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So after reading thru the "practice" thread and playing with all my old equipment again. I got to thinking about film cameras. I have collected them for a while, and yesterday went thru my collection. I had not realized how much gear I had amassed. I was at a crossroads several years ago as to whether to stick with film or go to digital. Digital won out as its easy to share, and inexpensive to process, and instant gratification. At the time film was still better than digital in many ways, but over time that has largely been eradicated as a major difference for most people. So I boxed up my cameras and stored them in the deep recesses of my closet as a collection.
Yesterday, I decided to sell them. I need to upgrade my digital cameras...My K20d 's are good cameras,reliable, but based on old technology and only 12 meg. I really want to get a Pentax K3 and see what I can do with a 23 meg camera. I could sell them, but will keep them. This is a pic of some of what I am selling...
I am have a bunch more as well to ad..
Even now, I can't let some things go.. I am keeping 2 of my first camera, the k1000, and 2 of my last cameras, Pz1p . I took my worst and best pics with these.. and I will need them if I ever want to shoot film again. Ironically both these 2 cameras are in huge demand still. The K1000 is still the choice of any classic photography class, and the Pz1p was the last high end film camera pentax made...even more sought now as Ricoh has bought out pentax..Its a beautiful and functional camera.
I am selling a bunch of M42 threads..., keeping all my takumar glass though as I still use these.
Its actually depressing though....I can actually remember which cameras I took what photos with in alot of cases. I have them sprawled out on the table and have been picking them up and dry shooting them. Film cameras have a certain feel to them, hard to explain if you haven't shot them extensively. I like digital but I do miss the feelings of shooting film. There was always an anxiety..did I get that shot right? you have to really think about the shot, and really know your film, filters and camera. Then there was the moment of either happiness if the shot came out good or utter frustration if you messed it up..In short.A challenge. Don't get me wrong, digital is still a challenge, but its different.
So when being nostalgic about selling your prized film age gear, what else do you do, but go thru decades of slides and pictures. Which made me realize something.. Since shooting digital, I don't have binders of pics and slides anymore. They are stored on the hard drives, burned into DVDs, etc. hardly accessible. I find I print less pics of what I shoot...instead viewing it on a monitor. Thats a loss too...even the best monitors have severe resolution limitations... whereas I could look at a slide and see the depth of the image, heck I can see the layers of emulsions.
It was inevitable but with all the digital focus these days, many film makers and developers have closed. And the ones that still do make film have cut back product lines and raised prices. Some of the films I use to love shooting are all history.
Leads me to a Question for you guys, do you find yourselves printing your pics much? or just sharing them and viewing them electronically on sites like Flicker? How do you archive them? What do you use them for? If you print them, what size do you usually print them to? Do you maintain a print portfolio to document all you have done and how you have progressed? Where do you get your prints done?
As I sit here looking at this stuff I realize how far the hobby of photography has progressed, but I do see that even with great progress, you can still lose some things.
Just rambling on... but thought this might be a good thread discussion, not so much on the techical differences between film and Digital media, but more of the differences that are hard to put into words. The historical,emotional, and practical differences.
You are going to laugh, but it makes me almost want build a darkroom and play around with black and white.
al
Yesterday, I decided to sell them. I need to upgrade my digital cameras...My K20d 's are good cameras,reliable, but based on old technology and only 12 meg. I really want to get a Pentax K3 and see what I can do with a 23 meg camera. I could sell them, but will keep them. This is a pic of some of what I am selling...
I am have a bunch more as well to ad..
Even now, I can't let some things go.. I am keeping 2 of my first camera, the k1000, and 2 of my last cameras, Pz1p . I took my worst and best pics with these.. and I will need them if I ever want to shoot film again. Ironically both these 2 cameras are in huge demand still. The K1000 is still the choice of any classic photography class, and the Pz1p was the last high end film camera pentax made...even more sought now as Ricoh has bought out pentax..Its a beautiful and functional camera.
I am selling a bunch of M42 threads..., keeping all my takumar glass though as I still use these.
Its actually depressing though....I can actually remember which cameras I took what photos with in alot of cases. I have them sprawled out on the table and have been picking them up and dry shooting them. Film cameras have a certain feel to them, hard to explain if you haven't shot them extensively. I like digital but I do miss the feelings of shooting film. There was always an anxiety..did I get that shot right? you have to really think about the shot, and really know your film, filters and camera. Then there was the moment of either happiness if the shot came out good or utter frustration if you messed it up..In short.A challenge. Don't get me wrong, digital is still a challenge, but its different.
So when being nostalgic about selling your prized film age gear, what else do you do, but go thru decades of slides and pictures. Which made me realize something.. Since shooting digital, I don't have binders of pics and slides anymore. They are stored on the hard drives, burned into DVDs, etc. hardly accessible. I find I print less pics of what I shoot...instead viewing it on a monitor. Thats a loss too...even the best monitors have severe resolution limitations... whereas I could look at a slide and see the depth of the image, heck I can see the layers of emulsions.
It was inevitable but with all the digital focus these days, many film makers and developers have closed. And the ones that still do make film have cut back product lines and raised prices. Some of the films I use to love shooting are all history.
Leads me to a Question for you guys, do you find yourselves printing your pics much? or just sharing them and viewing them electronically on sites like Flicker? How do you archive them? What do you use them for? If you print them, what size do you usually print them to? Do you maintain a print portfolio to document all you have done and how you have progressed? Where do you get your prints done?
As I sit here looking at this stuff I realize how far the hobby of photography has progressed, but I do see that even with great progress, you can still lose some things.
Just rambling on... but thought this might be a good thread discussion, not so much on the techical differences between film and Digital media, but more of the differences that are hard to put into words. The historical,emotional, and practical differences.
You are going to laugh, but it makes me almost want build a darkroom and play around with black and white.
al
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