That's a great camera. My question is, can you still buy film and get it developed???

 

Yes.

 

Oh, so true, get a pile of notebooks and detail what you are doing, note the weather, the light, what you are trying to achieve in the photograph, and refer back to your notes when you get the films back as it helps understand what has gone wrong (and you will make mistakes), and what worked, I still do this with my digital camera as still helps me improve. Please remember that the metering system on this camera is centre weighted, i.e. it will take the bulk of the measurement of the light from the centre portion of the image you see in the viewfinder, so beware when shooting with lots of sky (or any bright light) in the scene.

Also, don't worry about the lenses just focus (excuse the pun) on understanding the camera and how it works, the Canon A1 gives stunning results when the photographer gets the settings just right, it is a very adaptable camera, enjoy using it.

 

As a former Advertising & Fashion Photographer…who has possibly shot, more frames of film…than some of you have had, hot dinners

Just shoot as many images, as you can ! …have the negatives, scanned to disk…and use a simple photographic editing suite…to enhance the final images…for example ‘pixlr.com’ ?…( costs nothing to use…and intuitive, to learn )

Film …( particularly B&W) …has a range of contrasts, and definition, that the digital medium, still struggles to match

Just have fun, and take pictures !…You will be blown away, at the results

 

I lusted mightily after the A-1 when I was a kid, but they were pricey. The AE-1 was more accessible. I ended up saving up and buying a well-used Nikon F. The A-1 is an upper level SLR. Enjoy it. Your dad had good taste.

 

Highly recommended Henry Carroll’s book -
Read This if You Want to Take Great Photographs

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/1780673353

 

I use an Epson V600. You can get them used on ebay for $150 or less. Works for 35mm and 120 film. If I shoot 4x5 or larger I make contact prints and scan them on the flatbed scanner.

 

@Observer That's a good shout. Was dithering between a flat bed scanner and a film scanner. Given the amount of prints we have I think the flat bed Epson has now edged it.

 

If you'll be scanning photos you should be happy with it. It does slides and negatives well, but it does take time

 

Fine camera and film is wonderful, not only for the results but for the concentration it induces!

I learnt on film, went digital and then back to (mostly) film, despite having the latest digital gear. Have built a darkroom (will likely build again as we are planning a move) and enjoy that side as well (developing BW, C-41, E6 and printing mostly BW).

 

While a 35mm film camera is capable of fine images it's getting more expensive to use film as fewer people use it. If you develop your film at the drug store they now don't even return the negatives-screw that. You have to use an online service or a local specialist.

The digital images you get after a commercial scan are not near what 135 film is capable of. They scan at low resolution and compress the jpeg as well. The tonal range from dark to light is also greatly reduced by the mass market scans. Scanning on your own is far superior but you need better than the scanner on your all in one ink jet printer. When scanning film you also have to deal with dust.

To buy some film check out Adorama or B&H Photo. Two well regarded companies with brick and morter stores in NYC. They sell film in 36 exp rolls which can be more convenient than the 24s sold to mass market.

There are many web sites devoted to photography. One I recommend is: https://kenrockwell.com/ Good luck and enjoy.

 

In the UK I am using my local supermarket which has a franchise in-store for developing films, you can select what package you want from basic through to 7x5 prints, negatives and small digital jpeg files on a CD, this applies to colour or B&W. For bigger digital files you have to send your films to a dedicated independent lab who will make larger jpeg files of your negatives when they develop and print your film but at a cost.

Although relatively expensive to buy, process and print, I do enjoy running a film through one of my film cameras, there is something satisfying about the clunk of the shutter firing and then cranking that wind-on lever

 

The problem with the mass market scans is not just resolution. Resolution is far overrated by the public due to marketing. People think they need twelve megapixels on their cell phone when their only output is to a screen. I'm using a laptop at the moment which is set at 1366x768. That's barely more than one megapixel. The extra megapixels don't improve the pic on screen, your computer has to extrapolate to display it.

The ability of film to capture a wider tonal range than digital is only recently being challenged by digital. The general public scans totally miss the boat on that. Even were an expert shop scanning your film the exact values are a judgement call and part of the art that might belong to the photographer. The post production part of photography is as important as the initial capture. Several years ago some supposed Ansel Adams negatives were found. It was mentioned that some new unknown Adams prints would fetch big bucks. They didn't know that you can't get an Adams print unless he does the job.

 

Personally, if I want color images I shoot digital 99% of the time, because I'm too cheap to pay someone else to develop the film, and I don't want to hand part of the image creation to someone else. B&W film is incredibly easy to develop so I do that myself.It's also rewarding in a less tangible way that I can't really describe. All you need is developer, fixer, a tank and spools. And a dark place to get the film onto the spools and into the tank.

Maybe the analog nature of film and developing appeals in the same way mechanical analog watches do.

 

...I think you might be onto something there... (M3 and 105.012-65)

 

What is your workflow after development? Are you scanning and processing digitally from there? Photoshop sure opens up a whole new world of post capture. I'm not too happy with Adobe for their subscription model. A lot are doing that because they know they can suck us dry.

 

I scan small and medium format and process in an installed version of Lightroom 6. Not a fan of subscriptions. 4x5 and up I do contact prints under a bare lightbulb. Someday I'll get an enlarger. I have a room downstairs that would make a good darkroom.

 

Perfectly acceptable way of producing contact prints…especially 5 x 4 …Done it myself, in the distant past

If one is commenting on resolution…then a professionally captured, 10 x 8 Transparency…is actually sharper than reality !

Film is still far superior…if the negs, are interpolated creatively

 

I've seen 8x10 transparency on a display plate, just amazing. If I do a 2,400 scan and view on a computer, you can just drill in forever and get more detail. Even 6x6 is amazing. I have a projector for 6x6 that projects so realistically you think you can step into the picture. It's a difference from small format that has to be seen. I haven't used it in a few years, still have about 30 rolls cold--and some 4x5.

My next one is mirrorless though. Maybe a Nikon Z6. That banging mirror and the black out is a downside of
SLR design.

 

I have an Epson 4990 Pro flat bed scanner that is a dedicated film scanner. It comes with place holders for 8x10, 4x5, 120 and 135. It's software allows enough control to minimize post scan work. It may not be the best choice if you will only scan 135 (35mm) film. There are dedicated 135 printers that may be better is medium format won't be a need.