Film Shooters?

[railohio]

Has anyone else here seriously shot trains on film? More likely, this is a forum of the younger generation that never did. I'm looking to hear from the others who have used film for trains, past and present. If not, then your lack of reply counts as a "no"...

[~Z~]

If not, then your lack of reply counts as a "no"...

I don't want to be a lack of a reply, so I'll be the first one in and say "no." Took a total of 4 images of trains with a film camera if I remember correctly, so that's definitely not in the serious category.

[conrailmike]

I shot quite a few on Velvia 50 (the old Velvia, not the new). I loved the contrast it gave to the different paint schemes. I still have quite a few of those slides, I need to scan them in. If I had a couple extra hundred bucks, I'd buy a Canon film body just for the heck of it.

[Grandville]

Bought my first 35mm around 1978, a Minolta 201 which a still have. Later bought a Minolta X700 which also still works. Also had an Olympus XA which was a 35mm that was smaller than a pack of cigarettes and took great pictures...a forerunner of todays point and shoots. Once in a while I think about getting the film cameras out but can't see buying film and getting it developed when I enjoy digital photography much more.

[GP30M4216]

I was expecting some props from Zack when I first saw this thread

I'm 23 so I suppose I still count as part of the younger generation, but I'm still shooting almost 100% of my train photos on film. I have a Nikon N65 body with two lenses and an auxillary flash, and regularly shoot Fuji 200 film. After I had my own little point and shoot type film camera in the late 90s, for about 3 years I shot photos on my parents' circa 1970s manual Nikon body with a variety of lenses. The only thing that camera gave me was a light meter, lots of skills, and plenty of great photos! I got my N65 in 2000 I believe. I have my film processed at Meijers and photo CDs made from directly scanning the negatives, so I can post the images online and they look pretty darn good.

Some day I'll make the switch, but I'm satisfied with my film equipment and results, and am still getting my money's worth!

[MDH]

I shot 35mm print film growing up including on an old Canon SLR my parents had but that was all Loooong before I had any clue what I was doing and most of those shots were pretty pathetic anyway. By time I was starting to get more serious (and taking more train pictures) I was using digital for all my family pictures and fairly quickly switched to digital for train pictures with a Canon XTi and G9 as my cameras. I've taught myself to use the XTi on full manual mode almost exclusively and am gradually improving but need to take a real photography class at some point.

[Mr. Tops]

I have albums upon albums and several shoe boxes full of prints. Used a 35mm Canon point-n-shoot (can't remember the model) before switching over to a Canon Rebel. Used Kodak 200/400 film most of the time, occasionally using Fuji. I started shooting probably around 1997 or 1998 and then went digital in 2005 with a Canon A85 point-n-shoot, promptly swtitching over to a Canon Digital Rebel a few months later. Still use the Rebel and now have a Canon A1000IS as a back-up (and video). Am looking into a new camera and/or lenses in the near future. If I do end up with a new camera, it will probably be another Rebel; either the XTi or XSi.

[Y@]

the last time i shot film, i was nine years old in bellevue with my uncle. i still have most of those slides, and for being a nine year old, i took alot of good pictures. ever since then i've gradually moved up the digital ladder to where i am now.

[GreatLakesRailfan]

Started out with a 110 camera, most of the train shots I took with that are pretty bad, including the one shot of more than two GT units in a pure lashup that I have. Moved on to a 35mm point and shoot, which worked pretty well until I dropped it and the back door cracked. I'm pretty sure a couple of the photos I uploaded to this site were taken with that camera. I know the topic is film, but...I moved from that 35mm camera to a digital point-n-shoot, which was decent enough, but I made the jump to DSLR almost 2 years ago now, and am very pleased that I did. Even though I liked having hard copies of the pictures I took, I'm finding it so much easier to find a place to store a single, external hard drive than to try to find somewhere to store the boxes and boxes of hard copy pictures I would otherwise be shooting. Also, it's hard to beat the cost of developing digital pictures...

[CSX_CO]

I've got several binders full of slides I've shot. I rarely shoot anymore, film or digital. Still like film for the 'suspense' of not knowing if you got the shot or not. Still enjoy 'slide' shows with the old projectors.

One thing I've noticed with digital is how dust really shows up on the screen in your images. Its darn near impossible to keep it off of it too, so you always have to photoshop the dust spots out. Maybe I'm wrong, but I don't remember dust being an issue with slide film.

Practice Safe CSX

[M.D.Bentley]

Still do. With my Minolta x700 ( which still works fine & is a great camera ). Had a Kodak 110 & a 126 along time ago. We have a small newfangled digi-somethingorother that the kids use.

[Brian_F]

I'm in the process of selling all my 35mm film bodies... since I've switched all the film work
to a Pentax 645N! I started seriously shooting railfan work in 83 with a K1000. At first I used
only 100 speed print film and after a couple of years the 'serious' railfans I knew got me switched
to Kodachrome 64. I was in working and going to school in the late 80's so what little shooting I
did was with 400 speed print film. Around 2000 I switched again to Fuji Provia 100 and was very
satisfied with what I was getting. When I got a 6mp DSLR that put an end to film for color.

Now I use digital for all color work and Medium format film for black and white. Honestly though
if I didn't have the control I get from developing the film myself I wouldn't do that. That said film
is getting better! Kodaks new Tmax 400 (TMY2) is a much finer grained film than the original and
I now prefer it over Tri-X. Rated at ISO 200 and developed in D76 1:1 in absolutely sings!

[redside20]

haven't shot film since i sold my Nikon N80, however i am still willing to work with film because it still represents quality vs convenience of a digital. I will be doing both

[Norm]

I have a perfectly good Nikon F sitting in my closet doing nothing since digital became popular. Yep, that 1960's vintage camera still takes great pictures, but does not have the flexibility of my D-50, and Kodachrome and Kodacolor film are no longer available. Add the cost of both the film and processing, and it makes the digital camera a natural choice. You can hold the button down, take as many shots as you like, and toss the not so good ones.

[MagnumForce]

I shot Prints and Slides for 20 years, finally took the Digital plunge in 2007. Incidently though I have begun shooting slides again using a mint condition Olympus OM-2n circa 1976 with a 100 MM fixed focal length lens. It's fun and honestly it makes me a better photog.

[RailsandTrucks]

Like charles, I started out with a kodak 110 that was my moms camera, of course due to my overeagerness most of the shots turned out....not so good-of course they had to be the ones of conrail (in the mid 90s) going by the Utica Farm Bureau to switch the old packard plant with plenty of boxcars in tow. I moved up to small point and shoot film cam, which got stolen shortly after i got it at the auto show downtown, then I moved up to a Canon Rebel (small body SLR-have the typical best buy kit lens and the 75-300mm that they also used to sell) film camera which I still have, though ever since I picked up my Kodak Z712 its now officially retired from service.

I've shot a decent amount on film-and I tended to shoot print (usually Fuji 200 since I tended to get better colors (particularly blue (important since I like conrail) then the kodak) due to the cost of slide film and processing, and I prefer digitial just because of the cost of print film processing and being able to see the results instantly and shoot video with the same camera-I think digi has made me a better photog since I can see what I'm doing wrong quicker and make corrections. However, I'm not in it to be the best, just to get decent photo's that I can be happy with. I dont get out to railfan much anymore, and right now, my main concern is more digitizing my film photo's anyway.

If anyone needs a good service to do that-I did use scancafe to try them out and other then a VERY long wait (2 and a half months) they did a nice job-did about 15 rolls of film that way and plan to do more as money permits.

[railohio]

I guess I should've been a little more specific in my original post but I'm still glad to see all the replies I got. I was specifically looking for other current and former slide shooters and in my mind that equates to "serious" but I suppose you all can't read my mind now, can you? (Yes, black-and-white shooters fall into that category, too.)

[CAT345C]

I've got a Minoltia Maxxim 9000 with an 18-58mm and a 70-200 lens, girlfriend gave it to me and she is using it for her photography class. Here is a few shots I took with it when I first got it:



Nothing amazing or inspiring.

[csxfan6120]

i still shoot film.12 year old Canon EOS rebel x with a Tamron 28-300mm zoom and 800 speed film.This may be an old camera but if it's not broke don't fix it!!!!!!!!!

[A No.1]

I still have my Cannon AE-1 Program

I took this with it.