The F100 goes to the beach - LOTS of photos

[SP77]

The first couple of rolls through my F100 inspired enough confidence that I did pretty much all of the baby/kiddie shots at the beach with the F100 rather than either of my digitals. A bit of a leap of faith being used to my instant image review on DSLRs, but I took it and boy am I glad I did. I couldn't make a bad photo! I shot about 7 rolls of film of 36 exp (252 total shots) and got 140 keepers. None of the non-keepers were "bad" just didn't have the best expressions. That's better than I do on digital, although our daughter was really excited being at the beach for the first time, so she was quite cooperative and photogenic. . All new sights, sounds, smells, and textures for her so she LOVED it. :smile:

All of these with the Nikkor 28-105 f/3.5-4.5 lens unless otherwise noted.

Kodak Portra 400NC

1

Subscribe to see EXIF info for this image (if available)

Fuji Superia Reala 100

2

Subscribe to see EXIF info for this image (if available)

3

Subscribe to see EXIF info for this image (if available)

Kodak Portra 160NC

4

Subscribe to see EXIF info for this image (if available)

5

Subscribe to see EXIF info for this image (if available)

6

Subscribe to see EXIF info for this image (if available)

7

Subscribe to see EXIF info for this image (if available)

8. I can't imagine getting this shot on any digital. Perfectly metered, no highlight blowouts, no color shifts, perfectly natural looking photo. Another "wow" as a newbie film shooter!

Subscribe to see EXIF info for this image (if available)

Kodak Portra 160VC

9

Subscribe to see EXIF info for this image (if available)

10

Subscribe to see EXIF info for this image (if available)

11

Subscribe to see EXIF info for this image (if available)

12

Subscribe to see EXIF info for this image (if available)

Tokina 11-16 f/2.8 here at 16mm for full-frame coverage

13

Subscribe to see EXIF info for this image (if available)

Kodak Portra 160NC

14

Subscribe to see EXIF info for this image (if available)

15

Subscribe to see EXIF info for this image (if available)

16

Subscribe to see EXIF info for this image (if available)

17

Subscribe to see EXIF info for this image (if available)

18

Subscribe to see EXIF info for this image (if available)

19

Subscribe to see EXIF info for this image (if available)

Fuji Superia Reala 100

20

Subscribe to see EXIF info for this image (if available)

21 (one of my personal favorites)

Subscribe to see EXIF info for this image (if available)

22

Subscribe to see EXIF info for this image (if available)

23

Subscribe to see EXIF info for this image (if available)

24.
This shot blew me away too. Don't think I could have gotten it on digital due to blowout of the water in the background that would have occured.

Subscribe to see EXIF info for this image (if available)

25

Subscribe to see EXIF info for this image (if available)

Ilford XP2 400 Super C-41 B&W with 28-105 and a yellow filter

26

Subscribe to see EXIF info for this image (if available)

27

Subscribe to see EXIF info for this image (if available)

Back to the D80 and the 18-135 lens here. Look at how UGLY the windows all are with the hideous flat white blowout. The shots from the F100 and film make my D80 seem like some cheap toy! :tongue:

28

Subscribe to see EXIF info for this image (if available)

I shot mainly Kodak Portra 160NC and Fuji Superia Reala 100, and then I think one roll of Portra 160VC and 400NC each. I tried to mix it up just to get a feel for what the different films looked like. I also shot a roll of Fuji Velvia 50 slide film, but haven't gotten it developed yet. The Portra is definitely nice, but I think I like the color on the Fuji Superia Reala 100 better, even for people/baby photos. To be fair, I never did try the Portra 160VC for people/baby shots, so I'll have to get another roll of that and give it a try too.

These photos just blew me away. They even blew my wife away too. No ugly highlight blowouts and no ugly color shifts, and the processing at Costco was great. Even the 6MP scans are plenty usable for most normal print sizes, and if I want to go giant I've still got the negatives. When I told my wife that these came back from Costco looking perfect with no need for lighting correction or sharpening or any other stuff that I have to spend hours "correcting" by hand on digital she was even more impressed and wants me to shoot more film from now on.

So film is now "wife approved". Never thought that would happen, but it did! :tongue:

 

[Connahhh]

Love the photos, Steve! You can see why we all love film... :smile:

 

[LindaZ]

Fantastic. I am gonna have to get a film camera, and it's all your fault.

 

[cotdt]

very nice

 

[W.Ray]

Whew! I feel like I just ran a marathon!:biggrin:And now you know one of the main reasons many of us prefer using film! (Well, besides being a luddite at heart). Well exposed images. Now, who was having more fun - you, your wife or daughter?:smile:

 

[Chris101]

Steve, whoa. What can I say - you've really got it going on with these pictures! Try as I may, I cannot get behind color film. But you have proven here that it is my problem, not the medium. These ROCK! And you got a hundred and forty of them!?! Impressive.

... now you know one of the main reasons many of us prefer using film! (Well, besides being a luddite at heart). ...

Luddite? Hardly. Imaging using the silicon photo-electric effect may be a much newer technology, but it is far simpler than the photo-chemical process developed almost 200 years ago by Niépce, Daguerre, Talbot, Eastman, Florence and Bayard. If you want to get technical, film even uses more electrons.

:biggrin::biggrin:

 

[rotxlk82]

Lovely work, I'm glad to see your enjoying film shooting.

I look forward to seeing more.

 

[ArtO]

Great series. Your ladies are beautiful.

 

[SP77]

Thanks everybody!

My wife was so impressed with so many of these and film in general that she "demanded" that I immediately make some enlargements of these from around the house and her office. :biggrin: We'll have some grandparent visits the next few weeks so I just went ahead and did a bunch of 8x10's, 8x12's, and an 11x14 or two of a few of these. Didn't really need to touch a thing on them, but just for personal taste I cranked up the color a tad on the Portra 160NC, just minor lighting adjustments to most, and then all done! Can't wait to see how they turn out! I did the editing right on the 6MP Costco scans and submit them that way, which should be more than enough for these sizes. I did that intentionally too just to see how good the quality will be. I'll probably pick one of them and get it enlarged right from the negative and then see if I can tell the difference side-by-side. The biggest my local Costco prints is 12x18, so I'll get an off-the-scanner print done and a negative print done and compare. :smile:

Love the photos, Steve! You can see why we all love film... :smile:

Thanks Connor! Yes I've seen the light. :smile:

Fantastic. I am gonna have to get a film camera, and it's all your fault.

Thanks Linda! Give it a shot, hehe! No need to spend big on an F100. I was going to get an N80 which you can get for less than $100 practically brand new, but figured the faster 1/250s flash sync on the F100 would come in handy here and there (only 1/125s on the N80). Plus I wanted a more professionally built camera to play with. All you need is a good film processor, and I'm sure there's a few in your area too. BTW, love your website! Very nice work and layout.

very nice

thanks Phil!

Whew! I feel like I just ran a marathon!:biggrin:And now you know one of the main reasons many of us prefer using film! (Well, besides being a luddite at heart). Well exposed images. Now, who was having more fun - you, your wife or daughter?:smile:

We were all having a blast. I think our little one had the most fun of all though. Whenever she gets excited and is supper happy she has her tongue sticking out, and it was out almost all the time. I was having a blast running around snapping photos, and my wife was having a blast playing with our daughter, so it was good times. :smile: Our daughter had so much fun and was so worn out that she slept 3 out of the 4 hours on the way back. I think the only reason she woke up is because we were stopping for lunch! :tongue:

Steve, whoa. What can I say - you've really got it going on with these pictures! Try as I may, I cannot get behind color film. But you have proven here that it is my problem, not the medium. These ROCK! And you got a hundred and forty of them!?! Impressive.

Thanks Chris! Wow that's quite an endorsement! :biggrin: Yeah I do like the B&W's, but I like the color ones here more. It's just above and beyond what I've been able to do with any digital purely from the huge dynamic range. Digital is just so picky and touchy that it takes a lot of the fun out of it, although I guess the newer cameras like the D300 and up are a lot better in this area. But geez, why should I have to spend $1800 or more if a film camera does it better anyways? :wink:

I think I need to try some of the "real" non-C41 B&W film, although I do need to give a roll or two of the Kodak BW400CN a shot. I like the C41 stuff but know that the "real" stuff is better. Any suggestions on what to try for mainly portrait type photography? :smile:

Lovely work, I'm glad to see your enjoying film shooting.

I look forward to seeing more.

Thanks Robert!

Great series. Your ladies are beautiful.

Thanks Art! Yes, two beautiful ladies, what more could a guy ask for? :Love:

 

[lightp8nter]

Great work Steve

Steve, you have offered evidence on why so many of us like or have returned to film.

First, the family looks terrific, and I know the grandparents will love the enlargements. What greater purpose does photography have?

Second, on a technical note, I looked very closely at the sunset on the water and the reflections held up nicely. I have no doubt I would have blown the highlights with my D200.

Keep up the good work.

Nate

 

[SP77]

Thanks Nate! :smile:

 

[LindaZ]

Oh thanks for looking Steve. Right, a N80 or N90 would probably do me just fine. Unfortunately, our only camera store that had a lab, packed down and moved away.

 

[Chris101]

... I think I need to try some of the "real" non-C41 B&W film, although I do need to give a roll or two of the Kodak BW400CN a shot. I like the C41 stuff but know that the "real" stuff is better. Any suggestions on what to try for mainly portrait type photography? :smile:

Better is subject to argument Steve. See my last July One Prime to see my latest BW400CN attempt. It does well and is a pretty fun film to shoot, as you get it done in an hour, which is just enough time to visit Starbucks, which is right next to the Walgreens where they developed it.

 

[SP77]

Ah Linda, sorry to hear about that. I must learn not to take my great Costco processing for granted.

Chris, that's a GREAT shot! Love it! I'll definitely have to give the BW400CN a try then. Were you using any sort of colored filter on that photo?

 

[grt_napa]

WOW!

Steve...no fair. You have the world's most gorgeous subject(s) and then you (and your F100) take all the credit. Just kidding....

Seriously...you are putting on a fast track learning curve clinic for the rest of us.

Keep up the great work, Gordon

 

[SP77]

Thanks Gordon! :smile: Going to have another round of fun this weekend. :biggrin:

We're going up to Penn State (where my wife and I both did our undergrad and met) for the two Arts Festivals in town. There's one in State College that goes onto campus, and then another in Boalsburg. I think I'm going to take just the F100, 28-105, and the 50/1.4 and forget digital completely. I need to pickup some more Reala 100 and perhaps some Portra 160VC though because I shot up almost all of my slower speed film at the beach! I have two rolls of Reala 100 left and then all the rest is 400 speed. Don't need that for broad daylight. Supposed to be 85 and sunny. :smile: I'll probably bring my D40 and 18-55VR too just because it's so small and light.

 

[grt_napa]

Lucky duck!!! In the Bay Area we are choking on smoke and 100 + degree heat. I think that I will use the time to learn to use my recently acquired V500 scanner. The problem is that if I conquer that baby Chris will be on my case to start developing rolls of film in my bath tub - an ugly scene that may provoke a marital scene after 46 years of relative bliss.

Enjoy the weekend shoot...we are all standing in awe of your mastery of the F100.

My best, Gordon

 

[SP77]

MOAR FILM on the way! :biggrin: Woulda bought locally from Penn Camera, but my schedule this week is way too hectic to get down there before we leave (as of Monday we weren't even going anywhere this weekend, lol), so Adorama it is. :smile:

Fuji Superia Reala 100, 5 rolls
Kodak Portra 160NC, 2 rolls
Kodak Portra 160VC, 4 rolls
Kodak Portra 800, 2 rolls
Kodak BW400CN, 3 rolls

 

[SP77]

Lucky duck!!! In the Bay Area we are choking on smoke and 100 + degree heat. I think that I will use the time to learn to use my recently acquired V500 scanner. The problem is that if I conquer that baby Chris will be on my case to start developing rolls of film in my bath tub - an ugly scene that may provoke a marital scene after 46 years of relative bliss.

Enjoy the weekend shoot...we are all standing in awe of your mastery of the F100.

My best, Gordon

My wife'll FLIP if a scanner shows up, and plus I don't have time to scan anyways. When I get some free time I'm going to dig out all of our negatives from our wedding and then all of this new stuff I've been shooting and ship them off to ScanCafe for some nice 12MP scans.

"Mastery" of the F100?? Did I mention that I accidentally shot the first half roll of my Velvia 50 at ISO 400 (3 stops under-exposed). Whoopsie! :tongue: Coulda sworn I had it in DX/Auto mode but nope. :redface: I haven't been brave enough to get it developed yet, and the 2nd half of the roll where I had the exposure right the light wasn't as pretty (was shooting my D80 in parallel). I'm wondering if it's even worth it to get developed. :frown:

BTW my F100 confirmed for me that my idiotic D80 meters things one full stop too hot for the beach sunrise stuff I was shooting. I had to dial in -1.0 compensation on my D80 to match the equivalent exposure on the F100 (and to get a decent shot), and that's how I knew I was getting the exposure right on the slide film, at least on the 2nd half of the roll (heh). The F100 was nailing it dead on everytime. Its 10-segment matrix metering smokes my D80's 420-segment matrix metering.

 

[cotdt]

The F100's metering system is really good, on par with the D200's.