Film Camera Gear of the Masters...

A tough wake up call of buying an old film camera is that you are shooting the same camera as the masters used to shoot.  A Leica M3 and you are using a Henri Cartier-Bresson favorite, shoot a Olympus OM-1 and you are using a Jane Bown's camera of choice, shoot a Nikon F2 and you are using the camera Steve McCurry used to shoot 'The Afghan Girl".

Gone are the megapixels, focus stacking and the electronic wizardry we have learned to love. All they used was a box with a lens and some film. The result...images that will stand the test of time. 

This is one aspect I love of film photography, all you have is a mechanical devise and a bit of film. Everything else you bring as the photographer.  This is also why I am so impressed of the masters of film photography.  While digital photography is wonderful, I never know if I am looking at what was shot, or what was made in post processing.

In the traditional darkroom, all you can do is darken, brighten or crop. Nothing else can really be done without bringing the image into a computer. So what you see is what was there when the image was taken.

If you are on the fence about trying film photography, check out a photography book from one of the masters shoot between 1920's through 1970's and you will be floored at what was possible with the most basic equipment. Then, when you realize that you can buy the SAME equipment you will begin to understand the thrill of shooting a film camera!