I've never used a film camera before. These are serious questions.
OK, just checking. There's no shortage of trolls on these forums so it never hurts to ask..:O)
I'm new too film photography (fed up with digital). I just bought
a Nikon F3HP and some Fujifilm Slide Film Velvia ISO 50.
I've never used a F3HP but I've read it's a fantastic camera. You should enjoy it quite a bit.
What's the difference between slide film and print film? Can the
F3HP use both?
Chich gave you some excellent advise and I'll try not to cover things twice. Basically slide film gives you a positive and print film a negative. The vast majority of pros shoot slide film, though I find uses for both. I use slide film for most everything but studio work, and in the studio I enjoy a fine grain neutral print film like Kodak's Portra 160nc. The lower the ASA number the tighter the grain and the less sensitive the film is to light, the higher the more grain and the more sensitivity. It would be a good idea to read Fuji's and Kodak's description of their line-ups. The Velvia you already have is a well known and used slide film which provides a high level of colour saturation, and is best used on bright days.
Most people start out with print film in the beginning, often getting their film developed and prints made at a discount place like Costco. This allows for cost effective processing which is necessary for your learning curve. Costco can also provide a "decent" digital file of your images on a CD for a nominal cost. These files are normally only good for sharing on the web or sending to friends vs. email, hardly ever are they large enough or of the quality to make good prints.
How do I develope slide film? I see some people have slide
scanners -- do I have to have the film processed before I can scan
it? If so, can places like Costco do this?
All the discount processors are set up by default for print film. This is what the overwhelming majority of amatuers shoot, and amatuers often select places like Costco or other discounters for their processing needs. This isn't to say you can't get good work done at Costco's because you can. My local Costco's uses Fuji equipment and if the chems are checked and kept tight then the results will be great. Most of these places will also process slide film, but they often only process slide film once per day or twice per week, or in some other limited way.
I'd recommend buying some cheap print film, shoot it up and try to keep notes on things like your exposure variables, get it processed and printed somewhere cheap, work in more "types" of films to see what's out there and available, and just give yourself time to let your experience grow. Working with film takes time, yet it can be very rewarding. It's very possible to master film and produce a 8/10 hit rate or better. It just depends on you and your needs.
Scanning... the best scans will come from prolabs who have long time employee's who have been scanning on drum scanners for years. This is pricey, but if you only scan what you intend to print it's not so bad.
Most of use mere mortals purchase an inexpensive strip scanner like the Minolta diamage for about $250.00 or so. It comes with software and will produce high quality scans in a reasonable amount of time. This can be fun and rewarding, or a major pain, it just depends on how you approach it. Some people who are a bit more crazy than normal buy expensive strip scanners like Nikons LS4000ED, and even pay more for a batch roll feeder so you can batch scan an entire roll at a time with little work at all. When you get to thhe point of buying a scanner it pays to ask around and if possible try out a few models.
With the release of the D2h my film days for professional work has come to a grinding halt! However, for recreational shooting I'll still be shooting film through my F5 or my Olympus OM bodies just because I really enjoy it... Even more so now that I don't have to "enjoy" it day in and day out..:O)
I'm not sure how much this has helped you, maybe enough to now ask some specifics? Ask away..
BKKSW
