the RF Culture

[Gazzah]

I dont own a watch.. I have some 3000 old LPs built up over the years. I have owned a number of old/quirky cars from MGs, Healys, TVRs, customised Landrovers and several citroens. I dont have a push bike (knees wont let me!) I surf both SUP and Kite surfing. I used to have a motor bike.
Im getting back into film after years of digital making me bored. Shot with my uncles M5 years ago and would like to get one myself sometime soon...
Gary H

 

[jsrockit]

Some of the poll choices could just be "rich guy" culture.

 

[atelier7]

I don't think it's all about a rich man's culture. For some, maybe.

Not everything needs to be really expensive. I wear a relatively inexpensive chinese made manual wind watch, but the mechanical nature of the watch appeals to me. Similarly, a Bessa R isn't very expensive but is a different tool compared to the common DSLR.

Anyhow, I would include the question, " do you use a fountain pen?" (and, again, there are plenty of inexpensive fountain pen and vintage options to choose from).

OT: If you answer yes, and you consider yourself a bauhaus heir, I'm giving you the chance to win a lamy 2000 fountain pen. check it out at www.antipodeco.com

details here www.antipodeco

 

[rolleistef]

Definitely not about being rich or not. On the contrary! I set that poll and I'm not rich at all. Just a regular student with a scholarship and needs such as cinema, cameras and film.
The big advantage about classic cameras is that some of them are incredibly cheap. I got my Hi-Matic 9 for 35€ including shipping, and none of my friend will believe me. The same for some very nice car. A Citroen CX will cost 4000$ for a very good sample, it's an amazing car and you can go well over 600 000 miles with it if you take care of it.

As for the fountain pen : good point. I didn't think about it out of pure anthropocentrism, because it's used on a regular basis in France. We actually learn handwriting with a fountain pen. But it's a good question, as it's not used that much. The ultimate writing tool for me is bottle ink and a nib anyway!
What do you mean, win a fountain pen? Feeling attracted suddently 🙂

 

[David Charlwood]

I have a 1972 Lotus Europa Special - it is impractical, expensive to maintain, but tremendous fun, a 1943 Carl Plath sextant (GPS is too easy), M3 and M2 cameras, and an enormous hatred of people who say "when are you going to get modern"? I love aeroplanes with big round gauges and shiny levers, and warm 40 year old brunettes.

 

[ErnestoJL]

Not a richman too.
I like very much vintage cars, timepieces, fountain pens, vinyl LPs, and old fashioned turntables, as well as vintage motorbikes and old film cameras, but it doesn´t mean that I own all of the items mentioned, just some, not all.
Conversely, being a richman would allow me to own many or all of those beautifull things, but what would I really need?
The main question (for me) is would I be happier or feel better if having all this?
BTW, being 57, I do like too 40 yr old brunettes... or younger...

Cheers
Ernesto

 

[jsrockit]

I'm just saying...there are people out there that choose these things for status... while others do it out of love.

 

[DNG]

I'm just saying...there are people out there that choose these things for status... while others do it out of love.

Ahhhhh..... Love
A wonderful feeling :angel:

 

[jsrockit]

Fo Sho! DNG!

 

[paulfish4570]

I just like older stuff whose parts were forged, cast, machined and fitted by human hands. I like stuff designed by human brains rather than a design team with computers. Compare a P-51 or Spitfire to an F-22, a '49 Merc to a Camry, an M2 or Canon P or Spotmatic to any DSLR. Where is the soul?

 

[raid]

I can feel the warmth from older stuff. Not all older stuff, but the stuff that has soul in it. A 1977 Mercedes Benz 450SL cabrio ... which I sold to get a Camry! I am not sure whether I am OK after the sale. Still, I move on. There are so many wonderful things in life that a loss or two does not stop me from enjoying life.

The Camry is more reliable than the old MB, but the old Zeiss or Leica are more fun than a new digital camera.

 

[ErnestoJL]

The eldest cameras I have are:
1-1932 Voigtländer Virtus, 78 y.o.
2-1937 Zeiss Ikon Contax II, 73 y.o.
3-1946 Kodak Medalist II, 64 y.o.
Original owners of 1 & 2 have passed long ago and previous owner of the Kodak is 88 y.o. He was very happy to sell me that camera being sure it was going to be used for what it was designed for.
Made to last?
Decidedly yes. That´s why I like that old stuff.
Cheers
Ernesto.

 

[johnnygulliver]

Mmm.. vintage cars..

Does a "94 Fiat Panda count?

It's got some dings in the doors, but is otherwise just fine and still does the job like on day one. I've my mind set on keeping it for years and years to come, despite the scrapping subsidies we've got now..

And, I just realized, I got a letter the other day from the RDW (the guys who issue licence plates and collect the road taxes) that my "84 motorcycle is being exempted from road taxes given that it's 25yrs old and therefore now officially classified 'vintage'..

So, officially, I'm in!

does a Fiat Panda count? If it's the original yes, it's a pure Giugaro Italian classic design...

 

[johnnygulliver]

what's missing off the list?

what's missing off the list?

classic wooden yachts
old guitars
historic firearms

any more for any more?

ps. why do we like this stuff? For starters maybe :

it doesn't go out of date
we can see how it works
we can fix it, if necessary
it's been made by human beings
out of beautiful materials

 

[Michael Markey]

A Super Rocket that`s a hell of a bike.
Only ever had a 250 C15 myself. 🙁

 

[Wags]

I like old guns too. Like the Colt SAA

 

[lxmike]

I wear a automatic watch, seiko oyster, I collect old live model steam engines, prefer rangefinder cameras, live in a house built in 1870 heated by a wood burning stove, I do not own a car, have a mobile phone, (it is never switched on and is only a phone no other gimick on it), I listed to vinyl but also have cds, I have a laptop and sky tv. I also live on caffine

 

[alistair.o]

It may have been said already but, many of the things which have lasted into this age were not made for the everyday working man i.e. they were top quality, made by craftmen for the higher earner or wealthy person, or as an item that took years of saving to get.
With this last point i.e. saving to get, people then did not believe their staus to be any different because they owned an item, it evidently was NOT. How could it be? They had no credit cards or loans to enable them to fool only themselves!

 

[ebino]

No matter how much photographers go about creating groups and subgroups and so on to differentiate themselves from other photographers, in the end of the day they're photographers, from an amateur with a DSLR to another one with a Hassblad or a large format camera.

The final product is the photograph, everyone no matter what they use or what they associate themselves with have the same result/a photograph and in the end of the day its those photos that act as an equalizer and measure of the photographer.

Leave pigeonholes to the pigeons.

 

[healyzh]

I think pretty much everything listed is a question of craftsmanship vs. cheaply made garbage. Are we simply a group of people that likes well made items? What digital camera of today feels remotely as good as a Nikon F3, a 500-series Hasselblad, or a film Leica (sorry not brave enough to touch a M8 or M9 so don't know about those).

I love well made 30's, 40's and 50's automobiles, and own a '72 pickup. I don't like plastic vehicles, I like good solid metal ones.

Good clean Vinyl on a good turntable attached to a good sound system sounds better than any CD. The best classical LP's were released between about 1957 and 1959. I own a record cleaning machine so my vinyl is kept in good condition, and a Rega P3 turntable so my vinyl isn't abused. Consumer grade turntables are very destructive items, a good turntable will lengthen the life of your vinyl and is a sensible investment. The record cleaner will lengthen the life of your turntable and your other vinyl, especially if you buy used vinyl.

My "vintage" cloths were bought new, as was a lot of the other "vintage" items I use. I believe in buying the best you can afford and making it last. Nothing ticks me off more than something that won't hold up!

I use the following kinds of cameras; digital, film, P&S, SLR, DSLR, Rangefinder, TLR, View, 35mm, 127, 120, and 4x5. I'm looking to add the following descriptors; plate, 8x10, and 5x7 (just need a lens for these 3). What is more important to me than what camera I'm using is how it will allow me to create the photograph I want to create. A camera is nothing more than a tool, and I believe in using the right tool for the job.

Okay, I will confess that my Hasselblad doesn't make much sense to use. With it I simply love to use it to take photographs, I like how it feels, how it sounds, how it works. 😀 It is a finally crafted work of art! It is more about having fun, than creating a photograph.