Like Finding $20 in Your Pocket

"I shoot 35." It feels good to say it again.

I recently dusted off my Minolta Maxxum STsi and photographed a college football game. Sure, it may not be a Nikon or a Canon, but it does its job. It was my first SLR and, while seven years old, still works perfectly.

Why am I waxing philosophic about the days of film? It seems I had forgotten what made me fall in love with photography in the first place. I love the subtlety of film that digital can't capture. Photoshop can do wonders for digital photos to achieve these effects, but I still prefer film if quality matters. Don't get me wrong, digital is my starting quarterback for its convenience, economics, and "development" time. Still, there's something special about the anticipation of developing the film. The instant gratification of digital is left to the mind's eye and only you, the photographer, know what you captured.

Take a look around the web...visit Fuji's site and Kodak's site...and take in the differences among the film emulsions. Some have more contrast; some have less. Others have vivid colors, and some are perfect for shooting weddings or portraits. With digital, you lose these subtleties that make shooting film exciting. My current favorites are Kodak's Ultra Color 400UC and 400VC for everything but sports. These films have the extra pop that lends "something different" to your photos that cannot be captured with digital. For sports, I shoot mostly Fuji's Superia 800 and and Fujicolor Pro 800Z. In the coming weeks, I plan to experiment and shoot a variety of films outside of their typical uses. I'd like to try Kodak 400UC and 400VC on the football field. I am also going to shoot a roll of Fuji Superia 1600.

I am not a pro by any means. I aspire to be one though. At this point, I consider myself to be a educated consumer. Perhaps you might even call me a "pro-sumer." In fact my first digital camera was the Canon Pro 90 IS, which I almost pulled out for the college game. My other gear includes the aforementioned Minolta Maxxum, a 4 megapixel Canon SD400 Digital Elph, and a 6 megapixel Canon Sd630 Digital Elph.

I have the itch for some new gear. I am thinking of trying Nikon for the first time. The Nikon D40 looks great (the D40x is slower and more expensive) as does the Canon Digital Rebel XTi. The film-based Canon EOS Elan 7ne SLR Camera has caught my eye as well.

Shutterbug is my favorite photography magazine and Ken Rockwell's site is unmatched. I buy my film from Adorama and Camulet Photo. I buy my cameras from Amazon.

Image: Minolta Maxxum STsi, 75-300mm telephoto zoom, Kodak Ultra Max 800, f/11, 1/1000