Listen Up, Camera Store Snob!

[Fedzilla_Bob]

My FED 3 or My Bessa R often take turns to ride in a Lowepro "digital" camera bag. On other days they travel together in the formerly smelly "Diamond" leather camera bag that came with my Argus C-44.

I like digital cameras. I just can't afford one that will do things as simply or as straight forward as my collection of bottom feeders from bygone days. I enjoy guessing at an exposure and getting it right. Its all part of the "magic" of learning about lenses, film and exposures.

 

[vsolanoy]

I'm glad that there's at least 1 large camera store in my general area that knows the superiority of film. I haven't gotten too much of the "get with the 21st century" speak in Silicon Valley. Quite a few people have actually said that they actually prefer film, but do digital out of convenience.

wlewisiii -- what you pointed out is precisely why I've switched to film. It's easier to have to "accidental" discoveries of photos and negatives than it is for 0's and 1's on CDs. I'm a firm believer that the move to electronic storage / digital will cause this generation will be lost, not because of the inability to view digital media, but due to the fact that unless it's put through an electronic device, we can't read it the way we can hold a negative or slide to light.

I also don't like the concept of the service providers like Kodakgallery, Shutterfly, Snapfish, etc..., simply because a simple business decision will jeapoardize electronic photo collections. The move to @home printing on inkjets concerns me as well. Those photos can't be treated the way traditional photos can be -- non-optimal viewing/storage (as defined by manufacturers, usually in a frame, behind glass, away from direct sunlight and humidity) will cause those prints to virtually disappear.

 

[parks5920]

I took my 'digital' table top tripod out of my 'digital' camera bag along with my 'digital' cleansing cloth...and then attached my GSN to it. I think the world stood still, for one brief moment! What till I get the Praktica on there!

 

[P C Headland]

When I get that noise about the 21st century, I like to go back and show my tintype of my Great-Greatgrandfather (he passed away in 1935, IIRC, at a very ripe old age). And then I ask, "Will my great-great grandson be able to actually see any of the photos of me taken with these digital wonders?" Most of them have been smart enough to understand that the answer is "no".

Even color films have an enormous lifespan comparativly speaking, but I'll stick to silver salts on celluloid, thank you very much. Unless anyone knows of any company currently making 4x5 glass plates... 😉

William

This is one reason why I'm taking digital and film shots of our new son. I need to be sure I have something to embarass him with when he brings home a girlfriend 🙂

As for the glass plates, Retrophotographic has them or can get them. They are a tad on the pricey side, mind. I was going to try some in my 9x12, but think what I'll end up doing is cleaning up the plates I have in a couple of holders and coating them with liquid emulsion instead.

I have to say, I have pretty much only had positive comments to my film gear, but that may be because it is mainly over 40 years old and shoots nice big negatives. Several kids have been fascinated looking at the GG on the 9x12. I've probably spoken more Dutch to strangers when wandering around with one of these old cameras than at any other time.

Paul

 

[cbass]

Why does this make me think of a 5-letter word starting with "L" and ending with "a"? 😕

Lucky for us the good folks at Minolta never adopted the L***a single-tier pricing strategy. 🙂 The price of used gear is very reasonable. Costs of my all-used Minolta film gear, bought at swap meets, local (film-based) stores and eBay:

SR-T 101 body: $45 (came with Rokkor 45/2.0)
XG-9 body: $36 (came with Rokkor 50/1.7, my favorite lens)
Rokkor 58/1.4: $20
Rokkor 35/2.8: $45
Total: $146

I've probably spent about the same amount on non-Rokkor lenses, tripods, etc. Add a couple more bucks for the occasional Hi-Matic RF, too.

I expect all but the electronic shutter of the XG-9 to be fully operational in 25 years. Thanks again, Minolta! And here's to the digital revolution! None of my purchases would have been possble if people had not followed the advice of ill-informed store clerks and discarded their"obsolete" film gear! 😀

 

[Allen Gilman]

Xaos, yur getting there, but I don't think lightning coming out of the fingertips would do the job. If you want real immediate catharsis, just try a hit an run. Works like a charm.

 

[QuillianSW]

Ah, but it's all sad. Planned obsolescence, lack of standardizatrion (SD, XD, Compact Flash, Memory Stick; 4/3rds, etc.etc.) and kids at the Ritz who truly don't know beans. It'll just be us folks here and mail order shortly, though I do have a good local store than does compete well on some items. Film's better all around, just doesn't provide that instant gratification. Remember Polariods though?

 

[XAos]

But I'm still saving my pennies for that *ist DS.

 

[dmr]

Planned obsolescence,

How about plain old (unplanned) obsolescence? That sensor, the "film" in today's digital will undoubtedly become obsolete in a few years, if not months. Today's electronic equipment just doesn't have a long useful life before it's yesterday's technology. I seem to get maybe 3 years max out of a laptop, and I've carried one since the early 90's. They don't really break (well, my current one needs some first aid) but they just become so outdated that they are not usable anymore.

Look at the 3 year old digital cameras. Again, most definitely yesterday's news.

I would hate to spend the better part of a kilobuck on something like a digital camera that I can only use for 3-5 years. I know I'm getting older, but I do plan on being around longer than that. 🙂

I'm also (still) questioning this so-called convenience factor of the digitals, but that's a topic for another thread at another time. 🙂

 

[oftheherd]

I took my 'digital' table top tripod out of my 'digital' camera bag along with my 'digital' cleansing cloth...and then attached my GSN to it. I think the world stood still, for one brief moment! What till I get the Praktica on there!

Yes it did, I felt it stop too! Now that I know what it was all about, I am not so scared any more. Please warn us before you mount that Praktica. 😀

 

[Sonnar Brian]

The kids that I deal with at Ritz want Leica's. One has a Hassie. They also use digital. Most of them are in school, majoring in photography/multimedia. One will be getting a Leica for graduation.

The manager is "seasoned" and knows RF's and other "classics". Great place for buying just-out-of-date/"ugly-Box" film. Four rolls of Kodak HD-200 for $2.50, in date, ugly box. Most of my 43mm and 48mm filters are from there.

 

[Pherdinand]

Brian, what's that "ugly-box" film?? Damaged packaging?

 

[jdos2]

In Cleveland, we just suffered the death of a FLCS (Favorite Local...) which was almost self committed- the fellow tried to make money on processing by simply pricing himself above everyone else.
He had Real Junk but always something interesting. I'm sad to see him go.

What we are left with is a large-ish local multi-branch store, and their Pro Store has a small used department. Nice folks there. They sell Leicas, but they don't restock, so though the Summilux ASPHS they received (2) were sold within a week, they won't get anymore. I bought my lenses from them, and they too aren't restocked. The store is almost all but giving up on film.

But I guess that's Cleveland.

I still enjoy hanging around there, and have a couple salespeople that like my business, who I know on a first name basis, and even one I've spent some time with outside the store.

I have a feeling it'll come full circle somehow, though. Eventually. It'll take some time, but it will.

Someone looking for 4x5 glass plates? I've a source.

JD

 

[XAos]

I walked into a chain store the other day looking for a loupe. It was PATHETIC. If anybody should be worrried, it should be the pathetic chains. It'll be rough for a while, but I think there's room for the FCLS once the chains have been killed by the two front combination of Wal-Mart / NewEgg / BestBuy and B&H / Adorama / Abes. The FLCS at least has a few opportunities to distinguish themselves, but if you want to sell at high prices, offer no service, have rude employees AND not have any product to distinguish you from your competition it's going to be a rough road in the long haul.

I just wish they'd hurry up and die before my FLCS does.

 

[Little Prince]

I took my 'digital' table top tripod out of my 'digital' camera bag along with my 'digital' cleansing cloth...and then attached my GSN to it. I think the world stood still, for one brief moment! What till I get the Praktica on there!

You are a true pioneer! But others needn't worry either. Some of that 'digital' gear have manual modes too 😉 . I'm trying to imagine a 'digital' tripod. What will it do? It'll be a folded up lump of plastic. Once you power it up, it'll unfold on its own. The height can only be adjusted in discrete steps! (Now why is that a good thing?)

 

[parks5920]

With the proper digital camera attached, you digital tripod will adjust the framing of the shot, white balance and tell the person who you are taking the picture of to say "CHEESE"!

 

[JohnS]

I haven't ventured into digital yet b/c I can't get what I am looking for at the price I am willing to pay for the gear, but I don't really think that today's EOS 20D will be obsolete in two years. It will still be able to make the same image as it can today. Will there be a better digital option at a better price point in two years? Most likely but that does not make current models obsolete.

You could say the same thing about bottom loaders. There have been many changes/advances to "analog cameras" since WWII.

John

 

[dmr]

but I don't really think that today's EOS 20D will be obsolete in two years. It will still be able to make the same image as it can today.

Yesbut {ducking, running, hiding} those who prefer digital seem to always want the Latest And Greatest<tm> and probably won't be satisfied with a 2 year old camera. 🙂 🙂 🙂

We're having a "film vs. digital" debate here at work today. 🙂

 

[TEZillman]

I bought three 39mm B + W UV filters to protect my lenses from salt spray on a trip. Each one says "made in Germany" and "digital filter" on it. What in the world makes a UV filter "digital"? How many digital cameras accept filters, let alone 39mm filters, anyway?

Tom

 

[QuillianSW]

As DMR says,

I would hate to spend the better part of a kilobuck on something like a digital camera that I can only use for 3-5 years. I know I'm getting older, but I do plan on being around longer than that.

I know, this is my hobby, I'm not making max cash off my "efforts." Now having been overseas 3 times since '01, and have done some work with our combat camera folks - these are young Marines armed with Nikon D2s, who think film is something that grows on ponds or your windshield in humid weather. They get their money out of them, don't have to be supported by chemicals, etc., all they do is download & upload. Good for them. Now what this will mean 60 years from now when someone tries to put together a nice coffee table book of "photos from Iraq" I dunno - they'll probably be rescanning prints made from these digital images. They sure as heck won't be uncovering undeveloped b&w negatives that can still be processed. I know, sad. But like my prom date that dumped me 30 years ago, I'm so way over it. 😀