My Buddy

[Timmyjoe]

I'm going backwards Bill. As a follow up to a conversation we all were having a few weeks ago, spending time with Large Format, actually mini-Large Format in the form of a Graflex Crown Graphic 2x3 (6x9 being the largest size negative I can scan at the moment, holding off on buying the Epson V850 as don't have the money or space for it).

I do relate to the camera as an ol' buddy. Still have my backup Canon TX that I used with a Canon F1 thru the seventies and eighties. And have the M6TTL/M3 combo you mentioned, but my M3 was the backup to the TTL.

Like most of my tools, I become attached to the good ones for what they allow me to create. Worked as a finish carpenter during the summers in Boulder Colorado thirty years ago and my worn leather "bags" with its treasured assortment of necessary carp tools, has a place of honor in my shop.

Best,
-Tim

 

[Out to Lunch]

My two cents: the constant urge to update to the latest and greatest is a product of unbridled consumerism, which is fed by the marketeers and easily accessible commercial credit. Cheers, OtL

 

[jsrockit]

My two cents: the constant urge to update to the latest and greatest is a product of unbridled consumerism, which is fed by the marketeers and easily accessible commercial credit. Cheers, OtL

Or it could be that we’d like better tools for what we’d like to accomplish, know exactly what we are buying and why, and have the cash to pay for it.

 

[robert blu]

My two cents: the constant urge to update to the latest and greatest is a product of unbridled consumerism, which is fed by the marketeers and easily accessible commercial credit. Cheers, OtL

Or it could be that we’d like better tools for what we’d like to accomplish, know exactly what we are buying and why, and have the cash to pay for it.

I think both views are correct. Everyone is different.

Personally I tend to buy the best (for my intended use) I can afford and than I keep it a long time even if after a short time "my best" is no more the best on the market !

 

[jsrockit]

I think both views are correct. Everyone is different.

I agree... I was playing devil's advocate really. It obviously depends on the situation, but sometimes I'm not just a mindless guy who bought something shiny because some marketer tricked me. 😉 Plus, Fuji marketing sucks... now, you Leica guys...you have it rough! 😉

 

[JeffS7444]

Taken to extremes, consumerism can be wasteful, of course. But it can also drive real progress. Which is one reason we can now routinely shoot at ISO 6400 without a second thought, or get a decent percentage of usable images when shooting handheld at 1/15th second.

I think the powers that be behind Iron Curtain cameras like the Zenit weren't wrong when they supposed that a film SLR offering 1/30th - 1/500th sec shutter speeds plus B would cover most people's actual needs, but that mindset cost them dearly when they wanted to raise hard cash by selling cameras overseas, as they could only compete on the basis of low price.

 

[Guth]

Let me state up front that I am not pointing a finger at anyone specifically. But there have always been a group of people who buy what they do simply to impress others in an attempt to gain their acknowledgment. The behaviors of this subset of people was definitely exacerbated by the widespread use of the Internet. Were people not able to show off their stuff on forums like this, or Instagram, Facebook, etc., or even discuss them via mailing lists previously, I have no doubt that they would not upgrade nearly as much. In all cases (it’s not just cameras) such behavior is masked or joked about with such phrases as GAS (gear acquisition syndrome), but much of the time it’s really a matter of “hey everybody look at me and my latest, greatest thing”. Were the Internet to be shut down for any lengthy period of time such behavior would no doubt stop for a good percentage of these people.

 

[Darthfeeble]

I'd like to nominate the Epson R-D1 series as an exception to the rule.

 

[Out to Lunch]

I'd like to nominate the Epson R-D1 series as an exception to the rule.

I agree. Mine work, even though the oldest one, the R-D1 needs more time to 'wake-up' than before. It's not a battery issue since the R-D1s and x have a normal start-up time when using the same batteries.

 

[dasuess]

My two cents: the constant urge to update to the latest and greatest is a product of unbridled consumerism, which is fed by the marketeers and easily accessible commercial credit. Cheers, OtL

The good news about this is that it lets those of us who don't mind being a version back the opportunity to score some really great gear for a lot less $$$. I recently bought a Nikon D810, refurbed by Nikon, with a shutter count of 754. Literally a brand new camera for half the cost. And a D810 is not THAT far behind a D850.

 

[jsrockit]

Were people not able to show off their stuff on forums like this, or Instagram, Facebook, etc., or even discuss them via mailing lists previously, I have no doubt that they would not upgrade nearly as much.

Well, the frequent upgrades over the last 20 years had to do with the leaps in digital camera technology. Most of the bragging I see on social media these days has to do with film cameras and not digital cameras. I can assure you that I do not upgrade my digital cameras, which everyone can go buy easily, just so I can show off on the internet.

 

[Ronald M]

I have used my M8 many times this fall. Pics are outstanding at lowish iso which is normally what I use. I have some really good tricks for high iso.

Still use Nikon D3 cameras with 3000 clicks

I purchased 6 Nikon F2 with various finders in last year. Plain prism ones are best. Still have my Leica M6 bought new around 1983. Was one of the originals.

Not even dreaming about mirrorless. Zone VI 4x5 still pleases me. 90 to 300 mm lenses.

 

[Ulophot]

In days of yore (early 1980s), I had replace two stolen Nikkormat FTNs. The latest Nikon F was alluring, but I simply had no real justification for the added features. I chose the Nikon FM2 and was very happy.


But I think the larger issue, to which a number of posts above have alluded, is not the advance of technology, but what happens to a society whose values have become dominated by the shallowness of the instant present and its material artifacts, and which thus lacks the grounding in long-term considerations for humanity’s progress. If it is not out of line here -- I don’t intend it to be -- I would point to a comparison of recent years’ policy debates about the future, with the Lincoln-Douglas debates, which featured a 60-minute opening statement, a 90-minute response, and a 30 minute rejoinder, and this for a Congressional seat.


Digital technology is a wonder. For the portraits and other images I make, as attractive as the low-light sensitivity of digital is, I choose fast B&W film in my M4, 645, and 4x5, and accept the challenge of accomplishing something of the enduring value that others, with slower films and lesser equipment, have done before me. I know I have all I need for this particular purpose.

 

[Franko]

I don't have to "work"with any camera - it's all pleasure. Having said that, there' s an intangible that goes along with using an 85 year old IIIa that no modern digital will ever provide for me. Mechanically, when it returns from Youxin, it will be performing as well as it ever did and, considering the advances made in film, chemicals and presentation, it will be better than new.

 

[Creagerj]

Recently, I have taken to browsing craigslist. I saw a Canon 10D for $35 and I was floored. I remember lusting for the same camera when I was in school and the $1000+ price tag was well beyond anything I could afford. It is surprising to see that it has been relegated to something someone is hoping to get a few bucks for instead of simply giving away. This is the fate of every digital camera.

This seems obvious today. However, when the 10D was new, film cameras were experiencing a similar fate. I collected a few film cameras because people wanted to get rid of them and could not sell them for an amount that justified the effort involved. I turned down more than I accepted because I did not think I would use them and did not want to lug them around. These days many of those film cameras are actually worth something, including many seemingly worthless point and shoot cameras. I don't expect digital cameras to enjoy this type of revitalization. Although I suppose there may be some that have a cult following, similar to how many now obsolete computers have seen revitalizations among collectors.

 

[Dogman]

Not everyone is giving away their older digital cameras.

Just earlier today I was browsing photos on another site and one of the most impressive photos was done with a Canon 20D. It was lovely. Several posters commented on how the 10D, 20D, 30D Canons have such a nice way of rendering images. On a Nikon site I sometimes visit there are a number of people posting photos from old Nikon digitals they still use. Some still using them professionally. One of the winners of this years World Press contest was done with a Nikon D3--Nikon's first full frame camera. Still does the job well. I know my old D2X produces nicer color images (to me) than any of the much newer digitals I own. The reason I don't use it more is because the LCD is tiny and awful. But the photos are outstanding. For people who aren't working and beating their gear to death daily, for people who just wanna take pictures, old digital cameras are still being used and probably will be for years to come. I know I have no plans to buy a new camera in the future. Not when older digital cameras are cheap, plentiful and produce excellent photos.

Today's magic technology is great but you don't need all that crap to take good pictures.

 

[jsrockit]

Today's magic technology is great but you don't need all that crap to take good pictures.

Nor is there anything wrong with using a current camera... as far as I know these magic cameras don't frame for you, don't find content for you or don't tell you where the great light is.

 

[Tim Read]

I agree. Mine work, even though the oldest one, the R-D1 needs more time to 'wake-up' than before. It's not a battery issue since the R-D1s and x have a normal start-up time when using the same batteries.

And here's another who thinks of his RD 1s as an old buddy. I have and have had a number of digital cameras which I have liked and which have served me well but the RD 1s remains a constant companion.

 

[Pál_K]

My Fuji X-Pro1 and Nikon D700 is more than I will ever need - I know I'll never buy another digital camera. If they fail, they won't be replaced with anything newer.

This is all subjective, of course. I have two coworker friends who must always have the latest technological device; anything a year or more older is a dinosaur.

The image quality and capabilities of the X-Pro1 and D700 are more than I need. My only quibbles with them have to do with button ergonomics.

A friend offered me a Pentax K10D earlier this year for $10, which I bought. I added a nice lens and this has now become my favorite digital camera - everything about its use is so well designed. This is a 10 MP camera from 2006.

Perhaps I think this way because I'm mostly a film shooter.