The shot at the end made the mistakes worth it.... I think 😆

Hi Rick, I really love how you treat photography, with humour and serious. Nice video again.

@RickBebbington

Ай бұрын

Thanks Vincent!! I've definitely found more enjoyment (and a lot less frustration) when I don't treat things too seriously!

The reason the counters on those cameras weren’t at zero is that people likely tested the shutters with no film in the cameras. That’s common practice when buying a film camera. The rewind knob test is the gold standard for checking whether there is film in the camera. I look forward to seeing your continued journey with film. One thing you will likely want to get into before long is doing your own scans. Then might come doing your own developing. It is worth it.

@RickBebbington

Ай бұрын

Yep, it's a mistake that won't be made again!! Thanks, I've already been looking into scanning solutions. Could be a slippery slope!!

I love that you left all the mistakes in it. So relatable, since I made most of those mistakes as well, when I got in to film many years ago - it keeps getting better! Usually when I get a "new" film camera, I always open it up (to check the inside for dirt or fungus or to see if the light seals are ok) unless it is really clear that there is a film inside, than maybe I try to shoot the remaining frames. Although you never know how old the film is, how it was stored with the camera and so on... After buying and selling and buying film cameras on and off over the years, I can really recommend SLR-Tanks like the Pentax Spotmatic (all models) or Olympus OM, if you want something not too expensive but great and reliable. At the moment I'm really into Canon Rangefinders (Leica "Copys")

Rick 36 years ago while snowmobiling IN YELLOWSTONE using my Nikon f3 I shot some of the most incredible photos of my life … unfortunately as I reached my 40th picture that of a huge moose that stopped on a snow covered path looking directly down at my lens (which I remember as if it were yesterday) I realized that I had gone way past my shot limit …and while there was film in the camera the spool had never threaded or advanced and thus all were lost to history 😢 To this day I remember every single shot I took etched in my memory for me alone for eternity….Moral of the story ….”shoot digital “ and back up ! Cheers Mate !!! 😊

@RickBebbington

Ай бұрын

That's heartbreaking!! How could you even check that? I'm sure I'll have similar happen to me at some stage!!

@artiedoc

Ай бұрын

@@RickBebbington hope not …just make sure the teeth line up and catch with tension before you close the cover 👍

Love that you used cameras that anybody can aspire to because they are cheap. Proves that you don't need to pay lots for an "on trend" camera.

@RickBebbington

17 күн бұрын

Absolutely not, but people want to 'keep up'. Me included at times!!

I just returned from a trip to Newfoundland. I took my Olympus EM1 MkII and an old SLR and a P&S (Exacta Varex IIa and Konica Pop). I had come across a camera with a partly used roll of film which I rewound, took out and put in the Exacta. I shot some dark frames then finished the roll of 36. Only when I got home did I realise that no one develops Kodachrome anymore 😩 Oh well! I do still have quite a few frames on the KP in which I have Kentmere 400. I thoroughly enjoy shooting film. I don't shoot it for the 'film look' but rather because I enjoy using the medium. Just as I don't listen to all my music on vinyl, I don't take all my pictures on film. There is room for both media and it really doesn't matter what anyone else thinks; do it if you get something from it. I would recommend you shoot B&W for a while, maybe just a couple of film stocks (HP5 and FP4 maybe). Get used to them. Developing your own negatives is pretty easy to be honest and will save money, something to think about if you decide film is something you want to keep using. You can pick up a decent scanner (Epson V500 for example) which will save you money on scans in the medium term and allow you to control the scanning process more. A good site for camera manuals is: butkus.org/chinon/praktica.htm

@RickBebbington

17 күн бұрын

Thanks. I'd been looking into developing my own B&W film - seems easier than expected so I'm tempted to give it a go

It makes me laugh how many people take a hard logical approach to a creative hobby. There are logical reasons on why you shouldn't shoot film. Those reasons don't matter, this isn't a logical hobby. I've gone down a similar path as you over the last couple of years. Hadn't shot film in 25+ years but have increasingly been bringing only film cameras with me. I like being forced to abandon "spray and pray" let alone not having 5k photos at the end of a vacation that are made up of only 150 unique photos. I know you can imitate film both in the photos and in the function of shooting photos but setting my digital to single shot and manual isn't the same and it never will be for me.

@RickBebbington

Ай бұрын

Agree with this, it feel like a whole different process. Like I said to someone else who mentioned making digital files look like film - it's more about the input than the output

Love the video, subscribing to follow along on your film journey! Cheers!

@RickBebbington

Ай бұрын

Thanks Keegan, appreciate it!

Hi, this was a fun video to watch and it made me smile (in a good way). During corona I started collecting analog and vintage cameras. My aim is to test shoot every camera with film once. Til now about 60, I guess. It is so cool to have this hobby. So to answer your question, yes it is worth it. Of course it is a hobby beside regular digital photography. I just started on Instagram showing monochrome results of analog and digital photography. Just trying to show that both techniques have a place today.

When I took up photography as a hobby (50+ years ago) it wasn't particularly expensive to process & print, and there were some great colour films available (I used Kodak Ektachrome mostly), it was good fun, if only a bit messy... I loved getting my first digital camera 20+ years ago, and, now I'm finally getting my head around LrC, some of my photos are even looking good! But, that said, I hope you enjoy the new learning curve and more 'cautious' shooting with film, and look forward to seeing more form you in the future, Rick.

@RickBebbington

Ай бұрын

Thanks!! Ektachrome is on the list of stocks to try out, I really like the look of that one.

Nice photos. Both great cameras. Do me a favor. Get a camera strap for the Practika. You don't want to drop it but usually it wouldn't break as bad as if you dropped a digital camera. Amazon has good camera straps.

Haven’t shot film since I bought my first digital camera in 2001 and will never go back. But I do enjoy watching all these film camera videos. Now if I want that film look and sorta process. I’ll take out my Nikon zf put on my voightlander 40mm 1.2 manual focus lens and turn around that view screen. And I get it out of my system for a Sunday walk.

I really enjoyed watching your adventure into file: It brought many memories of long ago for me. Until digital came along, I had pretty much given up on photography because of the expense of the film, the hassle of the lead-lined bag when traveling to transport the extra rolls of film and, most of all, the sending the rolls off for processing. The plus side of all that that remains with me is taking time before pressing the shutter release. With film, that was very important except for those who could light their cigars with burning paper money. By the way, one used to be able to buy 20 exposure rolls, not just 36. And the button on the bottom of the camera? On my old Nikon FM, you pressed that to release the film for rewinding. Maybe that's what it's for on the Praktica. Happy to go along as you enjoy the journey.

@RickBebbington

Ай бұрын

Thnak you, glad you enjoyed it. It's definitely going to be done on a selective use basis given the costs, but I'm fortunate enough to be able to put some money into it from time to time. Still not sure what the button does, I should probably just google it!! You can still get 24 exposure films but from what I can see the processing costs are basically the same so it doesn't seem worth it.

Hi, lovely to see how other people get back to film photography as well. An advice: if you don't know what a button is for or how to operate a camera, ask Google. It knows or it offers you a manual that you can study, and you'll save yourself loads of time and mistakes. Seriously. Another tip: if that little lever/handle on the Praktica (or any similar fully manual film camera) is not turning around when you forward/advance the film it means there is no film or it's not loaded correctly (unless you are doing double exposure, which by the way the little button at the bottom is for, most probably). These idi*t proof things have been incorporated by the smart engineers and designers of manual film cameras to avoid shooting a whole film just to find out at the end that it was not exposed at all. But don't worry, we've all been there, myself including! Welcome to the club and enjoy shooting film!!! And thanks so much for making and publishing this video!

@RickBebbington

Ай бұрын

Yeah. I may have to put the ego to once side and actually look at a manual I think! Thanks for the tips :)

I have a drawer with 20 rolls of exposed medium format B&W film taken with a Pentax 67 camera. They have been there for 20 years. I have no enthusiasm to develop them and probably never will.

Dang, Rick. You keep knocking it out of the part🎉. The hook is awesome! I love your double role. Makes me think of Taylor Swift's characters in You Belong With Me lol.

@RickBebbington

Ай бұрын

Haha!! Thanks! Enjoyed making this one, nice to dust off the acting shoes too :) Whilst being a moderate listener of TS, I've not seen that, will check it out!

Nice one Rick. The results are great and looks like you had some fun in the process. The Prakitca was my first camera. At some point I used to have the Olympus as well.

@RickBebbington

Ай бұрын

Thanks Alex!! I'm really pleased, and the fun outweighed the frustration!! First ever camera? No way!! I still can't get over the weight of it!

@3elementscreativemedia100

Ай бұрын

@@RickBebbington it was a big old lump !

Great shots!

@RickBebbington

Ай бұрын

Thanks man!

Those are some beautiful pics, very pleasing I especially liked all mountain&cloud pics and the pic with the man near the car and the motorbike pic of course. Kodak set is a bit overexposed to my taste (but could be re-scanned differently or maybe just edited with curves). As for the price, for me it's very roughly 1 USD per shot (film stock price, mailing, developing, scanning included). If you shoot black and white film and buying it in bulk (like 100ft rolls) and develop & scan yourself it could be much cheaper. But still in the long run, digital camera is cheaper, so film can't be a replacement even if you're ok with the waiting time. Couple of rolls per trip as supplement to digital photos - ok for fun. They really increase fun level of the trip.

@RickBebbington

Ай бұрын

Thanks, appreciate it! I'm quite liking the slightly overexposed lookout the moment, but I'm sure I could darken them a little. I love that we all have such different tastes in photography, it's one of the things that makes it so special :) Yeah, I'm going to look into developing B&W myself at some point in the future I think. You've nailed it too - a couple of rolls per trip sounds perfect!

Kudos for the candor and prudence to shoot a backup with a digital cam. My guess is that you can probably find PDF versions of the owners manuals for both cameras on-line, from third parties. It was not unusual for film camera “frames shot” dials to reset to zero when the camera backs opened. Does the counter appear to work properly when loaded and unloaded? Will you be scanning the film to make digital images - easy to do, with smartphone or macro lens on your Fuji-XT 4.? Results might make a compelling follow up vid. Cheers!

@RickBebbington

Ай бұрын

Thanks, I'm sure there's some stuff on google... I'm not normally one for reading manuals though! Practice resets to zero, but the Olympus goes back to 6 it seems so need to be careful of that! Yeah, been looking into self scanning but I'm not sure I need any more stuff 😂

That's why use Canon 1v and only this

Rick, I found myself laughing at your naivety....which is completely unfair given your inexperience with film. I shoot both digital and film. I usually make an either/or choice, as I've found that trying to mix genres just ends up with me shooting digital for the convenience and security. When I do shoot film I do so to slow down and think more about each composition. I started with film photography in the 1970's. In 1994 I was asked to shoot a friends wedding (I wasn't the only photographer thankfully), so I elected to use two bodies, one with a 28mm and the other with a 100mm. I wanted the 100mm to isolate Bride and Groom from the throng. There I was merrily shooting away, when I realised the rewind crank wasn't turning on the 100mm body. I thought Ahh, the film hasn't wound on....but no, in all my fastitious preparations I hadn't even put film in the camera! I hope you do continue with film, I find going back to it helps me 'focus' (pun?) relax and contemplate life, past and purpose.

funny how this video comes up on my feed after i exposed a whole roll with what im sure has been my best work so far not once, but twice. just gotta roll with the punches i guess lol.

@RickBebbington

Ай бұрын

Nightmare 😬 really feel for you there

@eyeamstrongest

Ай бұрын

@@RickBebbington hopefully most of it is salvageable and i get cool light leak effects

My heart broke for you. But at least you practiced pressing the shutter button 😅

@RickBebbington

Ай бұрын

I did, I'm shit hot at that now!!!

Lovely stuff mate! Film photography is so addictive, and if you get into buying expired film off eBay you add another level of fun and surprise. Just make sure you get clearance from the Mrs to use the fridge haha! The Praktica TL1000 was a great choice though, fully mechanical is the way to go! I've got a Pentax MX which looks very similar. Have fun!

@RickBebbington

Ай бұрын

Thanks!! I'll get looking for expired film :)

@sonicmistress

29 күн бұрын

@@RickBebbington I wouldn't bother, some costs more than fresh film and unless you start developing your own the results from a lab will be unpredictable as storage of old film is important and unpredictable.

Love your film shots. Keep going with it is my advice. Took me about 12 months to shoot a roll of film and found out i had not put a roll in 😂😂 😂😂

@RickBebbington

Ай бұрын

Thanks Chris, I will!! Ouch, that must've hurt!

what about the expense, time and hassle of digital ?

@RickBebbington

Ай бұрын

Yep, fair point!!

Earlier today, I was flipping between ebay, craigslist, mpb, and amazon, thinking about a film camera. By let's say 3:35 or so in this video, I started thinking, maybe I'll change my mind and NOT do it. I'm glad I watched to the end, though.

@RickBebbington

Ай бұрын

Haha!!! Do it, just don't do what I did!

Had to pause the video and say this. I did exactly the same a week ago, bought an Olympus om4 off eBay that showed it had film in it on the pics. Like a little kid in sweet shop after receiving it went down my local park to use up the rest of the film on it and conditions were perfect. After I got to e (meaning end) on the shot counter I thought there’s got to be something wrong here so sat down on the bench pondering if I should open the back up. Well I did and yeah no film it at all, just sat there and had a good laugh I didn’t even realise the winder wasn’t going round every time I advanced the film 😂 your not the only to do it mate 🙈

@RickBebbington

Ай бұрын

Oh no!!! Clearly an easy mistake to make, right?! Hope you enjoy your film journey, have you shot a proper roll yet?

@carlwynn5663

Ай бұрын

⁠@@RickBebbingtonyeah quite a few to be honest. My grandad left me Olympus om10 a few years back, but hadn’t really started using it until 12 months ago. Then I got hooked on it so my film camera collection is now bigger than my digital cameras 🙈. I normally use gold 200 or ultra max 400 for colour and hp5 for black and white. I send everything off to The Mini lab because they turn your scans around in 24hrs for colour and about 4 days for black and white. But I have just bought a valio easy 35 where scan them yourself with your mirrorless so I will only need the film to be developed and not scanned so I will see how that goes and let you know mate.

In 1993 I took 36 rolls of slide film to New Zealand in a lead bag that had to be searched multiple times by security, even in those days. I worried the entire time if I had any shots at all of some of the most beautiful scenery I've ever seen. Total cost of about $1000 for purchase and developing, about half the cost of the air fare. You come to an interesting conclusion that its worth it. I truly hope you enjoy the process more than I. However, this is one of your suggestion I won't be trying ;-) If I find my old EOS Elan, maybe I'll ship it to you. I still enjoy watching KZread film channels, I just don't get it. Cheers!

@RickBebbington

Ай бұрын

That sounds incredibly stressful, so I don't blame you for not wanting to go back!! Who knows where this will take me, I'm just keeping an open mind (and wallet!!). That would be awesome, but please don't go to any trouble :)

I made a whole review of that camera on my channel. I love mine! I paid even less than you! Mine has the Pentacon lens.

I use Analogue Wonderland and they are great!

@RickBebbington

Ай бұрын

Yeah, I really like them - seem like a good bunch

Film makes you slow down you say? Well, try to work as a reporter for at least 10 years. On film. After that, you'll be as fast and trigger happy as Jesse James. And every shot will count mind you! Sometimes when I've been returning from a trip my exposed film bag would be almost as big as my camera bag. You've been warned...

@RickBebbington

17 күн бұрын

That sounds super stressful!! Thanks for the warning 😂

Laughed out loud, not at you but at the situation about thinking there was film in the cameras, a little reading goes a long way. ; ) Once you get the idea that film photography is not about money then you'll enjoy it more, cost is irrelevant if it's what you want to do, like most hobbies, love it and enoy the learning. One thing you did forget though, that film or digital, the 3 rules are the same for exposure but just a confidence thing methinks with new technology (For you!) You'll soon be hooked...And don't ever buy an untested, overpriced Praktica again! ; )

No mate

I would understand using film when also making analog prints in a darkroom but just shooting film and scanning or having them printed at an 1 hour lab is absolut nonsens because the results are so far away from an masterful made anlog print. but this would need much more commitment than the we are so cool hipster show on KZread.

@RickBebbington

Ай бұрын

On the flip side, you aren't going to go straight from not shooting film into a full darkroom workflow. This is a good way in to see if it's even for you, who know where it might go?

@friendofarca6550

Ай бұрын

@@RickBebbington …the differance to digital capture is color, grain, tonality, resolution but this properties are totally transformed when you scan a negative film or have a print done with a minilab which scans your film and applies processing like many fujilabs for example do before it is digitally printed on ra4 paper. so what do you gain ? in the film days we hoped to have more control over color and tonality now we got it and people think beeing limited again is a creative win dispite making images look sh..ty is so easy this days ?

I use the Prakica VLC3. Also a good Eastgerman Camera. Use it- love it 😁🤌

Film is a unreliable, expensive way to upload and edit your pictures in Lightroom, It cost around $25 to shoot a roll of film, I rather put $10 in gas and $15 to eat fresh food somewhere

@RickBebbington

Ай бұрын

Yep, I get that. I still quite like it though, I guess that unreliability is part of the fun??!

Put a nice filter on a digital file (with grain, a bit overexposed and low sharpness) and not a single person on Earth can spot the difference.

@RickBebbington

Ай бұрын

True, but sometimes it's more about the input than the output

@leomarmason

Ай бұрын

And it’s more than doing photos for others. For me I do it for me. It’s being forced to choose your shot so that you slow down and you think. It’s a creative process that I feel I lose out on taking with digital. And in turn I feel like it’s greatly helped my digital photography.

@cedeunmail

Ай бұрын

@@leomarmason Put the digital camera on M, close de flip-screen and turn off the exposure preview in the finder. It is the same :)

@leomarmason

Ай бұрын

@@cedeunmailwhatever works for you does not work for others. It would be boring if we were all the same.

@cedeunmail

Ай бұрын

@@leomarmason dont get me wrong. I have four film cameras (Nikon F3, FE, AE1, Olympus). But film is extremely expensive and “risky”. You can meter perfectly and still you may get a bad picture. I mean… the effort is huge and the result modest. There are extremely good film looks presets for LR. You get the look of film instantly. You can also put an old sd card inside the digital camera (1GB) for example and be limited from the beginning. As much as I love film I think it is almost impossible to use it more often.

There's a few of us on the forum that shoot film, I rarely shoot anything else these days. Give me shout on there if you need any advise film wise :toppa:

@RickBebbington

Ай бұрын

Maybe I'll venture back.... My productivity has improved somewhat since my exile though 😂 thanks pal