As the iPhone vs. film trend took over short video last week, I thought I’d dive a little deeper to explore what makes film more exciting than digital iPhone photography.
Any photographer in the know will probably scoff at an iPhone photographer’s misunderstanding of film, but if you’re like me and your first camera was a smartphone, then there are a lot of differences to unpack.
- Sensor – A silicon chip that captures images in digital cameras. It can vary in size, but usually bigger is better.
- Film – usually available on a roll. Standard cameras use 35mm film, but it can be larger or smaller.
- ISO – This determines how sensitive your sensor or film is to light. Shooting at higher ISOs allows you to take pictures in dark areas, but it can also make your images grainier.
- Aperture – This number controls how wide the opening of the lens is. An aperture of F/2.8 is a very wide opening, while F/11 is a small opening that the camera can see through. This can control the amount of light entering the sensor/film and how much blur you want on the background.
- SLR – this is like a DLSR without the D (digital). So basically the purest form of a mechanical camera and it’s all manual.
I want to do film photography. Where should I start from?
The film I used for all these comparisons was Cinestill 800T.
Film is super hot right now, and editing apps like VSCO, which can apply film-inspired presets to images, have been popular for years. However, if you’re like me and started your photography journey digitally, you probably have a lot of questions about film.
First question: I want to make a film. Where should I start from? The answer to that question starts with securing a lab near you that can develop film. Many larger cities still do, but finding one in a small town can be a bit of a challenge in 2022.
Film stills come from Olympus OM2 program. The iPhone is the iPhone 13 Pro.
Then you have to decide how seriously you want to take it. If you want to take some vintage photos and learn nothing about photography, get a one-off (yes, they still make them). If you want to treat yourself, a point and shoot camera from the early 2000s is your best bet. They have a lot of modern conveniences like autofocus, they’re small, easy to use, and you can load them with whatever cool 35mm film you can get your hands on. Plus, they’re easy to find online for less than $100.
If you want to take it up a notch, you can get a larger SLR camera that will offer more lenses, better photos, and more of a learning curve. Depending on how advanced the camera you are looking at in this category is, it may also have many automatic features. For example, my Olympus SLR has a “program mode” that allows the camera to automatically set the shutter speed and aperture. However, I still have to focus manually
The last beginner tip I’d throw out is to just get your films scanned instead of the actual prints. While it’s nice to have a stack of actual photos, nowadays all photo sharing is done online, so scans are much more useful. Also, if you’re just starting out and you’re like me, if you get prints, there’s a good chance they’ll be smudged. So seriously, stick to scanning.
The movie is cool but what are its limitations
Now that you’ve got your hands on a film camera, you’ve probably learned about its limitations. First is the movie. As unique as it may seem, every film has a set ISO, making it difficult to find a film that is versatile night and day. It can be done, but you’ll need to think carefully about what film you’re shooting before you start shooting.
In addition to being ISO locked, movies are also white balance locked. This really helps you get consistent shots across a roll, but if you’re shooting film that’s balanced for tungsten lights like I did, you can get some interesting coloration.
The most common limitation (I like to think of it as a challenge) is that each roll only has a limited number of shots. Most 35mm film has 36, but if you take a medium format camera and shoot the larger 120mm film, there are usually between 10-15 shots per roll.
The final challenge is waiting and developing it. I use a lab in Toronto that usually does same-day color film processing, but even then the wait makes it a little harder to learn when you’re starting out. With a phone, you can see how a photo will look before you take it and adjust accordingly. With a film camera, you won’t see if this photo was taken in hours at the very least and days or months at the most. I can’t deny that getting a batch of scanned photos in my email does feel like my birthday every time, but the immediacy of digital can’t be beat.
Other things I learned
Finding a movie you like is a long process of trial and error. Try not to be too picky and just try lots of different options. While there aren’t as many choices as there used to be, there’s still plenty to experiment with. I started with Fujifilm as that’s the brand of my work mirrorless camera, but after about eight months of shooting I’m starting to like Kodak a lot more.
Cameras are a lot of fun if you like gadgets as they are all unique. The point-and-shoot market from the 1980s to the early 2000s was ultra-competitive, so there’s plenty to choose from and learn from. For example, I found a Canon Sureshot at a Salvation Army and it can even recognize when it’s stationary and will keep its shutter open for longer as a sort of precursor to modern night modes in phone cameras. Others have weather resistance, smarter focus buttons and more.
You have to be much more stable with the film. I’m used to waving my phone around, snapping a picture and shoving it back into my jeans at lightning speed. But with film, the process involves a lot more focus, even with my modern point-and-shoot cameras. So now when I shoot film I make sure to step and hold my position until I’m sure the image is captured.
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