(Part 2) Top products from r/analog

Thanks for the detailed reply. I know The Americans but not the rest; very helpful. Since we're living out of the car, I'm limited on book space. So, for the next 18 months, I probably shouldn't purchase a book. I downsized my library to a Kindle pre-trip.

Do you know of any great PDFs/digital books that would be worth considering? That's one of the benefits of the course; to be able to do work and study from anywhere.

Regarding Magnum Contact Sheets, can you help me understand the difference between these two?
$55 hardcover vs stupid expensive.

Any courses you might recommend now that I've made the lack-of-space a bit more clear? :) I'm attempting to get work as a non-paid second shooter in the cities we travel to.

Awesome!

Film development is a little intimidating at first, but very rewarding (plus it saves you a few bucks!). I’d start with black+white chemistry, that’s the simplest process and it works at room temperature.

You’ll need:

• A developing tank (I like Patterson tanks)
  
• 2 lightproof 1 liter bottles
  
• Developer (HC-110 or Ilfosol might be a good choice for you, but my fav is D-76)
  
• Fixer (I like Ilford Rapid Fix)
  
• Foto-flo (this makes washing the film easier, but is optional)
  
  Scanning is only done after you’ve developed everything and got the negatives dry. You can start a holy war here discussing scanners, but if you have a light box and a DSLR (or an iPhone and a jig to align it!) you can get very good scans on the cheap. Lomography sells such a jig for phones:
  
  https://www.amazon.com/Lomography-Smartphone-Film-Photo-Scanner/dp/B00BZSZL64

Bostick and Sullivan is a good resource for chemistry.

For learning technique, it really depends on what processes you are interested in. I would recommend this book for learning about a lot of different processes.

Most processes are contact-printing processes, so a lot of your results will also be 4x5. There are some exceptions, such as Bromoil and Mordançage, however, that work on enlarged silver gelatin prints. Most of the contact-printing processes require ultraviolet light sources.

Edit: For something like wet plate collodion, you're looking at a very particular set of esoteric practices and variables that will affect your success rate. Since the materials themselves are expensive, you may find it very beneficial to attend a workshop hosted by a professional wet plate shooter if you wish to be successful.

Only you can decide how much dpi is enough for your scanning needs. You can buy a brand new Aztek Premier and scan at 8000dpi if you want, or you can take pics of your negatives with your cell phone.

But a lot of people are fine with 2000dpi from a lab scanner or flatbed, even though it's only 6 megapixels for a 35mm frame. The Plusteks are a pretty good option since 3250dpi gets you some pretty large files. However, they are so slow that if 3250dpi is the approximate target, I'd say you're better off buying a used d800e and a macro lens, because you can scan a whole roll in ten minutes and then when you're done with that, you also have a nice dslr and lens instead of a big brick of a scanner sitting on your desk that doesn't have many other uses.

For an absolute beginner shooting digital, Ken Kobre's Photojournalism and Bruce Barnbaum's The Art of Photography would be my pick, if only because those were the books I learned from in j-school.

For an intermediate film photographer who needs inspiration or thoughtful meditations on the medium more than they need inspiration, I am always going back to Vivian Maier: Street Photographer, Annie Leibovitz's A Photographer's Life: 1990-2005, and the exhibition book from Francesca Woodman's exhibit at SFMOMA/the Guggenheim. But I have an abiding interest in female photographers, self-portraiture, and the female gaze, so YMMV there.

You're basically limited to flatbed scanners at that price range. I don't know why, but in Europe the Reflecta Proscan 10T is about £400, while the US version is only US$299.

In your price range, I'd recommend the Canon 9000F Mk II. It's not mind-blowing in achievable resolution, but it does well enough, especially with a light touch of sharpening after the fact.

Some examples, all 35mm:

• Film: HP5+
  
• Film: HP5+
  
• Film: Agfa Vista+ 200
  
• Film: Agfa Vista+ 200
  
• Film: Agfa Vista+ 200
  
• Film: Kodak Ultramax 400
  
• Film: Kodak Ultramax 400
  
• Film: Portra 400
  
  It has the added benefit of scanning 12 frames simultaneously, and it does it quicker (about 45 seconds per frame, give or take depending on your computer) than most dedicated scanners in the lower price ranges.

> Ah okok, so what you mean is I am just compensating for the exposure with the ISO. Therefore it doesn’t matter in the developing right?

Yes, exactly.

> Does that also mean that I can change the ISO in a tricky situation and then set it back to box speed in a normal one?

Yes, the camera does not have a register of what the ISO was the previous frame. You can put ISO 50 for a three stop light boost (assuming a 400 speed film) in one frame, and ISO 1600 for two steps underexposure in the next frame (if you are trying to photograph a glowing lamp, for example).

> Also lastly what would you deem as a ‘tricky’ situation? Thank you so much for taken your time to answer me though!


An object directly under the sun, and the same object in an open shadow (for example, under a cloud shadow) has a three stop difference.

If the same object is under 'closed' shadow, like under the arches of your bridge, there's a 5 stop difference.

Imagine a car under the sun, and in the same frame, another car under the bridge. If the camera exposes for the sun, you will have a perfectly exposed car, and another 5 stops underexposed. Which is pitch black, and no detail.

Now, your meter averages the scene to a medium gray, so it's not as bad. A perfect average would be your sunny car 2.5 stops overexposed, and your shadow car 2.5 stops underexposed.

That can be good enough, but your scenes typically have vast expanses of 'light' sky in the sun, and smaller expanses of important detail, of a blacker tone, in the shadow. Your meter will try to average everything to a medium gray, and the sky will make it underexpose everything - especially the parts that were already in the shadow, and lacking light, and the ones you're most interested in.

So in your particular case, I'd have fooled your meter by setting an ISO some three stops lower.

All been said, it's one of the reasons small, compact cameras are nice and carryable, but ultimately can be difficult to use. A more featured camera can give your more tools to manage these kind of situations, like AE lock (you meter the ground, lock exposure, and then shoot normally), or be fully manual, letting you decide what the exposure should be.

If you want to delve deeper this is an excellent book and is not expensive. You may want to get an older used copy which deals specifically with film cameras.

Easiest option is to ziplock bag all your film, which is probably what you should do if storing it in a fridge anyway. But honestly, unless you're putting your film through particularly adverse conditions it'll probably be fine just kept away from direct sun in a camera bag or something similar.

I've got one of these manfrottos that I quite like, it's nice and compact and pretty lightweight. Slightly out of your budget. I can't remember the name, but there are a couple of cheaper alternatives that would be fine too. Be warned though, stability is definitely not what you get compared to a full size tripod, especially when fully extended.

If you have an inkjet printer you can print your own enlarged negatives for contact printing. Get your negatives scanned, adjust the tone curves in the scans for cyanotype printing, invert the positive scans to negatives again, then print the adjusted negatives onto transparency film.

GIMP is a great free image manipulation tool. Here is how to create a digital negative in GIMP, with wild-guess contrast adjustments.

Here are concise instructions specifically for cyanotype with better info on tweaking contrast.

Freestyle has more comprehensive instructions for developing a custom contrast curve for your setup.

Coming into Focus, edited by John Barnier, is a guide to many alternative printing processes and has a couple of chapters on making digital negatives for alternative processes.

If you want to dive deep, there is Making Digital Negatives for Contact Printing by Dan Burkholder and his newer eBook Inkjet Negative Companion

EDIT: Forgot a link

Film tends to be personal taste, but for a first time user Kodak Gold 200 or Fuji Superia 200 colour negative films are decent all round films tend to be fairly available in a lot of countries. You said you like the aesthetic of film, any examples i can look at to maybe make a specific recommendation?

I live in the UK so i'm not sure where you get film or develop it in Canada, the only Canadian film shooter i know of is /u/azrielknight , any other Canadians here who could help?

>Where do you recommend I get my lens from?

You can still buy it new on Amazon if you want, or hunt for a used one on ebay, look at the sold listings like i said and see what they are selling for.

I have a Sirui T-025X, which is a small carbon fiber tripod. I've used it for 35mm, medium format, and large format, but putting a 4x5 on the top of it is very rickety and I really wouldn't recommend it. It does great for my medium format cameras though. They also make an aluminum version that's exactly the same except for the material for $100.

So more about taking better photos than a film camera thing specifically. Here is a great book for learning the basics.

Assuming we're talking about a Spotmatic II, you can use an Energizer 387S or equivalent.

If you order from Amazon, order from Amazon direct and not a third-party seller or you're liable to receive 20-year-old batteries (speaking from experience).

(The Spotmatics were designed to take a 1.35V Mercury cell that's banned because environment, but the cameras have voltage regulation circuitry so they can take any battery in the 1.35-1.55V range that'll physically fit without altering the performance of the lightmeter. Fancy zinc air batteries (Wein cells) exist that provide the originally expected 1.35V and are marketed very well but don't waste your money. They don't last very long and they're not necessary for this camera.

what are your choices for compact + lightweight for backpacking/hikes and a tripod for road trips, where size/weight doesn't matter.

Seems like price jumps quite a lot from aluminum to carbon.

If I'm just getting into incorporating a tripod to my workflow, should I get a cheap amazon basic tripod or manfrotto befree/mefoto roadtrip or gitzo traveler.

Gitzo seems to be an overkill for me, but just wanted to see your perspective. I rather invest than buy a cheap one that'll break on me and be wasteful. Mamiya 7 + 65 isn't too heavy- does that mean it'll do just fine with sub-range tripods rather than heavy duty built ones like gitzo?

(1) I'm going to start DSLR scanning some rolls of film and I'm kinda perplexed about what kind of extension tube I will need for the macro portion of digitizing the film. I have a Canon Rebel t3i. Would something like this work? Fotodiox Canon Extension.

I just want something cheap and to get the job done. I have no plans to take this extension tube outside of the house for macro photography. Just want something that will get the job done for DSLR scanning.

(2) What kind of material would diffuse light best behind a negative? I've heard of this nylon diffusion fabric. Would tracing paper? Or a thin, white cloth work as well?

Thanks!

Oh okay. The one i'm looking at on Amazon has a shutter lock and unlock as well. I'm guessing that would just allow me to lock the button so the shutter doesn't open?

https://www.amazon.com/Fotasy-Mcable-Mechanical-Photography-Exposures/dp/B008OD1BNK/ref=sr_1_19?ie=UTF8&qid=1500140212&sr=8-19&keywords=cable+release+shutter

600 packfilm is pretty expensive. The Impossible Project sells film for about $25 a pack (so, $2.50 a shot). From what I've heard and seen, the film isn't that good either, unless you're into the whole "lomo" or "artistically shitty" thing.

If you want to get into Polaroid cameras, I'd recommend picking up a Polaroid Land camera on eBay. Fuji makes two types of film for those, FP-100C, which is color, and FP-3000B, which is really fast black and white. I've used both, and am very happy with the results. I just bought a Polaroid Land 104 for my flatmate for $25, so they're not too expensive. You'd also need to attach a modern battery pack, which takes only a couple of minutes and $2 at Radio Shack. I could describe how to do that.

Lots of trial and error. Now I have an enlarger that I turned into a copystand with a $25 ballhead from ebay, a gooseneck lamp lit into an empty tissue box diffused by parchment paper and plastic from a milk jug. I was using a film carrier but I got something like this from B&H. I use about 0'8 second exposure and edit in lightroom, photoshop if I need it.

Edit/ I use these with my plastic fantastic 50mm on a t2i. Just have to stop down the lens to about f/5.0 before mounting on rings. I use the 14mm ring.

The only thing I have experience with and can recommend is either scanning with your dslr or getting a flatbed scanner like this one. Go for either Canon or Epson ones. You may find some used or refurbished ones for less if you're okay with buying used stuff.

Re: the blue 9sometimes looks red) line:

What kind of scanner are you using? I use an Epson V600 and get those lines occasionally. Turns out it is from dust on the calibration spots, which on my scanner are small clear squares just off the edge of the scanner glass at the very back (near the hinge). I use an Ilford Antistaticum (http://www.amazon.com/Ilford-1203547-ILFORD-Antistatic-Cloths/dp/B0000AE6AG) to clean them (gently!) and the scanner glass at the beginning of each scanning session and the problem hasn't appeared in a while.

Re: the Newton rings, I put my cupped film into archival holders and lay those in a coffee-table book between the pages, then stack some more books on top and leave it somewhere warm-ish for a few days (or longer) and the film flattens out -- solves that problem, but creates the new one of not wanting to wait for scans!

I found the film developing cookbook to be a great primer on how to develop b&w film at home.

More generally, look into something called "Zone System". The rules of thumb I gave you assume your thermometer, light meter, and shutter are all reasonably close to correct. Zone System can handle it if they are not, but it's too hard to explain how it done in a Reddit post.

Zone System can be a bit complex if you read the full Ansel Adams approach. A good simpler starting point is:

http://www.amazon.com/Zone-VI-Workshop-Fred-Picker/dp/0817405747

The new addition is a bit more than half the price. I've been meaning to pick it up for a while now now so ordered it immediately when I saw the cheaper price. More than worth the $50.

https://www.amazon.com/Exell-MRB400-Battery-Z400PX-EPX400/dp/B005AWSJLK/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?keywords=px400&qid=1574360368&sr=8-4

Just heard about Ilford anti-static cloths. Turns out a lot of people have sworn by those for years. With winter (and the dry air) coming, I just ordered one.

http://www.amazon.com/Nishika-N8000-Quadrascopic-Stereo-Lenticular/dp/B0014XRI5C

Photoshop.

Probably with one of these + a scanner + photoshop

I use this and this. You can get the sleeves in several different sizes. I have enough 120 negatives that I need to invest in a separate binder.

This is the book you need I think: https://www.amazon.com/Art-Photography-Approach-Personal-Expression/dp/1933952687

Processing-wise:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Darkroom-Handbook-Michael-Langford/dp/0852231881

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ilford-Monochrome-Darkroom-Practice-Processing/dp/0240513681

I'll say if you get a 50mm 1.8 avoid the pancake and AI-s ones if you want to shoot wide open, i have both of those and they are truly awful at f/1.8.

I'd be tempted to get the AF-D 50mm 1.8, it's a fifth of the weight of your 1.2, you can still buy that new, even looking at the used section on amazon you can get it for about $90. It will meter fine on the FM, the only downside i can see is the smaller focus ring on it, but it's still bigger than the old 50mm pancake focus ring. If you have a local camera shop with one of those on the shelf you could take it down and try it out.

I use an archival binder with negative sleeves

You can find them on Freestyle/Amazon/B&H, etc:

Freestyle: Binder / Sleeves


Amazon: Binder / Sleeves

Oh, I misunderstood! I was thinking you would shoot the shot with your hassy, shoot the same scene with the Instax & give them the instax print as a business card of sorts. I do not think there's a Instax back for a hassy. I have shot instax film in a RB67 polaroid back, but the process probably wouldn't work for street photography. If you're looking for polaroid FILM alternatives that CAN be shot in a pola back, I think FP-100c is your only option
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0000ALLYO

https://www.amazon.com/Black-White-Darkroom-Dataguide-Publication/dp/0879856025/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1492160981&sr=1-2&keywords=Black+and+white+darkroom

https://www.amazon.com/Film-Developing-Cookbook-Darkroom-Vol/dp/0240802772/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1492161106&sr=1-4&keywords=Black+and+white+darkroom

https://www.amazon.com/Way-Beyond-Monochrome-Traditional-Photography/dp/0240816250/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1492161323&sr=1-1&keywords=way+beyond+monochrome

And, of course, Ansel Adams trilogy, The Camera, The Negative, and The Print.