Converted to film

[scheimfluger_77]

Oh, your wallet is in mortal peril now.

[Rafal Lukawiecki]

Oh, your wallet is in mortal peril now.

Shh. No scaring gentle souls quite yet. Anyway, all of this can be done without much expense, yet with great results. Expense adds convenience, and can help productivity, or become an excuse and a distraction, speaking from personal experience.

[kb3lms]

Been developing software for 30 years and can't stand to sit at a computer at home.

28 for me not counting college but the same still applies!

Welcome fellow film enthusiast and linux user! Switched to ubuntu in 2005 and never looked back!

Lot's of great stuff here. And great people, too!

I still have the first edition of Operating Systems: Design and Implementation by Andrew S. Tanenbaum.

Me too! And "Computer Networks."

[kb3lms]

Now, with that out of the way, I know a safe light is needed, or will a bulb that has the safelight coating on it be fine. Before i use my enlarger, do I need a enlarger timer? Any info will be greatly appriciated.

You will want a real safelight, although you can make do with some alternatives. If you use a dim red light as far away as you can get, you can try and get started with that. Worst you will do is fog some prints, but it'll probably work. I used a red christmas tree light in a night light holder for some time with no problems unless the paper was out for a LONG time.

You can get away without a timer but it is much more convenient to have one. You can use a stopwatch or a clock with second hand if you can see it by your safelight. We are told that Ansel Adams used a metronome. Anything that you can use to time accurately.

[Chan Tran]

I am officially converting from digital to film. Long story short, i do not want to pay the money to keep up with digital.

I guess what you mean is that whatever you buy today and you determine that they are the best whether it's enlarger, camera, film, paper or chemical there won't be anything better in the future for you to spend money on. Otherwise film photography will tend to be more expensive than digital. With that said, welcome to film world. I am a film only photographer.

[zackesch]

Chan, my big motivaters to go to film is that I do not want to spend 550 to 900 on my upgrade Rebel xt "Canon D60 or Rebel T3i" and have it outdated in a few years. Also I would need an external monitor for my laptop and a spider to measure how accurate my colors are. I picked up my camera and enlarger for 75 ish shipped. I know I will have the cost of consumables, but id rater pay that then an expensive body that will be outdated.

Plus, i love the look of classic cameras. Always a plus to use them instead of being shelf queens.

[AeroDan]

OP, I've done the same and haven't looked back since. My art, enjoyment and satisfaction in the end product has lept forward and while I still have a digital camera, find myself not grabbing for it ever. Good luck!

[Chan Tran]

I hope the moderator won't kick me out but I have to say this. I see that film user never have their equipment outdated. I saw so many film users wishing that they still have that old cameras that they had a long time ago or wish that it still works. We film users mourn of the demise of Kodachrome or whenever Kodak or Fuji discontinued a film.
Watching the digital users folks I heard them praised a camera and then a year later they considered it as outdated, old technology, not worthy of using. I feel that it was so funny, I kept wonder why a camera is so good today and a year later it performs exactly the same but it's not good any more.

[fajaryayat]

I hope the moderator won't kick me out but I have to say this. I see that film user never have their equipment outdated. I saw so many film users wishing that they still have that old cameras that they had a long time ago or wish that it still works. We film users mourn of the demise of Kodachrome or whenever Kodak or Fuji discontinued a film.
Watching the digital users folks I heard them praised a camera and then a year later they considered it as outdated, old technology, not worthy of using. I feel that it was so funny, I kept wonder why a camera is so good today and a year later it performs exactly the same but it's not good any more.

love this quote

[zackesch]

My enlarger came in the mail today and I have two questions about it. Under the enlarger head, by the lens, there is a knob that turns a red disc over the lens inside the inlarger head. What is the red light used for? Also, in my 35mm film carrier, there are two red rectangles. One is above the negitive and the other is below. They are about 1/3 the length of the exposure. Any idea on what those are for?