Furtism vs. Faddism

[stickmaker]

I have been taking 35mm photos for well over 20 years. The past few years people have been pressing me with the question of when I will switch to a modern, digital camera. My answer leaves most of them unsatisfied, either because they don't understand it, or it makes them realize they didn't think things through.

A digital camera with a sensor good enough to match good quality 35mm film in resolution and color fidelity currently (as of late 2005) costs nearly $1000 for just the body. I already have three good 35mm film camera bodies, with an assortment of high-quality lenses and other accessories. Yes, I have to process the film to get a final image. If I want prints from a digital camera I'd either have to send the memory card off for printing (just like a roll of film) or buy a photo-quality printer.

Film is cheap, especially if you shop around. Unused, it keeps for two years or more in your freezer. Once processed, it is a stable storage medium, as long as it is kept cool, dry and out of strong light.

Yes, I will get a digital camera, probably in a couple of years. They're still on the steep part of the curve when it comes to image quality improving and price declining. I would almost certainly buy a digital camera if one of my current 35mm bodies needed replacing. I *like* digital cameras and the conveniences they provide. But I like what I already have better. So far.

One of the most ironic parts of this situation is when these digital proponents ask why the photos I show off are so much better than theirs.



Stickmaker

Comments

A little of both..

[(Anonymous)]

For many, everyday uses,a digital camera is the better choice because of its convenience-but not all situations.. If it's photos I want to archive, I'll use my 35mm camera,and my scanner that reads negatives. I have a 25+ yeat old Yashica that works just fine-no real need to replace it yet,but I do want a digital camera for some uses.I had an all-mechanical Ricoh SLR camera suited me just fine, but someone else decided it suited them,too,and stole it.I suspect over the next decade, film and processing will become a specialty item and service,not readily available in,say, WalMart..Scott