Skip to main content

2026-08-16 How to have a "Film" shoot without film

 

A possible painless and low cost way to have a film shoot without film.







  1. Use a classic camera (Pentax Spotmatic SP II, 1971), a light meter (Selenium Cell Sekonic Auto-Leader III 1965) and a digital point-and-shoot (FujiFilm FinePix Z10).
  2. Using a tripod just adds to the fun!
  3. Take a notebook and pen or pencil.
  4. Find a subject (better make this part simple!)
  5. Set up the film camera and set the framing and focus.
  6. Take a lightmeter reading (if you have a light meter, you could also use the digital camera to give you a “reading”, or the film camera’s meter display if it is working)
  7. Transfer the light settings to the film camera
  8. Write down what you have set for exposure
  9. Snap a point-and-shoot digital shot of the film camera view.
  10. Fire the film camera (in the case of the camera I am thinking of, visually check the mirror has returned and the lens has reopened its diaphragm—as both sometimes stick) 
  11. If you have a problem, make notes to the solution to get the shot.
  12. Summarize your luck with that film shoot.
  13. Repeat for a full roll (24 or 36)

    If your camera or techniques are really off, you might only get 75% of a "roll" turning out. While it would have been disastrous in both film and later processing cost, it will be massively cheaper having a digital set of images instead!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

2026-03-14 - History and Evolution of the Kodak Logo

  While working as a junior clerk at the Rochester Savings Bank, George Eastman first began commercial production of dry photographic plates in a rented loft of a building in Rochester, New York in April 1880. In the next few years, Eastman became very successful and expanded the company several times. His company started as the Eastman Dry Plate Company in 1881, later became the Eastman Dry Plate and Film Company in 1884, and soon after the Eastman Company in 1889. The last name change occurred in 1892, when the Eastman Kodak Company of New York was organized. The company has been called Eastman Kodak Company ever since.  The word "Kodak" was first registered as a trademark in 1888. The letter “K” had been a favorite of Eastman’s, he is quoted as saying, "I devised the name myself. The letter 'K' had been a favorite with me; it seems a strong, incisive sort of letter. It became a question of trying out a great number of combinations of letters that made word...
Post a Comment
Read more

2026-03-20-Manfrotto monopods

  Sometimes collecting is a matter of persistence.       The Manfrotto “GRUPPO” 434SSB monopod (shown top) showed up one day at my local thrift store. They had a price tag of $25 on it. I had bought the lower Manfrotto Compact MMC3-01 monopod at the same thrift store for $3. So I asked, “Why so much?” They answered their “expert” had found it sold for $200 on the internet. I find experts—who almost never clerk in the thrift store, so are unreachable—hard to deal with. There is also the matter someone might actually pay them $25 for a 2.27 kg (5 pound) aluminum pole, so I decided to let the Gods-of-Collecting decide if I was going to ever own it. For weeks I would pick it up, check the price tag to see if they had come to their senses, and return it to the shelf. I did try various clerks to see if they would lower the price, but they said they were not authorized to change prices. I plodded on, week after week without much hope.         ...
Post a Comment
Read more

2026-06-23 Olympus Camedia D-535 Digital Camera

The Olympus Camedia D-535 digital camera is a cute little camera, introduced September 16, 2004. It was modestly priced at about $175 list.   It had the motto, “one button/one function.” There were four scene modes available, as well as movies (QuickTime / 320x240 at 15 fps for as long as the memory held out) and “Program-Auto” on the rotary dial. A four direction with a center “OK” allowed rapid access to (starting at 12 and going clockwise)— EV adjustments plus and minus 2EV in ½ EV steps Macro (including Super-Macro allowing shooting down to 2 cm (0.79”) Reset Self-timer (12 seconds)      The three buttons under the 1.5 inch (130,000 dot) screen (from left) are delete, menu access and flash modes. The two buttons to the right of the screen are camera (top) and playback. There is a rocker switch for zooming that doubles as a magnification /file views switch on playback. The power-on button is inset into the top at the middle of the camera, with the shutter button ...
Post a Comment
Read more