For a while now, I have wanted to dive into film photography, mainly out of curiosity, partly for the challenge. I have been shooting digital for four years now, for the first two on a point and shoot and for the last two on a Fuji s6500fd. The instant gratification was good, until I viewed my pictures close up. On a recent trip to London, I found that there were clear problems. Firstly, the noise from the sensor was unacceptable, even on iso 100 (exposure time of ~15 sec). This is understandable; it's not a particularly expensive camera. The second problem was that the camera had difficulty focussing under low light.
So could anyone offer any advice on shooting film at night? Would the results on a low iso film be better than those on my digital camera (I would imagine so)? To be honest, I have hardly any knowledge of shooting film (haven't used a film camera since I was about 10), and I'm guessing that night time is probably not the greatest time to start, but as I said, I like a challenge.
The first problem is film. What is the best film to use for the job? There are so many options and choices available. I read that slide film is best, Fuji Provia has been reccomended on several websites. However, I have a couple of points. Processing seems to be difficult, and if I accidentally overexpose the film (likely, since its the first time I have used it), it sounds like I could loose everything. Also, I have no way of viewing my results (no projector). I read that slide film could be printed, but it is expensive (and I'm on a tight budget). Would negative film be best to go for, and which film should I buy?
I'm guessing the type of film I shoot depends on what I'm shooting. When I was in London, I went for light trails from cars, so I'd like to try that again, it was good fun and gave some nice (but noisy) results.
Second, getting the exposure right. I'm a bit unsure of how the lightmeter in a camera works (if someone could point me in the direction of an article, I would be greatful), and whether they are any good at night. If not, how do I judge the exposure? Also, what are the problems with reciprocity (probably going to have exposures greater than 30 sec), and how can I find out how much exposure time to add or take off, depending on the film?
I think thats all, sorry it's quite a lot, but I really want to get this right (probably won't happen first time though). Thanks for your time and any answers given, its greatly appreciated .
So could anyone offer any advice on shooting film at night? Would the results on a low iso film be better than those on my digital camera (I would imagine so)? To be honest, I have hardly any knowledge of shooting film (haven't used a film camera since I was about 10), and I'm guessing that night time is probably not the greatest time to start, but as I said, I like a challenge.
The first problem is film. What is the best film to use for the job? There are so many options and choices available. I read that slide film is best, Fuji Provia has been reccomended on several websites. However, I have a couple of points. Processing seems to be difficult, and if I accidentally overexpose the film (likely, since its the first time I have used it), it sounds like I could loose everything. Also, I have no way of viewing my results (no projector). I read that slide film could be printed, but it is expensive (and I'm on a tight budget). Would negative film be best to go for, and which film should I buy?
I'm guessing the type of film I shoot depends on what I'm shooting. When I was in London, I went for light trails from cars, so I'd like to try that again, it was good fun and gave some nice (but noisy) results.
Second, getting the exposure right. I'm a bit unsure of how the lightmeter in a camera works (if someone could point me in the direction of an article, I would be greatful), and whether they are any good at night. If not, how do I judge the exposure? Also, what are the problems with reciprocity (probably going to have exposures greater than 30 sec), and how can I find out how much exposure time to add or take off, depending on the film?
I think thats all, sorry it's quite a lot, but I really want to get this right (probably won't happen first time though). Thanks for your time and any answers given, its greatly appreciated .