Setting up dslr

[Donald]

This. Some of us old buggers had to learn at the rate of about 7 quid film and processing for 24 shots and a week to see the results....

Some us still do, although without the 1 week wait

I found the quickest way to learn was using a method that was costing me. I'm terrible with digital though

[Doggo]

I guess that means you have access to a darkroom?

I don't really get digital... "What do you mean I can change the iso at will?!"

Can you still get medium format processed easily enough? I still get the odd yearning to buy a Pentax 67.... just now and then.

[Donald]

DIY at home. Chemicals are cheap enough, last lot I bought was around 20 quid and I've developed around 15 or so films and not 'run out'. After a while it becomes a guessing game and you have to let the film sit in the chemicals for slightly longer but it's fairly easy to gauge. Recently invested in a bag and film/chem mixer - it's a bag with arms on (that go into the bag, if you like) and you have to fiddle around opening the film cartridge and spooling it into the mixer, but it saves me having to black out an entire room and then working with 3-4 buckets of chemicals and water in total darkness. The hardest bit is maintaining temperature in the chemicals. I'm developing more at the weekend, happy to take pics if you're genuinely interested.

Medium format is no problem, again I do it myself and use the same chemicals as for 35mm.

I have a Fuji GF670, lovely camera but a beast (although IMO not as unwieldily as some of the TLRs - I think @indigolemon has a Seagull IIRC). Going on some of the Pentax kit I've used in the past I don't imagine you'll go wrong with a 67. 120 film is such a PITA though, really. Of all the stuff I have my favourite is my Minolta Hi-matic 7s, cheap as chips on eBay but the quality is way better than any other 35mm I have. None of that ISO either, ASA and DIN (although as I understand it ISO = ASA).

[Mattbigwood]

My favourite camera of all time, I'd never sell it even though I haven't used it for a couple of years
Rolleiflex by Matt Bigwood, on Flickr

As regards the Nikon DSLR, get Adobe Lightroom if you can afford it (about £80), shoot in RAW and use Lightroom to export the JPEGs.

[indigolemon]

Yup, I have a Seagull - TLR's are really good fun Only camera that makes you look like you're staring at your crotch

If you are shooting digital, I agree with Matt - shooting RAW is great. If you don't want to fork out for Lightroom, try Rawtherapee: http://rawtherapee.com/ It's what I use and it's pretty sweet for free

[Doggo]

DIY at home. Chemicals are cheap enough, last lot I bought was around 20 quid and I've developed around 15 or so films and not 'run out'. After a while it becomes a guessing game and you have to let the film sit in the chemicals for slightly longer but it's fairly easy to gauge. Recently invested in a bag and film/chem mixer - it's a bag with arms on (that go into the bag, if you like) and you have to fiddle around opening the film cartridge and spooling it into the mixer, but it saves me having to black out an entire room and then working with 3-4 buckets of chemicals and water in total darkness. The hardest bit is maintaining temperature in the chemicals. I'm developing more at the weekend, happy to take pics if you're genuinely interested.

Medium format is no problem, again I do it myself and use the same chemicals as for 35mm.

I have a Fuji GF670, lovely camera but a beast (although IMO not as unwieldily as some of the TLRs - I think @indigolemon has a Seagull IIRC). Going on some of the Pentax kit I've used in the past I don't imagine you'll go wrong with a 67. 120 film is such a PITA though, really. Of all the stuff I have my favourite is my Minolta Hi-matic 7s, cheap as chips on eBay but the quality is way better than any other 35mm I have. None of that ISO either, ASA and DIN (although as I understand it ISO = ASA).

Ok, ASA then

Never tried developing without a darkroom.... visions of fumbling round into the dark kind suggests that 14 year old boy feeling Sounds like it may be worth a try though. Interesting. And might take you up on the offer some time if I buy something new at some point, thanks

Fuji seem to make some great rangefinders. Kind of fancied one of those for a while too.

Is my memory serving me correctly that the GX was the real monster? (Yep, kind of like those too )

I've only used 35mm, excepting an old lubitel 166b TLR. Which was fine. For the money