Films type and amount

[loa]

Hi all,

I'll be bringing my Canon SLR for my Europe trip this april to june. That will be a 2 months trip.
Not sure how many rolls of film should I bring and the types of films (negative or slides) to bring.

I've heard that slide films produce vibrant colors in pictures but difficult to control.

I'm not a professional therefore still not familar on controlling my camera in terms of speed and exposure.

Please advise. Thanks a lot friends!

Regards
loa

[LHR02]

Welcome! There are a few of us here that are somewhat 'photog fanatics' and many aspects of your questions have been discussed in detail before....try a search on the boards under film/cameras etc for background. We've 'argued/discussed' several times the amount of film to bring and my personal opinion is to bring a dozen rolls or so for a trip of your length and expect to buy more. ;D I have never found film to be outrageously more in Europe IF YOU GET A BIT OUT OF TOURIST LAND! I'd offer to bring a roll or two of B&W....makes for some most interesting shots, especially of people and buildings. Slides do produce a more vibrant color indeed....but I have not personally developed an affinity for it yet. However, with the new processing that can put it all on CD the limitations on viewing them are nill. Also, you might consider getting a few filters for your lens...they can make even the most bland shot sparkle and be so dramatic! Assume your Canon is fully auto so you need not worry about a thing...let the camera do all the settings for you and your pictures should be perfect.

[loa]

Hi dustoffmom,

thanks for the tips.
mine is a canon eos300. even if the cam can set to be a fully auto, however i read that cam cannot recognise pure white so i hv to change the exposure to a stop higher to obtain a pure white obj......therefore i guess knowing how to set an accurate exposure is pretty important.

abt the filters, what do u recommend to bring? is there a filter that can cut out glare from the sun if I shot directly at it? or i hv to use a lens hood to do so?

for b/w films, i read in one of the thread that it will be good to bring 1 or 2 b/w instant camera but such a pity that Singapore does not sell it .

and the reason I dont want to bring b/w films is tat I may want to shot the location in color and I will not be able to do so when the b/w film is loaded at that moment.....

therefore i'm in a dilemma now. any other recommendation?
;D

[LHR02]

For filters, get a good 'polarizing' one...think sunglasses for your lens...a must in any bright glare-y sun! If you are shooting any b&w, a red filter increses contrast and makes even the most tame clouds look like dramatic thunderheads. A star filter is nice for occasional night shots. Various color filters produce good effects, depending on what you are shooting and in what light. Adorama or B&H camera supply gives a fairly good overview of filters and what they can do....both have good web sites (as do others of course). Canon's own site should offer some advice on filters as well...at least Nikon does. I hear you about the film types....my last trip it seemed I invariably had the wrong type loaded up for what the day revealed...but I like my b&w's and didn't too often bemoan having one or the other loaded...except for the parade in Florence. That would have been much more effective in color. One last thing....put your film, both exposed and not, in your carry on! Unless you are using more than 800 speed the carry on scanners won't hurt it....check it at your peril! Those scanners are film death! Instead of investing in 'soft focus' filters use some 'nose grease' around the edges of your filter....NOT directly on the lens...to soften the edges of your shot. You should always have a UV filter on! Better to risk scratching a $20 buck filter than a $100+ lens!!


If you really want to learn about exposures and such, try 'The Basic Book of Photography' by Tom Grimm.....a 'bible' of photography!

[loa]

what abt film speed? Which do u recommend and versatile, 100 or 400?

thanks!

[LHR02]

I use almost nothing but 200 these days for any sort of 'general use film'. I think it actually is a better all around film than 400...which is always purported to be 'the' all purpose film. Your camera will make the needed adjustments in low light or very bright and 200 just seems to function better in either situation...400 does not do well IMO in lower light situations.

[LHR02]

and just out of curiosity...what 'pure white' things will you be shooting that will cause problems? Truly wondering. I doubt this is going to be a problem anywhere and you should put your mind at ease about it. Today's AF SRL cameras can handle darn near anything you throw at them. ;D

[loa]

the pure white object could be a white flower, a white building/structure/castle, snow??, etc.......who knows what I may come across.

btw, hv you ever tried scanning color negative films into CD? Is the result good?

cos I was think of bring 20 rolls of films, hv them develope only(upon return), scan them into CDs and select the nice ones (or the after editing them) to be printed out by the shops

OR

bring 20 rolls of films, hv them develope and printed out (upon return)

which do u think is more cost effective? ;D

sorry so many qns....

Thanks alot!!