That ain't no camera!

Dave Wilkinson

Dave Wilkinson

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Feb 24, 2007
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Strolling around the streets of York today, with a Fed 2, Skopar 35-f2.5 combo around my neck, a young tourist with DSLR and zoom like a drainpipe, about a foot long, looked disdainfully at the Fed, and after I'd raised my spot meter to my eye and took a reading, he remarked smuggly.....'that's a dinky little camera' :D
Dave.
 
Dave Wilkinson said:
Strolling around the streets of York today, with a Fed 2, Skopar 35-f2.5 combo around my neck, a young tourist with DSLR and zoom like a drainpipe, about a foot long, looked disdainfully at the Fed, and after I'd raised my spot meter to my eye and took a reading, he remarked smuggly.....'that's a dinky little camera' :D
Dave.
Click to expand...

Hey, on the subway some photo school kid (from AIB) looked at my m7 and said, hey is that one of those new holgas?
 
You think he would have seen a small camera before. How does he think all his friends take those self portraits to put on their myspace pages.....cellphone.
 
tmfabian said:
Hey, on the subway some photo school kid (from AIB) looked at my m7 and said, hey is that one of those new holgas?
Click to expand...

:D:D:D


Dave, the good thing is, you can shoot with this combo almost anywhere in the world. Even in places where this drainpipe kid would end up on the pavement and without a cam. ;)
 
Modern technology has made life too easy for the kids of today so they no longer need to learn the basics. I once went out about 6 months ago with my homemade 6x6 Agfa Isolette modified pinhole and this group of youngsters in their early 20s (many with their "drainpipes") came round and asked how can a camera take pictures without a lens. What had happened to secondary school physics?
 
I have a young nephew (15) who was fascinated by my Voigtlander Vitomatic II. I was using it while all of the other aunts and uncles were using their digital P&Ss. I passed the camera to him and asked what he thought of it, and he said, "It's heavy". I am going to give him one of my old non-elctronic geezer cameras and see what he can do with it. Who knows, maybe he will appreciate the process if he gives it a try.

Steve
 
I've been snickered at by so many people carrying giant SLR's (usually Nikon people) since I switched to rangefinders last year.

I just think to myself how much more I like the images shooting with B&W again and how my back has been saved not carrying around all that gear on a daily basis.
 
a guy looked at my MP and mentioned it was "some classic" and how old was it? I said about three years old. He looked at me in bewilderment.

I guess if it ain't a digital monstrosity, then it must be old.
 
Things are at the point where photographers are meant to be machine operators, the skills of a photographer is the ability to go through those menus, sub-menus, sub-sub menus to get the camera to run at any of the two-dozen automatic modes, so they do not have to learn about the simple holy trinity of focussing, aperture and shutter-speed. Of course, those who indeed know about focussing, aperture and shutter-speed are considered to be not at all good as photographers!
 
Perhaps it's because I've shot film without autofocus for a good number of year, but I use two dslr's regularly and they never leave either aperture priority auto exposure or manual. Not a scene mode in sight.

Or actually it's because I'm not a very good photographer. Yes that's it.

Mike
 
At the local airshow, a friend (who does enjoy commenting about my "old tat" cameras) pointed out to all around that I'd brought an antique along... the Leica IIIc. The "antique" was placed in his hands, he was advised that there was a film in it, and so he proceeded to show everyone just how easy it was to use.

His expression when he looked through the VIDOM attached, and saw the image was reversed... that more than made up for his one-upmanship. ;)

Oh, and the "antique" got far better candid results than his Nikon DSLR, simply due to its lack of size. :)

Mind you, amongst the "old tat", he did recognise a camera, and announced... "MY GOD! YOU'VE GOT A HOLGA!"

*sigh*
 
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I am experiencing the exact opposite, I shoot old film cameras: IIIC & M3 and older people ask me why I bother with old camera's and developing my own film.

When I tell them I like them for their size, handling etcetera, and I like film for it's image quality, they say I should use digital and turn up the ISO that way i get the same grain... :bang:
 
tmfabian said:
Hey, on the subway some photo school kid (from AIB) looked at my m7 and said, hey is that one of those new holgas?
Click to expand...

That's sad. I went to AIB and they used to have a nice darkroom downstairs. Heard they got rid of it and went 100% digital :rolleyes:
 
tch! tch! kids these days! Geez, they have it sooooo easy - don't know they're born! tch! tch! :D In my day we had to make our own cameras out of old cornflake boxes, and we needed camels to carry 500 gallon drums of hypo tch! tch! :p
 
Should have told them it was a Russian covert surveillance camera with 137 Mega pixels, which allowed for the dissection of wide angled photos and the subsequent analysis of even the tiniest details.

I ask people for their website url :D
 
bottley1 said:
tch! tch! kids these days! Geez, they have it sooooo easy - don't know they're born! tch! tch! :D In my day we had to make our own cameras out of old cornflake boxes, and we needed camels to carry 500 gallon drums of hypo tch! tch! :p
Click to expand...

You had camels!?

:D :D
 
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I was using a Speed Graphic to photograph an antique boat festival last year when an old man idled up to the dock in his 1930's era mahogany hydroplane. He was in his 80's and wearing the old leather cap and aviator goggles. It was the photo of the day. He knew it and so did all the other photographers.

He was basically uncooperative with the photo masses with all their digital equipment. Then I stepped forward with the Speed Graphic. He asked me where I wanted him to stand, if I wanted him to get back into the boat, was patient while I worked with dark slides and flipping film holders, and insured that I was finished before he moved on.

All the while I could sense the young guys with the digital cameras having to stay a step behind me and shoot over my shoulder.
 
Absolutely, Bob! I find the people who give me the time of day when I'm shooting one of my relics (oldest circa 1911, but most 1930s-1950s, and all well below Leica quality) are generally the ones who are genuinely interested, or nostalgic, or both. And I try to be interested and as pleasant as I can if I spot someone else using something similar. And they are great if you go to Vintage events - you find the sort of people who will say "Oooh, my Auntie Ruby had one just like that in...."

Adrian
 
Windscale said:
Modern technology has made life too easy for the kids of today so they no longer need to learn the basics. I once went out about 6 months ago with my homemade 6x6 Agfa Isolette modified pinhole and this group of youngsters in their early 20s (many with their "drainpipes") came round and asked how can a camera take pictures without a lens. What had happened to secondary school physics?
Click to expand...

Hey, not all kids are like that. Sure I've only ever ran into one other person my age using film, but that makes at least 2 of us in this tiny city.


In reality, it shouldn't matter what you use as long as you get the shot. Be that old film camera or new DSLR.
 
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