The point of shooting film in this context wouldn't be absolute image quality. It's not like I'm printing my film images at poster size or anything. I understand the limitations of half-frame negatives. As to cost of film, developing, etc. I already incur those costs with my Nikon. One could argue that a half-frame camera actually decreases these costs since I get twice as many exposures for the money. The point here is getting the authentic look of a film exposure rather than a digital one, or a digital one modified to resemble film, while continuing to improve my ability as a film photographer. (I surely have plenty to learn.) I'm not a nostalgic film purist. I carry a Fuji and love shooting digitally. But I also love the film look, especially black and white. If I could carry one set of lenses for both a film camera and a digital camera it would make me happy.
As to the cost of the camera body itself, I think it could be kept reasonable if kept simple. I don't need a digital viewfinder. I don't need a digital control panel. I don't even have to have autofocus. I just need an optical finder with selectable frame lines, a built-in meter, and a Fuji lens mount. As an added bonus, and one I personally would pay for, it would be great to incorporate some version of Fuji's optical viewfinder so that I could have only one set of framing lines for the current lens, autofocus capability, and an aperture priority mode like my FE2. But I'd still be happy without those extras.
When talking cost, you also have to factor in the cost of two sets of lenses. The cost of one set of my used Nikon D-series primes ought to at least equal the cost of a theoretical Fuji film body.
Probably my solution is to wait for Nikon to produce a decent mirrorless camera. Then I can use my Nikon lenses for both and still get the benefits of accurate aperture control and autofocus when I want them. (I have a Nikon to Fuji adapter but rarely use it.) But in the digital world I prefer Fuji images and bodies to Nikon, so I am just wondering if it's even possible and if, as a couple of you have pointed out, I'm the only one.
Thank you for your suggestion Tickus, I will keep that in mind.
