[patch17]

hi people.

it's been a while since i dropped in. still shooting, when the chance comes up. been enjoying a yashica 635 lately. lovely beast. shoots 120 and 35mm (unfortunately the 35mm adapter is missing a couple of bits. hint... anyone out there got an adapter kit they want to let go?)

lately though, i've been having this nagging feeling of going digital SLR route. D40/40x or D60. the packages they're offering nowadays with the twin lens kit are quite tempting. on top of that, i can still make use of my older nikon lenses, albeit in manual focus mode only.

then again, i'll miss the smell of fixer and the anticipation of seeing how the negatives turn out as i take them out of the development tank. sigh...

choices, choices...

[Irma]

Hi patch...

Nice to see you back...

[patch17]

hi irma.

yeah, it's been a long while. work, house and family keep me busy most of the time.

i've been developing some of the film i shot months ago. the digital pull is getting stronger each time...

[Zig]

Hello again patch.
The digi-jump is a whole new world BUT you'll have the experience of how light works: I say this, as there are oddly a great many dslr users who have never really had hands-on of film. I've found that at many times the "grass always seems greener on the other side", depending on what mood I'm in...but then I'll get all maudlin about the pasage of the Good Old Days. Eventually, I get thankful that I don't have fixer ruining my clothes or my head, reticulation ruining my prints and spening a fortune on photo-paper. It's about brass to plastic...but also about a whole new way of approaching photography. My thoughts only(and it's too early in the morning over here).

[patch17]

hahaha, thanks zig. i guess you're right. change will come, eventually.

i'm half way there anyway, i develop film but scan the negatives. the pc is my darkroom.

[Keith Alan]

...then again, i'll miss the smell of fixer and the anticipation of seeing how the negatives turn out as i take them out of the development tank. sigh...

The only difference with digital is no smells. We still wait for the memory card to upload, then have to take a look in our program of choice, then go through a bunch of work to get things where we want them while making decisions based on experience and sometimes luck...
But after the initial expense all of this is free until it's time to print.

Believe me, the anticipation is still there.
Now it only lasts as long as the drive home, and we can get right to work in minutes.
And now I can still remember every setting used, or just check the exif data if I forget.

I worked in a commercial printing darkroom for many years.
Don't miss it one bit.
Digital changed my life.
Don't confuse romance with results.
The digital workflow can be incredibly gratifying.

But I would suggest waiting another year or three.
Specs and features are maturing right now and some kind of stability will be reached someday where a single camera gets everything right in your brand of choice.
Digital cameras are still too much of an experiment with photographers as the beta testers.
The race for more megapixels with less regard for the quality of each pixel is a bad sign.
Ergonomics has only recently gotten enough respect.
For every new feature added, sometimes a very valuable feature gets dropped.

But that doesn't mean you can't test the water.
Some excellent cameras are available on the used market for pennies on the dollar if you do a little research.
Even pawnshops can offer up a surprise or two.

http://www.keh.com

[patch17]

well, it's done. finally made the step over. bought a d40x kit with a 55-200 vr yesterday. spent the afternoon getting used to the camera and taking a some snaps.

dang! it feels good. a bit on the small side, but shouldn't be a problem getting used to it.

[Zig]

I reckon that buying this now, and having the supporting lenses already, has really got you a lot of camera for your money: excellent news! Looking forward to avvin a look too...

[matthew]

Congratulations. It's a good camera and an excellent value. Just don't forget to keep printing your favourite photos.