Am I the only one? Digital M then back to a Film M

[sc_rufctr]

Has anybody else owned a Digital M but after some time sold it and gone back to using a film M?

I had an M8... Liked it somewhat but I sold it mid last year and I've been shooting film ever since on my M3 and M4-P.
The reason is easy for me to understand but hard to put into words.

But put simply... Film is real.

I've always been into authenticity. I like quality and don't mind paying for it.
Somehow digital doesn't feel real to me. Never has. Maybe I'm just an old fuddy duddy. lol

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This is my dear uncle. He'll be 82 this year.
Leica M3 (1964), Leica 135mm f/2.8 Elmarit-M, Kodak Pro Tmax 100

[Spyro]

hey mate, at the end of the day whatever rocks your boat. Lovely portrait of your uncle, for a second I couldnt tell if it's film or digi and to be honest I dont think it matters very much.

PS I feel like I'm cheating when I shoot digital, like I'm taking a shortcut and not doing it right.

[Vobluda]

I had a brief encounter with M8 last year, typical summer love affair.
I liked her, she was nice girl. Hers few weeks at the seaside went quickly, we have some fun together. It was not about film or digital, just that she was like owl in Blade Runner - a prototype. We argue a bit over he special UV/IR spectacles. She was quickly forgotten once she entered the train which took her back home.
My old girlfriend, an M6, was a bit offended first. But hey, she have good time with some foreign films meanwhile which makes as even. And so we are back together now.

PS M8 told me about her younger sister, M9. And what a beauty that is! Gorgeous little black haired! Who knows what will happen if she comes to town for her summer holiday this year..

[Keith]

Originally Posted by Vobluda

I had a brief encounter with M8 last year, typical summer love affair.
I liked her, she was nice girl. Hers few weeks at the seaside went quickly, we have some fun together. It was not about film or digital, just that she was like owl in Blade Runner - a prototype. We argue a bit over he special UV/IR spectacles. She was quickly forgotten once she entered the train which took her back home.
My old girlfriend, an M6, was a bit offended first. But hey, she have good time with some foreign films meanwhile which makes as even. And so we are back together now.

PS M8 told me about her younger sister, M9. And what a beauty that is! Gorgeous little black haired! Who knows what will happen if she comes to town for her summer holiday this year..

LOL ... that was good!

[pobe]

I've heard quite a few people doing this, so I decided to skip the digital step and go right to a film M

[Neare]

Yeah I've heard this sort of story quite a few times and it always makes me a little more happy

Going though TCS and reading Spyal's quote of Araki

"I found a cabinet sized box labeled ‘Theater of Love’. I opened it to find about 150 prints. It’s from around ‘65. Back then I used to click away with my Olympus Pen F, making these patchy prints using thermal development on purpose; the woman, the era, and the place are all photographed there, it’s all expressed. So, I used to say ‘Theater of Love’ back then, eh. Well, anyway, it’s good, huh, they are good photos. This sort of thing isn’t going to happen on digital."
Nobuyoshi Araki, December 2010

I love film.

[Brian Sweeney]

I shoot both, and have for a long time. At work- digital, early adopter and "Bleeding Edge" of technology. My own use, picked up an M8 last year. It feels as close to a film camera than any other camera that I own.

There is something more "real" about film, picking up a negative feels more real than sticking an SD card into a computer. But- in the end, it is the image produced that is important.

[ZlatkoBatistich]

Film doesn't feel more real or authentic to me. The image is what matters. Film itself is an intermediate medium. We frame and appreciate prints, not negatives or slides. Digital is just another way of drawing with light, and if you make prints (I make a lot of them), the prints are as real as any prints from any other medium. I enjoy photography, not film or digital. The specific medium of capture is not that big a deal as long as it lets me make photographs.

[shadowfox]

Originally Posted by ZlatkoBatistich

Digital is just another way of drawing with light, and if you make prints (I make a lot of them), the prints are as real as any prints from any other medium. I enjoy photography, not film or digital.

A lot people use the word "real" to convey the meaning of being hands-on.

Film requires you to use your hand more both in developing stage, not to mention when you step up to doing darkroom work yourself.

Those of you who use only digital need to realize this, otherwise you'll be offended every time someone declares their preference to use film.

[JRG]

Originally Posted by thomasw_

...

As it happens, the process of shooting analog is something I prefer for myself, too; as I find it makes me more deliberate and thoughtful about image making.

I agree. But I'd also say the same thing about shooting medium format vs. 35mm: I tend to be more deliberate and perhaps more careful when working with medium format.

Some of my digital images are fine; some are not. But I tend to prefer the process of capturing with film.

[Jbig]

Recently swapped with another RFF member--my M8.2 for his M7. He's happy. I'm happy.

[rogerzilla]

The M8 has a cropped sensor though, so I can see why using one would be a disappointing experience, especially if you had an existing collection of lenses.

The M9 is a different proposition altogether, but it will inevitably suffer from "digital rot" in a way a film camera won't. The whole "camera as consumer disposable" shift disturbs me, and it's not just snobbery; it's the need to buy a new one every few years or when the current one breaks, because such things are rarely repairable now for an economic price and certainly won't be repairable in 50 years' time with hand tools.

[Brian Sweeney]

If "upcomong" M9 lasts as long as my 1993 DCS200ir, I will be in my 70s before getting another. I still use the DCS200ir, but just picked up an Olympus EP2 converted for Visible+IR.

[photokalia]

I started off with an M6 TTL a couple of years ago after giving up my digital SLR but not being able to afford an M8. I finally bought an M8 in December last year. I used it for 2 months, and although I liked the convenience of a digital camera, there was a nagging feeling that something wasn't right.

Thinking long and hard, I realised that I was very bothered by the crop factor as well as getting blown highlights that I knew I wouldn't get with film. During post processing, I realised that I was also trying very hard to make my images display "film-like" colours. The other factor was the knowledge that not only did the camera cost more than my M6 TTL, but that the M8's value would depreciate over time. It was too much to bear and I made the painful decision to sell it before my heart clouded my judgement.

As long as film continues to be available and affordable, it will be my first choice when it comes to taking photographs.