CONTACT ME

Friday, November 29, 2013

Contax 645 Medium Format Film Camera Review vs Canon 5d Mii Digital

Contax 645 Medium Format Film Camera Review vs Canon 5d Mii Digital
11/29/13


Now a days so many photographers try to imitate the look of film using digital cameras. I have to admit that it has taken me years to learn how to create that matte look of film in photoshop. So lately I've doing a ton of research into shooting with film to see first hand why so many photographers and phone apps try to achieve this look.

In my search, I've seen nothing but amazing results from photographers who still shoot in 100% film. Namely Jose Villa, and Esther and Gabe of Belle Studio. Their work is held in high regards in the photographic community. Rightfully so, if you follow the links you can see why. The reason for their success lies in the Contax 645 medium format film camera with Carl Zeiss 80mm f2.0 lens.  This is a small fortune to attain since they stopped making these cameras, but I had to see for my self what the hype was all about.

The look, color, and dynamic tonal range film is absolutely gorgeous. Of course unlike digital the majority of the work is done before you even click the camera. At about $2.13 a click you better be absolutely sure your settings and subject are ready. Take into account in comparison when I shoot a 12 hr wedding I usually come home with roughly 4000 shots to filter through. If we did this with film that works out to be about $8520 in film and developing costs, not including the costs of the camera or labor.

Here's the break down. Each roll of medium format 120 Fuji or Kodak 400h portra film is about $9 + Scanning at Richard Photo Lab in L.A. is $24/roll + Shipping $3. Each roll holds 16 shots. This works out to $2.13 per click. At this rate you start to pay more attention to how many shots you actually take.

You can process locally here in Seattle at Panda labs for a bit cheaper but the result from RPL has proven to be the very best in the world. Which is the reason why they process for some of the very best photographers in the entire world. Leaving nothing to chance I also sent my 2 rolls of film there for processing.

My very 1st run with the Contax 645 film camera turned out about on par with my expectations. I probably should have practiced with it before I took it with me to Jon and Jessica's wedding in Eastern WA but it arrived a couple days before I flew out and I did not have the luxury of getting familiar with the camera.

However the interface compared to using a digital camera was not all too different from my Canon 5D Mii. Your ISO is dictated by the ISO in the film itself. Shutter speed can be done manually or automatically in AV. You can even compensate exposure up or down to create the desired look. The main thing missing is the LCD screen to get that instant feedback of whether or not you nailed the shot. Which was a bit nerve racking since I used an untested camera on a live wedding. (of course I had my digital camera to capture 99% of the wedding as my main though)

My usual hit rate for digital using my Canon 5d Mark ii us about 20%. However because I slowed down in my photographic process using the Contax, my hit rate was about 20 out of 25 shots. That's about 80%!

Enough with the wordiness, here are my results. Contax 645. Aperture F2, Shot in AV. + 2 stops over exposure, fuji portra 400H film, and developed at Richard Photo Lab 4 days processing.






This lens is equivalent to a 50mm f1.2 wide open and if you don't nail right on the eyes, it's easy to miss your shot.





In lower light I would have switched to a higher ISO film but I had to stick with the 400 since I didn't have any on hand. The shutter speed slowed down to about 1/10. Which resulted in lots of motion blur.


Contax 645 compared to my Canon 5d Mark ii. The Digital photo is on the right.




In this image you can see where the film camera does better than Digital. Film manages tonal ranges and highlights so much better than digital. Digital tends to blow out highlights, which can be fixed if you shoot in raw and then blend multiple exposures in photoshop. Which is frankly alot of work. However in film you can nail this tonal range with a single shot.




So whats the conclusion? It's expensive to shoot on film!! It's like owning a car, every day you drive it costs you $. However as I look more at the side by side comparison. The pleasing look of film vs digital wins out 9 times out of 10.

Film Pros:
1. Beautiful Tonal Range
2. You never have to touch white balance and it comes out with pleasing skin tones
3. Great straight out of the camera, little editing
4. 5 days to turn around photos to clients? Who won't love that?

Film Cons:
1. Cost, cost, cost
2. Tight butt syndrome every time you go to the airport and pass through the x ray machine. (If you are unfamiliar, X Rays can destroy your film)
3. Changing out film after only 16 shots
4. Lack of film, Kodak has stopped manufacturing film

So the questions is, Do the tonal benefits out weigh the the convenience of digital? Probably not for some. Will I continue to shoot in film? Most likely for a while or until something better and cheaper comes around. =)




Seattle Wedding Photographers Seattle Wedding Photographer Seattle Wedding Photography Glamour Photography Seattle Portrait Photographers Seattle Intimate Photographers Seattle Boudoir Photographers Seattle Professional Photographers Wedding photographers Seattle Wedding photography Seattle Portrait photographer Seattle Portrait photographers Seattle Portrait photography Seattle john and Joseph Ben Chrisman jasmine star Binh Nguyen

Show me more...

Sunday, November 10, 2013

Jon+Jessica @ Gonzaga & Chateau Rive Wedding Photos

Jon+Jessica
11/08/13
Eastern WA
Chateau Rive & Gonzaga


I typically work about 60-70 hrs a week, I did have a 92hr week once, and I'm trying to avoid those types weeks, it is extremely hard on my health. Add a newborn into the mix and I get to compound the long hrs now with only a few hrs of sleep. So you have to understand my excitement when I sit here and type about my last wedding and arguable my most exciting wedding of 2013.

Jon and Jessica now live the Seattle area but they have their roots in Eastern Wa and Boise Idaho. As such, the wedding was at Gonzaga University's church and the reception at http://www.chateaurive.com in Spokane WA. I get incredibly excited at going to new venues. I'm like a kid in a candy store when the reception venue was as awesome as the Chateau Rive. If it was up to me I would probably ask for 5hrs of time just to do some creative shots around the venue.

I flew in the morning from Seattle and was given the royal treatment with a fantastic room at the Lusso hotel. This was just the start of a very well planned and incredible wedding. I love it when everything goes according to plan. We were sometimes literally 3 minutes off of what was scheduled at times. Which is unheard of. Most of the time weddings run 30-45 minutes late.

The families were awesome and super hospitable. These two have some great folks surrounding them. Everyone I met that day were a joy to be around.

I also had the opportunity to shoot a couple rolls Fuji Portra 400H film on my new Contax 645 Medium format camera. I'm excited to see the results of these once they come back from Richard Photo Lab in Los Angeles.



Seattle Wedding Photographers Seattle Wedding Photographer Seattle Wedding Photography Glamour Photography Seattle Portrait Photographers Seattle Intimate Photographers Seattle Boudoir Photographers Seattle Professional Photographers Wedding photographers Seattle Wedding photography Seattle Portrait photographer Seattle Portrait photographers Seattle Portrait photography Seattle john and Joseph Ben Chrisman jasmine star Binh Nguyen

Show me more...

Monday, November 4, 2013

Brandon, Trinh & Paige Family Portraits

Brandon, Trinh & Paige
Family Portraits
Renton
11/02/13

I shot Brandon and Trinh's wedding on June 30th, 2012. It was an amazing wedding at the Artic Club in Seattle.
They were fortunate enough to have Paige no more than a year later. She's a cutie. It's nice when I see my couples come back and do family photos. It kinda get to feel like they do consider me as part of the pseudo family, since I get to be there at the all the important milestones in their marriage.











Seattle Wedding Photographers Seattle Wedding Photographer Seattle Wedding Photography Glamour Photography Seattle Portrait Photographers Seattle Intimate Photographers Seattle Boudoir Photographers Seattle Professional Photographers Wedding photographers Seattle Wedding photography Seattle Portrait photographer Seattle Portrait photographers Seattle Portrait photography Seattle john and Joseph Ben Chrisman jasmine star Binh Nguyen

Show me more...

Natalie's Family Portraits

Natalie's Family Portraits
11/03/13
Renton

I come from a large family and I love being surrounded by all my nieces and nephews. And when I say surrounded it's very literal. There's now 14 kids ragning from 3 months to 16 yrs old and they love to wrap around my legs and just sit there, forcing me to drag them around the room.

Natalie, Noah, Roman, and Ella are my older brother's children. They've all grown up so handsome and cute!

















Seattle Wedding Photographers Seattle Wedding Photographer Seattle Wedding Photography Glamour Photography Seattle Portrait Photographers Seattle Intimate Photographers Seattle Boudoir Photographers Seattle Professional Photographers Wedding photographers Seattle Wedding photography Seattle Portrait photographer Seattle Portrait photographers Seattle Portrait photography Seattle john and Joseph Ben Chrisman jasmine star Binh Nguyen

Show me more...