I didn’t really grow up shooting film or knowing much of anything about film photography. My path to photography was digital technology, so to me film was an anachronism. I’ve only took up film photography in 2021, but it’s already taught me a lot about the art of capturing light. Shooting film requires a distinct approach, especially with older cameras that lack modern conveniences like light meters and auto-focus. I decided initially that I didn’t want to use a 35mm film SLR - that’s too similar to what I’ve shot in the past with digital - so at first I only shot medium format film. I find that the 6x4.5 120mm format feels very natural, as the aspect ratio is the same as the four thirds digital format that I’ve been using for more than a decade.

I shot with various Mamiya 645 models for a couple of years, starting with a fully manual 1000S, then a 645 Super, and finally a 645AF. The AF in particular is a great camera, but it’s incredibly big and heavy, so I recently sold it to another photographer in Hong Kong. Same with the Bronica RF645 rangefinder, so my medium format film days are over for the moment. Still keen to continue shooting film, though, I picked up a Canon EOS 30V for a little while and then sold it to upgrade to an EOS 3, one of the last film SLRs Canon made before they switched entirely to digital. It’s got one of the more advanced AF systems available for a film camera, including Canon’s “Eye Control AF” feature that deserves more fanfare than it ever got.