Film Point and Shoot Tips

when I first got my contacts T2 I struggled quite a bit with getting some good shots consistently from missing Focus to Overexposed images everything seemed to be going wrong despite owning one of the most revered point-and-shoots ever created well unsurprisingly all my misfortunes with this illustrious camera ended up being entirely due to user input thus over the last couple years I've learned some really good tips that have helped with my success rate when it comes to shooting point-and-shoot cameras first and foremost is to bring it everywhere the best way for you to begin to understand your camera its functions the best workflow with it and how to create interesting images with it is to be using it as much as possible now I know that it's difficult to justify with the price of film but by bringing it everywhere with you you are opening up so many more scenarios that might make an interesting photo or scene by just simply bringing it along the amount of times I've driven past something of Interest or found amazing Golden Light while commuting is insane and is 100 worthwhile for you to bring your camera after all what's the point of really using a point and shoot unless you lean into the strength of the camera which is convenience and ease of portability next up is understanding when to use the flash many point-and-shoots come equipped with an on-camera flash because the idea is that this camera can be used anywhere making good use of The Flash is of utmost importance now if you're outside during the day I would recommend to turn the flash off granted that it's not automatic using the flash during the day can make your camera lock into using lower shutter speeds which you probably don't want on a bright day likewise if you're inside or using the camera at night you want to make sure that you're using the flash as this will allow you to actually see your surroundings and your subject it might seem obvious but the amount of time I've spent using the Flash in wrong circumstances is painful if you don't mind doubling up on exposures taking one photo with flash and one photo without will begin to build your brain kind of memory bank on what type of lighting is needed for Flash or without it if that makes sense the more practice with it the more comfortable you'll get with it next up this one goes hand in hand with the last and it's using higher ISO film stocks because you'll be using this camera in so many different lighting conditions or even over a long period of time shooting a higher ISO gives you much more flexibility from indoor dimly lit party scenes at night to outdoor bright Landscapes and everything in between shooting a film like portrait 800 gives you much more range and flexibility you will have slightly more grain with this but even compared to a consumer film like gold portrait 800 looks great another important tip is knowing your closest Focus distance on all cameras and lenses there is a closest point where the lens can focus on an object for example my contacts t2's closest focusing distance is 0.7 meters meaning the closest I can stand where the t2 will be able to focus is 0.7 meters away this is especially important when trying to take macro shots so you're not wasting film shooting out of focus shots thankfully you can pretty easily Google your camera's closest Focus distance or reference the manual if you cannot find it it can vary quite widely with cameras but I wouldn't expect your point and shoot camera to have a very close Focus distance or a loud super detailed macro shots it's just not what they were made for next up is understanding your autofocus system the vast majority of point-shoot cameras have autofocus systems and getting in tune with your camera system is necessary while some are better than others understanding the autofocus is needed to ensure you're not missing focus and and ruining your hard-earned photos in my T2 I have an auto focus patch in the middle so making sure whatever I want to be in focus should be in that patch unless I'm trying to focus on the foreground or something then it would need to be shot manually which thankfully the t2 allows for but many cheaper Point shoots do not have that flexibility so understanding the autofocus so you can kind of trick it or manipulate it for those more artistic shots is crucial when I first started using these cameras I guess I assume the camera could read my mind and get the correct focus with little effort but this input is one of the few you need to do accurately on a point-and-shoot camera so taking the time to understand the workflow with your camera's autofocus should be high priority last up is getting experimental with your angles and you don't always have to shoot through the viewfinder because point and shoots are such tiny cameras that are convenient to take anywhere and generally have wide angle lenses they are great candidates for shooting more experimental angles from really high angles to putting the camera down in the ground there's lots of room to try some different things honestly don't even worry about not being able to look through the viewfinder and give some totally off the cuff shots a chance after all it is called a point and shoot so that's going to wrap it up for the main things that I thought of when I was thinking what could I tell myself when I first got the t2 or whatever Point shoot that would help me improve quicker than trying to learn these things on my own or trial and error so I think if you keep these in mind when you're out using your point shoot it will render you much better results and hopefully save you some blank shots or rolls I know if I heeded this advice man two three years ago it would save me probably hundreds of dollars worth of film which is honestly kind of embarrassing what tips would you guys tell yourselves when you're first starting out using point and shoots I think that'll be valuable in the comments below if not for me for someone else otherwise thank you guys so much for watching stay tuned for the next video and until next time peace out thank you

Channel: metal fingers

Views: 27,017

Keywords: film, film photography, analog, analog photography, 35mm, 35mm film, film camera, medium format, portraits, landscape, analog camera, metal fingers film, mistakes, point, and, shoot, point and shoot, how to, easily, beginner, best, cheap, cheapest, affordable, contax, t2, t3, alternatives, yashica, xa, t4, xa2, review, point and shoot film camera, 2022, 2023, 2021, 2024, new film camera, new film stock, grainy days, Willem verbeeck, verbeeck, negative feedback, mju ii, olympus, mju, olympus stylus, stylus, iii

Id: 9924MLsemKs

Length: 5min 57sec (357 seconds)

Published: Sun Oct 30 2022