much easier.

[Dogtown]

Hard not to get emotional when we are so close to losing such a beautiful tool for telling stories. 

[Volker Schmidt]

interesting comparison shots:

 

[BenEricson]

16 minutes ago, Volker Schmidt said:

interesting comparison shots:

 

You're right, there really is no comparison. 

[jgharding]

I notice the grain used on the alexa footage isn't heavy enough to really match the film in the first shot, and later the grain is too sharp and harsh.

It's odd, but when starting with digital, people are really reticent to actually make it look like film by blurring, blooming highlights and adding a lot of grain! Even fast blur in Premiere does a lot for emulation.

I think we're all so conditioned to digital cleanliness now, it's hard for us to remember film is imprefect, in a beautiful way.

It's like the difference between a catalogue model and someone you find truly beautiful. The latter always fells more like a real emotion than just an abstract judgement.

[Volker Schmidt]

Or also this:

 

 

For my taste, 35mm Film is still more alive.
 

[Volker Schmidt]

But as a previous 35mm-filmcamera owner I´d like to say, it´s a pleasure to live in this times of digital filmmaking:
It´s so cheap, and so close to "film"; for me the best way to make films!

[joema]

12 hours ago, Bioskop.Inc said:

...Seriously thinking of going back to shooting on film, for pictures or movies/docs - will make life much easier.

Go back to Kodachrome -- your life will definitely be easier since it's no longer available. However Kodachrome did make the world look like a "sunny day". That's because it was so slow you could only shoot on a sunny day. 

[BenEricson]

5 minutes ago, joema said:

Go back to Kodachrome -- your life will definitely be easier since it's no longer available. However Kodachrome did make the world look like a "sunny day". That's because it was so slow you could only shoot on a sunny day. 

Who wants to shoot in the rain. S-LOG2 2000 ISO. Great idea guys. 

Film, 16mm or 35mm still, looks much better in harsh lighting conditions.