film or digital? advice please

deelcee · #1 (**permalink**) 22-11-2006, 11:13 PM

hi! just found this brilliant site by accident! (whilst surfing)
3yrs ago i inherited a bronica etrs system, fab gear but not worth a lot since digital,thought i might as well learn to use it!!
i have joined a couple of clubs but never really felt welcome or that i was learning anything!!

now for the big question

....should i keep the bronica outfit or trade it in for digital...also where do you find other photographers that are willing to help you ? cos to be quite honest i have given up on camera clubs!!!!!!!!!!!
any advice welcome

speckled wood · #2 (**permalink**) 22-11-2006, 11:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by deelcee

hi! just found this brilliant site by accident! (whilst surfing)
3yrs ago i inherited a bronica etrs system, fab gear but not worth a lot since digital,thought i might as well learn to use it!!
i have joined a couple of clubs but never really felt welcome or that i was learning anything!!

now for the big question

....should i keep the bronica outfit or trade it in for digital...also where do you find other photographers that are willing to help you ? cos to be quite honest i have given up on camera clubs!!!!!!!!!!!
any advice welcome

I have also got a bronica (brought since I went digital!) To be honest Inot sre that you would get much for the bronica. As to going to digital it really depends what you want to take photigragh of and how you intend to use the photos. If your interest is landscape and high quality portraits then it might be worth keeping the bronica. For wildlife photography digital offers enormous flexibility and you can take hundred of shots without fear of much it will cost to develop them.

speckled wood · #3 (**permalink**) 22-11-2006, 11:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by deelcee

hi! just found this brilliant site by accident! (whilst surfing)
3yrs ago i inherited a bronica etrs system, fab gear but not worth a lot since digital,thought i might as well learn to use it!!
i have joined a couple of clubs but never really felt welcome or that i was learning anything!!

now for the big question

....should i keep the bronica outfit or trade it in for digital...also where do you find other photographers that are willing to help you ? cos to be quite honest i have given up on camera clubs!!!!!!!!!!!
any advice welcome

One point though is that some photographers have not accepted digital and possibly never will, nevertheless lots of things in digital are the same as film so some advice from none digital photographers will still be relevant.

glsammy · #4 (**permalink**) 22-11-2006, 11:58 PM

Welcome to WAB Deelcee, If you need any help or advice, there's plenty of knowledgeable members who will be more than willing to offer advice. Just post a question in the Photography forum, and don't forget to read the past forum posts as your questions may well have been answered already.

cherrybee · #5 (**permalink**) 23-11-2006, 12:08 AM

Hi deelcee and a very warm welcome to WAB.My opinion is digital is best.My photography has come on in leaps and bounds as I can pratice practice practice with no fear of the cost of developing.I really enjoy it too as with film i was confined to family photos and cost.Now I can go out and about seeing wildlife I have never noticed before and boy do I enjoy it and have learnt so much thanks to our lovely WABBERS

Gue Jam Fowsid · #6 (**permalink**) 23-11-2006, 12:21 AM

Greetings Deelcee,

I know what you mean about some of those camera club people! They don't like sharing knowledge....always want the upper hand. Because you're film kit may not be worth too much now you may not get too much for it when trading in. I think you should keep the film camera and get digital too.

I have just got a Nikon D80 in addition to my film. I think I will still use my film from time to time. Hopefully my skills will improve alot with the new camera as I won't have to wait and pay for developing and will get instant results.

John · #7 (**permalink**) 23-11-2006, 07:11 AM

Hi Deelcee

First of all a very warm welcome to WAB. As Graham (Glsammy) has said there is plenty of information to hand on this site already and some excellent photographers on here too that are more than willing to offer practicable advice.

Regarding film over digital. My own opinion is that digital wins due to flexibility. You don't need film and there are no developing costs. As Cherrybee has stated you can practice as much as you like as there is no film to purchase, only a card. You can delete what you don't want and keep what you do. You can also see how any image looks immediately so you know if you have got the shot you want, something you can't do with film.

There are other dedicated photography sites that you can look at too that might offer help as well. Here are a couple.
Digital Camera Magazine Community - Forums
World Photography Forum - Photography & Camera Discussion Forum

In the end the decision you make will be based on how you feel about your style of photography. One suggestion I could make is do you know anyone with a digital camera. If you do ask to go out with them so you can see at first hand how it works, plus you may be able to try it out yourself.

John

speckled wood · #8 (**permalink**) 23-11-2006, 10:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by John

Hi Deelcee

Regarding film over digital. My own opinion is that digital wins due to flexibility. You don't need film and there are no developing costs. As Cherrybee has stated you can practice as much as you like as there is no film to purchase, only a card. You can delete what you don't want and keep what you do. You can also see how any image looks immediately so you know if you have got the shot you want, something you can't do with film.

John

As John say they key thing with digital is flexibilty howver I would still say that if you can afford to go digital without selling your bronica then keep your bronica as medium format film does still have a lot going for it.

Chris_Johnstone · #9 (**permalink**) 23-11-2006, 01:54 PM

Lots of digital cameras model themselves with the technology of film cameras (ISO speed etc) but take them a lot further since the progression from mechanical means to electronic. White balance, auto focusing and image stabilisation all come into play a lot more in the digital sphere.

Overall the digital cameras always have the upper hand in shooting and post field work like file handling etc.

Chris

Wolfhill · #10 (**permalink**) 23-11-2006, 05:20 PM

Hi Deelcee, welcome to WAB. I have been using Nikon DSLRs for a few years now and I couldn't complain, the quality is excellent for printing at Super A3(haven't tried any bigger lol

). I've never had any problems with the technology and I feel it gives you more freedom to take lots more pictures as you don't have to worry about the costs of developing slides etc.
Fergus