Patience required

Arecent resurgence in film cameras shows that smartphones haven’t completely taken over photography.

Photographers who are after a certain look or a more patient approach to the medium are choosing film over digital.

They hunt out old-school cameras and head out with only 24 or 36 frames as opposed to the hundreds or thousands available when using a digital camera or smartphone.

Despite this recent surge in popularity, Canon recently announced it had sold its last film camera and had no intention of making new models.

While some of the camera manufacturers have used the retro look of film cameras in the design of their new digital models, none have re-issued old models, though Nikon still has two film bodies for sale.

That’s mainly because film photographers are choosing secondhand cameras over newer, more expensive options. And for many, it’s done in addition to digital photography and so most don’t want to spend thousands on a film camera.

Some companies are benefiting from the shift back to film. The Fuji Instax, which creates pocket-sized photos with instant film, is selling well, and last year Kodak announced it was reviving its highregarded Ektachrome slide film.

One indication of film’s popularity is Instagram. A search for the hashtag #filmphotography turns up nearly 9.5 million posts.

Getting started

One advantage of film photography is that it’s quite cheap to get started.

There are about 1000 film cameras for sale on Trade Me, with prices from $5, though wellregarded basic models sell for about $200.

If you are looking to get a film camera, stick with the well-known brands and 35mm models as they’re the most common. Models such as the Pentax K-1000, Canon AE-1 and Olympus OM-1 were popular in their day and they aren’t too hard to find.

But if you just want to have fun, then you could consider a ‘‘toy camera’’ such as the Diana or Holga, which take ‘‘lo-fi’’ images. Photos from these sometimes feature optical aberrations such as light leaking into the body, but that is part of the appeal.

The other option is instant cameras made by Fuji and Polaroid. They’re a lot more simple to use, you need less technical knowledge, and you get to see the results right away.

Next up is the film. This is where your costs can start adding up. You can get a basic roll of film for $10 to $20, but a more highly regarded roll such as Fujifilm Fujichrome Velvia 100 will set you back $48.

There are several shops in New Zealand that develop film for about $20 a roll. While film photography is undergoing a resurgence similar to vinyl records, it does take more patience than using a digital camera.

But hopefully, that perseverance will pay off, even when you go back to using your smartphone camera.

That’s because when using film you will need to think carefully about composition and light before hitting the shutter and using one of your 24 or 36 frames.

Being methodical is a great skill to have as a photographer.

It forces you to take your time and consider what you’re photographing, a process that will hopefully result in a more thoughtful image.

And if you’re young enough that you’ve never used a film camera, you’ll have to learn new skills such as loading film which, if you get it wrong, will ruin a whole photoshoot.

Also, you’ll need to understand exposure because if you choose the wrong setting there’s no quick fix available.

However, you can get your photos or negatives scanned so you can edit them if needed.

Your patience is also tested while waiting for your film to be developed, which can be a healthy change from the instant gratification of digital photography.

Advantages

Using film is a chance to let you stand out from the photography crowd and experiment with film quirks such as double exposures that give your work a different look.

It will also make you appreciate the history of photography and learn better technical skills.

However, the main reason to give it a go is that film images are considered to have more warmth than what can be achieved with a digital camera.

While you can try to achieve this using editing software it’s actually hard to recreate.

Some photographers are probably glad film was replaced with digital, but for some wanting a new challenge it can be fun and rewarding.