FrankS
Registered User
This is how I feel. I've been doing film photography for more than 30 years and feel like I've just scratched the surface.
back alley
IMAGES
inane...i am hurt...not really.
its not about microwave ovens...you didn't read all my posts, did you?
clearly my tongue is in my cheek for some of my threads...but there is a germ of truth and i think universal truth in much of what i write.
or maybe not...
zsas
Established
I've a couple'a 35mm's and a MF. I have everything I need. All I worry about is how to keep pushing my artistic pursuits with what I have, then get into that darkroom to make the real fun; make a print, hang it, gift it, is fun times!
Godfrey
somewhat colored
I am not sure what you're trying to say.
My 'modern' purchases last year were the Leica X2 and M9. They are, by the wisdom of places like DPR, obsolete and old hat. For me, they are superb cameras that I'll be using for a long time to come. I still use my now-ancient Olympus E-1 too, and it makes fantastic photos even with the dirt cheap ($175 new) Olympus 35mm Macro lens:
Now that you're "dedicated to digital," does that mean you have to be dedicated to the hamster wheel of progress, running in place and buying new stuff all the time? No.
I like old, simple, mechanical cameras. I also like state of the art cameras, at least the ones that work well for me. I also like cameras like the E-1 and M9, which are almost timeless as digital cameras go.
G
Godfrey
somewhat colored
LOL ... My car is a 2000, I haven't worn a watch in 10 years. But I just bought a new computer with 16G RAM, 1T drive, i7 Quad Core 2.65Ghz processor, etc etc. Why? Because it will make making photos much easier. ;-)
G
Clint Troy
Well-known
Digital is junk and this thread totally proves it.
The cure to this great malady of emptiness is... film. And a darkroom.
Give me 20 rolls of film, 10 boxes/500 sheets of 11x14 fb paper, a decent darkroom and you won't see me for a whole year. One fine fb print you're making yourself beats any digital BS any day of the year.
My personal cure was a Leica camera, film and a darkroom. I absoutely don't care about all the overpriced plastic anymore. Even the best of the best Nikkor AF lenses have become pieces junk to my eyes.
The cure to this great malady of emptiness is... film. And a darkroom.
Give me 20 rolls of film, 10 boxes/500 sheets of 11x14 fb paper, a decent darkroom and you won't see me for a whole year. One fine fb print you're making yourself beats any digital BS any day of the year.
My personal cure was a Leica camera, film and a darkroom. I absoutely don't care about all the overpriced plastic anymore. Even the best of the best Nikkor AF lenses have become pieces junk to my eyes.
How do you really feel? LOL
This guy didn't get any egg nog over the holidays...
T
tedwhite
Guest
Some of my best digital photographs were taken with my first digital Camera: A Kodak DX6490, probably circa 2004. When I compare these prints to ones from my relatively new Pentax K20D I can't see any difference. And, what's really disgusting is that my fits-in-a-pocket-take-with-me-always Canon S95 takes pictures in awful lighting conditions that either of those two couldn't.
My only remaining film camera is probably one of the best film SLR's ever made: The Minolta Maxxum 7. Does well enough by me.
I don't think I need any more cameras. These work just fine. Would I like to have an M9 and a few lenses? Sure, but I'd have to get a new mortgage on my house. So I think I'll compromise and wait for the Fuji X100 to get down to $500.
I used to be seduced and swept away by the latest and allegedly the greatest cameras, their ads and reviews. As a young man I tortured myself by subscribing to the Leica magazine, which I could ill afford, studied those beautifully printed photographs, and thought Oh, if I only had a Leica then I, too, would become a great photographer.
Maybe that's what's wonderful about youth: Great Expectations.
My only remaining film camera is probably one of the best film SLR's ever made: The Minolta Maxxum 7. Does well enough by me.
I don't think I need any more cameras. These work just fine. Would I like to have an M9 and a few lenses? Sure, but I'd have to get a new mortgage on my house. So I think I'll compromise and wait for the Fuji X100 to get down to $500.
I used to be seduced and swept away by the latest and allegedly the greatest cameras, their ads and reviews. As a young man I tortured myself by subscribing to the Leica magazine, which I could ill afford, studied those beautifully printed photographs, and thought Oh, if I only had a Leica then I, too, would become a great photographer.
Maybe that's what's wonderful about youth: Great Expectations.
back alley
IMAGES
did film and darkroom for over 30 years...had enough...
pakeha
Well-known
Yes, take away all the trinklets of modern society and lets see just how happy people really are. Purchasing is like a drug for many,many people.
Feeling low? go and buy something just to make yourself feel better.Trouble is like a drug the high is short lived, then you need another high, and so on.
There are so many people I know personally who believe they are `entitled` to every mod con advertised...it is their life....sadly.
pakeha
Well-known
Pablito
coco frío
Clint Troy
Well-known
bwidjaja
Warung Photo
I think part of the frustration is because digital photography is a relatively new technology, so it is still evolving and changes are happening very quickly. Sooner or later, once the technology matures, certain features become standard, such as sensor technology, and it is more of a matter of personal preference on the camera operations. I think we are not quite there yet, but not that far off.
back alley
IMAGES
very true!
Snowbuzz
Well-known
Yes, I definitely feel overwhelmed (I thought I was the only one). The bad news is that I feel overwhelmed in-spite of my digital cameras being, on average, 6 to 10 years out of date!
Chriscrawfordphoto
Real Men Shoot Film.
I have a 15 year old son. I moved back to Indiana 4 years ago to be closer to him again (he lived with his mother then), and a few months later, the state of Indiana locked his mother up in a mental hospital for over a year. I got custody of him then. After she got out, she tried to get custody back and the court said HELL NO. She married a guy she met in the hospital (he has the same psychiatric problems she does), had a baby with him, and lost interest in her first child. My son hasn't seen or heard from her in over a year.
He's a good kid, a quiet intellectual and computer geek. I'm proud of his accomplishments. My stress has been from trying to support us financially in a city where there are no decent jobs and little market for my skills. It has been really hard, but I am glad I am able to be here for him.
zuiko85
Veteran
To *******ize Shakespeare, "the fault dear Brutus is not in our cameras but in ourselves...."
shadowfox
Darkroom printing lives
I'm with both of you here.
I "almost" get a darkroom running again (took me long enough, and I really miss it), yesterday I started selecting the negs that I'd like to try printing.
But to relate this to Joe's original post, I have the opposite problem, digital advancements do not affect me so much, my next digital camera will probably be a full-frame mirrorless camera. So I still have at least a few years before the price falls into the non-insane (for me) range
It's the old cameras and printing techniques that got me, all those tintypes, pt/pd, lith, that made me drool every time I saw another print or videos of people working on it.