Are we all a bunch of photographic luddites?

[NaChase]

I pose this question in as tongue in cheek a manner as possible, but it makes sense when you think about it. By using rangefinders we eschew all the latest and greatest but, in addition to using these cameras, there are many among us who enjoy nothing more than rhetorically assaulting the great edifices of the modern photographic establishment. However, many of use take these tendencies further than mere photography. How many of you eschew digital music in favor of vinyl; shave with straight razors instead of indulging in safety razor shenanigans; drive cars with old fashioned manual transmissions; and, most importantly, insist on using film. I may be young, but I embrace almost all of these anachronistic tendencies because they evoke memories of the halycon days or yore, a time when photography was done with film and phones were attached to the wall. Then again, my Iphone and this computer are pretty sweet.

 

[Phil_F_NM]

Hadn't thought of it that way but it definitely makes sense.

I shoot a Nikon SP usually as well as a Leica M4. I also use a Speed Graphic sometimes, even illuminating scenes with flashbulbs, which I prefer.

I DO have a DSLR but only for work purposes.

I drive a 1978 Mercedes-Benz diesel.
It has an original Becker tape deck (that I'm actually fixing up now.)

I keep a beard but when I trim up and shave, I use a 1950's Gillette safety razor (not one of the modern plastic junk disposables.)

I love the sound of amplifiers that use tubes instead of transistors. I also have fixed a few tube set radios in the past and prefer them to solid state for their sound.

I prefer vinyl over tape and tape over CD. I'm a fan of 1/4" reel to reel but don't have any at the moment.

I have three bicycles, two in storage, one for sale. All use much older components than the modern stuff seen on bikes today. Two of my bikes are full Suntour groups and they went out of business almost two decades ago.

I wear Alden boots and Alden split-toe bluchers. Both pairs of shoes are completely rebuildable.

I have a small collection of Elgin watches and wear an analog Citizen every day. No digital watches here.

I prefer to wear a sport-coat, blazer or suit jacket when I go out. If not that then an overcoat like a peacoat (my original Navy issue one, at that.)

I have a CRT computer monitor.

I'm sure the list of arcania goes on but looking at my stuff in life, you're definitely on to something.

Phil Forrest

 

[raphaelaaron]

I'm too young to enjoy those 'halcyon days'. I grew up with the digital era.
I also shave with an electric, drove with an auto transmission and almost all my music is in MP3.

The fact is, I just enjoy a nicely built camera. And I like how film looks.

 

[Godfrey]

Sorry... I lived through the "halcyon days of yore" and have little wish to repeat them. I use what I use to get the job done, old and new, because it gets the job done the way I want to get it done. I haven't touched a vinyl record in years, all my music is stored digitally. Most of my reading is with ebooks. All of my printing is done with computer and inkjet printer. ...

I love old cameras because their lenses render as my minds eye pictures the world, but I also have state of the art cameras for when I need their versatility and image quality.

Romanticizing old things, when you never lived through them being new, seems somehow more an affectation than anything else to me. I enjoy the things I use because they work, and I find them aesthetically pleasing. New or old is immaterial. 🙂

 

[ruby.monkey]

Nuts to that. I love my m-4/3 kit just as much as I do my Leicas, my K5 as much as my RZ-67, and my GRD3 as much as my F3HP; I buy CDs to have a hard copy of the music I'll rip to my laptop; my crappyphone is watch, alarm clock, and organiser; and I'd rather chew off my own arm than swap my Dell U2410 for a CRT of any size or resolution.

My only cause to hang on to yesteryear is my desire to own dead-tree books rather than electronic copies, and my preference for a safety razor over an electric shaver.

 

[daveleo]

"Are we all _______________ ? "

I'd wager that the folks who read here are as diverse as you will find. It may say "RFF" but that title goes back a ways and the diversity of viewpoints and habits of doing things is very diverse here. Just look at all the arguing that goes on ! 😀

 

[back alley]

...well maybe some of you guys are...lol!

i like toys and these days all the toys need power...i like the iphone, the ipad and the mac!
i use cheap plastic disposable razors and an electric beard trimmer...my cameras are digital and so is my music and home theatre!

 

[gdi]

I love old cameras because their lenses render as my minds eye pictures the world...

Romanticizing old things, when you never lived through them being new, seems somehow more an affectation than anything else to me...

🙄

 

[splitimageview]

Air cooled engine, iPad Mini, film rangefinder, Nest thermostat.

No, we aren't.

🙂

 

[Sejanus.Aelianus]

No.

:angel:

 

[Livesteamer]

I am probably guilty but I'm a pacifist Luddite, I don't throw my wooden shoes at modern machinery. Joe

 

[hepcat]

I'm not a luddite by any means and I grew up in the era of dial phones, no air conditioning in cars or houses, and slide-rules. I have several computers, each with a dedicated use, and I'm not a film aficionado because frankly, compared to digital its a PITA. I have a turntable for vinyl, but only to make MP3s from the tracks. I have an iPad and an iPhone. BUT, my FJ 'Cruiser is a six-speed manual and my favorite motorcycle was a BMW airhead.

I have a functional and competent DSLR setup as well, but I grew up using manual rangefinder cameras and they're comfortable. Standard transmissions are comfortable. Watches with sweep second hands are comfortable.

There's a point in the progression of technology when enough is enough. The technology of the device has matured, but more features are continually added to generate sales. The return value of the gizmo or the gizmo's features is less than the time it takes to learn how to operate them efficiently. I recently bought a Fuji X-Pro1 looking for a "rangefinder experience" and found a techno wizard computer that gives amazing images, but nothing that I can't do with an M body faster and easier and without learning all of the 'stuff' that one must learn to efficiently operate the X-Pro1. So... I now have an M8 and a handful of manual lenses with which I am ecstatic. And I shall climb into my stick-shift FJ and watch the time on my analog watch while I go take photos with my (mostly) manual rangefinder camera and manual lenses.

 

[lam]

Na. I find film a safe haven to fall back upon when the digital realm gets all too mushy.

 

[back alley]

awhile back someone posted a pic of a toaster that was also a radio...i'm still looking for one!

 

[tunalegs]

There's nothing anachronistic about a camera that works. My Digital Rebel XT almost seems more out of place today than my 35mm SLRs. Although I guess my rangefinders are pretty ancient.

 

[maggieo]

If an M9-P and a Subaru WRX are retro, then I am. If not, well...I'm all about performance.

 

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

I shoot digital and film. My watches are both very modern quartz watches, but with traditional hands. I drive a car with an automatic transmission. I live in a big city, and driving a stick is a pain in the ass in a place like this. My computer is very modern, with a modern screen. I do not have a smartphone, and do not want one, nor do i have a tablet, though I bought my son one last year and he loves it. I'd buy one for myself but cannot afford it. I shoot film but scan it instead of printing in the darkroom. I'm not a luddite, I like both old and new.

 

[it'sawhat?]

Does prefering the gnome 2 desktop over gnome 3 on a linux system make me a luddite? I use old film camera because they do what I want cheaply, if I could get comparable quality from digital at the same price I'd shoot digital. music is digi ,cellphone is my watch and home phone .

 

[sreed2006]

I'm just in it for the chicks.

 

[literiter]

I cruise the web using my ENIAC computer powered by our steam generator located in the backyard. This system serves three purposes; cruise the web, to heat this part of the neighborhood and provide a gentle activity for the Wife as she cruises the racks with a shopping cart full of replacement tubes to keep the thing working.

Every hour, one of us nips out to the generator shed to shovel another ton of coal into the hopper. ( The wife can easily press 250 pounds now, and I'm sure I can too. )

I can't stand those dinky little desktop things so many of us use. Sure, sure it's easier to read a screen than translate punched tape but that is the price we pay for authenticity.

I still use daquerrotype but sadly find that the mercury vapor seems to be finally affecting my cognitive processes.