Late Night Fiction A blog of much perspicaciousness

35mm

I've been messing around with a 35mm SLR that I got in the past week as a gift. Despite the not-instant-gratification nature of 35mm's and the extra cost, etc. etc.. I was more excited to have this camera than I ever have been to have any digital camera. As I talked about a while ago, I love night photography. And any digital camera I've owned or been able to mess with has always only allowed me to keep the shutter open for up to 15 seconds. It can produce some nice pictures, but nothing stunning.

On the other hand, my 35mm can do up to and above 30 seconds. I can completely control how long I make the shutter speed, as long as it is within the four hours my batteries are estimated to last on an open shutter. And the other major difference that no digital camera I know of has, is double exposures. I can take one picture and overlay it with another, all on the same frame.

Of course this would be fairly easy to accomplish with Photoshop, as would most of the effects you can create with a 35mm be. But the thing that I appeals to me the most is actually creating these amazing shots with one try: controlling all the factors that go into a picture at the exact moment that you take it and at that moment only. And if you can actually create an amazing shot under those circumstances, it makes the photo that much better.