Going Old School Even More
Remember my previous posts about fiddling with my old typewriters? I've taken another step backward into past decades.
I was cleaning out an old drawer last night...okay, not true. I'm a typical guy, which means I'm also a typical slob, so I don't do much cleaning out. What I was doing was desperately looking for a lost screwdriver to tighten the small screws in my eyeglasses; it wasn't in the usual place I keep it. I didn't find it in one of the drawers I turned inside out, but I did find an unused canister of camera film.
Yup, camera film! Analog, not digital; 24 shots, ASA 400. With digicams, cellphone cams, and high-end colored printers becoming ubiquitous, who uses this technology anymore? Even Polaroid's abandoning instant photography.
Thinking the film had expired, I was ready to throw it away, but a cursory glance at the expiration date informed me that it still had about a month to go before becoming useless. I didn't want to waste the film, so I ended up digging through another closet to find my old film camera, a venerable 27-year old SLR, a Canon AE-1 Program. The gadget's even older than some PGS contributors. I found it tucked away in its old black camera bag in the closet's back corner. I wondered: Did it still have the chops?
I inserted an old battery into it and tried the shutter button. Hooray! The mechanism still clicked! The battery wasn't fresh, but hey, I'll only need it for 24 shots. The separate horseshoe flash doesn't work anymore, alas, so I'll have to settle for daytime shots; but it's summer, so I'm going to have a lot of opportunities for outdoor photos.
I'm just a bit worried that even if there doesn't seem to be anything physically wrong with the camera, its innards might not be calibrated anymore to the proper shutter speed or aperture settings. The viewfinder has yellowed too--at least, I hope it's only the viewfinder and not the lens, otherwise the pics might come out jaundiced. What I'm not worried about is finding a photolab that still develops film; many of those machines that print out digital files can do double duty and produce old-fashioned film prints.
I eventually found the small screwdriver in the bathroom (I must've left it there and forgotten about it--ahh, aging); I tightened my eyeglasses' screws immediately. I'm going to need it if I'm going to take photos this weekend.
This ought to be fun, for about 24 shots. :D
I was cleaning out an old drawer last night...okay, not true. I'm a typical guy, which means I'm also a typical slob, so I don't do much cleaning out. What I was doing was desperately looking for a lost screwdriver to tighten the small screws in my eyeglasses; it wasn't in the usual place I keep it. I didn't find it in one of the drawers I turned inside out, but I did find an unused canister of camera film.
Yup, camera film! Analog, not digital; 24 shots, ASA 400. With digicams, cellphone cams, and high-end colored printers becoming ubiquitous, who uses this technology anymore? Even Polaroid's abandoning instant photography.
Thinking the film had expired, I was ready to throw it away, but a cursory glance at the expiration date informed me that it still had about a month to go before becoming useless. I didn't want to waste the film, so I ended up digging through another closet to find my old film camera, a venerable 27-year old SLR, a Canon AE-1 Program. The gadget's even older than some PGS contributors. I found it tucked away in its old black camera bag in the closet's back corner. I wondered: Did it still have the chops?
I inserted an old battery into it and tried the shutter button. Hooray! The mechanism still clicked! The battery wasn't fresh, but hey, I'll only need it for 24 shots. The separate horseshoe flash doesn't work anymore, alas, so I'll have to settle for daytime shots; but it's summer, so I'm going to have a lot of opportunities for outdoor photos.
I'm just a bit worried that even if there doesn't seem to be anything physically wrong with the camera, its innards might not be calibrated anymore to the proper shutter speed or aperture settings. The viewfinder has yellowed too--at least, I hope it's only the viewfinder and not the lens, otherwise the pics might come out jaundiced. What I'm not worried about is finding a photolab that still develops film; many of those machines that print out digital files can do double duty and produce old-fashioned film prints.
I eventually found the small screwdriver in the bathroom (I must've left it there and forgotten about it--ahh, aging); I tightened my eyeglasses' screws immediately. I'm going to need it if I'm going to take photos this weekend.
This ought to be fun, for about 24 shots. :D
posted by pgenrestories at 7:58 AM
6 Comments:
Re: expiring film. Have it expired then use it. Expired film has got its nuances.
For your AE-1, if you're not sure, have it CLA'd (cleaned, lubricated and...I forgot) in Hidalgo. I can refer you to a really cool guy there who's endeared the hearts of many photographers.
I have an even older rangefinder. It's a Russian FED2 which was produced in the 50s. I have pinhole cameras, one I made from a matchbox.
I'm film most of the time.
Hi, Sky!
Gee, thanks! I've heard a lot about Hidalgo. I've been tempted to go there and get a DSLR, but I'm held back by the bulk and weight of these larger cameras, as well as the cost, which is why I've been using a digital point and click. Please let me know the name of your contact; maybe I will have my AE-1 fixed up.
Cool, the old cameras you have! Why do you still prefer film over digital? Better control, quality? I do see film becoming as niche as vinyl records.
I'm using the film already. May be done with it in a few weeks. If I find any more expired film in my drawers, I'll give it a try. TY!
I'm anti-pop or, perhaps frustrated at the fact that anybody who can afford to buy a dSLR can claim that he's a photographer. Or maybe just bitter that I can't afford it.
Aside from that, however, film's teaching me patience. And all those fun stuff about depth of field or focal length. You can't get that if you set your dSLR to auto most of the time (mag-point and shoot ka na lang if you always use auto).
Film is here to stay. Kodak's released a new one. And perhaps you know about lomomanila. Some of these guys stash loads of film into their fridges. It maybe tiresome, like going to LBC to have them developed (sometimes cross-processed), scanned and delivered but like I said, film has taught me patience. It's zen-like.
I got the camera guy's number somewhere. I'll email it to you, kyu. Tell me how your test shot went.
@sky: Thanks very much! I'll let you know how the shots go.
I tried taking shots with it yesterday, and some relatives found the clicking sound of the AE-1 Program so loud and mechanical (trans. "old").
I agree that film is here to stay; however, I do see it becoming a niche product, given how popular digital cameras have become. I didn't know Kodak's released a new one! I do know that some places still sell film SLR's to photgraphy students.
I agree with you, though, that if one buys a dSLR, (or any SLR) it would do well to get one that can go full-manual as a feature, so that the photographer can learn to use the different shutter speeds and aperture settings. If one is only after automatic, a point-and-click would suffice, as an SLR just may be overkill.
Heh. Film. Truly old-school. :)
I posted the camera repair guy's contact info in your multiply. I don't have your email pala.
Thanks, sky! :)
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