Silver vs. Megapixels

[sevo]

I can not help but wonder - can anybody who is in the age of "young man" - be COMPLETELY unaware of existence of film? 😱

What is surprising about that? The great unwashed were unaware of the difference between tape and film by the mid eighties, and probably never knew the difference between film and print. The majority of the population once had their camera loaded and unloaded by the store clerk and progressed directly to disposables. Things have not changed - a fair share of digital camera users can't transfer their files or remove their memory card themselves.

 

[sevo]

I can not help but wonder - can anybody who is in the age of "young man" - be COMPLETELY unaware of existence of film? 😱

What is surprising about that? The great unwashed were unaware of the difference between tape and film by the mid eighties, and probably never knew the difference between film and print.

After all, the SLR owning part of the population always was a small minority, and not even all of these knew how to load and unload film, or how to change a lens. The majority of the population once had their point-and-shoot loaded and unloaded by the store clerk, and progressed directly to disposables. And things have not changed - a fair share of digital camera users can't transfer their files or remove their memory card themselves.

 

[sanmich]

A question from this nice lady that needed to buy a roll of film for me to take pictures in the kindergarden:
"regular film or digital film?"

I choked at the big, reversed 4x5 LCD screen 😀😀😀

 

[wgerrard]

It was impossible, to explain him the reasons, why I still use film.
I just did not find the right words, to make this plausible to him.
For most people, film indeed is dead.

Digital files are the way most people want to display and exchange photos. They may accept the argument that a physical print delivers a better image -- I say "Accept" because few people have examined something other than a drug store print at close range -- but the inability to manipulate the print online seals the deal.

 

[ColSebastianMoran]

One of my favorites... A posting by Hal B on PN... Supposed dialog in the future:

"Remember what photography was like before digital?"

"Before?"

"Yeah, you know. Back when photos were taken on film."

"You mean it changed?"

"Yeah, pictures were on paper instead of computer screens."

"You mean like a painting?"

"Not really. You still used a camera, but there was no computer. The picture just went straight from film to paper."

"Don't be stupid. You can't use a camera without a computer."

 

[Warren T.]

Upon seeing my Nikon F4s w/MF-23 data back, a fellow hiker walking behind me in Yosemite remarked that he liked my camera, and asked if it was a "panoramic" digital. He saw the MF-23's wide LCD on the back of the camera and thought it was some new kind of professional digital camera. 🙂

 

[ebino]

Once I took my M4-P to a political rally, few years ago. Whilst there this gentleman got completely fascinated with my camera and during the whole time i was there kept looking smiling and generally being friendly as two hobbits of the same hobby.

I completely lost track of what i was doing and kept acknowledging the man and being polite as well.

Suffice to say that was the last time M4-P (which is sold now) went to a rally or any event.

 

[oftheherd]

A question from this nice lady that needed to buy a roll of film for me to take pictures in the kindergarden:
"regular film or digital film?"

I choked at the big, reversed 4x5 LCD screen 😀😀😀

Yeah, I thought that was pretty funny too, until I read the below. That is one of the funniest things I have read in a long time. I'll be chuckling all day. Thanks for that.

Lol, great thread!

A few weeks ago I was rewinding my roll and a kid(late teens) asked me what I was doing. I told them it had a built in self charger, keep spinning till there's no more tension and your good to go for the rest of the day. One of the others I was with couldn't stop laughing because the kid wanted to know where to get one and I told him I was testing out a prototype that isn't going to be on the market for at least another year.

He's eagerly awaiting it's release.

Maybe it was a jerk thing to do but I'm growing weary of having to explain myself over and over about the choice of using film and being educated on the benefits of digital.

 

[shadowfox]

If more of us educate more people like this thread indicated, we won't have to worry about film disappearing.

I don't know if I ever share this photo here, but it kinda says it all:

* That's my tiny Ricohflex in the dad's hands, notice the girl holding a D90, I said to her that the TLR has bigger LCD than her camera 🙂

People love vintage stuff. Film is now vintage, go spread the goodness.

 

[netoga]

One month ago I showed some slides projected to a group of teens and they were totally amazed. they had never seen slides before.
I am 36 and they were around 15. But all of them knew about film, so it was more easy to explain what a slide was.

 

[Cowboy]

Last friday I was giving a lecture on photolithography (microsystems engineering, 4th year university students) and asked how many of them had ever used film for photography.

Answer: 0. That was kind of frustrating.

I love this thread! People keep asking me about my old camera (Zeiss Ikon ZM). People find it hard to believe that something like that is still manufactured and people spend money for it. But they like the pictures "it" takes 😀

 

[Keith]

I was at a camera fair proudly wearing my new M8 around my neck (like you do when you've just maxed out your credit card) and an old guy came up to me and told me it was very refreshing to see someone shooting a film camera because in spite of the room being full of old gear there were DSLR's everywhere. While he was standing in front of me I raised the M8 to my eye and snapped his pic, then turned the camera and showed him his image on the LCD screen.

Discovering that Leica had sold out to digital changed his world I think ... he walked away with a stunned look on his face! 😛

 

[cliffpov]

If you want to be completely ingnored by the DSLR crowd just whip out a Rollei 35 or Olympus XA. They mostly seem to have no respect for anyone shooting with one of these cheap cameras, probably because they aren't big enough to be anything decent.😱

 

[Naumoski]

I was playing around and taking pictures of my niece from my first roll of Rolleiflex, but also I had a small Canon a490 for the metering, so I gave it to my 4 year old niece to take pictures as well, but she was yelling: "No! I want the bigger one, give me that one!"
😀

So, it's obviously that the girls, especially from early ages prefer vintage, film and bigger cameras 😀

 

[Phil_F_NM]

"Yeah, it's digital [my M4], I use my digits to make it work."

Phil Forrest

 

[thawkins]

If you want to be completely ingnored by the DSLR crowd just whip out a Rollei 35 or Olympus XA. They mostly seem to have no respect for anyone shooting with one of these cheap cameras, probably because they aren't big enough to be anything decent.😱

And if you want to create more excitement forget the Rollei and go to the party with an FSU camera around your neck. I have a grand little Zorky "C" that always creates excitement. "You mean the evil communist Russkys built cameras"?

 

[Beemermark]

OK, I'm not that old but this is making me feel old.

How many know how to use a slide rule? Highly accurate, works without batteries or sunlight.

How many remember typewriters - and the cute secretary to type the report and check the grammer. Live is better now, I have a computer with a buggy MS word and I have to type the report myself - and get chastised because of my misspelled words and poor grammer.

Who remembers the original Star Trek? A computer that talked to you. How impossible, but a great science fiction idea.

Anybody ever read 1984? Orwell was off by a few years but otherwise he does a pretty convincing job of describing life in 2010. How about Atlas Shrugged? Sums up the global economy and socialism, 60 years before the bubble burst.

Should I go on? At 59 you just learn to ignore people.

 

[aad]

I use a typewriter now. Actually makes sense, my handwriting is illegible and printing notes is expensive.

Convenience is over-rated.

 

[rondo]

Well, with the influx of retro styled digital cameras, you will be facing less questions by the ignorant on both sides...

 

[Roger Hicks]

OK, I'm not that old but this is making me feel old.

How many know how to use a slide rule? Highly accurate, works without batteries or sunlight.

How many remember typewriters - and the cute secretary to type the report and check the grammer. Live is better now, I have a computer with a buggy MS word and I have to type the report myself - and get chastised because of my misspelled words and poor grammer.

Who remembers the original Star Trek? A computer that talked to you. How impossible, but a great science fiction idea.

Anybody ever read 1984? Orwell was off by a few years but otherwise he does a pretty convincing job of describing life in 2010. How about Atlas Shrugged? Sums up the global economy and socialism, 60 years before the bubble burst.

Should I go on? At 59 you just learn to ignore people.

Slide rules: not very accurate, about 3 sig. fig.

Typewriters: a secretary to screw up the grammAr and spelling.

Atlas Shrugged? Welcome to the Tea Party.

Sorry, I find your analysis ungood.

Cheers,

R.