Where to start.....

I have been taking snapshots with P&S equipment for years, both
digital and 35mm. I have decided to take the jump head first into
35mm and bought a Elan 7N with a canon 28-105mm Lens. (and the next
lens will be a Canon EOS 50/1.4 , at least thats the plan)

I bought 5 rolls of fuji Superia X-tra 400 and three rolls of the
kodak Black and White 400 for my first playing around with the Elan,
and plan on buying some Velvia for my first slides. However, a few
questions for once i have learned some of the features of the elan, I
plan on taking a lot of landscape shots (I am lucky enough to be
living (and working) in the rural mountian area of North Carolina,
where this provides a lot of chances, and also want to do humans
subjects. (along with just normal snapshot taking, where the Superia
400 should do fine).

Now a few questions, ok, a little more then a few, but I do thank you
in advance for any input..

Should the 50/1.4 be my next lens?
what type of film should i use for landscapes slide and print (I
assume the slide will be Velvia)

what about for human subjects?


I am a bit out of the way (but we do have wallmart and other drugstore
places, but not even a ritz) its it good to send it though their
mailers(might put a few rolls though the 1-hour stuff, just to get
quicker feedback till I figure the Elan out, but I know that the poor
high school kids at walmart are not going to be able to give
consistant results), or should i go order mailers and send it myself?

I enjoy B&W photos, but I do not have the space to put in a blackroom,
so i will have to depend on other poeple developing my B&W shots (I
know some consider this a sin) do you recommend using the B&W films
that are proccessed in the color machines, or should i get the silver
based Black and white and ship it off to be processed?

As i have said, I have done point and shoots for years, but now out of
college i finally have enough income to invest in this hobby, and I am
just starting out with the SRL systems. Any hints or guidelines for
someone starting out?

"Zach Edwardson" wrote in message
om...
I have been taking snapshots with P&S equipment for years, both
digital and 35mm. I have decided to take the jump head first into
35mm and bought a Elan 7N with a canon 28-105mm Lens. (and the next
lens will be a Canon EOS 50/1.4 , at least thats the plan)

I bought 5 rolls of fuji Superia X-tra 400 and three rolls of the
kodak Black and White 400 for my first playing around with the Elan,
and plan on buying some Velvia for my first slides. However, a few
questions for once i have learned some of the features of the elan, I
plan on taking a lot of landscape shots (I am lucky enough to be
living (and working) in the rural mountian area of North Carolina,
where this provides a lot of chances, and also want to do humans
subjects. (along with just normal snapshot taking, where the Superia
400 should do fine).

Now a few questions, ok, a little more then a few, but I do thank you
in advance for any input..

Should the 50/1.4 be my next lens?
what type of film should i use for landscapes slide and print (I
assume the slide will be Velvia)

what about for human subjects?


I am a bit out of the way (but we do have wallmart and other drugstore
places, but not even a ritz) its it good to send it though their
mailers(might put a few rolls though the 1-hour stuff, just to get
quicker feedback till I figure the Elan out, but I know that the poor
high school kids at walmart are not going to be able to give
consistant results), or should i go order mailers and send it myself?

I enjoy B&W photos, but I do not have the space to put in a blackroom,
so i will have to depend on other poeple developing my B&W shots (I
know some consider this a sin) do you recommend using the B&W films
that are proccessed in the color machines, or should i get the silver
based Black and white and ship it off to be processed?

As i have said, I have done point and shoots for years, but now out of
college i finally have enough income to invest in this hobby, and I am
just starting out with the SRL systems. Any hints or guidelines for
someone starting out?

The 1.4 is great, if you plan on taking pictures in very low lighting. If
not, the 1.8 is just as sharp, nearly as bright, and a third the cost.

For slide film, Velvia is great for saturated colors, Provia for rich
colors, Astia for accurate colors. For portraits I recommend a portrait
film (negative) such as Kodak Portra 160 or Fuji NPS 160. Expose the Fuji
at 160, and the Kodak at 125.

As for black and white, you do to have room for a darkroom, even if it's
just a closet. Takes some ingenuity, but there are plenty of tutorials on
the web. And when people say you won't be happy with black and white unless
you print your own--they're right. I can't speak for C-41 B&W--that's
something you may want to look into.

Read some books.

--
Regards,
Matt Clara
www.mattclara.com

"Zach Edwardson" wrote in message
om...
I have been taking snapshots with P&S equipment for years, both
digital and 35mm. I have decided to take the jump head first into
35mm and bought a Elan 7N with a canon 28-105mm Lens. (and the next
lens will be a Canon EOS 50/1.4 , at least thats the plan)

I bought 5 rolls of fuji Superia X-tra 400 and three rolls of the
kodak Black and White 400 for my first playing around with the Elan,
and plan on buying some Velvia for my first slides. However, a few
questions for once i have learned some of the features of the elan, I
plan on taking a lot of landscape shots (I am lucky enough to be
living (and working) in the rural mountian area of North Carolina,
where this provides a lot of chances, and also want to do humans
subjects. (along with just normal snapshot taking, where the Superia
400 should do fine).

Now a few questions, ok, a little more then a few, but I do thank you
in advance for any input..

Should the 50/1.4 be my next lens?
what type of film should i use for landscapes slide and print (I
assume the slide will be Velvia)

what about for human subjects?


I am a bit out of the way (but we do have wallmart and other drugstore
places, but not even a ritz) its it good to send it though their
mailers(might put a few rolls though the 1-hour stuff, just to get
quicker feedback till I figure the Elan out, but I know that the poor
high school kids at walmart are not going to be able to give
consistant results), or should i go order mailers and send it myself?

I enjoy B&W photos, but I do not have the space to put in a blackroom,
so i will have to depend on other poeple developing my B&W shots (I
know some consider this a sin) do you recommend using the B&W films
that are proccessed in the color machines, or should i get the silver
based Black and white and ship it off to be processed?

As i have said, I have done point and shoots for years, but now out of
college i finally have enough income to invest in this hobby, and I am
just starting out with the SRL systems. Any hints or guidelines for
someone starting out?

The 1.4 is great, if you plan on taking pictures in very low lighting. If
not, the 1.8 is just as sharp, nearly as bright, and a third the cost.

For slide film, Velvia is great for saturated colors, Provia for rich
colors, Astia for accurate colors. For portraits I recommend a portrait
film (negative) such as Kodak Portra 160 or Fuji NPS 160. Expose the Fuji
at 160, and the Kodak at 125.

As for black and white, you do to have room for a darkroom, even if it's
just a closet. Takes some ingenuity, but there are plenty of tutorials on
the web. And when people say you won't be happy with black and white unless
you print your own--they're right. I can't speak for C-41 B&W--that's
something you may want to look into.

Read some books.

--
Regards,
Matt Clara
www.mattclara.com

(Zach=A0Edwardson)
Should the 50/1.4 be my next lens?
what type of film should i use for landscapes slide and print (I assume
the slide will be Velvia)
what about for human subjects?
(Snipped)
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3 D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D

You might consider the EF 50 f1.8 instead, it cost less, a comparasion
can be found in this forum. Also consider the EF 24 f2.8 - 28 f2.8 - 35
f2.0 - 50 f2.5 macro - 85 f1.8 USM - 100 f2.0 USM.
You also may want to trade that 28-105 kit lens in for the 28-105
f3.5-4.5 USM, which is a better lens. These lenses can be found at
www.bhphotovideo.com at a good price without getting ripped off.

Cody,

http://community-2.webtv.net/AnOverc...otographyLinks

(Zach=A0Edwardson)
Should the 50/1.4 be my next lens?
what type of film should i use for landscapes slide and print (I assume
the slide will be Velvia)
what about for human subjects?
(Snipped)
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3 D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D

You might consider the EF 50 f1.8 instead, it cost less, a comparasion
can be found in this forum. Also consider the EF 24 f2.8 - 28 f2.8 - 35
f2.0 - 50 f2.5 macro - 85 f1.8 USM - 100 f2.0 USM.
You also may want to trade that 28-105 kit lens in for the 28-105
f3.5-4.5 USM, which is a better lens. These lenses can be found at
www.bhphotovideo.com at a good price without getting ripped off.

Cody,

http://community-2.webtv.net/AnOverc...otographyLinks

You will get better consistancy from the C-41 process B/W unless you have a
good lab in your area. Ask a local pro if he/she knows of one.
Beofre you put out a lot of money on the f1.4 there is the f1.8 which is
not as sharp, but most of the time it is hard to tell the difference.
You best source of knowledge is the photography section of your local
library - raid it regularly and try out EVERYTHING! There are also a few
articles and lists of books etc he
http://www.chapelhillnoir.com/mani/manifest00.html
--
http://www.chapelhillnoir.com
home of The Camera-ist's Manifesto
The Improved Links Pages are at
http://www.chapelhillnoir.com/links/mlinks00.html
A sample chapter from my novel "Haight-Ashbury" is at
http://www.chapelhillnoir.com/writ/hait/hatitl.html
"Zach Edwardson" wrote in message
om...
I have been taking snapshots with P&S equipment for years, both
digital and 35mm. I have decided to take the jump head first into
35mm and bought a Elan 7N with a canon 28-105mm Lens. (and the next
lens will be a Canon EOS 50/1.4 , at least thats the plan)

I bought 5 rolls of fuji Superia X-tra 400 and three rolls of the
kodak Black and White 400 for my first playing around with the Elan,
and plan on buying some Velvia for my first slides. However, a few
questions for once i have learned some of the features of the elan, I
plan on taking a lot of landscape shots (I am lucky enough to be
living (and working) in the rural mountian area of North Carolina,
where this provides a lot of chances, and also want to do humans
subjects. (along with just normal snapshot taking, where the Superia
400 should do fine).

Now a few questions, ok, a little more then a few, but I do thank you
in advance for any input..

Should the 50/1.4 be my next lens?
what type of film should i use for landscapes slide and print (I
assume the slide will be Velvia)

what about for human subjects?


I am a bit out of the way (but we do have wallmart and other drugstore
places, but not even a ritz) its it good to send it though their
mailers(might put a few rolls though the 1-hour stuff, just to get
quicker feedback till I figure the Elan out, but I know that the poor
high school kids at walmart are not going to be able to give
consistant results), or should i go order mailers and send it myself?

I enjoy B&W photos, but I do not have the space to put in a blackroom,
so i will have to depend on other poeple developing my B&W shots (I
know some consider this a sin) do you recommend using the B&W films
that are proccessed in the color machines, or should i get the silver
based Black and white and ship it off to be processed?

As i have said, I have done point and shoots for years, but now out of
college i finally have enough income to invest in this hobby, and I am
just starting out with the SRL systems. Any hints or guidelines for
someone starting out?

You will get better consistancy from the C-41 process B/W unless you have a
good lab in your area. Ask a local pro if he/she knows of one.
Beofre you put out a lot of money on the f1.4 there is the f1.8 which is
not as sharp, but most of the time it is hard to tell the difference.
You best source of knowledge is the photography section of your local
library - raid it regularly and try out EVERYTHING! There are also a few
articles and lists of books etc he
http://www.chapelhillnoir.com/mani/manifest00.html
--
http://www.chapelhillnoir.com
home of The Camera-ist's Manifesto
The Improved Links Pages are at
http://www.chapelhillnoir.com/links/mlinks00.html
A sample chapter from my novel "Haight-Ashbury" is at
http://www.chapelhillnoir.com/writ/hait/hatitl.html
"Zach Edwardson" wrote in message
om...
I have been taking snapshots with P&S equipment for years, both
digital and 35mm. I have decided to take the jump head first into
35mm and bought a Elan 7N with a canon 28-105mm Lens. (and the next
lens will be a Canon EOS 50/1.4 , at least thats the plan)

I bought 5 rolls of fuji Superia X-tra 400 and three rolls of the
kodak Black and White 400 for my first playing around with the Elan,
and plan on buying some Velvia for my first slides. However, a few
questions for once i have learned some of the features of the elan, I
plan on taking a lot of landscape shots (I am lucky enough to be
living (and working) in the rural mountian area of North Carolina,
where this provides a lot of chances, and also want to do humans
subjects. (along with just normal snapshot taking, where the Superia
400 should do fine).

Now a few questions, ok, a little more then a few, but I do thank you
in advance for any input..

Should the 50/1.4 be my next lens?
what type of film should i use for landscapes slide and print (I
assume the slide will be Velvia)

what about for human subjects?


I am a bit out of the way (but we do have wallmart and other drugstore
places, but not even a ritz) its it good to send it though their
mailers(might put a few rolls though the 1-hour stuff, just to get
quicker feedback till I figure the Elan out, but I know that the poor
high school kids at walmart are not going to be able to give
consistant results), or should i go order mailers and send it myself?

I enjoy B&W photos, but I do not have the space to put in a blackroom,
so i will have to depend on other poeple developing my B&W shots (I
know some consider this a sin) do you recommend using the B&W films
that are proccessed in the color machines, or should i get the silver
based Black and white and ship it off to be processed?

As i have said, I have done point and shoots for years, but now out of
college i finally have enough income to invest in this hobby, and I am
just starting out with the SRL systems. Any hints or guidelines for
someone starting out?

"Zach Edwardson" wrote in message
om...
I have been taking snapshots with P&S equipment for years, both
digital and 35mm. I have decided to take the jump head first into
35mm and bought a Elan 7N with a canon 28-105mm Lens. (and the next
lens will be a Canon EOS 50/1.4 , at least thats the plan)

I bought 5 rolls of fuji Superia X-tra 400 and three rolls of the
kodak Black and White 400 for my first playing around with the Elan,
and plan on buying some Velvia for my first slides. However, a few
questions for once i have learned some of the features of the elan, I
plan on taking a lot of landscape shots (I am lucky enough to be
living (and working) in the rural mountian area of North Carolina,
where this provides a lot of chances, and also want to do humans
subjects. (along with just normal snapshot taking, where the Superia
400 should do fine).

Now a few questions, ok, a little more then a few, but I do thank you
in advance for any input..

Should the 50/1.4 be my next lens?

As others have said, the 50 1.8 is much cheaper, and a third of a stop
slower. For print film, this is highly unlikely to make any difference you
can determine, especially since f1.4 has an extremely short depth of field
and you may not be using it too often wide open. So at that point, it may
assist only in focusing in very low light. Use a flashlight, take a few deep
breaths to flood the eyes with oxygen, and you've overcome any advantage it
might give...

Many people swear by a fast 50 as an essential lens in a kit. I find
50mm to be the most boring focal length, and have found very few situations
where 1.8 (or 1.4) makes any difference over a 2.8. Your mileage may vary.
50mm is limited in applications for landscapes, though, and many times
you'll be more interested in going wider. That's where your 28-105 covers
it. From my standpoint, pay attention to how often you have difficulty
seeing your subject enough to focus with your current lens, and if it
doesn't happen much, you can probably skip the 50.


what type of film should i use for landscapes slide and print (I
assume the slide will be Velvia)

The Superia is not a bad overall film - fairly good color response with
good latitude, pretty nice greens and blues. Velvia 50 is a high-contrast
film that is tricky to use in bright light, and is *very* saturated. Most
especially, it adores the greens in a photo, but makes skin tones look
rough. I haven't tried the 100 speed yet, but it's supposed to be a little
more controllable in all respects.

Kodak E-100 VS is also very saturated, but a bit more evenly across the
color spectrum.

Fuji Provia 100F is a bit less saturated than Velvia 50 but still pretty
bright, favors blue by a slight margin. Failry good for overall landscapes -
provides a nice color response without looking overdone as Velvia 50 can
get. Both have very fine grain.

Fuji Astia/Sensia (they're pretty much considered the same film) is much
more neutral in saturation and much better with skin tones. Nice films to
use when the situation is contrasty, because they handle it well. I should
note here that all slide films are a bit higher in contrast than print
films, and along with this have punchier colors. But they can be unforgiving
of exposure errors.


what about for human subjects?

I've tried Kodak's Portra and Fuji's NP* series (print films), and while
both are good, I definitely prefer Fuji (NPS 160, NPH 400, NPZ 800). To me,
just better color rendition and grain. I think one thing that struck me was,
even when producing good skin tones, the Fujis kept the other colors in
check too, especially the blues.


I am a bit out of the way (but we do have wallmart and other drugstore
places, but not even a ritz) its it good to send it though their
mailers(might put a few rolls though the 1-hour stuff, just to get
quicker feedback till I figure the Elan out, but I know that the poor
high school kids at walmart are not going to be able to give
consistant results), or should i go order mailers and send it myself?

There's no really good answer to this - you have to try them out
yourself. I get some of my print film processed-only through a local
Walgreens and scan it myself. They do a pretty consistent job, but I never
give them the opportunity to do prints, so this might change the equations a
bit ;-). Other local labs have been inept overall, including one pro lab.

You may not have a local lab for slide film, and the labs that take it
might ship it out themselves - this is fairly typical in smaller towns which
don't have many working pros. In such a case, you might as well get mailers
for the slides. Takes a week or so to get the pics back, but they tend to be
very consistent and fairly inexpensive.


I enjoy B&W photos, but I do not have the space to put in a blackroom,
so i will have to depend on other poeple developing my B&W shots (I
know some consider this a sin) do you recommend using the B&W films
that are proccessed in the color machines, or should i get the silver
based Black and white and ship it off to be processed?

Part of the issue is, B&W tends to be a very personal preference in how
it's handled, so a lab can only provide a majority preference. Good labs are
usually expensive and hard to find. And when (true) B&W is so easy to do
yourself, it often doesn't pay to have someone else do it.

The color-process B&W (sometimes called C-41 process, other times called
"chromagenic") are easier to get done locally, but often wildly
inconsistent. What happens is, color films tend to respond differently for
over- and under-exposures, shifting in the spectrum slightly, and the print
machines are set up for this. B&W of course doesn't so that, but the
machines are rarely calibrated true enough to avoid it. So if any exposure
correction is done on the print (and you'd be amazed how often this
happens), your B&W prints come out slightly magenta or blue, because they're
using the same color paper as the rest of their work.

Some 1-hr places do have true B&W paper for color chemicals, but not
many.

Silver-based B&W films (panchromatic) are different chemicals and
different papers, so this doesn't happen. The labs can be scarce as
mentioned above, but doing the work yourself really isn't hard. For
developing to a negative, all you need are some basic supplies and the
chems, and you can load the reels in a changing bag or a sufficiently
darkened room. Once in the tank, everything else can be done in bright
light, and it takes about a half hour if the chems are ready - really no
sweat at all. Printing requires a "darkroom", but a closet will work, or
light-proofing your bathroom - I've moved the enlarger and trays in and out
of the bathroom cupboard when doing this, didn't even need to take over the
room.

One of the key things hinted at through all this is a film scanner. With
one, you can get process-only from the local lab, color negs or C-41 B&W,
and forget about the prints. Or process your own panchromatics in a tank to
get the negs - no enlarger needed. You scan the images yourself and have as
much control as a darkroom with much less fuss. But you have to consider the
end result. For web use, this is remarkably efficient. For family
distribution or an album, you can use a decent home photo printer (can be
very hard to do good B&W). For display prints, you'll want to outsource the
digital files to a lab, but they tend to be very controlled in output, and
the color-shift from C-41 B&W may be eliminated entirely - the difficulty is
from the print enlarger on color paper, and digital prints are using LED or
laser enlargers with more controlled color output.

The down side of film scanners is that there's a learning curve for them
as well, and trying to learn good photography and good scanning at the same
time might be tricky.


As i have said, I have done point and shoots for years, but now out of
college i finally have enough income to invest in this hobby, and I am
just starting out with the SRL systems. Any hints or guidelines for
someone starting out?

Print films have what's called "exposure latitude", which means that
subtle errors in exposure may be corrected in the printing stage. For
learning good exposure, this is very often misleading, since you have no
idea whether they corrected a print for you, or conversely, if they screwed
it up. So learing on print film can be tricky. Slide film gives you exactly
what you shot and is pretty unforgiving, so while it might seem tricky or
sensitive at first, it gives you much better control over exposure.

Take good notes and experiment. Compare the processed film with the
notes. When shooting print film, look at the negatives with a loupe and see
if all the detail was captured in the print (this can clue you in to
corrections, above).

Be meticulous about your shots: steadiness, tripod whenever possible,
sharp focus where you need it (override the camera as needed), and know your
exposure metering system so you know what fools it. A blurry shot can be
from bad focus, camera shake, or subject movement - your notes and being
careful can narrow this down. Bad exposure might be you or the lab (for
prints, anyway). The more you control, the easier it is to find the source
of a problem and correct it.

Grab whatever books you can and study up. Don't neglect the artistic
aspect either, and look at compositional advice and guidelines. Simplify
your images, narrow them down to key elements, watch your backgrounds, look
at everything in the frame. Take your time for a good shot.

But still have fun ;-)

Good luck!

- Al.


--
To reply, insert a dash between "wading" and "in".
Please excuse the changed format, I'm working remotely.

"Zach Edwardson" wrote in message
om...
I have been taking snapshots with P&S equipment for years, both
digital and 35mm. I have decided to take the jump head first into
35mm and bought a Elan 7N with a canon 28-105mm Lens. (and the next
lens will be a Canon EOS 50/1.4 , at least thats the plan)

I bought 5 rolls of fuji Superia X-tra 400 and three rolls of the
kodak Black and White 400 for my first playing around with the Elan,
and plan on buying some Velvia for my first slides. However, a few
questions for once i have learned some of the features of the elan, I
plan on taking a lot of landscape shots (I am lucky enough to be
living (and working) in the rural mountian area of North Carolina,
where this provides a lot of chances, and also want to do humans
subjects. (along with just normal snapshot taking, where the Superia
400 should do fine).

Now a few questions, ok, a little more then a few, but I do thank you
in advance for any input..

Should the 50/1.4 be my next lens?

As others have said, the 50 1.8 is much cheaper, and a third of a stop
slower. For print film, this is highly unlikely to make any difference you
can determine, especially since f1.4 has an extremely short depth of field
and you may not be using it too often wide open. So at that point, it may
assist only in focusing in very low light. Use a flashlight, take a few deep
breaths to flood the eyes with oxygen, and you've overcome any advantage it
might give...

Many people swear by a fast 50 as an essential lens in a kit. I find
50mm to be the most boring focal length, and have found very few situations
where 1.8 (or 1.4) makes any difference over a 2.8. Your mileage may vary.
50mm is limited in applications for landscapes, though, and many times
you'll be more interested in going wider. That's where your 28-105 covers
it. From my standpoint, pay attention to how often you have difficulty
seeing your subject enough to focus with your current lens, and if it
doesn't happen much, you can probably skip the 50.


what type of film should i use for landscapes slide and print (I
assume the slide will be Velvia)

The Superia is not a bad overall film - fairly good color response with
good latitude, pretty nice greens and blues. Velvia 50 is a high-contrast
film that is tricky to use in bright light, and is *very* saturated. Most
especially, it adores the greens in a photo, but makes skin tones look
rough. I haven't tried the 100 speed yet, but it's supposed to be a little
more controllable in all respects.

Kodak E-100 VS is also very saturated, but a bit more evenly across the
color spectrum.

Fuji Provia 100F is a bit less saturated than Velvia 50 but still pretty
bright, favors blue by a slight margin. Failry good for overall landscapes -
provides a nice color response without looking overdone as Velvia 50 can
get. Both have very fine grain.

Fuji Astia/Sensia (they're pretty much considered the same film) is much
more neutral in saturation and much better with skin tones. Nice films to
use when the situation is contrasty, because they handle it well. I should
note here that all slide films are a bit higher in contrast than print
films, and along with this have punchier colors. But they can be unforgiving
of exposure errors.


what about for human subjects?

I've tried Kodak's Portra and Fuji's NP* series (print films), and while
both are good, I definitely prefer Fuji (NPS 160, NPH 400, NPZ 800). To me,
just better color rendition and grain. I think one thing that struck me was,
even when producing good skin tones, the Fujis kept the other colors in
check too, especially the blues.


I am a bit out of the way (but we do have wallmart and other drugstore
places, but not even a ritz) its it good to send it though their
mailers(might put a few rolls though the 1-hour stuff, just to get
quicker feedback till I figure the Elan out, but I know that the poor
high school kids at walmart are not going to be able to give
consistant results), or should i go order mailers and send it myself?

There's no really good answer to this - you have to try them out
yourself. I get some of my print film processed-only through a local
Walgreens and scan it myself. They do a pretty consistent job, but I never
give them the opportunity to do prints, so this might change the equations a
bit ;-). Other local labs have been inept overall, including one pro lab.

You may not have a local lab for slide film, and the labs that take it
might ship it out themselves - this is fairly typical in smaller towns which
don't have many working pros. In such a case, you might as well get mailers
for the slides. Takes a week or so to get the pics back, but they tend to be
very consistent and fairly inexpensive.


I enjoy B&W photos, but I do not have the space to put in a blackroom,
so i will have to depend on other poeple developing my B&W shots (I
know some consider this a sin) do you recommend using the B&W films
that are proccessed in the color machines, or should i get the silver
based Black and white and ship it off to be processed?

Part of the issue is, B&W tends to be a very personal preference in how
it's handled, so a lab can only provide a majority preference. Good labs are
usually expensive and hard to find. And when (true) B&W is so easy to do
yourself, it often doesn't pay to have someone else do it.

The color-process B&W (sometimes called C-41 process, other times called
"chromagenic") are easier to get done locally, but often wildly
inconsistent. What happens is, color films tend to respond differently for
over- and under-exposures, shifting in the spectrum slightly, and the print
machines are set up for this. B&W of course doesn't so that, but the
machines are rarely calibrated true enough to avoid it. So if any exposure
correction is done on the print (and you'd be amazed how often this
happens), your B&W prints come out slightly magenta or blue, because they're
using the same color paper as the rest of their work.

Some 1-hr places do have true B&W paper for color chemicals, but not
many.

Silver-based B&W films (panchromatic) are different chemicals and
different papers, so this doesn't happen. The labs can be scarce as
mentioned above, but doing the work yourself really isn't hard. For
developing to a negative, all you need are some basic supplies and the
chems, and you can load the reels in a changing bag or a sufficiently
darkened room. Once in the tank, everything else can be done in bright
light, and it takes about a half hour if the chems are ready - really no
sweat at all. Printing requires a "darkroom", but a closet will work, or
light-proofing your bathroom - I've moved the enlarger and trays in and out
of the bathroom cupboard when doing this, didn't even need to take over the
room.

One of the key things hinted at through all this is a film scanner. With
one, you can get process-only from the local lab, color negs or C-41 B&W,
and forget about the prints. Or process your own panchromatics in a tank to
get the negs - no enlarger needed. You scan the images yourself and have as
much control as a darkroom with much less fuss. But you have to consider the
end result. For web use, this is remarkably efficient. For family
distribution or an album, you can use a decent home photo printer (can be
very hard to do good B&W). For display prints, you'll want to outsource the
digital files to a lab, but they tend to be very controlled in output, and
the color-shift from C-41 B&W may be eliminated entirely - the difficulty is
from the print enlarger on color paper, and digital prints are using LED or
laser enlargers with more controlled color output.

The down side of film scanners is that there's a learning curve for them
as well, and trying to learn good photography and good scanning at the same
time might be tricky.


As i have said, I have done point and shoots for years, but now out of
college i finally have enough income to invest in this hobby, and I am
just starting out with the SRL systems. Any hints or guidelines for
someone starting out?

Print films have what's called "exposure latitude", which means that
subtle errors in exposure may be corrected in the printing stage. For
learning good exposure, this is very often misleading, since you have no
idea whether they corrected a print for you, or conversely, if they screwed
it up. So learing on print film can be tricky. Slide film gives you exactly
what you shot and is pretty unforgiving, so while it might seem tricky or
sensitive at first, it gives you much better control over exposure.

Take good notes and experiment. Compare the processed film with the
notes. When shooting print film, look at the negatives with a loupe and see
if all the detail was captured in the print (this can clue you in to
corrections, above).

Be meticulous about your shots: steadiness, tripod whenever possible,
sharp focus where you need it (override the camera as needed), and know your
exposure metering system so you know what fools it. A blurry shot can be
from bad focus, camera shake, or subject movement - your notes and being
careful can narrow this down. Bad exposure might be you or the lab (for
prints, anyway). The more you control, the easier it is to find the source
of a problem and correct it.

Grab whatever books you can and study up. Don't neglect the artistic
aspect either, and look at compositional advice and guidelines. Simplify
your images, narrow them down to key elements, watch your backgrounds, look
at everything in the frame. Take your time for a good shot.

But still have fun ;-)

Good luck!

- Al.


--
To reply, insert a dash between "wading" and "in".
Please excuse the changed format, I'm working remotely.

In message , Zach
Edwardson writes

Now a few questions, ok, a little more then a few, but I do thank you
in advance for any input..

Should the 50/1.4 be my next lens?

What about getting the 50 f/1.8, and spending the difference on a
tripod, as you don't mention owning one. An absolute must for landscape
shots, IMHO.

Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II Autofocus Lens $ 74.95

vs.

Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM Autofocus Lens $ 309.95

The difference, $235, should get you something decent from Bogen /
Manfrotto.

--
Alex Wilde
Motor Sport Photography -
http://www.cizeta.demon.co.uk