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---
post_title: I got my first film camera and it's a lot of fun
post_title: I got my first film camera and it's a lot of fun (feat. Ricoh 500 ST)
date: 2024-07-23
templateEngineOverride: njk,md
image: "photos/schevinge2.jpg"
---

**I recently purchased my first analog camera and shot my first few rolls of film.
It was a nice experience overall and I'm happy I made the experiment.
Here's how it happened.**

**I recently got into photography.

I got into photography fairly recently.
I felt it was a good hobby to build on as I moved abroad.
My first reflex was to get a digital camera, and I am the happy owner of a Fujifilm X-S10.
I think going digital at first was essential, because it gave me much quicker feedback when I make obvious mistakes.
I allows me to experiment and learn quicker.**
My first move was to get a digital camera, and I am the happy owner of a Fujifilm X-S10.
Going digital at first was essential, because it gave me much quicker feedback when I make obvious mistakes.
This allows me to experiment and learn quicker.

{% image "photos/bungy.jpg", "A tower overlooking the sea", "100%" %}

I was still very curious about analog photography.
Still, I was curious about analog photography.
I don't know how, but that classic film look makes me feel very nostalgic.
I have learned to accept this kind of impractical mystery.
This is a kind of impractical mystery I have learned to accept.
I think of analog photography the same way I think of the vinyl renaissance.
It's more complicated, occupies precious physical space, all for the sake of fluffy things like "texture" and "warmth".
Worth it.

{% image "photos/bungy.jpg", "A tower overlooking the sea", "100%" %}
It's more complicated, occupies precious physical space, for the sake of texture and mood.
Surprisingly, a lot of people think it's worth it.
That includes me, especially after seeing the potential in my first few shots.

Here is how I got started.
I wanted a camera that has manual options to play around, but is still relatively cheap so that I could try things out without committing too much.
I ended up getting a Ricoh 500 ST on LeBonCoin.
I ended up getting a [Ricoh 500 ST](http://camera-wiki.org/wiki/Ricoh_500_ST) on LeBonCoin.
It had all I wanted and a cool retro look.
The 500 ST is a shutter priority camera, which means that I fix the shutter speed and the camera will try and adjust aperture for good exposure.

I was now ready to get some film.
I got one roll of Kodak color film, and one roll of Ilford Delta 400.
I also had to deal with the battery issue. These old cameras were often made for 1.33V mercury batteries.
These are now unavailable.
Next I needed some supplies.
I got one roll of Kodak color film, and one roll of Ilford Delta 400 in black and white.
I also had to deal with the battery issue.
These old cameras were often made for 1.33V mercury batteries that are now unavailable.
I got a modern replacement on Amazon for about 15 euros.
You can also get away with using common 1.5V batteries, but then your light-meter might give inaccurate readings.
With the battery in place, I was ready for a quick trip to visit friends in the Netherlands.

{% image "photos/schevinge.jpg", "A couple looking at a landscape.", "100%" %}

I got the hang of the Ricoh pretty quickly, and it was a lot of fun. Its tactile experience is very satisfying.
I got the hang of the Ricoh pretty quickly, and it was a lot of fun.
Its tactile experience is very satisfying.
I am amazed that people have been doing photography with these relatively simple mechanical devices for years.
Its design feels approachable, like something that could be invented by one person.
The 500 ST is a shutter-priority camera, which means that I set the shutter speed, and the camera will try and adjust the aperture for good exposure.
The Ricoh's design feels approachable, like something that could be invented by one person.
As you can see on the photos, the weather was very sunny during the trip.
A lot of there pictures were shot at Schevinge, a beach resort area close to the Hague.

{% image "photos/birds.jpg", "A couple being bothered by a flock of seagulls", "100%" %}

As you can see on the photos, the weather was very sunny during the trip.
Some of the shots were taken at Schevinge strand, a beach resort area close to the Hague.
I also used the camera around home in Paris.
When I came back for the Netherlands, I quickly got first two films developed and digitized.
It was exciting.
Given that these are rolls number one and two, I was surprised by how much I liked some of these shots.
I thought I would be happy with no blank roll.
I was aiming for no blank roll.

{% image "photos/escalator.jpg", "An escalator", "100%" %}

The main difficulty I am experiencing is related to focus.
The main difficulty I am experiencing with this camera is related to focus.
The 500 ST has area focus, which means I must estimate the distance between me and my subject at every shot.
Analog shots are expensive, so I try my best to check for exposure, framing, etc.
That I can control semi-reliably.
But estimating distances is hard, and I think it's unavoidable I will end up with blurry images once in a while.
These are things I can control fairly reliably.
But estimating distances is harder, and I think it's unavoidable I will end up with blurry images once in a while.
Let's call them happy accidents.

{% image "photos/garedunord.jpg", "View over a beach", "100%" %}

How would I summarize my analog experiment?
Well, the rumors are true. That little camera was fun.
It feels more challenging that my digital camera, but that makes it feel more rewarding.
Well, the rumors are true.
That little camera was fun.
It feels more challenging than my digital camera, but that makes it feel more rewarding.
The look of the photos is indeed unique, or at least, I don't know how to replicate it with my digital camera.
However, I'm not sure if that is enough to make film photography a big part of my life.
Accounting for the film, development and digitization costs, my rule of thumb is around one euro a shot.
Not cheap, considering I have space for a thousand free photos on my SD card.
Despite that, I will be on the lookout for a Ricoh 500 G or RF in the future.
They are very similar to my own camera, but with a range-finder instead of a viewfinder, so I can focus my images better.
They are very similar to the 500 ST, but with a range-finder instead of a viewfinder.
This would allow me to focus my images better.
I might give an update here by then.
In the meantime, if you want to see more of my photos (both digital and analog), feel free to visit my [photography](/photography) page or my [instagram](https://www.instagram.com/bigelow133/) account.

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