What ACTUALLY Matters with Film Photography

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[@Mentzerbryce]

Great video Dave! I have to say that the color grade on this video is killer! Thanks for all you do!

[@davidherring]

Thank you! Still working to figure out the new studio and grading here. Appreciate the kind words!

[@KaanSenel]

Great vid man. Love how you emphasized that the camera body literally doesn’t matter in terms of the image output!

[@davidherring]

Thank you!

[@unplugdphoto]

Great info here for those getting into film. Nice job Dave.

[@davidherring]

Thank you!

[@roderikpatijn1]

Nice one mate. Maybe good to add on: “sensor (film) size” like 35 and 120 and also rangefinder vs slr when talking bodies. Next to the glass another reason I shoot an M4 is the fact that I prefer rangefinders vs slr. Cheers. Keep up the vibes!

[@davidherring]

Thanks! I def prefer rangefinders. I also think they’re much easier to focus.

[@roryjacobs6817]

Hi Dave, nice video and topic. I have a M10 and M6. In my experience the film look is more about the lens. Presets (like your which I love) only get you so far, but a vintage lens on a digital camera gets you further. As an example I use a 35mm Summicron ASPH on my film M6 and a 35mm Summicron v3 from 1976 on my M10. So much easier to get the "film look" on my M10 once I got the older lens.

[@davidherring]

For sure, the lens is most of the look!

[@developingtank]

You are very solid on camera. Respect 🫡

[@davidherring]

Thanks my friend

[@gayleruble6529]

Really cool and informative! Variables that are so overlooked!

[@davidherring]

Thanks!

[@GTAYLOR1972]

I can say lens is everything, my mother bought me a Pentax K 1000 with the kit 50mm lens. When I got a Leica M3 with a Zeiss 50 planar the color rendering and sharpness was night and day. Truthfully the only reason I ended up with a Leica body was that I could find a M mount to K mount adapter. I would add that you need to make sure your body is in good working order(shutter speeds are basically accurate)- if they are off then it will affect your final image.

[@davidherring]

Yes, the body should be working 100% and be reliable.

[@sf-evans]

Wow look at the color shift from theTakumar 50 to the 28! Super valuable points for consideration: shop the lenses, that will inform what film camera system you might want.

[@davidherring]

For sure!

[@jimmcd1101]

Well, in regards to the camera body not making a difference: the M has an advantage because of the lack of a mirror versus an SLR, which enables you to handhold the camera at much slower shutter speeds. This combined with the widely available fast glass for the M system means that you can get away with using slower, film, and shooting handheld and still getting good results, unlike an SLR, which has mirror slap. And of course a rangefinder is taking photographs in a frame within a frame, which enables you to photograph differently. I mean, yeah these things are all boxes that let light in, but the M is demonstrably better at certain things - if the photographer is looking to shoot in low light, I don’t really think there’s a film camera that beats it.

[@davidherring]

That's a great point! Thanks for sharing.

[@jurrevandermeer4857]

Thanks Dave! This was fun! I really want to get into film but the increasing price is holding me back. I'd love an M6 to complement my Q3 though😊

[@davidherring]

Yeah, film isn't cheap for sure.

[@garvinkelly]

you could get a nikon slr or a canon ltm rangefinder with a voigtlander lens. It gets you pretty close to m6 quality but you'll save thousands of dollars (which you can spend on film and processing)

[@jurrevandermeer4857]

@garvinkelly thanks for the tips! I'm only just starting to look into film so I have a lot to learn about what's out there :)

[@melvinsng2292]

Hi Dave - thanks for another great video. Always look forward to your videos each week. This was a very helpful one for me as I add film photography to my skillset!

[@davidherring]

Awesome! Glad to hear it!

[@garymc8956]

No menus- to worry about or benefit from - in film cameras. 😊

[@davidherring]

The best part!

[@MrMineHeads.]

Doesn't the body matter for AF? I have been considering upgrading my body because the AF on it is pretty bad, but I am hesitant because if I really wanted the best AF, I already have an amazing digital Sony a6400, and I'd really rather spend that money on better glass.

[@davidherring]

Well, I’m talking about film and specially, older film cameras, not newer cameras with autofocus.

[@Spearmanmark]

PS, what are a couple of M lenses that you particularly like for shooting film?

[@davidherring]

I mostly use my 35 & 50 Summilux

[@BermJA]

Role? Or Roll?

[@davidherring]

Yes

[@denislaroche3957]

Role or Roll in your titles..?

[@davidherring]

Yes.

[@Caballeroshot]

I shoot a combo M2/M240 so I can swap lenses and get the best of both worlds. I've shot every brand under the sun, this combo works for me and I didn't need to sell a kidney to shoot Leica.

[@davidherring]

The M240 is great!

[@estwern]

Maybe a disclaimer that your video is about manual cameras not necessarily those that have some kind of auto features (exposure/focus). Because with them, cameras DO matter.

[@davidherring]

Next time I'll add that disclaimer.

[@jls2975]

Big difference betweem film camera is shaking, much worse on SLR than rangefinder DSLR have only one ISO setting, high ISO is only light and noise amplification

[@davidherring]

Yeah that mirror slap can blur things quick!

[@jls2975]

@davidherring oly few SLR have quiet mirror/shutter shake Leica R6.2 and Nikon F4

[@casperghst42]

Leica lenses are not always the way forward, Voigtländer and other 3rd party lenses can produce a similar result to a Leica lens which cost 10 times more.

[@davidherring]

Agreed, there are great third party lenses. I wasn’t speaking about Voigtlander or Zeiss when making the point about “cheap third party lenses.”

[@LensForgotten]

Retro lenses are sooo fun! Great breakdown Dave. Having a 3 and 6 stop ND filter in the bag helps with faster film in the day to avoid the every shot at 1/1000th or stopped down aperture dilemma. I sometimes wish Leica made their Ms with 1/2000th sec. Hope you’re doing well. Sorry I can’t make the meetup. Have a blast out there. Still working extra hours here.

[@casperghst42]

A ND filter is the way forward, but yes 1/2000 would have been a nice thing to have. I read somewhere that it is down to the cloth curtain.

[@LensForgotten]

@ yeah I heard it was a physical limitation with the shutter.

[@davidherring]

We’ll miss you at the meetup Gary!

[@Spearmanmark]

A terrific little primer on the use of film, well done. For another time, perhaps, a list of film “don’ts” such as pointing your camera lens at the sun if your film camera has a cloth shutter.

[@SilverHalideWanderings-k3n]

Or use DIN18 film

[@Nikita13337]

you can adapt leica m lenses to any modern mirrorless camera, you don’t need a digital leica body

[@davidherring]

As I said, sensors play a major role in output of digital cameras, so an M lens on a different digital body does look different. I have a few other videos proving this.

[@clawdawg7248]

Sure, you can, and get poor results, and anything wider than 35mm will have inferior corner performance.

[@Nikita13337]

@@clawdawg7248 that wouldn’t be the case, by using an adaptor you’re just making your other camera’s flange distance equal to Leica’s, so it’s optically identical to digital Leica bodies

[@clawdawg7248]

@@Nikita13337 This information is readily available, but I’ll educate you anyway. Leica lenses are optimized for the shorter flange distance, which reduces distortion, vignetting and CA. More importantly, Leica sensors have a shorter sensor stack, with microlenses optimized for the shorter flange distance. The only other camera suitable for adapting Leica M lenses, and even it does not have 100% equivalence, is the Leica SL series, with similar microlens design. Even without all of these engineering reasons why Leica lenses under perform when adapted, you’re still dealing with unknown color science on the 3rd party sensor. In summary, can it be done? Of course. Should it be done? That’s up to the user, but when I drop $3-8k for a lens my preference would be for it to perform as intended, not crippled.

[@davidherring]

Yep. Absolutely this!