DownUnder
Nikon Nomad
An update - from home in Australia, so far without any immediate bush fire danger in our area. Touch wood. Summer is not yet over and this year the heat waves are worse than I've experienced in my 44 years Down Under.
I have now processed my 20+ rolls of B&W film, mostly FP4, TMax 100, and some TMax 400 and HP5. All expired - 2012 to 2015.
So far so good. My negatives are medium contrast (.5-.55 Gamma, does anyone here remember Gamma?) No visible Xray effect. A little base fog on the TMax, easily printed/scanned through. No fog at all on the Ilford.
I used a Contax G1 with mostly 45 and 28 lenses and shot my films at box speed less half a stop, to allow for age - and as I do when in places I'm not likely to return to soon, I took a second shot of important subjects at half speed less a third stop. Everything taken at f/5.6 or f/8. UV filters, occasionally a Polarizer for landscapes or to cut the glare on white buildings or sandy beaches.
Now for all the scanning... Wet prints will wait til winter, when the weather is better and I have more free time to devote to all those hours in the dark, with only good music and occasional glasses of vintage wine to dispel the monotony. Not looking forward to all that time - the tyranny of the darkroom looms large.
Six rolls of color negative film (I last shot slide film in 2009) will be processed next week when I've had time to pick up a C41 kit from Melbourne. This film is fresh, so results should be very satisfying. Film images have a certain 'pattern' I find lacking in digital images. These can be added by fiddling in post-processing, but oh, all that work.
A few conclusions. Lessons learned.
Old film is perhaps too risky (at least for me) to travel with and shoot subjects I would not be able to easily return to. Also, shooting two of everything (the Noah's Ark syndrome, as the great GB Shaw wrote) is wasteful and, over two months or longer of travel, a waste of resources.
In my case, for the shooting I do, best results will be achieved digitally, not with film. If in future I travel with a film camera, it will most likely be a Rollei TLR (a Rolleiflex T or a Rolleicord Vb, both of which I own) as a back-up, to be used for very select shoots, and with a good selection of medium- and fast-speed B&W film. No color.
Time has passed, my requirements have changed, I'm older - and I reluctantly accept that the optimum I want from my photography will be best achieved with my Nikon D800.
I'll continue to shoot film closer to home - at least until the few hundred rolls I have in the freezer have been used up. After then, well - who knows?
I have now processed my 20+ rolls of B&W film, mostly FP4, TMax 100, and some TMax 400 and HP5. All expired - 2012 to 2015.
So far so good. My negatives are medium contrast (.5-.55 Gamma, does anyone here remember Gamma?) No visible Xray effect. A little base fog on the TMax, easily printed/scanned through. No fog at all on the Ilford.
I used a Contax G1 with mostly 45 and 28 lenses and shot my films at box speed less half a stop, to allow for age - and as I do when in places I'm not likely to return to soon, I took a second shot of important subjects at half speed less a third stop. Everything taken at f/5.6 or f/8. UV filters, occasionally a Polarizer for landscapes or to cut the glare on white buildings or sandy beaches.
Now for all the scanning... Wet prints will wait til winter, when the weather is better and I have more free time to devote to all those hours in the dark, with only good music and occasional glasses of vintage wine to dispel the monotony. Not looking forward to all that time - the tyranny of the darkroom looms large.
Six rolls of color negative film (I last shot slide film in 2009) will be processed next week when I've had time to pick up a C41 kit from Melbourne. This film is fresh, so results should be very satisfying. Film images have a certain 'pattern' I find lacking in digital images. These can be added by fiddling in post-processing, but oh, all that work.
A few conclusions. Lessons learned.
Old film is perhaps too risky (at least for me) to travel with and shoot subjects I would not be able to easily return to. Also, shooting two of everything (the Noah's Ark syndrome, as the great GB Shaw wrote) is wasteful and, over two months or longer of travel, a waste of resources.
In my case, for the shooting I do, best results will be achieved digitally, not with film. If in future I travel with a film camera, it will most likely be a Rollei TLR (a Rolleiflex T or a Rolleicord Vb, both of which I own) as a back-up, to be used for very select shoots, and with a good selection of medium- and fast-speed B&W film. No color.
Time has passed, my requirements have changed, I'm older - and I reluctantly accept that the optimum I want from my photography will be best achieved with my Nikon D800.
I'll continue to shoot film closer to home - at least until the few hundred rolls I have in the freezer have been used up. After then, well - who knows?
Archiver
Mentor
Thank you for all the updates, it's always great when someone starts a thread and continues to post their experiences and new understandings as they move forward.
Hope all is safe with you re. the bushfires. It's blazing down here in Vic right now, it's going to reach 43 today before late night thunderstorms.
The new scanners at airports give me a lot of pause about traveling with film now. I've been looking forward to going overseas with my Contax T3 or Fuji Natura Black, but if they fry my film, it should stay at home. Which is a real shame, as I love the T3 and NB as travel cameras.
Your choices of the 28mm Biogon as walkaround and 45 Planar as detail are spot on, by the way. It's much what I would do.
Hope all is safe with you re. the bushfires. It's blazing down here in Vic right now, it's going to reach 43 today before late night thunderstorms.
The new scanners at airports give me a lot of pause about traveling with film now. I've been looking forward to going overseas with my Contax T3 or Fuji Natura Black, but if they fry my film, it should stay at home. Which is a real shame, as I love the T3 and NB as travel cameras.
Your choices of the 28mm Biogon as walkaround and 45 Planar as detail are spot on, by the way. It's much what I would do.
c.poulton
Well-known
Me too!
It's all I have
I do now worry about those new CT scanners at airports. If we can't get our film hand inspected, will this be the end of travelling & shooting film?
Archiver
Mentor
Thinking about it, the only way I'd travel with film is if I could be assured of buying film at the destination, and having it developed there. That would work! No worry about x rays or hand checks or security, just buy what you need overseas, shoot like blazes and get dev/scan/print services. Hmmm, I could do this.
kshapero
South Florida Man
That's me. Smartphones are so much better quality as a "backup". I am leaving next week for the back roads of Alabama with just an M3 and a 50mm "Cron plus a twelve pack of Ilford XP-2 BW film.
Skiff
Well-known
Me too!
It's all I have
I do now worry about those new CT scanners at airports. If we can't get our film hand inspected, will this be the end of travelling & shooting film?
No, because those airports which have installed the new CT scanners all offer hand inspection.
Maybe the new CT scanners could make it even easier for film shooters in the future, as hand inspection will be the new norm and standard.
No discussions anymore with the security personal when you ask for hand inspection. You simply get it
.Out to Lunch
Menteur
I just checked and found that Singapore now has them -not sure for all, or certain flights, only. Does anyone know if Bangkok has them as well -for carry-on baggage.
DownUnder
Nikon Nomad
I'm staying close to home too - new fires not too far from our four acres of 'revitalized' native forest, not yet close enough to be a concern but one never knows. The world has changed so drastically (and dramatically) in the last year - old ways no longer apply, new concerns dominate. Old politicians fail, new ideas and ways of thinking are badly needed.
Time at home to do some photo-related things I've long neglected - my beloved but little-used Leitz Focomat 1c with Ilford Multigrade head will be dismantled and cleaned for the first time in more than a decade, also new lamps ordered and maybe a tryout with some of the negatives I shot in Sarawak.
Also a head count of what films I've left in the freezer. Plus some old old (and I mean old old!!) photo enlarging paper I've kept for far too long, if fog levels have passed the acceptable point, out it will go. Maybe to someone I know who is still doing lith.
Rolleiflexes, Rolleicord Vb, Nikkormats, Zeiss and Voigtlander folders all need testing which will use up some old film.
Come April when (touch wood) things have cooled a bit and the rain has returned, I plan to head off again to continue my travels where I left it off - in Sabah (Malaysia).
The CT scanners are a worry. Haven't seen any damage to films so far, but as I see it, another nail in film's coffin, at least for those of us who travel and want to use film.
One film camera will come along, packed alongside my Nikon D800 kit - so far I'm hovering over a Nikkormat FT2 but there are two Nikon F65s in a box, quietly clamoring for attention after too many years. Nikon D lenses work on the F65s so it's tempting...
My working kit is 28 (or 24 if I need ultra wide), 45-55 standard, and a short tele, usually the wonderful Nikon D 85/2 which never lets me down.
It's fun to plan, but more fun to actually be on the road...
Dave Jenkins
Loose Canon
"Am I mad to take a film camera to Southeast Asia?"
In case you missed it -- it's already been done.
In case you missed it -- it's already been done.
DownUnder
Nikon Nomad
Yes, but it depends. I never cease to amaze myself at the number of shots I 'miss' due to exposure variations - this is partly due to my films (most often well aged) and the tricky Asian light. You would think after 45 years in Australia, light would be something I had mastered in photography - but no.
Two exposures of everything is by far the best (and probably the only) way to cope with this, but it does run up costs.
Also very careful processing with fresh chemistry and equally careful scanning, generally saves the day in 90% of the time. Inevitably the 'lost' 10% are always the best shots I intended to take...
This and the new Xray scanners at airports everywhere in Asia, is (are) yet another nail in the coffin of film versus digital in shooting when traveling.
Prest_400
Multiformat
Are the CT scanners that widely implemented? Saw user reports of Singapore having them, and that rules one of the main hubs out. IDK if BKK has them too.
For many years I thought of travelling around SE Asia and visit some relatives in the Philippines, taking the Medium Format for selective work. I even got some 160NS 220 for that purpose! Film which sits in the freezer as a "travel special". Unfortunately that plan is deferred without date.
Let's see what develops about film and CT scanners, I know some countries like Thailand have a good local network for film, but on others it'd be a pain to source locally film as well as all the Xray issues.
OTOH digital is as convenient as it can be. I've assembled a bargain bin m43 kit that covers a great range and is a breeze to use. In a short future, cellphones will substitute a digital camera for snapshooting use. Film is nice for those more thought out concepts and darkroom printing. ATM I do bring my 6x9 for longer trips between my two main locations in Europe, 35mm I have a Nikon kit on my family home.
I've noticed that in a year period, since I began printing B&W, I've only shot about 15-20 rolls B&W; I'm quite selective specially with (6x9) medium format and if I shoot it, it means I'd like to print it eventually. Am gladly thankful that our photo club/shared darkroom scored some surprus rolls of Ilford RC paper so paper is free for the time.
Even in EU I noticed Kodak's increase has put the B&W films at 8.5€/120 roll. Wow. Not so eager to try TMY now, Ilford's range sits at a great 5-7€/120 roll and HP5 is my staple.
David Hughes
David Hughes
"Yes, but it depends. I never cease to amaze myself at the number of shots I 'miss' due to exposure variations... "
Hmmmm, when a young lady I know says "yes, but..." it means "no" usually but this time I think we agree.
There's always going to be that weird shot where doing it by the book - or leaving the camera on auto everything - just won't work. That's when the only answer is bracketing. Sometimes two extra shots will do it and sometime the entire range up and down is the only answer but at least you get the experience and can learn from it...
Regards, David
PS Worse than being scanned before flying is being weighed and then the passenger list consulted before they'd decide if you were suitable. It was a 1930's 'plane so explainable but worrying as the wife had been accepted...
Hmmmm, when a young lady I know says "yes, but..." it means "no" usually but this time I think we agree.
There's always going to be that weird shot where doing it by the book - or leaving the camera on auto everything - just won't work. That's when the only answer is bracketing. Sometimes two extra shots will do it and sometime the entire range up and down is the only answer but at least you get the experience and can learn from it...
Regards, David
PS Worse than being scanned before flying is being weighed and then the passenger list consulted before they'd decide if you were suitable. It was a 1930's 'plane so explainable but worrying as the wife had been accepted...
Last edited:
furcafe
Mentor
No, because those airports which have installed the new CT scanners all offer hand inspection.
Maybe the new CT scanners could make it even easier for film shooters in the future, as hand inspection will be the new norm and standard.
No discussions anymore with the security personal when you ask for hand inspection. You simply get it
I wish I could be as optimistic. In the USA, allowing hand checks is actually required by the law (TSA regulations provide: "If requested by individuals, their photographic equipment and film packages must be inspected without exposure to an X-ray system."), not sure about other nations. There's also the distinct possibility that other modes of travel & tourist destinations in other countries will also eventually use CT scanners, e.g., the Shanghai Metro already X-rays all bags.
furcafe
Mentor
They're already at all the major US international airports (https://www.tsa.gov/computed-tomography), so I would expect airports in other countries to follow (if they're not already ahead, as in most aspects of air travel). At least with medium format, you could put a few rolls in your pockets (no metal in modern spools), though you would have to ensure that those pockets aren't bulging suspiciously!
DownUnder
Nikon Nomad
The urge to hit the byways (and a few, not too many, highways) of Asia and be out and about with my cameras is again making itself felt.
With the Australian bushfire situation now well and truly quenched with the coming of autumn rains, I've decided to go walkabout again for three months, with cameras and my laptop.
To Sarawak, Brunei, Sabah (again). If time allows, a brief detour up to Laos and Cambodia, to revisit Vientiane, Phnom Penh and Ankor Wat, the first two I saw in 1975 and the latter in the late '90s. When the going was good. So far these countries are relatively COVIR-free (I'm avoiding Malaysia and Singapore) and I hope and pray they will stay the same.
Mid-March or early April seems likely. COVIR is most definitely a serious concern. I will play it all by ear, booking just before my intended departure date. Asian airfares will most certainly go down and hotel costs are already very low, even in Singapore where rooms costing S$200 are going for less than half this.
So please keep in mind I've not yet booked anything. In the plan stage so far. I was in Asia during the SARS crisis 17 years ago, and found it was nothing like was being reported.
Gear? My new (to me) Nikon D800 with 28/2.8, 60/2.8 macro and 85/1.8 lenses (all Ds). This is my main kit and I will be using it daily to record day to day life, temples, old buildings, and whatever else crosses my path.
For dalliance, a (recently checked and certified as 99.9% reliable) Contax G1 with 28/2.8, 45/2 and 90/2.8 Zeiss G lenses.
I did consider opting out of films, but after having inventoried my home stocks I find I've enough quite recent (ie not too outdated) 35mm films both B&W and color, to justify the added slight weight of the analog kit. And I do want to use up this film before it bombs out or I do, whichever comes first. So 40 rolls will come with me, in two metal cans. I can only hope and pray for hand inspections at airports, if I ask real nice...
Minimal is the way, I've decided. One small travel case, 10-12 kilos, no more. One small(ish) shoulder pack for cameras and my laptop. Most items I usually take with me will stay home this time - T-shirts to toothpaste I can buy locally.
Compromising with the times...
Life is only a series of compromises, after all. And we do live in the 21st century.
As always, your thoughts on all this are most welcome. Would you defer travel plans until the COVIR crisis (Or situation) is more certain and less of a threat? Or is the threat more perceived than actual? Media hype being what it is, I've read and wondered...
With the Australian bushfire situation now well and truly quenched with the coming of autumn rains, I've decided to go walkabout again for three months, with cameras and my laptop.
To Sarawak, Brunei, Sabah (again). If time allows, a brief detour up to Laos and Cambodia, to revisit Vientiane, Phnom Penh and Ankor Wat, the first two I saw in 1975 and the latter in the late '90s. When the going was good. So far these countries are relatively COVIR-free (I'm avoiding Malaysia and Singapore) and I hope and pray they will stay the same.
Mid-March or early April seems likely. COVIR is most definitely a serious concern. I will play it all by ear, booking just before my intended departure date. Asian airfares will most certainly go down and hotel costs are already very low, even in Singapore where rooms costing S$200 are going for less than half this.
So please keep in mind I've not yet booked anything. In the plan stage so far. I was in Asia during the SARS crisis 17 years ago, and found it was nothing like was being reported.
Gear? My new (to me) Nikon D800 with 28/2.8, 60/2.8 macro and 85/1.8 lenses (all Ds). This is my main kit and I will be using it daily to record day to day life, temples, old buildings, and whatever else crosses my path.
For dalliance, a (recently checked and certified as 99.9% reliable) Contax G1 with 28/2.8, 45/2 and 90/2.8 Zeiss G lenses.
I did consider opting out of films, but after having inventoried my home stocks I find I've enough quite recent (ie not too outdated) 35mm films both B&W and color, to justify the added slight weight of the analog kit. And I do want to use up this film before it bombs out or I do, whichever comes first. So 40 rolls will come with me, in two metal cans. I can only hope and pray for hand inspections at airports, if I ask real nice...
Minimal is the way, I've decided. One small travel case, 10-12 kilos, no more. One small(ish) shoulder pack for cameras and my laptop. Most items I usually take with me will stay home this time - T-shirts to toothpaste I can buy locally.
Compromising with the times...
Life is only a series of compromises, after all. And we do live in the 21st century.
As always, your thoughts on all this are most welcome. Would you defer travel plans until the COVIR crisis (Or situation) is more certain and less of a threat? Or is the threat more perceived than actual? Media hype being what it is, I've read and wondered...
Ronald M
Mentor
Long trip and expired film. Buy some new and test it with the camera you will use.
Airport x ray will destroy film, new ones that is.
Airport x ray will destroy film, new ones that is.
pyeh
Member of good standing
Ozmoose,
Good to see you're going to resume your travelling. Glad to hear your own property wasn't damaged in BusFir19-20.
On the gear front, if you're not worried about encountering CT scanners or are confident of getting hand inspections if you do, then I'd be sticking with the G1 ensemble and toting a small capable digital for auxiliary duty.
On CoViD-19, I find it hard to assess the severity of this epidemic. The news is full of alarm every night. It's the leading news story on every outlet. I am gladdened by our Chief Medical Officer exhorting us not to panic, and saying face masks are unnecessary. Also 29,000 infected Chinese out of a population of 1,000,000,000 doesn't sound like a big proportion, not even as a proportion of Wuhan's population. But yet many countries have closed their borders to China, Iran and other countries, and have closed their schools and cancelled big assemblies. Here in Sydney at least no one has proposed cacelli g Mardi Gras, which is due to start in 10 minutes.
Supposedly if you stay at least 1m away from an infected person youre safe from contagion. So no in-your-face shots with your 28mm I guess. The lack of infections in Indochina is probably only a reflection of non-testing and non-reporting. There are a lot of Chinese tourists and businesspeople in those countries. Still, so far none of what I see would stop me going to that part of the world, or say to Lombardy. Fares and accommodation are cheap, as you say. The only thing is our Australian dollar is so poor.
Good to see you're going to resume your travelling. Glad to hear your own property wasn't damaged in BusFir19-20.
On the gear front, if you're not worried about encountering CT scanners or are confident of getting hand inspections if you do, then I'd be sticking with the G1 ensemble and toting a small capable digital for auxiliary duty.
On CoViD-19, I find it hard to assess the severity of this epidemic. The news is full of alarm every night. It's the leading news story on every outlet. I am gladdened by our Chief Medical Officer exhorting us not to panic, and saying face masks are unnecessary. Also 29,000 infected Chinese out of a population of 1,000,000,000 doesn't sound like a big proportion, not even as a proportion of Wuhan's population. But yet many countries have closed their borders to China, Iran and other countries, and have closed their schools and cancelled big assemblies. Here in Sydney at least no one has proposed cacelli g Mardi Gras, which is due to start in 10 minutes.
Supposedly if you stay at least 1m away from an infected person youre safe from contagion. So no in-your-face shots with your 28mm I guess. The lack of infections in Indochina is probably only a reflection of non-testing and non-reporting. There are a lot of Chinese tourists and businesspeople in those countries. Still, so far none of what I see would stop me going to that part of the world, or say to Lombardy. Fares and accommodation are cheap, as you say. The only thing is our Australian dollar is so poor.
ktmrider
Well-known
Well, I returned to the US two days ago from a four month trip to Asia primarily due to the possible airline cancellations which might happen in three or four weeks due to the CoVID 19 virus. I was not worried about catching anything but what the public panic and government response might be in three weeks. I had plans in the US and did not want to take the chance on being stranded 7000 miles from home. And I admit to being a little homesick as well.
I view the chance of dying from the virus as about the same as dying from a terrorist attack, being killed by a shark or bear, or being hit by lightning. But the media would not be able to make money selling advertising if they did not keep trying to scare us. Good news does not sell newspapers.
I view the chance of dying from the virus as about the same as dying from a terrorist attack, being killed by a shark or bear, or being hit by lightning. But the media would not be able to make money selling advertising if they did not keep trying to scare us. Good news does not sell newspapers.
Prest_400
Multiformat
As a recommendation from what I've gathered about the new CT-scanners, put the film in transparent ziplock bags instead of metal cans, so the security agents can see the content. Bonus is that you'll save some weight shaving off metal.
Someone reported that singapore installed CT scanners.
In my case, Europe, and shuttling between 2 locations that so far are normal X-rays I've never asked for a hand check. Feeling nostalgic as it's been 10 years since I last visited Asia. Sadly yes, life is about compromises.
I read airliners.net (aviation forum) every so often and from the discussions there is that many flight cancellations are to be expected. Last minute and cheap should be possible as well.
Being myself from the young demographic and in Europe, there isn't actually much that I should worry. Interestingly I started off 2020 coming back from visiting family in a "this year can't have travel plans" but that is due to a work transition and all. The economic slump still hasn't worried me but I am sure it will.
robert blu
quiet photographer
Ozmoose, nice to see you planning again a trip. Isn't plannig itself a nice part of the journey? Film and digital can make a good combo !