NickTrop
Veteran
I work in a small college of about 300 students, and was an instructor before moving into administration. Weather conditions were bad today and a math prof. couldn't make it in, so I covered his class. Only 5 out of 15 students showed up due to the weather, so during break I sprung for lunch and bought them pizza as a reward for braving the elements.
I had my trusty Yashica Electro GSN in my office drawer. I've designated this my "school" camera, and often use it at school events, and my office is wallpapered with 6X4's I've taken with the GSN.
While the students were eating I took some candids. One of my female students recognized the camera... She had taken a photography class a couple years ago, and talked about how much she enjoyed making prints the old school way. I asked her if she had a digital, and she had one. However, she said she just uses it for snaps but thought it no where near making a black and white print in a darkroom - "that's magic". I let her take a couple pictures. She was familialr with rangefinders but never used one. In her class they used the Pentax K1000 she thought. She asked how much the camera costs, and when I said I paid $30 for mine her eyes lit up.
Another student walked over. He saw me taking a picture and asked if I was using a Leica. I was surprised he know "Leica" and laughed and said no. He said he had a Canon Digital Rebel. I asked how he liked it, and he literally made a face and said he liked it when he first got it but now he hates it. Both he and the female were agreeing how they didn't like all the buttons and menus and how you blind people because the flash always pops up.
I explained to the class why I like these older cameras, and the passed it around the room, some taking a few shots after explaining to them how to focus and set exposure.
That's it? Yep - simple. No flash? Nope, not needed with an f1.7 lens. My camera would be popping the flash out - absolutely. Wow - it's quiet too. They were taken with how well-constructed the "little" Yash was - with real metal parts. How old's this camera? They were amazed it was 30 years old and looks like new. One guy said his digitals always seem to die and never make it past a couple years.
No, not a scientific sample, but two of the five students in the class expressedly didn't like digital. I wonder if there's not a digital backlash brewing? I went back to using film because I missed bokeh, the simple elegance of a manual (semi-manual in the case of the GSN), and didn't like to rudely blind people with a flash. I also like the convenience of dropping off a roll of film and the art of making a black and white print.
Maybe the next horizon for camera manufacturers won't be how many megapixels they can cram into a sensor, but the elegance and simplicity of three simple controls - aperture, shutter speed, manual focus, and the beauty and convenience of traditional film.
I had my trusty Yashica Electro GSN in my office drawer. I've designated this my "school" camera, and often use it at school events, and my office is wallpapered with 6X4's I've taken with the GSN.
While the students were eating I took some candids. One of my female students recognized the camera... She had taken a photography class a couple years ago, and talked about how much she enjoyed making prints the old school way. I asked her if she had a digital, and she had one. However, she said she just uses it for snaps but thought it no where near making a black and white print in a darkroom - "that's magic". I let her take a couple pictures. She was familialr with rangefinders but never used one. In her class they used the Pentax K1000 she thought. She asked how much the camera costs, and when I said I paid $30 for mine her eyes lit up.
Another student walked over. He saw me taking a picture and asked if I was using a Leica. I was surprised he know "Leica" and laughed and said no. He said he had a Canon Digital Rebel. I asked how he liked it, and he literally made a face and said he liked it when he first got it but now he hates it. Both he and the female were agreeing how they didn't like all the buttons and menus and how you blind people because the flash always pops up.
I explained to the class why I like these older cameras, and the passed it around the room, some taking a few shots after explaining to them how to focus and set exposure.
That's it? Yep - simple. No flash? Nope, not needed with an f1.7 lens. My camera would be popping the flash out - absolutely. Wow - it's quiet too. They were taken with how well-constructed the "little" Yash was - with real metal parts. How old's this camera? They were amazed it was 30 years old and looks like new. One guy said his digitals always seem to die and never make it past a couple years.
No, not a scientific sample, but two of the five students in the class expressedly didn't like digital. I wonder if there's not a digital backlash brewing? I went back to using film because I missed bokeh, the simple elegance of a manual (semi-manual in the case of the GSN), and didn't like to rudely blind people with a flash. I also like the convenience of dropping off a roll of film and the art of making a black and white print.
Maybe the next horizon for camera manufacturers won't be how many megapixels they can cram into a sensor, but the elegance and simplicity of three simple controls - aperture, shutter speed, manual focus, and the beauty and convenience of traditional film.
