Since blasphemy etc is in the air, all this talk of digital and the
dimise of film and photography as we know it....
I have handled a few cameras (not that many, compared with *real*
photography enthusiasts), from fat little Pentaxes to really heavy and
awkward things that shall remain nameless, but have owned only two brands of
SLR. My original Zenith E (still have it, gathering dust) and my OMs.
Sometime ago on this list or its predecessor, I stated (a bare fact) that I
am a snapper, without much hope of ever becoming anything else; I try, but
it's been nearly 30 years, and I'm still pretty bad. I don't do it enough,
and don't have an 'eye'. So maybe my attitude to what I use is coloured by
my lack of ambition, photographically speaking. Or expectation. Whatever.
So when I contemplate the end of film, whether through growing expense
because of the switch to digital, or sudden dumping by the industry for the
same reason, I think this; when I can no longer shoot with my OMs, e.g. when
'food' is no longer available, then I will probably stop trying to do
*photography* at all, and just take snaps. Probably with a little, cheap,
digital thing and an instant printer. I will always want the snaps; but
taking *photogaphs* (bothering about composition etc) is so bound up with my
intimacy with my SLRs (even my 10) that it represents a large portion of my
fun in doing it.
I occasionally use my Yashica 124G for the same reason. But using the Zenith
is a chore, not worth the effort (and because of the bouncy shutter, not
successful, either). I looked at a few modern, autofocus things with lots of
digital information and LCDs and buttons everywhere for this and that, and
it was like looking at the control panel of a Jumbo jet. I want to fly a
Tiger Moth, or a Hurricane.
I don't want to spend time in post-production using Photoshop or anything
else, except maybe for sharing a few select items on the web. I shoot slides
almost exclusively, Kodachrome almost without exception; I take 'em, I post
'em, they come back, I view 'em, I select some, I project them, I may have a
few printed. One or two I may scan and print myself. But I don't enjoy this
last bit. I read all the articles in Amateur Photographer about digital
darkrooms and the amount of correction (and even salvaging of perfectly good
originals) that goes on after scanning or the taking of digital photographs,
and I think my time is better spent riding my bike or watching old cycling
videos!
Mind you, then I see all this frantic activity; new films, new 35mm cameras,
retro-design 35mm cameras - maybe there's life in the old dog yet.
<sigh>. But remember, guys 'n' gals, my head's all over the place just now.
Don't flame me. :-{
Donald (who didn't get any sleep last night (and all that was on the box
were repeats of the Euro 2000 matches...))
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