Why don't you just switch to digital?

[seanbonner]

My wife asked me that this morning, and it got me thinking, and I ended up writing an article about it which I thought I'd share here, assuming it might ring a bell with a few folks...

http://blog.seanbonner.com/2012/05/08/why-dont-you-just-go-digital/

 

[Jobin]

Really enjoyed that read thank you.

 

[efix]

+1 on the "made for a lifetime" argument. That's exactly the difference I feel between an M2 and an M8. Damn, I do have to get an M2 at some point ... but let's not make this another GAS thread ... 😛

 

[Speedfreak]

It might take me a month to go through a roll of film.

At that pace you are not really helping film staying in business...

 

[kmallick]

You echo a lot of our's sentiments. Thanks for putting it in words. Excellent read.

 

[Teuthida]

Nice read. Well done. While I have no truck with digital, i respect anyone who prefers film for idiosyncratic reasons instead of some large philosophical point.

I love to shoot film too, for many of the same reasons you cite. But I dob't think its inherently "better" than digital as a medium.

 

[shadowfox]

At that pace you are not really helping film staying in business...

Of course not.
Film is not going to be "saved" by a single individual's consumption volume.

But he chose to invest his time to write about film to inspire others.

More useful than pointing out the obvious, no?

 

[pieter]

I like the "made for a lifetime" argument. I am still debating whether to buy a m6 or a m9 and this is my main worry about the m9. It seems useless to buy such an expensive camera if it's not a lifetime purchase.
But then again, the question will be how much of my lifetime will film stay a valid option? Will a m6 really be as handy to have in 30 years? Will I have to buy film rolls from expensive retro labs? Will it become as hard then to use 35mm film as some obscure ancient long dead picture taking device has become now? I dont doubt it will always be possible, but at what cost of money and time?
With some repairs once in a while the m9's usb cable might find more connection with the world of 2050 than the filmroll of the m6 will. Maybe a camera is only as durable as it's connection.

I only wish the m9 itself was built as durable as the m6, but I guess with the amount of cutting edge technology in the device that would be impossible.

Basically I'm still on the fence. Thanks for your thoughtprovoking article.

 

[seanbonner]

Thanks everyone. Yeah, for the last many years I've been shooting on a K1000 and while it's now sitting in a box and unused for many years, it still works perfectly today, same with the M2 that I just moved to the M7 from. I debated M6 vs M7 for a while, I really wanted internal metering and decided if I was going to make the upgrade for something to help me think less about the camera and more about the photo, I thought I might as well have the AE option as well.

I'm not trying to save the film industry, like vinyl records (or Polaroids) I think there will always be a market and while it might get more pricey, it'll always be around. I'm not even saying film is better than digi, it's just what I like personally.

Anyway, thanks a ton for checking it out!

 

[Calvito]

Nice read, thanks 🙂
I sent a link to the fellow members of my photography group to read...

 

[sara]

Posting on my FB and Twitter! 🙂

 

[damien.murphy]

For me, nothing comes close to the the enjoyment and pleasure of shooting with my M3. When digital can offer me a shooting experience as pleasurable, then I may shoot digital exclusively. For now though, I will remain shooting both film and digital, and actually started with digital. The ideal combination for me, would be a marriage of the pleasure of shooting with a simple film camera (gorgeous viewfinder, minimal controls, etc) with the convenient output of digital. For now those that offer both are either out of my price league (M9), or carry more combined risk and cost that I am comfortable with (M8, R-D1).

Unfortunately the more things roll on, the more complex and fussy cameras seem to get, and that removes the minimalistic pleasure I get from the film cameras I choose to shoot. Stunning viewfinder, shutter speed dial, aperture controls, iso controls and well built body, how hard is it for camera companies.. 🙄:bang:

 

[damien.murphy]

Great post by the way, you've really captured a key part of the film experience for many people, I think. Limitless menu options, the capacity to take hundreds or thousands of shots, and the ability/ temptation to review each shot after you've taken it, all distract me from focussing solely on the scene/ whats happening around me. Something like an M, or manual film camera, cuts away all those superfluous distractions for me, enabling me to focus on whats around me, where I choose to stand and when I choose to push the button.


Call me crazy, but I would love a digital camera without an lcd. That would solve the temptation to instantly review every shot, and fiddle with settings, in one fell swoop. Not sure how to deal with the infinite capacity of memory cards, but you could force yourself to use lower capacity cards (something which is far easier to do than resist the allure of that lcd..).

 

[loquax ludens]

Great article Sean. What you wrote resonates with me.

 

[chopsteeks]

hahahaha....give him some credit for at least 1 film a month...

nice blog btw...

Like others have stated, digital caused some sort of disconnect, passion has disappeared...

Digital made made it easier to capture images, lots of them, but upon reviewing these images....it does not give me feeling that I was even there...

So....back to film.....enjoying photography again.

Slow --- yes...I cherish the slow process....to the point I have gone back to resurrecting my 4x5 outfit.

Funny story ---- One morning, I hiked to a popular lake...a young couple approached me with some fancy DSLR ----- asked me how big of a memory card I use with my strange looking outfit.....hahahahahaha.....I felt so outdated...

At that pace you are not really helping film staying in business...