How?Posting great pics with film SLR

[gulf18]

I am really into photography, though I'm quite new to posting/scanning pics onto the computer. It turns my great pics into crap! I know this is common, so I wonder if I must first edit them with software like Photoshop in order to bring back the quality or what? Currently I have a Canon Elan 2e, with a variety of lenses. If I am to go digital, it would have to be a 10D, or atleast a 300d, which I cannot afford. Any advice would be great, thanks.

Chris

[alanhill]

There are two ways of getting your pictures into your computer - scan them yourself (ideally with a special film scanner, but you can scan prints with an ordinary desktop scanner) or get your processor to do it for you, you might be able to get a package deal when your film is developed.
Unfortunately neither way is free.

Alan

[gulf18]

Does anyone have experience with this? As of right now I feel I'm at a great disadvantage in doing what everyone can easily do with their digital cameras'. For years people have posted their pics on various photography sites with film cameras, and their images looked fine. Though I don't know how the average person accomplishes this. There must be other ways besides getting your pics on that stupid CD at the processing lab. Maybe I'm being unrealistic, or I just don't know. Damb digital! What's a 16 year old like me suppose to do when everyone is going digital. It's simply too expensive, plus I'm already way into film since it's the way I learned. It's like I havn't had a chance to enjoy it first. I know digital presents a whole different approach, and it offers somewhat better features to learning and enjoying making images. I don't know, anybody have any ideas/ feel the same way?

Thanks, Chris

[alanhill]

Yes I still use film for my 'proper photography' (and I borrow a little digital camera for 'making notes'). I have just spent £500 on a top of the range film scanner - it's brilliant. I can justify this because I have more than 30 years worth of slides and negatives, many of which deserve to be scanned. Also I have all the equipment I need to take the sort of pictures I want to take: it would cost me thousands to re-equip with a digital system. BUT I know I'm going to have to do it one day :roll:
Think carefully. What sort of pictures do you want to take? What features do you need on your camera? If you go digital, will your computer be adequate? Likewise your monitor, printer and software?
If you stay with film, are you interested in developing and printing your own work? If you're relying on a commercial processor, you might well be better off going digital in the near future. Sooner or later film is going to go the way of the dodo (perhaps I should have said the daguerrotype).
I know there are more questions here than answers. But all the answers have costs. The only cheap way to do this is to buy a sketchbook and a pencil :cheesy:

Alan

[camera_shy]

Lots of those pros you are talking about have special negative or slide scanners that they use that cost lots of $$$$. Also, I am a photo technician and I advocate that you try a photo cd. They are actually really nice and shouldn't cost you more than $4. In the lab that I work at we will develop your film, give you negs, an index print and a high quality (tif files) cd for $3.99. You can also get a single set of prints plus a cd and index for $10.99.

Make sure you go to a quality lab though and don't use a sendout service. Use a 1 hour lab as that way people actually make adjustments to your pictures. Avoid high volume places like wal mart and sams club to. Try some smaller drugstores or mom and pop photo stores :)

[meriadoc]

camera_shy :

where do you work? I work in a photo lab also

digital isn't that bad - and the CDs aren't stupid, in fact, alot of our customers will put their prints onto CD also.

[camera_shy]

I work at Longs Drugs, a California based Drug Store but we have stores all through the west. Don't think they go as far as Texas though.

Yes, I agree. I actually see a lot of digital photos that come out better (quality wise) than 35mm. They are sharper, clearer, have better color and enlarge better than their 35mm counterparts.

Also, the people that generally get photo cds tend to be very happy with their quality. But (and I'm not just bragging here) I do work in the best lab in two towns (I get told that by customers at least once per day). Also, by us taking the time to make the cd into tif format our customers get a higher quality for their money so they generally have no complaints about their cds. But I think I'd probably get fired if the head honchos in the company knew what we were doing lol!

Where do you work Meriadoc?

[meriadoc]

I'm the head lab technician at a wolf camera store in dallas - i work on a fuji frontier 370 :)

[gulf18]

Thanks everyone for your input. Since reading your replies I've done tons more research, and I think for now anyways, I'll go with the photo CDs. I never meant that digital is bad quality wise or whatever, but rather fed up with the barriers keeping me from doing something so seemingly simple and common as posting pictures on the web. Like I said, I'm a year into learning everything using a film camera, and everyone is going digital! You can't understand my frustration? Plus there's the cost involved. I know photography is an expensive hobby, but now I have to worry about updating my system, or buying a scanner for $500 instead of buying lenses and other equiptment, let alone concentrating on my craft. Remember I am only sixteen, and though I like to spend all the money I get on my different hobbies, it is simply not practical nor wise. Again, I will be trying out the photo CDs, and I can only hope to recieve the kind of quality service that you people have experienced or offered at your local lab. This is because I wish to compete in the different photo contests here and at other sites, whether it be with a new camera in the future, or photo CDs, I will manage somehow. Thanks again for your replies, Chris

[alanhill]

I think you've made a wise decision :)
Good luck with your photography

Alan

[camera_shy]

I'm the head lab technician at a wolf camera store in dallas - i work on a fuji frontier 370 :)

me too :cheesy:

Glad you're not giving up gulf18! Money always seems to be a problem with any hobby. You're always going to want bigger and better lol!