The Future of Film

[HowardE]

What are DSLR cameras?

A digital camera with Removable lenses, etc... some can shoot in 13 Mega Pixels or more... Like "old school" 35mm film cameras

 

[The Kraken]

Jam,

I'm not pursuing the professional route again!

Just want someting that will give me better than average "vacation" camera abilities.

Depth of field control, detachable strobe for better lighting control, etc.

TTL strobe control.

I'd prefer something that's not enclosed in a separate housing.

Any recommendations would be welcome.

Let's say a top budget range of $1500.

the K

 

[Footslogger]

I held out until my most recent leveaboard trip. I remembered from last year that E-6 processing on boats was starting to disappear. It seemed funny taking off for Belize and leaving my Nikonos rig behind ...but off I went with my Olympus and Ike housing/strobe.

Long story short ...I've shot film since 1987 and was very happy with my results. That said, now that I've tasted digital u/w photo I'll never go back. Being able to see your results immediately and make sound decisions about exposure, composition and lighting is worth it to me. Oh yeah ...and did I mention that deleting the not-so-hot shots ??

'Slogger

BTW ...if anyone is interested in a complete and well maintained Nikonos V set up check out the classified section here at SB and shoot me a note.

 

[Fish_Whisperer]

Thanks for the explanation of DSLR.

 

[Jamdiver]

Jam,

I'm not pursuing the professional route again!

Just want someting that will give me better than average "vacation" camera abilities.

Depth of field control, detachable strobe for better lighting control, etc.

TTL strobe control.

I'd prefer something that's not enclosed in a separate housing.

Any recommendations would be welcome.

Let's say a top budget range of $1500.

the K

Look what you went and did......
You've opened the pandora's box now .

I'm not going to tout particular brands or models now, but do your research, look for a camera with manual controls, manufacturer housing that accepts add on lenses or a 3rd party housing such as Ikelite.
Really Kraken, with that sort of price range you can get a top of the line underwater photography system that can produce stunning photos in my opinion at least.

Have a look through this forum, I think you'll be amazed at what you can accomplish with digital nowadays.
Oh and it's the photographer not the camera .

Canon, Fuji and Olympus all have good cameras in the point & shoot market.....
Whoops broke my promise :14:.
Breaks promise further

Fuji E900, Olympus SP-350, Canon A620 or S80 are all sound systems to build on.
Personally If I had the chance to do it over again, I'd get the S80 or Fuji E900.
I'd recommend against the A620 in the Canon housing just because of the weird shape of the lens design on the housing, it's oval, so most add on lenses won't fit it?

 

[The Kraken]

Yep, that would include a strobe.

If you guys have recommendations, please do so.

But, please, don't get caught up in arguments about one system versus another.

Let me figure that out for myself, OK?????

the K

 

[Jamdiver]

Yep, that would include a strobe.

If you guys have recommendations, please do so.

But, please, don't get caught up in arguments about one system versus another.

Let me figure that out for myself, OK?????

the K

Well I am a firm believer in doing your research before you make purchases.
Should always try and make the best decisions for your money I believe.

Have a look at www.dpreview.com or www.stevesdigicams.com for camera reviews, again look for cameras with manual controls, minimal shutter lag, great image quality et cetera..
Basically cameras with very few minuses against them.

Searching through the forums here or over at www.digitaldiver.net or www.wetpixel.com can give you a general idea of what the camera is capable of.
And I think would give you an idea of systems that are proven underwater and have support from other manufacturers.

Wait a little and see what Alcina and other more knowledgeable semi-pro/professional photographers have to say.

 

[vondo]

Lag time is primarily an auto focus problem - this is solved with DSLR cameras. There is also the lag with fast frame repetitive shots because of the time required to write to the card, but in all seriousness U/W this isn't a real problem. Unless you can remain absolutely still in the same position you really need to recompose every shot. i admit though that it takes a few seconds to write a RAW shot to the card before you can shoot again.

I don't know about the all-in-one DSLRs, but the Canon, Nikon, etc. with removable lenses usually have a buffer (on the CCD I think) that will store a number of shots. My Digital Rebel can store four shots before the card comes into play. More recent cameras have deeper buffers and, coupled with a fast CF card, can essentially shoot 1-2 frames/s until the card fills.

 

[fdog]

<snip>
I'm wondering if there is any logic in buying a film camera nowadays.
<snip>

K, I'm getting more use than ever out of my old F3s and F4s, shooting B+W. Enough so, that there's now a new darkroom in my house.

There is something satisfying about producing a quality fine-art B+W print. Plus, even at it's best, I haven't seen a digital B+W print that can come close to the tones of a good old-skool film image.

And, demand for quality B+W film images has skyrocketed in galleries.

Surprisingly, there's actually more hobbiest large-format B+W film shooters than ever.

Color, though, it's kind of the opposite. Color (film) prints just don't have the pop and definition that those from digital do.

So, to get back to your question: yes, there's life still in film, just not in the way it was before the digital revolution.

All the best, James

 

[The Kraken]

Ah, the olden days of Verichrome . . . and Plus-X Pan !!!

I applaud your artistry, technique and abilities!

My family wants the pretty colored pictures.

the K