Film vs. Digital redux?

I know this has been discussed ad nauseum in the past, but I want to bring it up again.

I am currently without an underwater system, and am seriously considering going back to a film system for underwater use. Before you jump on me, understand that I shoot exclusively digital with a 1d on land and absolutely love it.

Here are my reasons,

1: Film latitude, especially on the high end. I shot with a G2 on my last dive trip, and despite problems with a strobe, now that I have had time to review everything in detail, it seems to me that at least underwater, digital has a real big problem with blown highlights. And from what I can tell, its really hard, if not impossible to get diver/fish silouhettes with that wonderful star burst sun in the background. I have read that digital has as much if not more latitude than Velvia, but I shoure can't see it in my results.

2: Lack of TTL strobes. With Canon its even a lack of hard-wired strobe witht the exception of the UK housing, and maybe the Sea&Sea. I know everyone says shoot manaul, but in reality, a great TTL strobe system, with the ability to use flash compensation is a real plus. I shot more film keepers on my Fiji trip limited to one roll per dive than all the digital shots I have ever taken underwater. A powerful strobe, like Ikes 200 makes such a wonderful difference.

3: Shutter lag. say no more, unless you house a 2-6k camera and lenses, you have to deal with this.

All that said, I love digital, I love the instant feedback, the increased number of shots, etc etc.....

So...I would like to hear from those of you who have used both systems. What results are you finding? I realize this will probably be biased towards the digital end given the nature of the group, but I would appreciate your feedback.

Horrors of horrors...I am thinking about going back to an old Elan II and Ikelite system that worked so well for me in the past so convince me I am wrong

One option: get ahold of my old UK Germany D60 housing and get a D60 + lenses. Total cost will be $2K for housing, $3K for D60 + lenses (body, $2K, wide-angle and macro, about $1K total).

and, of course, lenses can be used with any Canon film body.

As Eric said, the alternative to your decision would be a D60 with it's more dynamic CMOS technology is one way to go - but expensive, unless you fancy one of Marc's housings for your 1D. These housings can cater for both film & digital if you get a used EOS 1v

If you prefer the dynamics of film then go with this option at 1/3 the price using an EOS3 or 5, both capable kit.

Buying Canon system strobes may help out problems faced with both media, I am certainly going along these lines now for both the 1Ds and the Minolta Dynax 9.

Rich Graduations...

This is one of the things I have set out to explore in "Gimme the blues" by inviting members to give it their best shot, but so far a poor response.

Regarding the 1Ds - In my opinion it is not worth the money, I'm quite disappointed.

Regarding the 1Ds - In my opinion it is not worth the money, I'm quite disappointed.

Jim Watt went over to play with Doug Perrine's 1Ds, and he said he was quite disappointed as well. I suspect that it is because of the chromatic aberations while shooting wide.

Full frame sensor "not quite there" yet? Light fall-off in the corners? How does the CA appear?

Enquiring minds want to know Bob. You can't just make a statement like "not satisfied." We want details man!

Bob, I promise I'll get to your question after work.

Cheers

James

PS, have fun shooting fruit-bats, but watch out, they shoot back!

All right, so now that I've had some time to think about this one:

Bob - coming from a film background, you have a RIGHT to be frustrated with your consumer digicam's performance underwater. But remember what that camera is made for - it's a "prosumer" digicam - one step above "point and shoot." That comment is going to rankle some - but please keep in mind that for people just starting out in underwater photography, this is the perfect tool. Eventually though - you are going to hit a wall with a setup like this. The two main factors that contribute to the frustration are IMO, lack of dynamic range, and shutter lag.

So I urge you to try a digital SLR underwater. Heck, just see if you can borrow one, or rent a setup from Backscatter if they have one available. The shutter lag problem is eliminated, so that you can TAKE the shot that you visualize in your mind - not some random event that occurs 1.2 seconds afterwards.

The dynamic range - yes, I admit, that even w/ a high-end DSLR, it's still not as good as film. But using a sensor instead of film has it's pros and cons. For me, the biggest pro is the ability to push a shot that is two stops underexposed with ZERO loss of quality. You can also save shots that are one stop over... This, IMO makes up for SOME of the lack of dynamic range.

The other technical problems are either resolved, or on the way. The S2pro does TTL. Canon and Nikon you can use Ike's controller and get some darned good shots w/o TTL. The housings are starting to hit the streets. New digital wideangle lenses are coming out that will "fix" the crop factor for us. These are all working themselves out.

So hang in there. I would consider that D60 and Eric's UK Germany housing - Especially since you already have Canon glass.

HTH

James Wiseman

Thanks for the comments. This is a really tough decision for me. I am so totally addicted to digital that it seems almost blasphemous to go back to a film camera.

But. I still would love a good film camera for topside wide angles and night shots. (An Area where the 1d does not excel) Tough decision.

If I swtich back to film and I still welcome to come harass you guys?

B)