how to view the days pictures without shooting a whole roll

hi,
i'm a newbie photographer on a low budget. i have an old Canon AV-1
with a 100-300 zoom lens.
i often find i go out for an hour or two and maybe only take a few
photos. it sometimes takes a few weeks before i use up a 24 or 36
negative roll. i'd love to be able to see the pictures soon after i
take them, while they are still fresh in my mind. i'm guessing this is
a common problem and i'm wondering is there a solution to it?
obviously if i go digital i can download the prints to my PC straight
away, but maybe you can get rolls of film with 5 or 10 exposures or
something?

i've read a ton of posts on slide film (but never used it), and the one
thing i couldn't figure out is if it comes in a roll like negatives and
loads and winds on the same way. if so then it may not help me quickly
process or view (in whatever way) only a few pictures at a time.

also, i'm thinking of getting a desktop film scanner so i don't have to
pay =808 to get them developed each time. this might give me more
options for shooting a short roll of film?

thanks in advance for any suggestions
tim

In article om,
Tim_Mac wrote:

i often find i go out for an hour or two and maybe only take a few
photos. it sometimes takes a few weeks before i use up a 24 or 36
negative roll. i'd love to be able to see the pictures soon after i
take them, while they are still fresh in my mind. i'm guessing this is
a common problem and i'm wondering is there a solution to it?

This is one of my peeves with 35mm, and why when I go out with a film
camera, it's more likely to be my Rolleiflex (12 pictures per roll) than my
35mm rangefinder, which makes the problem even worse.

i've read a ton of posts on slide film (but never used it), and the one
thing i couldn't figure out is if it comes in a roll like negatives and
loads and winds on the same way.

Yes, it does. It's essentially just like print film, only you get a
"positive" instead of a negative.

I only shoot slides in colour, since I scan my film and don't get lab prints
made. Slides are much easier to "preview" than negatives, as you can just
hold them up to the light.

also, i'm thinking of getting a desktop film scanner so i don't have to
pay €8 to get them developed each time. this might give me more
options for shooting a short roll of film?

Realistically, with 35mm your options in this area are a bit limited to 24
and 36 exposure rolls for commonly available films.

Medium format doesn't have this problem (645 gets 16, 6*6 gets 12 shots on a
roll, 6*7 gets 10, and 6*9 gets 8), but that won't work with your current
camera, of course.

"Tim_Mac" wrote in message
ps.com...
hi,
i'm a newbie photographer on a low budget. i have an old Canon AV-1
with a 100-300 zoom lens.
i often find i go out for an hour or two and maybe only take a few
photos. it sometimes takes a few weeks before i use up a 24 or 36
negative roll. i'd love to be able to see the pictures soon after i
take them, while they are still fresh in my mind. i'm guessing this is
a common problem and i'm wondering is there a solution to it?
obviously if i go digital i can download the prints to my PC straight
away, but maybe you can get rolls of film with 5 or 10 exposures or
something?

i've read a ton of posts on slide film (but never used it), and the one
thing i couldn't figure out is if it comes in a roll like negatives and
loads and winds on the same way. if so then it may not help me quickly
process or view (in whatever way) only a few pictures at a time.

also, i'm thinking of getting a desktop film scanner so i don't have to
pay ?8 to get them developed each time. this might give me more
options for shooting a short roll of film?

thanks in advance for any suggestions
tim
I hate to waste film myself, so I generally just shoot what I
want and tear off the film to use the rest later. But if you're sending it
out, I'd haunt the large drug and dept stores for buys on 4 packs. You can
get some excellent buys and the store brands are generally made by Agfa or
Fuji. I like the Agfa colors. Then, of course you have to look for a lab
that charges by the print instead of the roll. OR, the 1-Hour joint I used
to go to will charge $2 for a CD and 0.50 for each shot. Bob
Hickey

"Tim_Mac" wrote in message
ps.com...
hi,
i'm a newbie photographer on a low budget. i have an old Canon AV-1
with a 100-300 zoom lens.
i often find i go out for an hour or two and maybe only take a few
photos. it sometimes takes a few weeks before i use up a 24 or 36
negative roll. i'd love to be able to see the pictures soon after i
take them, while they are still fresh in my mind. i'm guessing this is
a common problem and i'm wondering is there a solution to it?
obviously if i go digital i can download the prints to my PC straight
away, but maybe you can get rolls of film with 5 or 10 exposures or
something?

i've read a ton of posts on slide film (but never used it), and the one
thing i couldn't figure out is if it comes in a roll like negatives and
loads and winds on the same way. if so then it may not help me quickly
process or view (in whatever way) only a few pictures at a time.

also, i'm thinking of getting a desktop film scanner so i don't have to
pay ?8 to get them developed each time. this might give me more
options for shooting a short roll of film?

thanks in advance for any suggestions
tim
I hate to waste film myself, so I generally just shoot what I
want and tear off the film to use the rest later. But if you're sending it
out, I'd haunt the large drug and dept stores for buys on 4 packs. You can
get some excellent buys and the store brands are generally made by Agfa or
Fuji. I like the Agfa colors. Then, of course you have to look for a lab
that charges by the print instead of the roll. OR, the 1-Hour joint I used
to go to will charge $2 for a CD and 0.50 for each shot. Bob
Hickey

"Tim_Mac" wrote in message
ps.com...
hi,
i'm a newbie photographer on a low budget. i have an old Canon AV-1
with a 100-300 zoom lens.
i often find i go out for an hour or two and maybe only take a few
photos. it sometimes takes a few weeks before i use up a 24 or 36
negative roll. i'd love to be able to see the pictures soon after i
take them, while they are still fresh in my mind. i'm guessing this is
a common problem and i'm wondering is there a solution to it?
obviously if i go digital i can download the prints to my PC straight
away, but maybe you can get rolls of film with 5 or 10 exposures or
something?
You can get some films in 12 exposure, and even 6 exposure rolls, but it
works out a lot more expensive per photo than 24 or 36 exposure rolls.
Sometimes 12 exposure rolls even cost more than 24 exposure, because 24 is
where the volume is. Some labs charge nearly as much for processing 12
exposure as they charge for 24, so you may not save much. In some cases you
might be just as well off to to use 24 exposure rolls and rewind the film
early.

On occasions I have opened my camera (in the dark of course), and cut the
film, removed the exposed film and continued to use the remainder of the
roll. This wastes a little bit of film, and it is imperative that it is done
in the dark. This is ok when you are doing your own processing, as you can
load the film into the developing tank immediately. If you rely on a lab to
do your processing though, you would probably have to load the film into a
spare film cassette - talk to your lab before you attempt this, as some
might not like developing partial rolls or home loaded rolls.
i've read a ton of posts on slide film (but never used it), and the one
thing i couldn't figure out is if it comes in a roll like negatives and
loads and winds on the same way. if so then it may not help me quickly
process or view (in whatever way) only a few pictures at a time.
As far as taking photos goes, it loads into your camera etc identical to
negative film. It is only when you process it that things change - it has a
different processing procedure so that you get postive images instead of
negative images. It is of course easier to view these than it is to view
negatives, but it is harder to print slides than negatives.

also, i'm thinking of getting a desktop film scanner so i don't have to
pay ?8 to get them developed each time. this might give me more
options for shooting a short roll of film?
You will still have to get the film developed - but this will give you the
option of not having to have prints made. most labs will do developing a bit
cheaper than develop+printing. Your other option is to invest in the gear to
develop your own film - it's not real expensive and can give you a lot of
satisfaction (and frustration if you do it wrong).

thanks in advance for any suggestions
tim

"Tim_Mac" wrote in message
ps.com...
hi,
i'm a newbie photographer on a low budget. i have an old Canon AV-1
with a 100-300 zoom lens.
i often find i go out for an hour or two and maybe only take a few
photos. it sometimes takes a few weeks before i use up a 24 or 36
negative roll. i'd love to be able to see the pictures soon after i
take them, while they are still fresh in my mind. i'm guessing this is
a common problem and i'm wondering is there a solution to it?
obviously if i go digital i can download the prints to my PC straight
away, but maybe you can get rolls of film with 5 or 10 exposures or
something?
You can get some films in 12 exposure, and even 6 exposure rolls, but it
works out a lot more expensive per photo than 24 or 36 exposure rolls.
Sometimes 12 exposure rolls even cost more than 24 exposure, because 24 is
where the volume is. Some labs charge nearly as much for processing 12
exposure as they charge for 24, so you may not save much. In some cases you
might be just as well off to to use 24 exposure rolls and rewind the film
early.

On occasions I have opened my camera (in the dark of course), and cut the
film, removed the exposed film and continued to use the remainder of the
roll. This wastes a little bit of film, and it is imperative that it is done
in the dark. This is ok when you are doing your own processing, as you can
load the film into the developing tank immediately. If you rely on a lab to
do your processing though, you would probably have to load the film into a
spare film cassette - talk to your lab before you attempt this, as some
might not like developing partial rolls or home loaded rolls.
i've read a ton of posts on slide film (but never used it), and the one
thing i couldn't figure out is if it comes in a roll like negatives and
loads and winds on the same way. if so then it may not help me quickly
process or view (in whatever way) only a few pictures at a time.
As far as taking photos goes, it loads into your camera etc identical to
negative film. It is only when you process it that things change - it has a
different processing procedure so that you get postive images instead of
negative images. It is of course easier to view these than it is to view
negatives, but it is harder to print slides than negatives.

also, i'm thinking of getting a desktop film scanner so i don't have to
pay ?8 to get them developed each time. this might give me more
options for shooting a short roll of film?
You will still have to get the film developed - but this will give you the
option of not having to have prints made. most labs will do developing a bit
cheaper than develop+printing. Your other option is to invest in the gear to
develop your own film - it's not real expensive and can give you a lot of
satisfaction (and frustration if you do it wrong).

thanks in advance for any suggestions
tim

Tim_Mac wrote:
hi,
i'm a newbie photographer on a low budget. i have an old Canon AV-1
with a 100-300 zoom lens.
i often find i go out for an hour or two and maybe only take a few
photos. it sometimes takes a few weeks before i use up a 24 or 36
negative roll. i'd love to be able to see the pictures soon after i
take them, while they are still fresh in my mind. i'm guessing this
is a common problem and i'm wondering is there a solution to it?
obviously if i go digital i can download the prints to my PC straight
away, but maybe you can get rolls of film with 5 or 10 exposures or
something?

You can get some smaller rolls of film, but it will not help much as the
cost per roll is not much less and the cost per image is higher. You also
are not likely to save on the processing of the film. You might as well
just use the regular easy to find 24 exposure.


i've read a ton of posts on slide film (but never used it), and the
one thing i couldn't figure out is if it comes in a roll like
negatives and loads and winds on the same way. if so then it may not
help me quickly process or view (in whatever way) only a few pictures
at a time.

Same as negative film for this problem. No faster and you may find it
will take even longer for processing.


also, i'm thinking of getting a desktop film scanner so i don't have
to pay ?8 to get them developed each time. this might give me more
options for shooting a short roll of film?

Not likely to save you money. You still have to have the negatives
processed. You should be able to have a "proof" sheet made of all the
images and save over having regular prints made.


thanks in advance for any suggestions
tim

--
Joseph Meehan

26 + 6 = 1 It's Irish Math

On 31 Mar 2005 02:39:53 -0800, "Tim_Mac" wrote:

hi,
i'm a newbie photographer on a low budget. i have an old Canon AV-1
with a 100-300 zoom lens.
i often find i go out for an hour or two and maybe only take a few
photos. it sometimes takes a few weeks before i use up a 24 or 36
negative roll. i'd love to be able to see the pictures soon after i
take them, while they are still fresh in my mind. i'm guessing this is
a common problem and i'm wondering is there a solution to it?
obviously if i go digital i can download the prints to my PC straight
away, but maybe you can get rolls of film with 5 or 10 exposures or
something?

Digital definitely has this advantage - a much faster way to learn
photography. Immediate results with full EXIF data (shutter speed,
aperture used etc encoded onto each picture). Per shot shooting costs:
zero.

i've read a ton of posts on slide film (but never used it), and the one
thing i couldn't figure out is if it comes in a roll like negatives and
loads and winds on the same way. if so then it may not help me quickly
process or view (in whatever way) only a few pictures at a time.

It looks and loads just like regular film. Most labs (esp min-labs)
can't process this in 1hr, and I've had to wait up to 14 days before.
That being said, if you can't switch to DigitalSLR, you really should
be using slide when learning exposure. It's a lot harsher on you and
the print-processing won't destroy any mistakes or artistic influence
you have on the exposure (as they do when printing from negs).

Trying to learn photography with regular film is a bit like trying to
learn the violin at a rock concert - you can't hear it.

Unfortunately, slide film costs more to buy and process than regular
film.

also, i'm thinking of getting a desktop film scanner so i don't have to
pay ?8 to get them developed each time. this might give me more
options for shooting a short roll of film?

Okay, this would be a partially digital solution. Definitely think
hard about this, cheap desktop film scanners aren't going to be much
good. Expensive film scanners start to get close to the cost of the
low end DSLRs, think carefully, it's 2005, do you want to invest
heavily in film at this point?

According to buddies I have in the UK, E6 (slide) capable labs there
are getting harder and harder to find (and that's London).

Anyway, you don't even need to pay £8 for processing if you start out
by processing your own negs. This isn't difficult, the equipment
needed comprises of a tank, some chemicals, film-retrieval tool and an
appropriately scaled thermometer. Try B&W first. This way you can
shoot a roll of 24, and process them within an hour all at home.

E6 slide processing can be at home too, the only (optional) additional
requirement here is some plastic mounts and scissors to cut the strips
up. Get some books on this, and make sure you buy the right film for
the chemicals/process you want (at least to start with,
cross-processing can also be fun).

thanks in advance for any suggestions

If the home-processing doesn't sound like your thing, take a look at
the second-hand/used DSLR market and see if there isn't something that
fit's your budget.

--
Owamanga!
http://www.pbase.com/owamanga

On 31 Mar 2005 02:39:53 -0800, "Tim_Mac" wrote:

hi,
i'm a newbie photographer on a low budget. i have an old Canon AV-1
with a 100-300 zoom lens.
i often find i go out for an hour or two and maybe only take a few
photos. it sometimes takes a few weeks before i use up a 24 or 36
negative roll. i'd love to be able to see the pictures soon after i
take them, while they are still fresh in my mind. i'm guessing this is
a common problem and i'm wondering is there a solution to it?
obviously if i go digital i can download the prints to my PC straight
away, but maybe you can get rolls of film with 5 or 10 exposures or
something?

Digital definitely has this advantage - a much faster way to learn
photography. Immediate results with full EXIF data (shutter speed,
aperture used etc encoded onto each picture). Per shot shooting costs:
zero.

i've read a ton of posts on slide film (but never used it), and the one
thing i couldn't figure out is if it comes in a roll like negatives and
loads and winds on the same way. if so then it may not help me quickly
process or view (in whatever way) only a few pictures at a time.

It looks and loads just like regular film. Most labs (esp min-labs)
can't process this in 1hr, and I've had to wait up to 14 days before.
That being said, if you can't switch to DigitalSLR, you really should
be using slide when learning exposure. It's a lot harsher on you and
the print-processing won't destroy any mistakes or artistic influence
you have on the exposure (as they do when printing from negs).

Trying to learn photography with regular film is a bit like trying to
learn the violin at a rock concert - you can't hear it.

Unfortunately, slide film costs more to buy and process than regular
film.

also, i'm thinking of getting a desktop film scanner so i don't have to
pay ?8 to get them developed each time. this might give me more
options for shooting a short roll of film?

Okay, this would be a partially digital solution. Definitely think
hard about this, cheap desktop film scanners aren't going to be much
good. Expensive film scanners start to get close to the cost of the
low end DSLRs, think carefully, it's 2005, do you want to invest
heavily in film at this point?

According to buddies I have in the UK, E6 (slide) capable labs there
are getting harder and harder to find (and that's London).

Anyway, you don't even need to pay £8 for processing if you start out
by processing your own negs. This isn't difficult, the equipment
needed comprises of a tank, some chemicals, film-retrieval tool and an
appropriately scaled thermometer. Try B&W first. This way you can
shoot a roll of 24, and process them within an hour all at home.

E6 slide processing can be at home too, the only (optional) additional
requirement here is some plastic mounts and scissors to cut the strips
up. Get some books on this, and make sure you buy the right film for
the chemicals/process you want (at least to start with,
cross-processing can also be fun).

thanks in advance for any suggestions

If the home-processing doesn't sound like your thing, take a look at
the second-hand/used DSLR market and see if there isn't something that
fit's your budget.

--
Owamanga!
http://www.pbase.com/owamanga

Tim_Mac wrote:

hi,
i'm a newbie photographer on a low budget. i have an old Canon AV-1
with a 100-300 zoom lens.
i often find i go out for an hour or two and maybe only take a few
photos. it sometimes takes a few weeks before i use up a 24 or 36
negative roll. i'd love to be able to see the pictures soon after i
take them, while they are still fresh in my mind. i'm guessing this is
a common problem and i'm wondering is there a solution to it?
obviously if i go digital i can download the prints to my PC straight
away, but maybe you can get rolls of film with 5 or 10 exposures or
something?

i've read a ton of posts on slide film (but never used it), and the one
thing i couldn't figure out is if it comes in a roll like negatives and
loads and winds on the same way. if so then it may not help me quickly
process or view (in whatever way) only a few pictures at a time.

also, i'm thinking of getting a desktop film scanner so i don't have to
pay €8 to get them developed each time. this might give me more
options for shooting a short roll of film?

Kodak have an 8 frame negative roll that I've used. I don't remember
what emulsion. You can get 12 frame rolls all over. On some quickie
projects I've had the negatives developed (sometimes with only a few
frames out of 24/36 shot) without prints and then scanned for content.

Slide film loads and shoots like negative film. But the exposure
latitude is narrower, so a bit harder to get proper exposure. Either
expose for what you know is a mid tone, or spot meter the highlights and
open 1.7 to 2 stops. Sensia 100 and EliteChrome 100 are good GP slide
films. You can view them on a light table, with a projector or scan them.

Needless to say, the fastest click to review is digital.

Cheers,
Alan



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