If you're new to film this video has got you covered! I'm no expert but these are some of the mistakes I made when I was starting out! 👌😈#minoltagang

Step 1: Replace the batteries in your smoke detector

One of the best tips I was given as a beginner film photographer was to make sure the film was properly loaded in the camera. That sounds silly, but I've had many film photographers say they shot a roll of film and it came back from the lab completely blank. When loading film, make sure the rewind knob rotates as you advance the film. That way you know the leader caught on the take-up spool. It's easy for the film to miss catching on the sprockets and not actually pull out of the canister on to the take-up reel. Oh yeah....#CanonGang!

KingJvpes: "Here's the top beginner mistakes to avoid!" Also KingJvpes: "I still havent changed the batteries in my smoke detector"

I found a Minolta AF-C for cheap, it's a simple point-and-shoot, I use Fuji C200 film which is the cheapest color film I can buy. I like that old photo album aesthetic.

Even if you been shooting film for a long time like myself, watching these kinds of videos makes you go "oh silly me, how the heck did I forget or missed that"! A mistake I used to make and especially when I started was, taking more than one frame of the same subject and wasting film in that process. I remember buying my first roll of Kodachrome somewhere in 98 and I was excited to shoot it like the way pro's would. Yep, another mistake I made as well. Took pictures of the same subject more than once, and not familiarize myself of the camera setting. I can imagine the person developing that film. Yes, I know this video is about 7mo old but it's relevant everyday for everyone. I like to go back and re learn basics, because sometimes we tend to drift away and think we know it all. Thank you so much for this precious content and yes, I did subscribe. Get out there and have fun, experiment, and learn something new every day, wether you are new or have been around the block a few times.

The uncle iroh of film photography 😎

I find it entertaining to hear of current younger people "just getting into film". I also like one of your comments about not spending a lot of money on gear. I bought my Minolta x-700 in the late 1980s because I wanted better results than you could typically get at the time with the "kodak instamatics" of the day. I spent a huge chunk of 1980's change ($500ish) on that Minolta because it had the P mode as well as having the Aperture priority mode. It spent most of its life just taking family snapshots and vacation photos. Given that you are spending money every time you click the button, it was difficult to justify experimentation at the time for photography's sake. Once I got my first DIGITAL camera, I could go nuts in full manual modes to really learn the ins and outs of exposure, DOF, etc. Now I may actually go back to the X-700 and see what I can really make that thing do now.

ty bro, i’m new into film photography, trying to learn a lot, you did it easier for me, good luck 📸

Wow, I never thought drugstores in America were this bad. In germany you pay 2.75€ for the development AND 36 9x13 printed pictures with index and you get the negatives back. damn good value for money

your advice regarding wasting money on unnecessary equipment is spot on. been doing film for almost 50 years and i still shoot a lot of 35mm on an old pentax k 1000. these can be picked up for a song,and are generally better than the person using them.but if you wanna spend money,do your homework on lenses.then you can cough up some serious cash!

Just joined the MinoltaGang with an X-700. I wanted to move up from my Pentax K-1000 and have something that could shoot Ap Priority if need be. Just seemed like time and time again I saw this X-700 pop up in peoples videos. Loving it so far, beautiful camera and a great feel.

My biggest mistake when I started shooting film photography back in the early 2000s (when I was also learning digital photography at the same time) was definitely underexposing. My digital camera was an Olympus e-500 which had super grainy images, so I inadvertently became obsessed with shooing wide open at low ISO to compensate, and sadly brought those habits over to my film gear as well. No wonder nearly all my photos became hot garbage. These days I'm older and wiser, and I'm studying up, stopping down, and metering properly for both digital and film. The result? Less hot garbage, and more keepers! Go figure!

The Point with drug store development is interesting. Here in Germany it's totally different... Yea it's send to a big lab but you not only get your negatives back in 4 picture slices but you can also get scans on a CD and it's way cheaper than going to a small lab (7 Euro for prints and scans instead of 15 Euros just for scans).

Please change the battery in your smoke detector lol... nice video!

Change that smoke alarm battery bruh

You and many other film photographer KZfaqrs are the reason why i regained my passion again and to even persuade me on buying a film camera. Love ✊

After starting shooting film in march and learning sunny 16 it changed my film photography for the better. I don't even use batteries in some of my fully manual cameras anymore because i watched your videos on sunny 16. Another great video jonathan.

I was searching for a X-700, but I wasn’t thinking to use the P mode, so I got X-500 for cheaper. I don’t know what are the prices now, but I’ve got it with a 50/1.7 lens and I am so satisfied by this combination! I might buy a 50/1.4 in the future or wider 28 or 35 mm lens, but this kit of Minolta x-500 with 50/1.7 works amazing! Keep up with the good work and photography! :)

I have been shouting film for sixty years, and I appreciate these tutorials immensly. In the digital world, the values you get from a digital camera does not necessarily translate to analog film. So just looking at film and how film works makes a ton of difference. Thank you :-)

You are by far the best film photography teacher on KZfaq. I got into film last year and have been watching as many videos as possible. I just found yours and immediately subscribed and have been going through and watching all your content! Thank you for making valuable and easy to understand videos for all the beginners out there.

I just bought my first film camera the other day and found your video. thank you so much for the advice!

Well, I wouldn't say letting your negatives developed at a drugstore is always wrong... I am not a beginner anymore, but I still do. The Dutch store HEMA takes 135 and 120 both C41 and E6. It costs just €3 respectively €3,50 and when you have it back within a few days. Development takes place at the lab of Fujifilm.

1. Forgetting to put the film in. 2. Forgetting to take the lens cap off. 3. Forgetting to turn the camera on. 4. Forgetting to change the ASA from the previous setting. 4. Not getting the film attached correctly to the winder. 5. Check the battery.

2:40 that pic is soo good. I like that retro washed look

When I was younger I traveled to Europe as part of a school program. I had my beloved Nikon F with photomic finder. When I reached halfway of the trip my photomic batteries died and I had no light metering capability. Sunny 16 helped me as well as learning to “read” light. When you use a meter don’t do it without thought, after a while it helps you to learn how to ‘read’ light without it. The results for me were that I kept shooting through the rest of the trip without a meter but my photos were great.

Just came across your video! I recently bought a X-370, taking a break from digital, all of your advice is spot on. Excited to see the developed product. ☺️

I disagree with the first point. Here in Canada (in Calgary anyway), there are only a handful of places that develop film and the most affordable and the most convenient place to go to is from a certain drugstore chain that has a photo lab in-house. They don’t ship it to somewhere else. They develop the film, give back the negatives and provide digital scans.

This is soooo helpful, I’m not a beginner anymore, but I would have loved having this kind of advice when I was starting. Thank you for helping the community!!

The "Sunny 16 Rule" is a way to determine a fairly correct exposure if you are without a lightmeter. As in, "my camera doesn't have a light meter", or " darn my battery just died and my light meter is inoperable". It has nothing to do with whether you are using film or digital. It just came about during the film era, when, eh, that was all there was. I hardly ever used it in the field, as film camera batteries lasted for years, not hours. I did use it to as a teaching tool to demonstrate the relationship between f/stop and shutter speed in getting the same exposure with different settings. Film photography is all about the glass and , as you stated, learning about film types. The camera is just a box that holds the film flat, together with some bells and whistles.

I literally use your videos as studying. I take notes and add it into my material as I learn more about film photography. You are helping me make so much money in my future and put many smiles on peoples faces. Great work bruh!

I LOVE the Darkroom. Finally got my uncle's konica ft-1 fixed and I'm excited to dive in deeper with this camera

I love your channel Jonathan!!! Thanks for taking the time to educate and entertain us, especially during this time. Looking forward to learning a lot about photography through your videos. Stay blessed brother, major love all the way from The Bronx, NY ❤🙏🏽

Professionally wedding photographer here! Just bought a Minolta XD11!! Haven’t been this excited for photography in a while ❤

Dude put some batteries in your smoke detector

I have the Yashica Electro 35, its the one in "Amazing Spiderman" I love that movie. Never shot film before, and I hardly know anything about cameras in general but my grandpa is a great photographer and he continues to teach me about it whenever we see each other. Going to the North Carolina mountains possibly for my birthday on the 29th of April. So I will definitely shoot some photographs there, cant wait to see what they look like!

Great video. I think most beginners underexpose their c-41 color film and then get shocked when they don’t have good results. I love shooting Portra +2 stops now for some wiggle room to make sure I don’t underexpose.

Thanks again for making a great video and to encourage more people to shoot film.

Appreciate you taking the time to make these videos man! I’ve just started and have made some mistakes but I’m also learning from your videos. ✌🏾

My man out here looking fresh!! Love ur sweat man

So I shot a roll of Fuji Superia Colour 400 in my Minolta XG-M today. La La La Love it! Love the feel etc etc etc. (I have been digital for years but relied too heavily on the LCD screen). I was inside a semi well lit room with front light on the subject. 50mm f1.7 lens in manual mode. When I had the exposure compensation meter set on zero at f8 due to having multiple people in the shot, which I would normally do in a digital camera to achieve wide focus sharpness, the camera told me to set the shutter speed at 1/8 or 1/4 second. Obviously no good hand held (normally needs 1/60th maybe 1/30th). So I opened up the aperture to f2.8 or f1.7 to get 1/30th to 1/60th sec hand held to prevent camera shake. So now I'm limited inside to doing portraits of individuals at f1.7 to f2.8 at best hand held??? (normally on a digital camera like the Canon 7D I would simply increase ISO to compensate). So what I did to give me increased shutter speed is to set the exposure compensation dial down to -1 to -2 stops... am I going to end up with grainy shots on the fuji 400... what am I missing? please don't say a flash unit... not possible when everyone else is using mobile phones and we are in a public church Confession of Faith service... help! yet to develop...

2:54 I like that "happy accidents" from Bob Ross. Good Video

In germany the drugstores actually are the cheapest option and even give you the negatives back, so they are usually my go to option, as the actual quality of the developing process does not really change much. You have to get prints or scans tho, so I usually just get some prints for my photo box and to see what is on any given film. Tho I will probably start developing myself pretty soon just to safe some money and get faster results.

there are super advanced film cameras from the early oughts that have like auto exposure, accurate lightmeters, they can even read the iso straight off the film canister, autofocus, everything and they are way cheap. they use batteries that you can actually buy. i get it they arent hipster enough but they work, you'll have a way easier time.

It has been quite a while since I had film developed, but I always got negatives back. This is nuts!

Very interesting topic regarding drug store development. Here in germany you get your negatives back, they are also way cheaper if you only let them develop the film, without doing the prints. Like ten times cheaper than smaller film labs (3€ for the development of one 120 roll). The only downside is it may take from one to three weeks (especially medium format slide film takes longer in my experience).

Under or overexposing black and white, I mean sure if you're talking shooting at box speed and then under/overexposing a frame, but you can push most B&W films as long as you do so for the entire roll, which is essentially underexposing a ton.... I've shot Rollei RPX100 at 3200, that's 5 stops underexposed (or pushed) just tell your lab and they'll develop accordingly...you do get grain, but grain with detail, what people should focus on is the dynamic range of the film, and then meter for the details that are the most important... E-6 (Slide) is more finicky and you are absolutely right that you need to nail the metering as it has a narrower dynamic range (like 5 stops or so) so you either get blown out highlights or no shadows .... BUT no meter can fix bad lighting or wrong lighting ... if the scene has a greater range than your film, you need to either make a choice as to what you want, shadows or highlights :)

I legit subbed halfway into this video and this is my first one of yours. You explain things so well and you give off such a great vibe. Can’t wait to meet more film photographers like you!

Very informative. I can't wait to start using mine again ❤❤❤

my dad gave me his minolta x7000 and i feel like it's a great camera i have no idea if it is a good camera or not but i love it

Great video! I just picked up my dad's old Olympus OM 4 and I'm currently shooting my first roll of B&W film. Can't wait to see the results!

Appreciate your Channel. But this being four years old, if you did an update, I'd include bracketing your shots. We were taught way back to take 3 shots,(1 a half or full stop under, 1 spot on, & 1 over) in order to get one frame that's balanced. Taking notes of surrounding conditions helps the learning curve. Sunny 16? I use a Canon Eos Elan iie that I bought in the 90's taking my 1st/only class,& just got a Canon 1N, still in the box, haven't had time to ck. it, hope it works(too late to return on Ebay.) I use the in camera meters?

I love the Darkroom. They’re so supportive for newbies

Super helpful video! I’m just starting out with film photography. I’ve been watching your vids and it’s been helping me out a lot. Thanks for putting it together!

I recently got an srt 101 and I'm so excited to use it and now that I know what mistakes to avoid I can't be readier !! Thank you good work on the video!

Joined minolta gang with srt101, i love it but learning i have destroyed so many films :( as the films got expensive i started buying expired but being a beginner and using expired film is really hard. I hope you can make a video about expired film photography. Thank you for this video✨

good video man! hope you've changed the battery in that smoke detector

A point which I hoped you'd mention is about buying old photographic equipment, and not factoring in the costs of repairs/CLA when doing so (or to look for ones already serviced). Most of the stuff is getting pretty old by now and needs some professional attention. Changing the mirror bumper and light seals would be the least I'd do to any camera I pick up. So in a way it is a bit misleading to say you don't need to spend a lot of money on gear, that may be true in the sense that you don't need a lot of gear or the most bells and whistles, however you may be in for a pretty big disappointed when you notice that a large portion of the gear you buy used doesn't work properly.

Coming from a Sony A6000 (100% best budget DSLR on earth) to an 80s Olympus OM-G and I'm very excited. I typically shoot manual just to reinforce my knowledge of light and its dynamics. Hope to get some good results from the Olympus.

I recommend that after you understand the basics of exposure and shoot a few rolls of negative film that you experiment with slide film. This will force you to learn how to nail your exposure.

Hahah I did not make the mistake of spending too much on gear. I started with a 5$ yashica electro 35 GSN and then fixed up a Olympus om-10 for my sister that was 20$ and then I got a yashica FRII for 35$. Antique shops have been great for finding these. Sure they aren’t the best but still decent for trying to learn.

In Germany it‘s another story... In every „dm“ drug store you can develop one roll of 35mm film for 1€ and get the negatives sent back. It takes a week at least and sometimes they cut into an actual frame, but itˋs dirt cheap and the developement quality is fine. Plus Kodak Gold is super cheap here, you get a pack of 3 for 8€ in the dm drug store. So you can get a roll+developement for 3,66€, super handy for just snapping around ;) I‘ve done it a lot and am always satisfied with the results.

You can't imagine how helpful this is! Thank you so much!

Love your vibes. Thank you for the excitement. I am holding my dads very old Minolta Dynax 500si and I am so invigorated to move through the world with film. Your channel will be a must to do this proper!

Walgreens sends film to FujiFilm to get developed but you are correct no negatives in return. I found a place local to me who will develop for $5 a roll, then scan for an extra $5. Same day turn around if you drop off early too :) Also depending on how much film you shoot, eventually it becomes more cost effective to develop your own. If you are just scanning and not doing prints, then you don't need a darkroom set up. If you're friends with other film photographers in your area then you can process all your rolls together and split the cost of developing.

I just picked up a Minolta SRT 100x for $37 with a 50mm and got a Sigma 75-250mm also! Im so excited to start using film

This is showing my age here as film was my era. But when i went to develop my film you would always get your negatives 🎞 back I thought this was standard practice

My state is in lockdown and these videos allow me to be sane. thanks bro! another great vid

I got the Nikon F2! It’s a mechanical wonder. No fussy old electronics to worry about the only thing to worry about is not using it at all! It’s definitely a good every day use camera! Worth the price!. One mistake you forgot to mention was about not practicing with your film camera and learning how to compose. Practice with cheap expired bulk film. Don’t be afraid to mess up and always review your negatives to learn what mistakes you made. And never throw them away. Always keep trying and experimenting and always have a goal in mind. Keep shootin’!!

I recently picked up a BEAUTIFUL Pentax Spotmatic SP2 for 150 bucks with a lense and a leather case. I love it.

Rly hyped on the ricoh and XA pov’s!

This video resurfaced on my feed. I'm amazed on progress throughout this year. Learning Sunny 16 is a must, you'll understand your own gear capacity and technique. And just like he said, you don't need it wide open. Some of my favourite shots range from F8 to F16, if must F5.6. I appreciate the tips and tools on your channel that I use on film journey 👊.

Dark Room Lab makes me think of Jefferson from LIS 🌝🙌

my favorite channel so far!!! Absolutely love you content and all ur videos!!

I started with a Minolta XD11 & 50mm F1.4. It's still my only and favorite full frame SLR. What instantly blew me away about film was how I was able to get photos that easily rivaled the results of full frame digital cameras that cost thousands of dollars. Plus, the negatives are kind of future-proof in that you have the potential to scan them at a higher and higher resolution as technology advances.

Alternative to the Minolta x700 is the XG-M, same camera but without the program mode, and generally can be found at better prices. Just FYI

Hi, I really like how you narrow down things especially like me who is still beginning to explore and learn film photography. I am using Minolta Hi Matic AF-D, if you have something to add please I would love to hear moreee

I use a specialist processor in Cheltenham Gloucestershire UK near where I live. . It's called The Darkroom as well. I get my films developed only, no prints, negatives and colour slides returned filed in sleeves. C41 is the process for Ilford XP2 400 black and white film although it is a colour negative process.

I agree with not spending too much too. The most beautiful pics I ever took were while cruising the fjords. My kit? A 50 year old Olympus Quickmatic I got for £30 and a handful of expired 126 cartridges. Just goes to show…

After watching your videos it makes me fall in love with film. But till now I can’t get a hold of film camera

I almost always shoot at 1.4 on my 58mm and I never have any issues haha my camera doesn't even have that many fast shutter speeds, the fastest are 250, 500 and 1000 and I've never had overexposed shots! Been shooting with it for 10 years with no lightmeter. I always use 200 or 400 rolls

My honest mistake is using my film cameras for that addictive bokeh out-of-focus look. The pictures end up not looking great as old film era lenses aren't sharp wide open and also experience a bit more focus shift than modern focusing technology and lenses performance. Now I just stop the lens down a couple of stops and shoot them to get good constant results.

Never tried film but definitely want to! Thanks for sharing man! 🤙🏻

first camera i got was a canon eos 500n rebel and im getting my film back from it on saturday

I was kinda expecting to respond to this saying "but mistakes are how you learn" but this was a nice surprise. This video actually has some really useful tips for beginners, good job man.

Going to Alabama this coming week. Gonna be working with the Minolta Maxxum 7000 📸🙏🏾

Is there a video for beginners on how to use "modern" classic film cameras (Cameras made from the 80s to the early 00s with technology like the automated film advance, etc.)?

I'm really apprecaited brother for all the infos!!!👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼

You content really evolved over the year! Keep it up 👌🏼

dope video bro just got the ae-1 :)

I've been watching your videos all morning -- feel like I'm taking a photography class! Thank you for explaining things in depth!! I'm a beginner, learning on a canon ae-1 program and have some portra 400. I sent in my first roll to the Dark Room. Since you like them, can you tell me how much of a difference a standard scan vs. an enhanced scan makes? I'm also trying to learn Lightroom and wonder if it makes any difference when editing. Should I just stick with standard scans until I feel more comfortable that my photos will turn out the way I intend them to?

Don’t know if it is a big mistake but a very commonplace one: thinking that “expose for the shadows” (in the case of negative films) means that you should use the meter reading from the darkest shadow area where you want to retain detail.

In Germany you get your negatives and prints for about 5€ and the developing itself is really cheap with 2,55€ at the drugstore

I've gotten great results from my Canonet QL17 and Olympus XA. No screen to chimp at. Just compose, shoot and trust the camera.

1) "the learning curve" is MANY years long. You must understand the math of exposure, development and the characteristics curves of each film you use. I spent 20 years as a professional film tech rep for Fuji trying to get PRO photographers to learn film. I can name the good ones from the 5 states I covered on one hand. 2) GREAT advice on gear. A great photographer can make great photos with crap gear. Crap photographers make really expensive crap photos. 3)spend your money on the BEST lenses. The camera body is the frame to your glasses. The LENSES make the difference. 4) Light meters are only as good as the person using them. Use a spot or incident meter for best results. TLT Avg meters in film cameras are not that good unless you really understand how they work and all the other stuff above. 5) Great advice on film types. Transparency film is like shooting digital. It holds shadow detail better than highlight detail so expose for the hightlights. 6)Transparency film will prove if you know what your're doing or not. No room for error. +/_ about 1/4 an f/stop is your latitude. 7) Wrong on slide film exposure. OVER exposed slides are completely useless. If the information is lost in highlights, there is NO bringing it back. 8) KNow the Sunny 16 rule. It ALWAYS works. Sunny day = a shutter speed of 1/ISO at f/16. So, with ISO 100 film 1/100 @f/16. OR f/8 @ 1/400 with ISO 100 (2 stops more open and 2 stops LESS with the shutter speed)

I’m getting back to film photography and have to relearn everything. I bought a Pentax ME with three lenses for under $100.

Fantastic video presentation! Thank you so much 😊

Good on you for the plug my brother, it's true and your content is quality 🔥

My Praktica LTL3 and Prinzflex 28mm lens together cost £10. I’ve since bought a couple of lenses but you don’t need to spend a ridiculous amount on Gear. Kodak Ultramax is also my main film stock

Awesome video. Also really like your sweater!