help! portraits, manual focus and film speed

fontmoss

fontmoss

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Dave
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Apologies in advance for mistakes in terminology I really am a total newbie. Thinking, possibly maybe buying a manual film camera. For 2 reasons really:

can't afford a D700 and would like something that produces that gorgeous texture you find with film cameras.


soo, i was thinking a Nikon fm camera with either a 50mm or 85mm lens because I have a 35 on my DSLR and the film camera (im thinking at the mo but open to suggestions) will be for posed portraits more than candids and street stuff. With that in mind i was thinking intially at least b and white film to keep it simpler (and cheaper to process) but have no idea what sort of speed. The fact i can change the ISO on digi is one of the reasons ive shyed away from film in the past, that and the fact that most of the time i take photos in dark conditions (but would use my digi for this not the film camera) so being committed to one ISO speed for umpteen pics is a bit scary.

so if you had to choose 1 b and w film for portrait work what speed and brand etc would it be? I live in sunny madrid so would 400 be too sensitive?

damn im so green it hurts
 
ive just thought- a 85mm af-d lens will still work on manual wont it? just means less choice of aperture ie 1.8 then 2 then 4 eetc?

damn ive got used to being able to use intermediate stops
 
You have to see what speed is better for the type of light conditions you shoot more often.
Generally ASA 400 is the best for general use.

About the lens, you can use the 85mm AF in a manual focus camera, setting the aberture in the lens ring. It's very easy and a process which gives more pleasure.
I use to have a Canon 5D and i just used manual focus lenses with it, from Leica, Olympus, Contax or Nikon.

Why don't you consider a nice 85mm f/2.0 Ai or Ai-S? It's cheaper than the AF, the built quality is a lot better and the mechanics/feeling are in a different class.
It has a proper manual focus ring and you will find it a pleasure to use.

It also looks better with a classic camera.
 
i used a manual 50mm when i started taking pics 4 months ago and enjoyed it but shooting wide open with narrow depth of focus makes it pretty tough. ill have a think though been using a af-d 35mm and while not as nice as manual lens it works ok and the priority of my lenses have to be for the digi at the moment.
 
Hello

Film and portrait. Like all things it depends on what you want to achieve. If you after fine grain and skin detail then either Kodak T-Max 100, or if you can get Ilford film in Madrid (sorry for being ignorant) then Pan F 50ISO or FP4 125ISO. All are fine grain.

As for the 85mm D lens so long as it has an aperture ring. then yes it will have full compatibility with a manual camera (the newer G-Lens Nikons are really only designed for the digital machines or the very late AF cameras).

Yep in answer to your question on aperture choices, but some of the Nikon lens will go to half stops as well so half way between the 2 and 4, try it and see :D

You could use 400 ISO film just depends on what you back ground is like. If it is messy and you want to throw it out of focus then you may struggle. But if you are using a plain coloured background then small aperture might not be a problem as you will not need to throw it out of focus. Just a thought
 
jim maybe your're right, a quick play with manual lens, mmm so much nicer to manually focus (weird that) and at 85 i guess most stuff will probably be posed.

this is going to be a long process, cheers knikki (can get ilford paper so prob film too)

would a higher speed work better with messy background? inasmuch as yes i do want to throw it out of focus, ideally i want to be able to have just a small amount of the face in focus at times too hence after a big aperture
 
i think you're right, just trying to find out what to look for when i buy one-dont want to buy a dud or pay over the odds. the need to decide what lens to pair it with, 50 or 85 manual or auto...
 
fontmoss said:
jim maybe your're right, a quick play with manual lens, mmm so much nicer to manually focus (weird that) and at 85 i guess most stuff will probably be posed.

this is going to be a long process, cheers knikki (can get ilford paper so prob film too)

would a higher speed work better with messy background? inasmuch as yes i do want to throw it out of focus, ideally i want to be able to have just a small amount of the face in focus at times too hence after a big aperture
Click to expand...

Yes, for posed stuff, you have the time to focus properly without problems.
Like you said, the feeling is much nicer.
There is also another advantage. If you take good care of a manual focus lens, you can use it for life, since it has no eletronics.

I think i didn't get the question about the high speed and bokeh. Were you taking about a fast shutter speed or about a large aperture (fast lens)?
As you certainly know, shutter speed has nothing to do with depth of field and bokeh. Depth of field depends on focal distance, aperture and the distance between the sensor/film and the subject in focus. With a large sensor/film format, you can also have more control about this.

Anyway, after choosing the focal distance you prefer (something between 80-135mm is the most used for classic portrait), it's all a question of money. If you have it, go for the 85mm f/1.4 Ai-S. :)
I used to have a Contax Carl Zeiss Planar T* 85mm f/1.4 and it was an amazing lens for that kind of stuff, together with the 5D.
If you want something cheaper, but still very good, get the 85mm f/2.0. Both are able to produce a very pleasant look bokeh, with the f/1.4 being more dramatic.

Unfortunately you don't have much choice using Nikon mount. You can try some M42 stuff (Jupiter 9 or Helios 40-2, for example) but, if you want infinite focus, you'll need an optical adapter, which i don't recommend if you want the very best results with expensive lenses.

Choosing a nice 50mm lens, can also be a cheaper alternative. The Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 Ai, for example, isn't expensive and produces excellent results.
50mm isn't the best focal distance for classic portrait use, but it's more than ok. Using it wide open, you can have that very nice 3D look you are looking for.

For example, here's a self portrait done with the 5D + Carl Zeiss Planar T* 50mm f/1.4, wide open:

3083205504_ef19868447.jpg


If you use the portrait (vertical) orientation and get closer, the 3D effect will even turn more visible.
You just need to be very careful while focusing, because there's no room for mistakes. AF isn't also of much help in this critical situations.
 
ta Jim!

Yeah I was meaning a fast lens ie big aperture combined with longer focal length for lovely bokeh and shallow depth of focus (as exceedingly well captured by yourself here-how the smeg did you manually focus wide open here?)

85mm ai f2 and af-d f1.8 are options, the others are sadly not. 50mm f1.4 might be a goer just felt as I have a 35 f2 it might be nice for something bit more dif and my sigma 50-150 won't work on a film camera.

Interseting to hear your comment re lenses, been looking more into this stuff recently and found canon seem to have a couple of fast lenses in every focal length but nikon don't? ie 135mm

anyway to throw a spanner in the works my old company has told me they owe my £360! so might redirect film project and lens funds, sell current kit and buy a D700-best of both worlds in some senses.

I may pick your brains further or feel free to add more here if you like, it's ll been very interesting. ta again

EDIT: also interesting to see your take on AF, I was using manual focus all the time until a week ago a mate who's an awesome photographer said he always used auto because he dealt in low light wide open and with such shallow depth of focus he wanted something reliable

EDIT 2: just seen you're not too far away as well! trip to lisboa could be in order, my gf needs to practise her portugese
 
yeah there's also fotocasion, it's 4.80 a roll not sure how that compares to the Uk but most stuff seems to be more expensive here
 
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