When was the last time you used an old-fashioned slr camera?

[Tuffcookie]

You know the ones that take film??????
I was wondering if, after working with dslrs (or any digital camera for that matter) you found it easier to work with the old-fashioned slr's because you knew what settings would give you your desired results?
I still have an old Argus slr, with a couple of lenses and I'm thinking I just might give it a try on our Spring Break trip. I certainly wouldn't have to deal with lag time! Of course, I would still take my S5 too!

TC

 

[My2Girls66]

I traded up from an N80 slr film camera to a D50 2 years ago this month. So its been 2 years since I developed my last roll of film. For 3 years I carried both my N80 AND a Coolpix 4500 everywhere(I must have looked funny with 2cameras around my neck all the time when we traveled). I was still new to digital and didn't trust myself plus I hated the shutter lag. I bought the D50- there was no shutter lag so I put all my other cameras away. I love the D50 and it uses all my old lenses. I do take the N80 out to look at it occasionally. I really liked it.

 

[DueyDooDah]

Yes, it was much easier taking shots, sending them to the photo lab and having them returned fully developed. No fuss... no muss. With my dslr, I have to do all the work, which is quite extensive when you shoot RAW.

BUT...I get the crop the way I want, get to adjust the colors the way I want, and don't need to pay for film or development (unless you consider cost of CF cards, Lightroom, Photoshop, computer, monitors and monitor calibration device, printer, toner, paper and software upgrades... oh wait, I think I'm paying more than film development!!!)

 

[mabas9395]

I started with a Pentax K1000 and a 50mm prime shortly after high school. Needless to say, I didn't have a lot of cash to spend on film and developing so I didn't get much practice. I didn't see much action until I had kids then I used it occasionally, but didn't really understand what I was doing (just keep turning the shutter and aperture dials until the light meter was in the middle). After I got my dSLR I tried to give it away to the local high schools since the k1000 was standard high school equipment, but they had already gone digital. So I sold it to a girl at the local camera shop and bought a "nifty-fifty" for my canon.

Haven't looked back and doubt I will.

 

[npmommie]

I used my film slr about 2 years ago. we went to the white mountains, and my sony cybershot kicked the bucket, the lcd screen broke...........anyway, I didn't have a chance to get a new digi cam before the trip so I brought the slr. omg the looks I got from people.........LOL..........
we were on a train ride and one guy decided to tell me to come out of the dark ages and get a digital camera!!! LOL
but the pictures I got on that trip are beautiful, I just pulled them out the other night as a matter of fact, when I was debating getting the dslr.
I plan to keep that camera, my hubby bought it for me 20 yrs ago, yes 20!!!!! when we were just youngins........LOL

 

[DVC Jen]

About 2 weeks ago. The hubster got me a used SLR made in 1978 (bought it from a friend) for Christmas.

I haven't really had time to sit down and play with it - figure it all out - but I will. Someday. I hope.

 

[Suburbanmom]

Last week for me. But only because my friend's daughter is taking a photography class at her high school and they needed "the old fashioned kind" of camera :lol:. She's doing black & white and darkroom and everything. In 1984, my parents bought me some kind of Minolta SLR, I'm not even sure which one. It has the nifty-fifty and a zoom lens and a flash unit I never did figure our how to work. I haven't shot any film in years, but I think I might when she's finished with it.

 

[YEKCIM]

I last used my Minolta Maxxum's in July 2006, at Mickey's World.
My company's annual sales meeting was there (woo-hoo!) and I'm the unofficial official photographer for those events. I'd just purchased my first "real" digital camera, the Finepix S5200, but had to rely on the Maxxum with 24mm lens for wide group shots, since the Finepix has neither the wide "reach" nor anywhere near the flash "ummph" to cover that kind of shot.

Since then, the Maxxums and five or six lenses have sat on my "camera shelf", on display and collecting dust. I toyed with going the Konica/Minolta or Sony Alpha dSLR route since I already had a nice Maxxum lens collection, but finally opted for Nikon instead, mainly due to spousal influence.

~YEKCIM

 

[jann1033]

i just found a new/old roll of film so while i haven't used it since 2004, i might pick up some batteries if i can be sure i can get the b&w film developed...i think a local shop that does inhouse development does it..hopefully

 

[DVC Jen]

Last week for me. But only because my friend's daughter is taking a photography class at her high school and they needed "the old fashioned kind" of camera :lol:. She's doing black & white and darkroom and everything. In 1984, my parents bought me some kind of Minolta SLR, I'm not even sure which one. It has the nifty-fifty and a zoom lens and a flash unit I never did figure our how to work. I haven't shot any film in years, but I think I might when she's finished with it.

I did that in high school too. Very cool!

 

[My2Girls66]

Yes, it was much easier taking shots, sending them to the photo lab and having them returned fully developed. No fuss... no muss. With my dslr, I have to do all the work, which is quite extensive when you shoot RAW.

BUT...I get the crop the way I want, get to adjust the colors the way I want, and don't need to pay for film or development (unless you consider cost of CF cards, Lightroom, Photoshop, computer, monitors and monitor calibration device, printer, toner, paper and software upgrades... oh wait, I think I'm paying more than film development!!!)

Don't forget the extra hard drive/s- dvd's, cd's.....I don't think digital has saved me any $$ either. Definitely takes much more time and the only things I do in Photoshop is occasionally I crop or use the red eye or blemish tool. Its fun, tho! I took photography in hs, also. Used a Mamiya with 50mm lens- it has the little light meter in the bottom right- developed the pictures in the schools darkroom. I used that Mamiya until my dad found a guy in town that didn't like his N8008- 3 lenses and an SB-24 flash. Sold it all to him cheap and he gave it to me
I use it all except the body, now, they are all circa 1980-something.

 

[handicap18]

I took my Nikon N70 to Disney with me last month. I think I ended up only taking 8 or 10 pics with it and only at the hotel. I put some black and white film in it.

I think I'll put the 50mm f/1.8 lens on it and take some pics of the kids around the house just to finish up the roll.

Other than that the last time I used it was Christmas '05 (also took 4 rolls of film with it on a Disney trip after Thanksgiving in '05). In Jan '06 I bought my Nikon D50 and haven't use much else. That includes the video camera.

 

[Gdad]

Probably a 5 year Digital P&S gap between my last SLR and first DSLR.

 

[I'm a Divaaaaa]

My Nikon F3 is the only thing that matters to me. I am AWFUL with a digital camera. I don't know there is something so rewarding about choosing your settings then being able to manipulate the film when processing and then being able to mess with the pictures in the darkroom. I know I could do all of that in photoshop in a quarter of the time but I just love working hands on more.

I have a digital SLR and to me it just doesn't compare to my film.

 

[boBQuincy]

There isn't a lot of difference in using a newer SLR compared to a dSLR. They both have autofocus and autoexposure and many of the controls are the same. About the only difference is the ISO control.

I used film SLRs for about 30 years, up until the end of 2001 when I bought a Canon D30 based on a year of good results with a Kodak DC4800 dP&S. Once I got the D30 I gave up film, the dSLR was just as good in most ways, better in many, and dSLRs have continued to get even better.

 

[tiggr33]

I have both a Canon XT dSLR and a Rebel G slr. I use the XT as my day to day, but still use the Rebel G. I prefer the results of the Rebel G when shooting B&W. I shot 10 rolls (combined slide and prints) last I used it in October when I went on a walking tour of a closed prison. I will be using both bodies on Sunday night if the weather holds out, and I go to the Cunard Rendezvous.

 

[mom2mykids]

I'm using mine tomorrow and the last time was Christmas day! I love mine Minolta Maxxium, got it close to 12-11 years ago I think. I usually get the photos on CD if I think its something I will want to play around with in photoshop or email.

 

[Groucho]

I brought my K1000 with me to WDW last year... it didn't take up much room in the camera bag (with no lens attached and body cap on) and did 180' fisheye photos with my Zenitar 16mm, and I could swap lenses between the film SLR and the digital SLR. Now that I have the Pentax 10-17mm, I can get 180' fisheye with my DSLR, so I'm not sure that I'll bother to bring the K1000 along... even though I still have a huge pile of film. Including a roll of 3200 ISO b/w that's begging to be used!

In terms of learning more from the DSLR to use on the film SLR... well, it's almost the other way, the K1000 is quite "pure", just full manual controls all the time (the only battery-powered thing is the lightmeter), so the DSLR has all these new-fangled things like exposure compensation, different autofocus modes, Av/Sv/P modes, etc, etc...

I did also shoot a roll of film through my father's old '50s Kodak rangefinder (complete with a shutter that you **** yourself) last summer, that was fun.

 

[El Nebuloso]

How about sometime next week? Even though I currently shoot with a Nikon DSLR, I have never shot with a film SLR. That however is due to change next week. I have registered for a black and white class that starts on Tuesday, and it is strictly film. I had to borrow my brothers Nikon N80 for the class, but he didn't mind, as it hasn't been out of his closet since he went digital two or three years ago.

 

[Shutterbug]

I have a Canon Elan IIe with eye control slr that I still use from time to time.
The most recent time was this past July when I went to Telluride Colorado.
I actually used it to take SLIDE film. Yes slide film. I still love the colors that I get from slide film more than digital.

The other thing about using a regular slr is that it helps keeps my skills up.
Sometimes when I am using my digital camera I get "lazy" Another words, not worry about composure or exposure because I figure I can just "cheat" and fix it all on the computer.