big decision, historic life passage

Frank Fusco

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Mountain Home, Arkansas
Folks, I have decided to sell my film cameras.
For me, that is almost as huge a decision as giving up my flintlock rifles.
I started photography in 1953 as a newly hired sports reporter/photographer and my editor shoved a 4x5 Speed Graphic in my paws and set me out the door on what would become a career.
Not that many years ago, I was still clinging to my film and claiming that this digital thing would never catch on. :eek:
It did.
I haven't shot a frame of film in several years. My two Nikons, lenses and accessories are languishing in a cabinet, not getting any newer.
Hopes are I can get enough for the set to upgrade my Sony DSC-H2 to a new Olympus SP-590UZ.
(and, yes, this shot was taken with a digi cam)
 

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Frank, I feel your pain. I sold my Cannon AE-1 to help finance the purchase of my Nikon D50. However, I'm still holding on to my Nikon F1 with the f:1.2 50mm.
 
My wife still has her Olympus OM1, and won't part with it. Problem is fewer and fewer places to do the processing, and so much easier use with digital.

Dageurrotypes, tintypes, glass negatives, slides, film - all surpassed as newer techniques surpass them. Kodak is quitting Kodachrome... May your equipment RIP, until 100 years from now some photo Neander type revitalizes them.
 
I sometimes pull this camera out to make the kids laugh when they pull out there 4 inch video cameras, gets a good laugh.
I just dont have the heart to throw it in the garbage, I cant even find my AE1, I just know its somewhere buried in this house.
 

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I've still got my Pentax ME Super, but it's been years since it saw any film.

Frank, the Olympus you're considering looks like a nice setup. Since you know how to use an SLR, have you considered keeping your Nikon lenses and going to a Nikon digital SLR instead? I think you can find an SLR body for about the same price...maybe even a bit less. The SLR would give you oodles of control, like a film camera. On the other hand, the Olympus has some pretty cool extra features that an SLR doesn't have.
 
About 4 years ago I sold all my Canon bodies, lenses, flashes and filters to pay for half of my table saw. I hadn't used film in the cameras for about 2 years and I knew I wasn't ever going to again.

Now I have a Canon S5 IS, it works well but I sure would like a DSLR.
 
I've still got my Pentax ME Super, but it's been years since it saw any film.

Frank, the Olympus you're considering looks like a nice setup. Since you know how to use an SLR, have you considered keeping your Nikon lenses and going to a Nikon digital SLR instead? I think you can find an SLR body for about the same price...maybe even a bit less. The SLR would give you oodles of control, like a film camera. On the other hand, the Olympus has some pretty cool extra features that an SLR doesn't have.

Vaughn, you are overlooking the stubborn old fart factor. My Nikons are Fe2 models with strikly manual lenses. You have no idea how hard it was for obstinate ole me to yield and go with auto-everything. I still love the control and creativity of manual focus, aperture, everthing. I miss it. :(
But, still, you do have a point. It is hard (not impossible) to selective focus a non-slr digi cam. But, I think my approach to picture taking has changed a bit and I'm real happy with the results I get with the current Sony. My son has the best of everything in Nikon slrs and, if nothing else, the weight puts me off. The light weight and handiness of this mid-range type camera makes me a fan. And, one could argue (something I never do :rolleyes: ) that it is an slr. The lenses just don't change, they zoom. ;)
 
Frank,
those look like good old war-horse cameras. I've still got my first 35mm, a Minolta x700 iirc, it's tucked away in a drawer along with a bronica 645 etrsi. I'm actually considering resurrecting my RB67 rig and throwing my hat back into the portrait biz these days, for added income. Senior portraits, family shots and the like.
At least initially, I know I'll be able to run the RB, but I'd like to get a decent digital with interchangeable lenses. My big problem is I'm out of date on the technology, so I've put off even seriously researching things.
 
Frank,
I wouldn't call it obstinate, I think it's more like staying with what works. It's really hard for me to part with something that works fine but has been obsoleted by new technology. I still can't part with my SLRs - Topcon Super D (circa 1964). They were my Dad's and I inherited them when I had photography in college. They're so sturdy (heavy) that when in the bad part of town, they doubled as defensive weapons. Still use them, but not as often these days. Most of the photography we do in our house is point and shoot snapshots. In that regard, digital is fantastic.

Wes
 
What's a "film" camera?

My only fear of digital cameras is that they get outdated about as fast as a computer.

Who knows - maybe jpg, tiff, bmp - and all that will become old news - like the cassette tape, cd's and the like.

Does anyone use a 5-1/2 floppy disk anymore?

In 2002 - I bought a Nikon 5000 camera and got some nice lenses - today it is worth squat. I paid $2000 for the whole pagkage.

NOW - no way I will put anything into a camers.

I just bought a new 10 mp Canon - with nice zoom - no special batteries that need to be recharged - ohhh am I sick of that. NO - this new canon uses AA batteries - I can get them anywhere, anytime.

-- Really, I feel for you.

But LP's are out too - cept for a few lone historians.

So - how many megapixels is a - what did you say?, film, camera?

Maybe - as a hobby - you can do your own developing.
 
Frank,
I wouldn't call it obstinate, I think it's more like staying with what works. It's really hard for me to part with something that works fine but has been obsoleted by new technology. I still can't part with my SLRs - Topcon Super D (circa 1964). They were my Dad's and I inherited them when I had photography in college. They're so sturdy (heavy) that when in the bad part of town, they doubled as defensive weapons. Still use them, but not as often these days. Most of the photography we do in our house is point and shoot snapshots. In that regard, digital is fantastic.

Wes

Don't get me started on cameras in bad neighborhoods. I was a photographer with the Chicago Tribune during the civil rights and anti-war riot years. Stories? I got 'em.
 
Frank,
those look like good old war-horse cameras. I've still got my first 35mm, a Minolta x700 iirc, it's tucked away in a drawer along with a bronica 645 etrsi. I'm actually considering resurrecting my RB67 rig and throwing my hat back into the portrait biz these days, for added income. Senior portraits, family shots and the like.
At least initially, I know I'll be able to run the RB, but I'd like to get a decent digital with interchangeable lenses. My big problem is I'm out of date on the technology, so I've put off even seriously researching things.

Ned
I have the same camera. And my wife has a film Cannon Rebel that I just got her to loving when we went digital. Just can't afford film anymore....
I currently have a Cannon S2S1 I think it is. And a older Fuji that was only 2 Meg Pixel.

I was never in Frank's league....but I had fun..
Garry

I would sell my film Camera's in a heart beat if there was a market.
Garry
 
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Don't get me started on cameras in bad neighborhoods. I was a photographer with the Chicago Tribune during the civil rights and anti-war riot years. Stories? I got 'em.

Small world Frank, my Dad was in Chicago television news (director) at that time. He's got some stories too - not from the front lines like you though!:eek:

Wes
 
If you do sell them, post them at a college. Up here they still teach film photography. I have my autofocus Nikons with lenses that last went on the Nimitz with me. That reminds me, the film is still in the one.
 
Frank, the camera you are looking at is the newer version of the one I bought a while back, and I just love it, it does more things than I can think of, but I don't have your background in film, still, all the points you hit on are true, it is easy to use, lightweight and takes great pics.

It too uses AA batteries, I have two sets of rechargeable AA batteries, mainly because charged, they last and last and last, a LOT longer than the usual use once and toss batteries, but, if I do get stuck with a dead battery, I can go to 7-11 and buy regular AA batteries.

My biggest beef with digital pictures is that they are all fine and dandy on the computer screen, but we don't take the time to print out enough of them, and if you ever have a total melt down HDD you can be in trouble. I back up to Carbonite, and I have external HDD on each machine now, with auto back up software, so I hope to never lose it all. Recently we have a neat thing here, you can go to a machine, similar to a photocopy machine and put your memory card in it, select your picture, and you can even crop, and adjust the pic, then you can print it out on real photo paper to a standard that is the same as any decent one hour photo, all for about a buck, depending on how large a print you want. It prints while you wait and it does NOT take that long, you can select, and print on pic and then be selecting, cropping and editing the next one while the first one prints, very neat technology for sure!

Cheers!
 
Frank, the camera you are looking at is the newer version of the one I bought a while back, and I just love it, it does more things than I can think of, but I don't have your background in film, still, all the points you hit on are true, it is easy to use, lightweight and takes great pics.

It too uses AA batteries, I have two sets of rechargeable AA batteries, mainly because charged, they last and last and last, a LOT longer than the usual use once and toss batteries, but, if I do get stuck with a dead battery, I can go to 7-11 and buy regular AA batteries.

My biggest beef with digital pictures is that they are all fine and dandy on the computer screen, but we don't take the time to print out enough of them, and if you ever have a total melt down HDD you can be in trouble. I back up to Carbonite, and I have external HDD on each machine now, with auto back up software, so I hope to never lose it all. Recently we have a neat thing here, you can go to a machine, similar to a photocopy machine and put your memory card in it, select your picture, and you can even crop, and adjust the pic, then you can print it out on real photo paper to a standard that is the same as any decent one hour photo, all for about a buck, depending on how large a print you want. It prints while you wait and it does NOT take that long, you can select, and print on pic and then be selecting, cropping and editing the next one while the first one prints, very neat technology for sure!

Cheers!

I remember when you bought your Olympus, glad you like it. I back up to Mozy and/or a DVD (when I remember to :eek: ) periodically. Plus there is always Flickr. I'm not a fan but, it's free. We also have the kiosk printers but the quality leaves a great deal to be desired and they don't crop as I like. A good, photo quality, printer is also on my want list. For now, I use Kodak on-line ordering for prints, reasonable and doesn't take very long to get the prints, and they are good. Locally, we have two printing shops that have large machines (they aren't called printers, sumptin' else) that can do enlargements up to poster size and very good quality.
Some of the marvels of digital is it's temporary ability. The pics I/we post here are often not 'keepers' but used for a one time deal. I think that is marvelous. The other quality is the sharability of digital pictures via the Internet. Incredible. When I get back from the woods with the twin grandsons, I'm going to list the Nikons. But, with a little tear in my eye. :(
 
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