In this poll there should have been a third option: "Film AND digital". I believe there are very few photographers that exclusively use film, it is very common to combine analogue and digital.

The "film vs digital" discussion is as pointless as in example "APS-C vs FF", "Bayer vs Foveon", "Canon vs Nikon", "BMW vs AUDI", and many other similar discussions.

Film and digital both have characteristic qualities that can be exploited. Some prefer film and other people digital. Luckily film is not "dead", one can still purchase fresh Fuji Velvia 50, Kodak Porta 160 and 400, which could cover most people's needs within colour film. Ilford is going strong. New films are being developed by ADOX and other companies. One can choose which photographic medium one wants to exploit.

There is also a philosophical/political/environmenal side to the use of film. Consumerism is supported by the notion that people have a need for products to "progress" by being faster, have bigger capacity, etc. In the photo world this corresponds to "more megapixels", "larger RAM buffer", "more frames pr second", etc. By adhering to film one can choose not to follow the whole concept that is promoted by mass-consumerism. One can decide to use old (often inexpensive but high quality) cameras, concentrate on taking fewer photos, there is no need to "upgrade" every second year, etc. The use of film results in an photographic activity that moves at a slower pace, which one needs to experience, to fully appreciate it.

I use both film and digital, and I am having a good time with my hobby

Bjørn


PS: The ideas promoted by the photographer mentioned in the start of the tread just seem very strange.

When I purchased the K20D in 2009, this revitalized my interest in photography. Soon afterwards I discovered this forum, and it was not long before I dared to post some images on the "My Photos" sub-forum. The feedback I received on my images, the inspiration of studying the work of very skilled photographers (Puma, bwlchmawr, and many others), and the vast collective knowledge about photography and Pentax, has been a tremendous learning experience. I have learned most of the things I know about photography from this very forum. I also have to add that I have always found Pentaxuser very including and open towards me, even though I come from the land of Vikings, polar bears and fjords

Best regards
Bjørn

Thank you for even more suggestions about different RAW converters!

Jon: The DXO Optics Pro free trial sounds like a good thing to check out. Thanks for pointing this out!

Thank you both for valuable advice! I guess the best thing for me is to try out different RAW converter options, and DXO Optics Pro 9 and the orginal Pentax software is a good place to start.

I purchased a decent scanner for my medium format film system about half a year ago. After spending much time on learning how to use my scanner, I am getting quite pleasing results. When I watch the scanned film on my screen, there is a special acutance/contrast, natural colour and richness that I like.

The problem now is that I am enjoying the images form my K5 and K20D less. The digital images lack something in general character, compared to medium format film. I have started to think that maybe I should do some research on RAW converters, since I shoot exclusively RAW. My RAW files are converted in the Apple Aperture editor, where there is a K5 preset.

Do any of you use the original Pentax software that comes with the camera, for RAW conversion? Are there other RAW convertors that have fundamentally different (i.e different demosaicing algorithm) from Aperture that would be worth while to check out?

I am grateful for any advice!

Bjørn

Wow!! What a superb set!

Regards
Bjørn

I am glad that my images can have this effect on you Buy yourself some film!

Bjørn

I agree Smeggy. I tried to "rescue" an image with partly blown highlights, by maxing the "reduce highlights" adjustment i Aperture. For a brief nanosecond I though it was okay, but now I regret uploading it Scanned E6 film does not tolerate much digital adjustment before it looks bad IMHO.

I guess I need to expand my Lee ND grad collection, to encompass also the 0.9 NDG. For now I only have a 0.6 NDG, and that was too weak for the no. 2 shot.

There is a well supplied photoequipment store/supplier in Trondheim, and I have just bought myself some rolls of Fuji Provia 100F to feed my Pentax KX. Hopefully I will find some nice spring motives to capture. Film is fun

All the best
Bjørn

Thanks for commenting!

I agree, the first image turned out to be one of the better ones amongst my recent shots. Even on a consumer flatbed like the Epson it is possible to bring out the Velvia "character".

I have used Velvia 50 and Provia 400X, but am planning to try some 100F. I have heard that Fuji Provia 100F is a lot easier to scan than Velvia 50, and also it has a slightly wider dynamic range. So it might be a better "all-round" film (at least for me). But when I comes to pure landscape film photography Velvia 50 is hard to beat.

Bjørn

The first set is great. The silver Jaguar (number five) is my favourite shot. What a stunning car!

Regards
Bjørn