the RF Culture

I'd be somewhere in between. I also appreciate vintage stuff and all my cameras are a heck of a lot older than me.

I also like vintage cars - had a 1974 Firebird Formula while I was in the states for College. It was one of the coolest thing I ever owned.
Currently in Tokyo I couldn't afford a vintage car so I drive a pretty recent Toyota from 2006 or so.

As far as pens - I hardly ever write (which is a shame).

Everything else is pretty digital - have all my life organized on my iPhone (also rather sad). Have my own cloud where I store documents and my pictures and run my own server at a server farm to host a few websites for family and friends.

Sort of a hybrid - in between the two worlds.

Ben
 
My "first love" is antique cars. I've grown up in the hobby and business and I'm the proud owner of a 51 chevrolet. Old cameras came later on for me, but I shoot mostly film and I love old cameras.

In fact, I was taking photos at a car show a few weeks ago. One of my fathers friends, who is a car enthusiast, asked "why are you doing it the old way? Isn't that expensive?"..... My answer is, "why do we like old cars? They're old, slow, expensive, but fun and full of character"
 
I'm a boomer. Here is Simon & Garfunkel lyrics to what rangerfinder cameras do for me:

"The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy)"

Slow down, you move too fast.
You got to make the morning last.
Just kicking down the cobble stones.
Looking for fun and feelin' groovy.

Hello lamppost,
What cha knowing?
I've come to watch your flowers growing.
Ain't cha got no rhymes for me?
Doot-in' doo-doo,
Feelin' groovy.

Got no deeds to do,
No promises to keep.
I'm dappled and drowsy and ready to sleep.
Let the morning time drop all its petals on me.
Life, I love you,
All is groovy.
 
I live in a small rural town in cow country, 1880 farmhouse, 2010 pickup. I like classical, jazz, country blues, rockabilly. My cameras range from Contax II - Minolta 35mm SLRs - Nikon DSLRs, I try to shoot them all. I've had a beard for 40 years. In my early teens I wanted to be in the Beat Generation (in 1958, who didn't?) I like small town/city street photography but that often includes cows and tractors.
I think hipsters dress odd, but I have no problem with them. They're no worse than the Hippies of the 60's and 70's.
My son-in-law thinks my wife and I are Hippies. I think he and my daughter are Yuppies :)
 
I gave up film for a few years when devopment was not great when living in sudney. Then tried Fuji, mainly compacts and a x100, never really jelled. Went to Panasonic one inch cameras which do a good Lumix monochrome d option. Brought my film cameras out to test them before selling and forgot how much fun they were. I work in IT, but that's it. I listen to classical music, enjoy country walks, films, use the yashicaflex when out with the wife as I only have a few shots. I am a Gen X and I think I will always shoot and develop myself now. It's a certain meditative process.
 
I'm a minimalist, but I'm not opposed to the use of technology that improves my quality of life. Digital cameras do. I tend to use one camera and lens semi-exclusively for long periods of time, rarely "upgrading" anything. I drive my cars as long as I can keep them on the road. I use my computers until they die, or I'm forced by some software incompatibility to upgrade. I don't move slowly for its own sake; I need to be sure that a change is really going to result in an IMPROVEMENT before I commit to it. I don't like spending my time installing, upgrading, patching, and relearning how to use tools instead of taking pictures.
 
I drive an old Land rover and spend much of everyday around horses .
I like my digital cameras provided that they are simple (and Leica`s generally are).
I`m now down to a single film camera (M4BP) which I should use more often because I really do like HP5.
I haven`t owned a TV in five or six years .
PS .... plus a digital CL (which gets the most use) and an SL2s.
 
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The question about "Rangefinder culture" fascinates me as I acquired Leica M9 only recently.
As I was recently twice banned from photo sites, I am careful about what I say.
I dare to say this much: I am an alien here.
 
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I think the rangefinder culture is not about old and especially not vintage, but about simple and direct. It is so obvious here that our cameras are in the service of the photography we want to practice. The take up of the Bessa rangefinders is consistent with that contention. My slow appreciation of this resulted in me ignoring the LTM cameras until I was well into my 50s. My IIIf and 50 Elmar with a SBOOI finder is actually a very hard combination to better for speed and even convenience, with some limitations. I should have had an M7 for the autumn weather with the light changing every few minutes. And the digital Ms are amazing and remain essentially very simple cameras.

Within Leicas offerings is the MA and MP that retuned to the piston rewind, not for nostalgia necessarily, but for the simplicity and durability. A similar knurled knob to advance the film with the IIIf is surprisingly ergonomic and only for rapid fire photojournalism would the single stroke rapid advance lever of the Ms be considered necessary.

Yes I use fountain pens, necessary for my work: much less work and strain than biros as I write a lot. While I would like an old car or two, I am very happy with my tight as a drum well engineered 9 year old Citroen X7 C5 diesel with hydropneumatic suspension. The engine and the suspension are marvellous engineering and I’ll keep this car as long as I can. I have Windows and Macs for work. I don’t think we are all the same and none of us can be pigeon-holed.

The consideration that leads to shooting with a pre-SLR design of camera reflects consideration of what photography is for us, and this mirrors other considerations and choices we make like what, how and whether we read. Books remain a crucial bulwark against corruption of our minds. The act of reading is as important as walking with a camera, both broadening the mind, even before we take in what it is we read or raise the camera to take a shot.

The RFF culture here is very rich. There are many experienced and erudite members. I don’t think I’ve ever seen lens spelt lense here, or indeed any word misspelt.

Choices made, principles held, commitments maintained. Those might be core threads of the Rangefinder culture.
 
AndyCapp said:
The question about "Rangefinder culture" fascinates me as I acquired Leica M9 only recently.
As I was recently twice banned from photo sites, I am careful about what I say.
I dare to say this much: I am an alien here.
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You say "alien" like it's a bad thing! ;) Life has taught me that there are huge advantages to being an outsider. Drawbacks, too, but overall, I'll stick with being a freak.
 
sebastel said:
if you ask me - bull****.
(sorry for sounding rude)

RFs have a certain style that is not primarily be related to nostlghia, being luddite, or any kind of favouring vintage garbage.

you may as well ask, whether there is a relation between preferring RFs and liking cobblestones.

but that's just my idea.
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I think I am in agreement with this. I have some old junk lying about the house and I have some new junk as well.

I drive a 10 year old Mazda van and a 30 year old Pontiac Grand Am. My pickup is over 30 years old and none of these are seriously considered collectors items. But they run very well and start right up every morning so I have no real reason to get rid of them.

I did ride a Triumph Trident for many, many years but it finally vibrated itself apart one last time and now it is parked behind the garage and the only thing it is collecting now is rust and bird poop.

I wear blue jeans, cowboy hat and boots but I haven't worn a watch since I started carrying a cell phone. I don't own a horse, though my wife and granddaughters would probably like one, cause I have no room or reason to keep one.

However I do like photography and sometimes I enjoy doing it with a rangefinder. My preferred rangefinder is a very nice Contax II but I like it because I have owned it for a very long time and, just like my Pentax K1000, it just keeps working every time I pick it up. So, like my cars, there is no over-riding reason to get rid of either the Contax II or the K1000, or to buy something else that may not work as well.

I guess I just don't fit the OP's profile. At my age I just like things that work reliably, no matter how old they may or may not be. I also think that familiarity is a big issue as well I really don't need the instruction manual for most of the things I own any longer.
 
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Pioneer said:
I think I am in agreement with this. I have some old junk lying about the house and I have some new junk as well.

I drive a 10 year old Mazda van and a 30 year old Pontiac Grand Am. My pickup is over 30 years old and none of these are seriously considered collectors items. But they run very well and start right up every morning so I have no real reason to get rid of them.

I did drive a Triumph Trident for many, many years but it finally vibrated itself apart one last time and now it is parked behind the garage and the only thing it is collecting now is rust and bird poop.

I wear blue jeans, cowboy hat and boots but I haven't worn a watch since I started carrying a cell phone. I don't own a horse, though my wife and granddaughters would probably like one, cause I have no room or reason to keep one.

However I do like photography and sometimes I enjoy doing it with a rangefinder. My preferred rangefinder is a very nice Contax II but I like it because I have owned it for a very long time and, just like my Pentax K1000, it just keeps working every time I pick it up. So, like my cars, there is no over-riding reason to get rid of either the Contax II or the K1000, or to buy something else that may not work as well.

I guess I just don't fit the OP's profile. At my age I just like things that work reliably, no matter how old they may or may not be. I also think that familiarity is a big issue as well I really don't need the instruction manual for most of the things I own any longer.
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That`s what is missing out of your life .... a horse :)
I found a new one for my daughter a few weeks ago.
 
Retro-Grouch said:
You say "alien" like it's a bad thing! ;) Life has taught me that there are huge advantages to being an outsider. Drawbacks, too, but overall, I'll stick with being a freak.
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"Not-belonging" is a strategy you either are born with or develop at an early age.
It has to do with trust, deception and disappointment. An illusion of self-sufficiency is an important component of success.
My main problem is setting people off by stating an undisputable fact in clear terms.
Why are they like that? Or is it me? (A typical alien line of thought)
BTW: Oliver Sacks's An Anthropologist on Mars gives an insight to a family with autistic trait.
I am nowhere near there.
 
I have a Leica digital and a Nikon S2 film. Thanks to Amedeo I don't get too worried...

I'll still roll my eyes at you & laugh my ass off at you.

Shit happens. Deal with it.
 
Michael Markey said:
That`s what is missing out of your life .... a horse :)
I found a new one for my daughter a few weeks ago.
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No thanks. I grew up feeding horses and cows, and riding both, so I know full well what I'm not missing. We still have plenty of close friends and relations who will give them that opportunity in life so the family is not entirely deprived of the company of large farm animals.

I am happy for your daughter though. If you love them they can become a very important part of your life. My granddaughter is training to become a vet so for those so inclined it can be a life long passion. She was shoeing horses at ten, or at least helping to shoe them. Her boyfriend has worked his way through college as a farrier.
 
Pioneer said:
No thanks. I grew up feeding horses and cows, and riding both, so I know full well what I'm not missing. We still have plenty of close friends and relations who will give them that opportunity in life so the family is not entirely deprived of the company of large farm animals.

I am happy for your daughter though. If you love them they can become a very important part of your life. My granddaughter is training to become a vet so for those so inclined it can be a life long passion. She was shoeing horses at ten, or at least helping to shoe them. Her boyfriend has worked his way through college as a farrier.
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Can`t disagree with that . Hard work . :)
 
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