
Data Analysis on 100 Rolls in 365 Days(ish)
September 10, 2021
So I've recently past my first year of shooting film. I've kept a Google Sheet tracking the rolls of film, and, being a data analysis type, I thought I'd share some statistics and thoughts.
Film:
- Overall, I shoot about 2/3 black and white.
- Recently, that's been more like 75-80% black and white.
- My go to films for black and white are HP5 (half of all rolls shot), and Delta100 (12%).
- When I shoot color, it's usually ColorPlus200 (17%) or Porta 160 (7%).
- By format, ~ 2/3 of the rolls have been 35mm. The 120 formats are mostly 6x6 and 645. I have not shot yet in 6x7, though I have a few rolls in 6x9. About 5% are in 35mm half frame format.
Cameras:
- My first camera was a hand-me-down Singlex TLS The rolls I shot with it I haven't counted, since it had a lot of problems and needed fixing. Using the wrong voltage battery, and a lack of understanding of exposure, may have contributed.
- So I started over with a Pentax MX (which I bought so I could use lenses I'd acquired for my last digital SLR, the Pentax K-X, and because it had a working meter). This camera dominated my early shooting (75% of my first 3 months), and still accounts for ~ 20% of my rolls shot. I usually shoot it with a Pentax-M 100mm F4 Macro, or later the M 85mm F2.
- My second camera was a Canon V series VL2, which I think sold for a L1 for the 1000th second speed. I love this camera, and it's (at least quantitatively) my favorite, accounting for ~ 35% of rolls shot overall, and about 50% in the last few months. I like the Jupiter 8 lens, but especially the Industar 61LD. Luxury I know, but I eventually got a Canon 50mm F1.8 and now don't want to use a lens without a focusing tab.
- My first foray into medium format was the Moskva5. I initially hated it - terrible ergonomics, very fiddley - but fell in love once I saw the photos it takes. I've leaned into the slowness and it's now one of my favorites. It shoots 6x9 natively, though I now usually shoot it 6x6 with the insert mask (something else I initially didn't like). The Moskva5 accounts for about 15% of overall rolls, but closer to a quarter in the last six months.
- I've shot about 10% of rolls on a Mamiya 645, but I need to get that serviced. Love the waist level finder, but it's big and I find myself always reaching for the Moskva5.
- I love half frames. In the last quarter, about 20% of my rolls were taken on a procession of half frames, which I'll eventually get around to reviewing.
- I found my first "big boy" camera, the Olympus AM-100, from when I was in school and shoot two rolls with it.
- There are a few other random cameras in there that I've bought/sold/tried.