Film Is Not Dead: A Digital Photographer's Guide To Shooting Film

I have been trying to find a copy of this book for a while after having read a preview of it online, and about a week into winter break I found one. The title of the book makes it's subject matter pretty self-explanatory, but unfortunately the book was pretty lackluster for me. The author, Jonathan Canlas is a professional wedding photographer who photographs his client's weddings on film. I did enjoy the small hints and tips that he provides for the reader, but my main hitch with the so-called "guide" is the fact that it's not much of a guide at all. The author begins by providing generally helpful things for shooting film, and does seem to help a digital photographer understand what it would take to make the transition, but very quickly heads towards very specific, gear-centered talk. In the beginning, Canlas makes a conscious effort to sway the reader to believing that film is better by stating facts that he believes makes film superior. The fact that there's not chimping on a film camera will help you think more. The fact that each frame costs money causes you to compose better. The dynamic range of film makes it hard to blow highlights and to crush shadows. He even points out the fact that film gear is becoming cheaper and cheaper by the day, and all of these things sound like very enticing facts. I do have a problem with the fact that he states that there is no DSLR on the market with a leaf shutter, when there is the Mamiya 645DF+ that can operate with a leaf shutter, and I'm sure there are others, but we all make mistakes. Canlas' biggest mistake was mentioning that he owns a Contax 645. From this point on in the book it's all he really talks about. I love a good camera as much as the next guy, but after this point in the book, prepare for him to just spout on and on about his Contax 645. He does address other types of cameras, and even gives a few tutorials addressing how to load film into cameras like the Mamiya Press/Polaroid 600SE or the Yashica Mat 124-G, but if you don't own a Contax 645 or any of the few other cameras he talks about, then you get the feeling pretty quickly that you don't actually care much about the second half of the book. I did enjoy his comparison and contrast of different pro film stocks, and his stressing of the importance of personal projects amidst being a professional, but overall, I was pretty let down by the book. The most useful part is being able to see the different characteristics of different film stock, be it instant, 120mm, B&W or Color. He gives some good recommendations as to where to buy film online as well. On the other hand he tells you some very expensive ways to have film developed and scanned and gives a very inaccurate representation of what a film stash should be like if the target audience is a digital photographer. Telling the reader that having two fridges full of film stock is wishful thinking. Overall, I think Canlas is stuck in his pro wedding photographer business with his Contax, and sets the bar a little high for a digital shooter converting to film. At least you get to see some pretty nice film images along the way.