i'm just want to get this off my chest

I've been using SLR cameras for over two decades now. I had many many lenses in all different sizes and shapes. My first Long telephoto zoom was the Sigma 70-210 f2.8 that I purchased in 1994 for under $600. It was heavy and took up lots of my spaces. But I managed to put it in excellent use until the year of 2000; I sold it for $575 on ebay. (got to LOVE ebay.... but not as much now) and purchased a Canon 75-300 IS. SO much lighter and easier to carry.

I remember friends used to make fun of me about why do i need to have a huge camera with all those lenses in my bag. But they know where my love and passion are at.

I didnt get into Digital photography until about a year in the half ago. and I only got into it because I was able to have a fast turn around time back to my clients. I still Love film... Slide Film. The feeling of looking at a slide under a lightbox just not the same looking at your monitor screen.

Today everyone has a SLR digital camera. Everyone is talkin about what lense to buy next. everyone wants to get a "L" lense (canon user of course). Everyone need this and that.... Its amazing how consumers has demand so much in technology that canon, sigma, nikon and many others are coming out w/ new stuff everyday.... especially Sony.

I was in the city last week visiting a friend for lunch. I saw two guys walking around in the city with their camera equipments. (lense, SLR digital, Lowepro bags and blah blah blah). There stuff are so new, I wont be surprised if they just came from B&H Photo.

and speaking of B&H Photo. I cant believe how huge that store has become now. So commerical. Eveyone is talkin about them. I bet some or many of you guys dont know or remember when they used to locate. well even back then, they were pretty busy.

You're wondering why I am writing this... I dunno. I'm just need to vent out. on of my friend calls me everday asking me this and that... then he ask me why i dont have this and why i dont have that... telling me my pic will come out even better if i had this. and tell me I shuold stop using film.. its a waste of money. dude just got a canon 20D in the beginning of the summer. He recently spent more money on a lense (cost him $750) and another memory card (2G) because he had a europe trip coming up. it makes me sick. He said he needs more room for his pics.


What I HATE the most is when someone say RAW is the way to go. You can always do things in Photoshop. NEVER have to worry about the settings.


some of the greatest photographers didnt use a digital camera. they didnt buy all those lense. they didnt have the technology we have today.


sigh!!!! i dunno. just my thoughts for Friday... thats what happen when your gf is out of town for the week.. and i have nothing better to do with myself.

hope everyone have a nice weekend...

"Paging Dr Phil.."

It sounds like you and your friend have a similar problem, but are just coming from opposite viewpoints. You're both zealots, but with very different viewpoints. That's okay.

The day is rapidly approaching when most (if not all) the world's great photographers will be shooting digital. That's just the way it is. There was a day when the best photographers used wet plate view cameras. Their choices have been to adapt or die. It will be the same with the transition to digital.

As to the people with the expensive, new equipment, I guess it's natural to feel a bit of resentment towards people with equipment that they have no business owning, at least from the standpoint of their needs and abilities. I'm sure B&H has very little conscience about selling an expensive camera to someone who has no need for it, much less the understanding of how to use it. There are a bunch of people on this forum, myself included, who have equipment that they will never be able to fully utilize, and who would probably be just as well served with a cheapie point-and-shoot pocket camera. I've gotten the repuation for being something of a hardware hog, and have really stopped talking about what I own except if it's applikcable to the subject being discussed.

There's a perceived inequity by some who see a working professional who can't afford the latest and greatest, while clueless newbies are buying top-of-the-line pro gear and wearing it around like designer jeans. That's just the way it is, especially with hobbies. There are always going to be people ready, able, and willing to plunk down more money on non-essentials than others. Nobody said life was fair.

when it comes to a hobby, it's a matter of preference in the end.
When it comes to jobs, it's a matter of necessity and costs. I couldn't shoot 1,500 pics at a wedding in film and still make money. As far as the latest and greatest, it's been said before and it stands true that those expensive things will not compensate for lack of talent.

Speaking of before digital, there is an Ansel Adams show here through the University of Maine, worth seeing if it is ever in your area. I was impressed. I like digital, but I still keep my film. Hubby shoots large format. Now that is just as expensive as digital. Trying to talk him into letting me buy an SLR digital. I'll get it one day. Maybe when we retire and the kids are through school and we can afford more. Or some rich family member leaves us millions <of course we don't know of any on either side> But hey, can't hurt to dream! LOL

Johnlo,

Didn't anyone ever explain the rules to you?

It's a quest. A contest, if you will, to amass the largest collection of cool-looking stuff. There is only one rule, really. The guy who has the most toys when he dies, wins!

What about we break for some visual therapy?

http://www.edwardcurti​s.com/goldtone/vr.html

johnlo wrote:
sigh!!!! i dunno. just my thoughts for Friday... thats what happen when your gf is out of town for the week.. and i have nothing better to do with myself.

You think you've got issues?

I'm contemplating the sale of a good number of guitars to finance more camera gear. I swore I would never, ever, sell these things, and yet, here I am, contemplating how much I could get for this one or that one.

It's a sickness, I tell ya'. "Gear Acquisition Syndrome", also known as GAS, is rampant in the world of a musician. Looks like it may also run rampant in the world of photographers...

Steve

I look at these things this way. In my younger years, the wife was the girl friend back then and though I still have all my hair it has gone to grey, I was a very avid outdoors person. Lot of camping and canoe trips. The gear I owned wasn't the best, but it was decent. On a ten day trip into the Boundary Waters we went hardcore. First day was a forty mile sprint away from the entrance lakes into the interior. Single portaged every time and made our goal by nightfall. We were only sharing this area with two other parties. It was heaven.

We planned to get out of the area before the big Memorial day weekend when all the masses would descend on the area. Midday as we neared our car we started encountering the weekend crowds and had to deal with the oncoming traffic during our portages. Here was four guys, carrying the canoes singly and all our packs and gear, laden with everything we had doing single portages. No gear left behind at the launch, no time wasted off the water.

On one portage, we came across a foursome who were double carrying their canoes and making several trips to get all their gear to the other end. I admit I giggled a little when I saw their shiny new canoes and the crisp clean shorts along with those really clean boots. We looked like Voyageurs and even though we bathed, we had not seen the shower or laundry for ten days.

I remember passing one of this group, who was sitting on his pack about halfway through the portage. There he was stuffing his face with gorp and preparing to finish his first trip to ferry their gear to the other side. He looked at me with my pack on my back and the canoe sharing those same shoulders. He smile and inquired how the trip was. Without loosing a step, I smiled back and told him the fish were biting, the water was still very cold and be sure to use a lot of bug dope, the were out in numbers. I also remember how stunned he was to see the rest of my group all doing the same mad dash.

So it comes to this at the end of the day. Even though we enjoyed a good chuckle at the situation, I know they had as good a trip as I experienced.

Got what I got and can do what I do. And I'm enjoying every minute of it.

Wep

Ro1

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Was it 17th bet 6th and 7th??!!?? Cuz if it is......then I just lost a bet

Ro1

roanjohn wrote:
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Was it 17th bet 6th and 7th??!!?? Cuz if it is......then I just lost a bet

Ro1

yes it is...

thanks for everyone's comment and stories. I love it. put a smile on me. btw, I called Dr. Phil. he wasnt available. he's at B&H buying a Canon 20D w/ a "L" lense. LOL!!!


you know what else I dislike? Megapixels. the way these MP are coming out, its just like when the speed of your CPU. Everybody wants the fastest. Everybody wants the one with more megapixel. I did a 1 year old bday party shoot beginng of the year. The parents were actually a friend of my bro's from work. well the first thing he asked me was how many megapixel is my camera. what camera is it.. At that time I only had the Fuji S2. He said he never heard of it. Told him thats because only professional ppl use them. LOL!!! I told him its about 6. He said, thats it?? In my mind I was like... are you planning to use the images on a Billboard to advertise your daugther in public? so then i told him.. actually my camera can produce up to 12 MP.. he was like.... they have that now??! I told him, ya.. thats why my camera is only used by Professionals. LOL!!! anyway when i handed him the CD images.. he asked why are the file size so small... he thought I was shooting at 6MP and the file size should be 6GB. sigh!! thats the thing.. everyone thinks they know everything. then when you try to explain to them... they dont believe you or want to hear it.

oh well.. Just had Lunch.. it was GOOD!!! now i need some desserts. anyone??

Still waiting for television to kill Radio.

Nooooooooooooooo.
I, for one very brief and disturbing moment, considered selling my gear which consisted of my American Standard Telecaster and 4X12 Custom cabinet with 100W Custom head and an array of other musical stuff. I decided that would be a very silly thing to do. Next week I will be picking up the lenses I was going to sell them for. I'm very glad I waited. I know I would have regreted it.