Are choices stifling?

[hexar_hp5]

Hello All,

After somewhat of a break from photography, about a year or so, I'm beginning to feel the urge again.

I took out all the cameras I have and laid them out and thought where I want to go from here. I currently have, two hexar AF's, a Canon A590IS digital and a crappy camera in my phone.

After dry shooting them all again, just to make sure that they were still working, I remembered how wonderful the Hexar is. I tried the A590IS and then I remembered I hate the shutter lag on the digital camera's I have tried. I have to admit that this is not a lot of digital cameras, but it seems like a general complaint. I thought to myself that if it wasn't for the shutter lag and the fact that all the compact cameras seem to have little holes for viewfinders, I would have gone digital as I hate scanning.

Just as I was thinking that, I decided to look at some of the old photo's that I had scanned in a while back and low and behold the external drive that I have for them was unreadable, thankfully I have backups, but the drive just wouldn't get recognised by Windows. I tried it on a Linux system and the same thing. So off I go with my trusty screwdriver set and open up the external casing on this USB hard drive. After much prodding and poking I see that the problem is a cracked solder joint. I do admit, I feel that all the electronic gadgets I have are on borrowed time. Then again both the M2's I've bought in the last couple of years had problems with the viewfinders.

Now, photography for me is not a paying hobby. In fact, it's something that takes money out of my pocket rather than put money in there. I am neither talented enough for people to want to pay for my photographs as fine art, or business savvy enough to develop a wedding/event photography business. So I do this for fun, a diversion, a play at being an artist, etc.

Today I read that film is in the 'gadget graveyard' http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,515647,00.html.

So I have a choice.. stick with the film and get back to developing and scanning.. I hate developing and scanning, but love the hexars. I haven't been able to find a lab that will develop and scan for a decent price with good quality results. Or go digital and either go for a large digital SLR with a 35mm prime. I'd love to have a digital version of the hexar, but it doesn't seem to exist and I have to have a reasonable viewfinder.

I suppose I know the answer to this all which is to go and continue with the Hexars and the HP5 and wait for the digital hexars. Of course I could go the other way and say screw it and just get the M4 variant with a 35mm. Then again, I wonder what the options for scanning will be in two years time with regards to the availability of new scanners, etc.

Now I'm back to remembering why I got into a slump with photography, all this seems to be getting in the way of getting the picture and enjoying the process.

Any thoughts?

 

[Keith]

The first thing I'd be doing would be to turn one of the Hexar AF's into an Hexar RF and rejoice once again in manual focus and it's associated foibles! 😛

How dare Fox News be so dismissive with our hobby ... and I always thought they had a creditable reputation for accuracy in their news reporting! :angel:

 

[dof]

Choices are the enemy of commitment. Opportuninities for creating images are everywhere right now, regardless of what image cature and scanning options will be available in a few years time. If funds are tight, I fully understand the hesitancy to commit to gear with an uncertain future. However there are so many options available right now that it really only makes sense to make the fullest use of what we already have rather than fret about what we don't.

unmounting soapbox now.

Best,

 

[amateriat]

The choices can be bewildering, but I wouldn't get too hung up on that.

There are ways to make the "tedium" of dealing with film a little easier. I shoot conventional b/w film as well, and will continue to do so, but I also shoot a lot of chromogenic (C41-process compatible) b/w film as well. I take that film to a local minilab and have them process the film, then hand it back to me, uncut and sans prints, for the princely sum of roughly $2.25 a roll. Turnaround is usually an hour, sometimes as quickly as half an hour.

What kind of scanner do you have? There might be a more convenient option for you, either in using your current scanner or possibly in a new one. Ofr course, some people can't stand dealing with any amount of scanning regardless of how easy the workflow is. You may simply need to find your particular tolerance level.

Given what you've mentioned about your cameras, I don't think you're wanting at all: the Hexar autofocus is a great camera. Unless you have a specific need/reason for owning two of them, you might want to sell one and embellish another part of your kit with the cash. (Keith mentioned the Hexar RF...can't argue there, as I have two of 'em myself...but if you still have one or both the M2s you mentioned, maybe an additional lens might be in order.)

But think for a bit about what you thought made the photographic process a drag for you in the past, and how you might change that with most of what you already have. Of course, since you're coming back to all this, your attitude toward all this might have changed as well. In any case, it's never too late to get back to it.


- Barrett

 

[payasam]

So as not to stray from the metaphor, I'd say that too many choices can lead to hyperventilation.

 

[Sam N]

Wait for the Oly micro-4/3 and the 20/1.7. 😛

But yes, choices can be stifling. That's why I recently sold a bunch of gear. I need to sell some more, too. I don't like the feeling of not being able to decide what camera to take on a particular outing.

 

[SamC]

I agree with what Sam N said right there. The more stuff I acquire, the worse it gets trying to decide what to shoot with! 😀

 

[icamp]

You know the Answer,keep the Hexars,Shoot film,join APUG.org.

 

[clayne]

You know the Answer,keep the Hexars,Shoot film,join APUG.org.

Damn straight.