leicaphilia Posted October 10, 2014 Share #1 Posted October 10, 2014 Advertisement (gone after registration) Why a Mechanical Film Camera in a Digital Age? | Leicaphilia A tip of the hat to CalArts99 for some of the thoughts and language of the piece. Interested in your comments! 13 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted October 10, 2014 Posted October 10, 2014 Hi leicaphilia, Take a look here Why Mechanical Cameras in a Digital Age?. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
colmac Posted October 10, 2014 Share #2 Posted October 10, 2014 In photography language, I'd say the article is spot on. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SmithyT Posted October 10, 2014 Share #3 Posted October 10, 2014 I agree, that was a superb article. As someone who grew up with cameras (used to 'borrow' my grandfathers zeiss as a small child) I have shot loads of different cameras and have a few mechanicals still around the house. I use the Pentax 6x7 as a main, am looking forward to finding more 127 film sometime for my 1915 kodak vest pocket camera and one day I want to try a Hasselblad x-pan; still on my want list after several years. I tried a few digitals in the past and never felt comfortable using them... it didn't feel like 'real' photography to me, somehow digital lacked the 'craft' I associated with taking pictures. Too much technology over complicated it for me. Perhaps thats why I am warming to the Leica X more than I have to any other digital, it seems less complicated than my previous ones, I can use it easily as I would a mechanical 35mm, it doesn't feel as far removed as other digitals have done. I never understand why older photographers I meet that have gone over to only digital wax lyrically about their old film cameras and shake their heads as if those days are gone forever. If you like shooting film then shoot film! Digital and film don't have to be exclusive, they are both different enough to be compatible, even if you only shoot film for your own enjoyment and digital for work. 5 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Clark Posted October 10, 2014 Share #4 Posted October 10, 2014 (edited) Great article. Thank you for providing the link as I bookmarked the site. Some digital camera mfgrs. have stepped into quicksand as the smartphone is changing the way photos/videos can be made thereby decreasing the units sold for traditional cameras. Edited October 10, 2014 by Bill Clark 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Hiles Posted October 10, 2014 Share #5 Posted October 10, 2014 The article resonates with me. Film photography did not become obsolete or incompetent when digital arrived. Photography, it seems to me, is about making images. My pictures, for what they are worth, would not change much or at all were they made with a digital M. They are made in my mind’s eye, and they do not rise or fall on whether they are recorded on light sensitive film or a digital sensor. I continue to like the craft of silver photography – I like the look of a print on the wall, tastefully framed and matted, made from a correctly exposed negative. So film continues to deliver what I want, and I dismiss hollow discussions that centre on the physics and chemistry. Such discussions do not much interest me - I don't think they are about photography. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
robert blu Posted October 11, 2014 Share #6 Posted October 11, 2014 Thanks for the link to this excellent article. i'm a pure amateur, seriously involved in photography since when I was a kid thanks to my father, I still use his Rolleiflex. I shoot both film and digital (Leica x1 is the only digital camera I own, by now) depending on the needs (do I need to have the photo in a short time:digital!), on the mood (do I feel artist? instant!) or on the intent (d0 I plan to make something special? film!). The only problem where I live is difficult to find a laboratory which makes a good treatment for c41 films which often have scratches or dust spots on them I think it's a great time with the possibility to select among different options! robert 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
NZDavid Posted October 19, 2014 Share #7 Posted October 19, 2014 Advertisement (gone after registration) Good article commenting on obsolescence. It's really very simple. Mechanical film cameras are a mature product harnessing a mature technology; digital technology is still evolving. As concerns the design, features, and functionality of the camera, that is more a question of sufficiency. For many people, the basic shape and feature set of a 35mm film camera is plenty sufficient for a digital camera, too: lens, viewfinder, shutter speed and aperture dials, ISO control. The only major difference is the recording medium. Not everybody wants video, GPS, and a zillion other modes and special features and endless change -- though if they do, the choice is there! 3 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RED ROBIN Posted October 20, 2014 Share #8 Posted October 20, 2014 A long but great read! And I thought I was only an old duffer with an old hunk of o'metal . Damn, I feel all progressive now! Just thought I liked Barnacks and cheep film. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
XVarior Posted November 17, 2014 Share #9 Posted November 17, 2014 I just bought an MP :-) 5 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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