Going 100% Film, Maybe.

Hey boys, and girls, welcome to my article.

In todays’ article, we’ll talk about analogue (film) photography and a potential shift/s in my future photography.

A shift that could well have been the result of recent events that have given me the opportunity to step back, try something different and develop thoughts that I think will benefit me and a lot of photographers, especially when they are stuck in a rut or struggling for motivation or inspiration in their images.

If you’ve been following my social media these last couple of weeks, you’d know I’ve injured my arm.

 As a result, I have had time off work, and time to think more. I have also has to adapt my photography slightly, being unable to use my DSLR due to its weight and felt it too heavy to use for my injured arm.

So, to adapt, I come to the first ‘subject’ of this article, analogue photography.

 Last year I picked up a super cheap, yet lightweight rangefinder in the Ricoh 500G.

As you can see from the picture, it has a real old school look to it, and it feels and sounds that way too, the click of the shutter, the smell, the having to load, wind and rewind film and so much more.

But I had an issue with the Ricoh that meant it went months at the back of my drawer, gathering dust.

This issue I have, and bear in mind that it’s an issue with rangefinder in general, not just Ricoh or more specifically the 500G.

When you look through viewfinder to compose your shot, that view isn’t exactly what you get when you get your film developed.

Its slight off from the lens and if you don’t adjust the composition to this, then you’ll miss shots.

I MISSED SHOTS!! I missed a lot of shots.

Though, I did get lucky with some, I felt too frustrated with it and ended up not wanted to spend the money on film and developing to use it on the Rangefinder. So, it went in the drawer.

That is until recently when I injured my arm.

I decided to dig out of the drawer and pick up some 35mm film and use it, with it being lightweight and ease of use, apart from what I’ve mentioned issue.

I was happy just being out taking some photos and enjoying that process, rather than worrying about whether the shots come out well.  (I’ll post a few photos at the end of this article)

Then, when I got my images back, there were some useable shots, shots I’m posting on my socials as I was happy enough with them.  Yet, I still felt disappointed, the shots weren’t quite what I wanted, even when composed well. 

So, I jumped on a well-known auction site and found me a SLR on a good deal.

A Minolta Dynax 7000i.

The first camera in this series, (also known as Maxxum 7000 in the USA and Alpha 7000 in Japan) was the first SLR to have Autofocus, so I felt that I was getting an important camera, it came with 2 lenses, all I had to do on top with get some film and a pack of 2cr5 batteries and wait till it all arrived.

Now, this is not an article for comparing photos, I’ll do that another time.

But I personally not only preferred using the Minolta, but the images came back so much better compared to the Ricoh in my opinion (again, I’ll post Minolta pics at the end).

Autofocus helped, having a viewfinder showing exactly what you take a picture of helped. But the sounds, the feel of the camera were so amazing, every time it wound on to the next shot and I got to rewind the film once complete, I had the biggest beaming smile on my face and couldn’t help but laugh with joy.

I enjoyed using the Minolta more than my DSLR, the Canon EOS 5D MK3.

Which takes me to the second part of the article.

I enjoyed using the Minolta so much that I am seriously thinking about switching to 100% film.

There are a few reasons for this, and it might not even be a full 100% switch.

The main reason though is the higher yield of usable photos.

Because there is an ongoing cost to buy and develop film, I am more thoughtful and deliberate when taking a photo, resulting in better photos.

I can take 100 photos on my DSLR and maybe get 10 usable images on a good day.

With the Minolta, I have taken 108 images in total with it and ended up with 25 usable photos in the first day out using it, then when you add in the enjoyability of using the Minolta then, why wouldn’t I want to use it more?

So, what is stopping me from going 100% film?

Well, the cost of film and developing. For cheap film it will still cost you £20-25 per roll in total!

If I go out 4 times a month, you are talking £80-100 per month for low grade film and 100-150 images a month, max. You’ll also have to wait for the film to be developed or learn to do that yourself.

So, Film isn’t cheap and can be time consuming. Which makes me hesitant to go 100% Film.

Where do I go from here?

Well, I think a mix of Film and digital is fine.  It’s just finding the right balance or a good way to incorporate film into my regular photography, of wish I got some great ideas and another article itself.

So, I’ll end it here.

I hope you enjoy the photos below and I’ll see you next time.

Ricoh Images

 Minolta 7000i Images