where do we go from here?

FrankS said:
I agree that this is the way things mostly are. I choose, whenever possible and appropriate, not to go this path. This consumerism and disposable mindset needs to change for human life to be sustainable on this earth, IMO.

Sorry for being a wet blanket.
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Frank u are right on the mark... I know I get into this trap all tooo often.. This thread has made me step back and think a bit myself.

The xp1 is pretty close to ideal for me, the rx100 has turned into my go to camera for p&s... When the xp2 comes thru next year even if it is a ff, does it make enough of a difference for me? Do I really need a x200 with the xtran sensor, no really...I can live w/o it. The only thing I want from the xp1 is tomorrows SW update and focus peaking. Outside of that I may still get the xe1 because I want a second body..and of course more lenses for the xp1 To fill in areas I am missing 😀

Gary

Ps.. Does not mean I am not going to participate in helping GAS attacks 😛
 
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GaryLH said:
For the professional, I absolutely don't blame them, they can't take the chance, but when I hear or read about someone on a board dissing camera x because it doesn't have at least x number of fps, I just start to wonder.

Gary
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I don't think it has much to do with being a professional but rather with interest. I don't consider myself a professional, still I do from time to time paied work and for me fast autofocus is just as useful in those works as a boat in a desert because I always take pictures of very still objects on a table, in fact rarely use the autofocus at all. Still the few times I tried to take pictures of animals or sport (just for fun, it didnt't happen many times) I miss not having a better autofocus on my venerable cameras. I can see a devote birdwatcher who take pictures just for fun having a reason for the latest Sony camera, as I can immagine that anyone shooting their kids at high school mathces of whatever sport their kids practice finding very appealing the possibility to get immages that only a few decades ago were almost impossible even for the pros. On the other hand I doubt even the most paied pro would need anything fast for most studio work (and in fact if money allows they go for digital backs, not for fast autofocus). I still like the fact that the technology is there, even if I don't need it right now. It's like the 6000 whatever iso, I never use them but I don't see any harm in the fact that I could use the feature if I needed it... In any case if it is true that no one looking at a good picture asks about how many fps were capable the camera which toke it is also true that no one is interested in a bad picture just because due to limitations of the camera which was used it was impossible to take a better one.

GLF
 
i agree there is too much consumerism running rampant...so many more offerings that seem so much better than the last batch.
i think my infatuation with the tiny rx100 has caused me to question myself, in that, i am so satisfied with the output.
if this camera can satisfy me then it stands to reason that the rx1 just might push me over the satisfaction edge...quality and simplicity itself...in one small package.
might my ego allow for the use of one point & shoot machine to be the answer to my gear prayers?
 
I think digital will eventually spiral down hill far from what most of us recoginize as photography today. Analog photography will be around for another 100 years because it's a stable artform.
 
I'm just having fun. I put my 1DMKIII on the shelf and have been shooting soccer with my Contax RTS III. It just came back from Japan.. unfortunately.. I wasn't with it. Recently, found a developer combination that I really like with my Neopan 400. I've been shooting mostly video with my NEX-7 and always love the X100. Who knows, next month I just might switch over to all medium format film. I go through phases. No great work, but I am enjoying myself and set my own challenges. It will be a long time before the really popular films go away.
 
giellaleafapmu said:
I don't think it has much to do with being a professional but rather with interest. I don't consider myself a professional, still I do from time to time paied work and for me fast autofocus is just as useful in those works as a boat in a desert because I always take pictures of very still objects on a table, in fact rarely use the autofocus at all. Still the few times I tried to take pictures of animals or sport (just for fun, it didnt't happen many times) I miss not having a better autofocus on my venerable cameras. I can see a devote birdwatcher who take pictures just for fun having a reason for the latest Sony camera, as I can immagine that anyone shooting their kids at high school mathces of whatever sport their kids practice finding very appealing the possibility to get immages that only a few decades ago were almost impossible even for the pros. On the other hand I doubt even the most paied pro would need anything fast for most studio work (and in fact if money allows they go for digital backs, not for fast autofocus). I still like the fact that the technology is there, even if I don't need it right now. It's like the 6000 whatever iso, I never use them but I don't see any harm in the fact that I could use the feature if I needed it... In any case if it is true that no one looking at a good picture asks about how many fps were capable the camera which toke it is also true that no one is interested in a bad picture just because due to limitations of the camera which was used it was impossible to take a better one.

GLF
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Peace
Gary
 
back alley said:
Gerry M said:
back alley said:
this thread was never intended to be a 'versus' thread.

with all the new technology exploding around us i am feeling overwhelmed and wondering about a new direction.
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What direction, Joe?
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i'm not sure...that's the thing.
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I totally get that! I have been bouncing back and forth between film and digital worlds for a couple years, and I feel the lack of discipline is impacting my work! I'm bypassing the limits of what used to define my style by using a different technology. The result is that I think less clearly about how to make specific pictures, when more possibilities are available.
 
back alley said:
with all the new technology exploding around us i am feeling overwhelmed and wondering about a new direction.
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Why?

It's not law that you have to ingest or embrace it all, let alone use it. I look at some things and say, "Wow, Cool!" and then move on to what it is that I do, not what the techno-hype tells me I should do...I do film, to hell with the rest.

I get my new iPhone 5 on Friday, it's going to be a lot faster than my current one which will be great because I will spend less time on it and get off of what has got to be one of the most damaging things in modern society...the web.
 
back alley said:
. . . .
if this camera can satisfy me then it stands to reason that the rx1 just might push me over the satisfaction edge...quality and simplicity itself...in one small package.
might my ego allow for the use of one point & shoot machine to be the answer to my gear prayers?
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A very insightful remark.
I think your answer is written in your question.
 
Where do we go from here? There is no answer to this question. Where do I go from here? This can be answered, but not easily. It requires a basic understanding of what one wants to do and what is needed to achieve it. GAS can get in the way of this unless you are really more of a gear head than someone with a strong photographic aim. There's nothing wrong with that and it can be a lot of fun - I know. For some, choice is a motivator for others its a distraction. There are thousands of great images that have been taken with very basic equipment, so the latest and greatest is not necessarily the answer. If the ultimate goal is the final image then all one needs is the tool that makes you want to go out and take it. The medium doesn't really matter that much. Its what suits your way of working.

As to consumerism, its what makes the world's economies tick. Until somebody comes up with an alternative solution we rely on people being acquisitive to keep us all in employment. We can choose to get off the merrygoround, but if we all do, we'll see the mother of all crashes. So here's to all the new gear and the short product cycles. Personally, I've jumped off the merrygoround but I'm happy for you all to continue 😀
 
There's no question, choice now is overwhelming. There's an old article in Scientific American discussing the 'Tyranny of Choice' (summary: sparse choice is good; abundant choice causes indecision and misery) and I think we 've reached a stage where this becomes a problem, esp. when you look at gear as a way to enhance photography.

However no camera, no M or M-E or D800 or whatever, will ever give an answer to the fundamental photographic problem: what to photograph. New cameras facilitate aspects of photography, and to a certain extent change our connection and use of it, but the perennial question remains. That, by the way, explains why it is still possible to use a large format film camera, an antiquated technology from the 19th c., despite the technological strides and a veritable avalanche of photographic products. Basically, it's OK to use something that is not cutting edge. (This meant only in a technological sense, not in terms of photographic results where large format far exceeds anything else.) Just use what you have as well as you can. I don't know if this thought gives some (any?) relief. As far as I am concerned, I have a modest interest in new stuff, and that only because I accept that film is now in a precarious state.
 
telenous said:
...the fundamental photographic problem: what to photograph.
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'What to buy?' is the most fun question with the added excitement and giddiness of acquiring something new, and also the easiest to find an answer.

What to photograph?

Now that is the most horrible, frustrating and hit your head against the wall question that most people don't even try to ask -- it is just too nasty.

It even takes away the fun from what to buy question because whats the point of buying cameras when you don't know what to photograph with them.


There is a cure for GAS, but its not for everyone, its simply asking yourself, "what to photograph?".
 
From here ... to there: the big box retailers will disappear. It's happening today. We are online for the time being until the moment some smart alec finds out how to get your merchandize to you faster and cheaper. Perhaps 50 years from today, the buyers will not live in Western Europe or North America any longer. Withing that context, the film hand wringing is a footnote to history.
 
back alley said:
i have been shooting for over 40 years and have not run out of things to photograph...what to shoot is not the question for me...what to shoot it with is more pressing for me,
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Why is it that some of us do not face that problem then? Could it be that we make the image so important that we simply do not allow the distraction of too many choices take over our mental bandwidth?

I certainly think so...

Commit to a way of shooting for life and you might find you will have one again...😉
 
Hi,

I think that what we have to do is extend not clicking on Digital vs Film threads into not reading advert's for new gear.

When all's said and done, change hasn't really affected anyone of us still happy to use a 30's camera. Well, OK, one or two films may not be available but Ilford's, Kodak's, etc, etc B&W is still available and print film is still available (in some supermarkets even) and so on. So just ignore change etc until needed.

Regards, David
 
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