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Spick-and-Spin

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The GX200 is known for producing film-like images with respect to the coarseness and grains. Which of the these images were shot with the GX200? Check out the answer at the bottom of this post.
Two years ago a friend of mine was appalled by the wedding photos the studio photographers did for her. Her first reaction to the photos was like, "Gosh, why do these photos look so coarse? Those of the other batch were cleaner."
What gives? My diagonsis that she had been digitally poisoned was later proved correct. The photographers replied that the two batches had been done separately with a film and a digital camera.
That was two years ago. How much more widely the illness has spread since then? Well, there are some glitters of hope.
Last week, I ran into two teenagers in a cafe. No later had they sat down than I noticed the curious little silver machines on their table. One was a Leica and the other an Olympus. Both were old mechanical 135-format film cameras. They just made me feel itchy in my heart.
Curiosity caused me to move over to have a little chat with them. On my question why they did not use digital cameras, they said that film cameras offered better fun and produced more tasteful images with an unspeakale visual quality on the printouts. Digital cameras are simply not their cup of tea.
Wow, that can make any nostalgic photographers feel hopeful. In Hong Kong, most photo shops do not accept orders for film developing any more. Film cameras are virtually not in sight on the streets or in the shops. The other day I walked past a rag-and-bone's kiosk, alas, I saw a dozen of them! The situation is absolutely irritating to film camera aficionados.
Digital cameras certainly have many advantages and the film era is surely beyond the point of return. But while the imaging sensors become more capable of producing impeccably clean images, can the camera makers give the user an optional function to make the images look grainy like film ones?
While thinking, I played with my GX200, beaming a silly smile to myself that at least this little piece of machine gives out film-like images. I like it.
(Answer: The centre one and the one to its right were not shot with GX200)
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Rob Leslie said…
The biggest advantage of film is that it can be sent to the lab for all the work to be done. To get the very best from digital requires a little PP work. As a film user who always did his own darkroom work I like this. I still use a bit of film just for the pleasure of using one of my many old cameras, but digital can easily recreate ANY film like look, as long as you are prepeared to put as much time into it as we used to do when developing a film and making a print.
2 June 2010 at 12:23
Nevin said…
"...as long as you are prepared to put as much time to it," is very well said, Rob. The argument that making the camera instead of the computer programme do the PP work may not hold up to scrutiny. But from the experience of trying/ using several serious compacts, I now tend to think that adding such features like Film Mode to the camera is ready handy. If I wish to devote the time, I can always shot RAWs and do the PP work later. But, surely, no pain no gain. The PP work certainly gives better results.
2 June 2010 at 14:03
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