MFD maybe I do want one

[Fritzer]

Finally it gives me something that film couldn't give me is the ability to experiment more freely, easily and precisely. And now you have complete control over everything. Once you develop your procedures you can have something, a look, that no one else can create. It's not like film in that regard where anyone can buy 10x8 polaroid and get that look exactly and instantly. Digital is limitless and provides us photographers greater ability to be unique through experimentation. There is a very, very great value in that.

I couldn't agree more .
The best technological change I ever made was from film to digital, and that's coming from an old-school background, with my own 4x5 colour enlarger and everything.
Making color prints used to be a nightmare, there never was the right tonal balance, contrast, etc., something that can now be fixed so easily in Photoshop.

An analogue print gets such a poor result, at least in color, that it's a joke when you look back from where we are now.
Many people didn't even make their own prints, and never understood the films they were using.

As far as I'm concerned, there is no film look, only a different set of limitations , depending on what film you choose.

Film was great to learn the basics of photography, and I'm glad I have had the experience, but these days a Mac, some decent printer and Photoshop (at a fraction of the cost of buying an LF color lab) allow you to take any MF/FF digital file and turn it into a quality image.

Of course you need to do a little learning first, but for me it beats trying to get an utterly unbalanced film like Velvia or Portra to behave the way you want it.

[mgrayson]

There are all sorts of books, online tutorials, and third party filters available and of course practice helps.

Thank you. I thought you meant knowledge specific to Medium Format. I've certainly learned much about photography and digital image processing through the avenues you mention - practice being the most important.

Matt

[John R Smith]

Of course you need to do a little learning first, but for me it beats trying to get an utterly unbalanced film like Velvia or Portra to behave the way you want it.

The whole point about Portra is that it is "utterly unbalanced". That's why it's good 

John

[sojournerphoto]

The whole point about Portra is that it is "utterly unbalanced". That's why it's good 

John

Beat me to it John. Portra's imbalance is quite beautiful.

[DeeJay]

Beat me to it John. Portra's imbalance is quite beautiful.

Well said guys. There's no denying the beauty of film and its unbalances. I love(d) Polaroid for this reason and every time it's different. I've always said It's like collaborating with an artist and I love its randomness. Portra at least had consistent results which is great. I know of one very well known photographer who has gone back to Portra and shooting RZ's. Another I know shoots a roll of Portra for the retoucher to match.

But I've spent a good 10 years devising procedures to give me a look that is unique to me in digital. Where as anyone can shoot portra, polaroid etc and have that look, albiet very beautiful.

I really do love film but for me those days are now about nostalgia, about meeting my wife (another photographer), my youth and everything that represents. So it will always be close to me and I will always shoot some film to relive those days. All this talk of it makes me want to break it out again though and hopefully it will still be available in years to come.

[JdeV]

While I love film, portra in particular, I shoot with a P65+ now. I don't really miss film except for some nostalgia. The first shot I ever took with the P65 I had my heart stolen. I used to shoot 5x4 and at times 10x8 and I thought with that first shot from the P65 that the look, the tonality, the colour the depth if field reminded me of large format, of 10x8. Once you spend a few days playing around with a decent MFDB and C1 you really realise how limitless it becomes. It gives me so much more than film. I was one of those that hung on to film for a long time for the colour, the tonality and now I have all that and more. I can make it what ever colour I want, I'm not limited by the stock. I can really mess the colour up too, cross process style etc and retain it's high quality. I can get that film look but have a clarity and sharpness I didn't have before. For me it's the best of both worlds. And best of all I can save it all as a preset and call it up at any time I want and then tweak it to suit the shoot and client exactly. I even have certain looks for certain clients.

Rent a P65 for a day and I assure you, you'll never look back. It opens the door to a whole new period of your photography and that, some day, is going to mean a whole lot of nostalgia for you. So what you lose in film is really not so much. I love film and I love what it has given me in the past and I love what it has taught me about colour and contrast and I take that an step forward into the future.

Finally it gives me something that film couldn't give me is the ability to experiment more freely, easily and precisely. And now you have complete control over everything. Once you develop your procedures you can have something, a look, that no one else can create. It's not like film in that regard where anyone can buy 10x8 polaroid and get that look exactly and instantly. Digital is limitless and provides us photographers greater ability to be unique through experimentation. There is a very, very great value in that.

Enjoy

On a pure technical note and as someone who has shot extensively with both...

1) A P65+ with the best view camera lenses doesn't have anything like the resolution of even properly handled 10x8 negative, let alone transparency.
Stitching without moving the camera (i.e. not just camera movements) will not nearly get you there.
2) A P65+ doesn't have anything like the dynamic range in the highlights of colour negative. This is very bad news for skies.
3) A P65+ handles neons and LED signage and close patterns badly.
4) It is much quicker and far superior to compose in the field on the back of a 10x8 ground glass screen than trying to do it via a laptop, a tiny ground glass or an external viewfinder.
5) A 10x8 camera is much more robust and reliable in the field and not dependent on huge amounts of batteries compared with a digital view camera set-up.
6) A P65+ is no good for long exposures.
7) Wide-angle digital view camera lenses are poor compromises compared with, say, a Schneider Super Symmar XL 150mm or 210mm on a 10x8.

That said, no-one will pay me to shoot 10x8 these days so I shoot with a P65 or a Leaf. The technical advantages of the digital backs are the superiority of the colour (which I absolutely love), much greater depth of field, lightness, compactness and instant results.

[Fritzer]

The whole point about Portra is that it is "utterly unbalanced". That's why it's good 

John

Try to make a living shooting film, it's not so funny any more .

Also, in post you can create any look you like .

[KevinA]

While I love film, portra in particular, I shoot with a P65+ now. I don't really miss film except for some nostalgia. The first shot I ever took with the P65 I had my heart stolen. I used to shoot 5x4 and at times 10x8 and I thought with that first shot from the P65 that the look, the tonality, the colour the depth if field reminded me of large format, of 10x8. Once you spend a few days playing around with a decent MFDB and C1 you really realise how limitless it becomes. It gives me so much more than film. I was one of those that hung on to film for a long time for the colour, the tonality and now I have all that and more. I can make it what ever colour I want, I'm not limited by the stock. I can really mess the colour up too, cross process style etc and retain it's high quality. I can get that film look but have a clarity and sharpness I didn't have before. For me it's the best of both worlds. And best of all I can save it all as a preset and call it up at any time I want and then tweak it to suit the shoot and client exactly. I even have certain looks for certain clients.

Rent a P65 for a day and I assure you, you'll never look back. It opens the door to a whole new period of your photography and that, some day, is going to mean a whole lot of nostalgia for you. So what you lose in film is really not so much. I love film and I love what it has given me in the past and I love what it has taught me about colour and contrast and I take that an step forward into the future.

Finally it gives me something that film couldn't give me is the ability to experiment more freely, easily and precisely. And now you have complete control over everything. Once you develop your procedures you can have something, a look, that no one else can create. It's not like film in that regard where anyone can buy 10x8 polaroid and get that look exactly and instantly. Digital is limitless and provides us photographers greater ability to be unique through experimentation. There is a very, very great value in that.

Enjoy

It's just that clinical clarity and sharpness that says "digital" to me, even if you mess it about it still pokes through. I like the way film blends colours and edges.

Kevin.