A sign of hope

Richard S. (rich815) · Dec 24, 2012

On a early sunrise whale-watching cruise this morning here in Maui (here with the family for vacation) amongst the inevitable Nikon and Canon DSLRs people were using was a teenage girl, perhaps 17 yrs old or so, with an old Nikkormat SLR, I think an FT with a 50/1.8 Nikkor-H lens. I asked her which model body it was but she said, "Its a 35mm film camera", in an offhand way that sort of seemed to indicate she was sick of answering questions about her film camera. I asked her what film she was shooting. She said color. And then said the battery died so she has to wait until its light enough to shoot. ?? End of conversation as she and her friend moved on. Oh well. So much for what I hoped would be an interesting conversation but it was good seeing such a young person using a classic old SLR film camera.

dynachrome · Dec 25, 2012

An old Nikkormat is more likely to be an FTN than an FT. The letter N is separated from the letters FT. There was no 50/1.8 Nikkor-H lens. By the time the 50/1.8 AI Nikkor came out Nikon was no longer using the letter desgnation to show how many elements the lens had. The last Nikkor H was the 50mm f/2. Following that lens were the HC, 'K' and AI models. All of the 50mm lenses slower than f/1.4 after that were f/1.8 models.

I often find myself the only one shooting film in a crowd but I have not been 17 for some time. I recently gave my 17 year old son an overhauled Minolta SRT 201 with a 50/1.7 MD Rokkor-X, an MR-9 adapter, a fresh 386 silver oxide battery and a nice strap. I gave him my only 201 with the split image screen. I think he's taking to it slowly.

Craig Swensson · Dec 25, 2012

yeah i remember 17 year old girls...hopeless communicators untill they hit 30, then they just don`t stop...add smiley here

Alan Gales · Dec 25, 2012

My daughter just turned 19. She owns an Olympus OM1 and 3 lenses. Occasionally she will use her cell phone for photos but she really doesn't care much for digital.

I recently photographed my grandson with my Hasselblad 500cm. He couldn't understand why he couldn't view the images on the back of my camera.

Most kids don't understand film because they have never been exposed to it. It's up to us to teach them.

fstop · Dec 25, 2012

Most kids don't understand film because they have never been exposed to it

very punny

pentaxuser · Dec 25, 2012

Alan Gales said:
Most kids don't understand film because they have never been exposed to it. .

Never exposed to it? Sounds like it is time we took more pictures of them in that case

pentaxuser

ntenny · Dec 25, 2012

Alan Gales said:
I recently photographed my grandson with my Hasselblad 500cm. He couldn't understand why he couldn't view the images on the back of my camera.

I think I remember someone on APUG saying they had a stick-figure drawing in the "film reminder" slot on one of their cameras, for use in that scenario.

My son (now 4 1/2) is accustomed to having both film and d*g*t*l around, but doesn't seem to remember which cameras he can chimp on and which he can't. He keeps trying to look at the back of my Rolleiflex for the preview.

-NT

Richard S. (rich815) · Dec 25, 2012

dynachrome said:
An old Nikkormat is more likely to be an FTN than an FT. The letter N is separated from the letters FT. There was no 50/1.8 Nikkor-H lens. By the time the 50/1.8 AI Nikkor came out Nikon was no longer using the letter desgnation to show how many elements the lens had. The last Nikkor H was the 50mm f/2. Following that lens were the HC, 'K' and AI models. All of the 50mm lenses slower than f/1.4 after that were f/1.8 models.

I often find myself the only one shooting film in a crowd but I have not been 17 for some time. I recently gave my 17 year old son an overhauled Minolta SRT 201 with a 50/1.7 MD Rokkor-X, an MR-9 adapter, a fresh 386 silver oxide battery and a nice strap. I gave him my only 201 with the split image screen. I think he's taking to it slowly.

Yeah, was probably an -N and the f/2 lens.

Alan Gales · Dec 25, 2012

fstop said:
very punny

Is that a chuckle or a groan?

pen s · Dec 26, 2012

With youngsters and film cameras there are all levels of involvement. Sold my Mamiya C kit to a young lady that used it for studio work. She knew what she was doing and had access to a darkroom at a local liberal arts college. She does really fine work and can't be more than 30 years old.

Thomas Bertilsson · Dec 26, 2012

desertratt said:
I suspect the 17-year-old was a bit distressed becasue she didn't know much about that camera. Maybe somebody gave it to her without explaining everything. I don't think we can assume a person is a "film nut" like us just because they have a film camera in their hands. No more than assuming some snooty type knows how to use his overpriced Leica. (Not that I have anything against Leica shooters. I owned a 3F with several lenses and an M2R with two lenses.)

And some people just don't care. They just use what they have, and are not interested in their materials on a technical level. It's something I admire and wish I could do sometimes.

fstop · Dec 26, 2012

Alan Gales said:
Is that a chuckle or a groan?

chuckle

But its very true. There is a whole generation maybe 2 that never used film.

Ric Trexell · Dec 26, 2012

They never used film, and don't know what an album is.

The one thing you never see any more is a good old fashion photo album. I never even get pictures on a CD, but I give them to my family. They are really interested when I bring my photo album out and they have time to look at real pictures that are not on a computer screen. Some day I want to take the slide projector and show them what 3 by 4 pictures look like, not 3X4 inches, but feet.

BradS · Dec 26, 2012

Thomas Bertilsson said:
And some people just don't care. They just use what they have, and are not interested in their materials on a technical level. It's something I admire and wish I could do sometimes.

me too.

Richard S. (rich815) · Dec 26, 2012

desertratt said:
I suspect the 17-year-old was a bit distressed becasue she didn't know much about that camera. Maybe somebody gave it to her without explaining everything. I don't think we can assume a person is a "film nut" like us just because they have a film camera in their hands. No more than assuming some snooty type knows how to use his overpriced Leica. (Not that I have anything against Leica shooters. I owned a 3F with several lenses and an M2R with two lenses.)

It was likely a camera given to her by a father or uncle or that she inherited and her comment on the battery and meter sort of showed she did not know too much about technical aspects. I did not begrudge her not wanting to chat about it for whatever reason. She was not particularly cold and we parted nicely. I was just thrilled to see an old manual focus SLR especially with a teenager!

rolleiman · Dec 26, 2012

I have a Nikkormat FT3, still performing faultlessly, they are built like tanks and will easily outlast the digital "plastic puddings" of today.

rhmimac · Dec 26, 2012

"not interested in their materials on a technical level. It's something I admire and wish I could do sometimes."

Oh yes... i wish a rewind in time.. and then : one camera/one lens and just push that button and no bloody GAS ;-)

ntenny · Dec 26, 2012

rhmimac said:
"not interested in their materials on a technical level. It's something I admire and wish I could do sometimes."

Oh yes... i wish a rewind in time.. and then : one camera/one lens and just push that button and no bloody GAS ;-)

But the gadgets are so much *fun*!

Actually, that simplicity is one of the things I find myself seeking through gear---not necessarily the "one-button" level of simplicity, which in my experience means either a really limited camera (old fixed-focus folders or Instamatics) or one that does too much thinking for you (recent auto-everything SLRs), but a device that gets the bells and whistles and complexity out of the way and concentrates on getting the light to the film. And the 17-year-old's Nikkormat is a great example of that style of camera design; that's the beauty of that era in SLR design, that she doesn't *have* to know much about it on a technical level to use it effectively, but it's a tool that can cover just about all of the technical knowledge she might ever need to apply.

-NT

Chan Tran · Dec 26, 2012

desertratt said:
No more than assuming some snooty type knows how to use his overpriced Leica. (Not that I have anything against Leica shooters. I owned a 3F with several lenses and an M2R with two lenses.)

I have to disagree with you there! All of the Leica owners I know, although some are snooty, know how to use their cameras well. That is one thing about Leica shooters that they might not take good pictures but they know how to use their cameras well. It's the D users crowd that although might got some very good pictures don't know how their cameras work.

Prof_Pixel · Dec 26, 2012

Chan Tran said:
It's the D users crowd that although might got some very good pictures don't know how their cameras work

... and isn't that the reason most consumers buy a camera - to get good pictures? They don't care about the 'how'. Why should they care?

flatulent1 · Dec 26, 2012

rhmimac said:
"not interested in their materials on a technical level. It's something I admire and wish I could do sometimes."

Oh yes... i wish a rewind in time.. and then : one camera/one lens and just push that button and no bloody GAS ;-)

Bloody gas... Sounds like you need to see a specialist.

film_man · Dec 28, 2012

You know just because you see someone using a film camera doesn't mean they want to sit there and talk with a complete stranger (and let's face it, usually an old fart) about cameras. Every now and then while I'm out shooting with my friends or family some old geezer will stop by and say "hey nice camera" (usually when I carry the Hasselblad). So I'll say "hey thanks, good day to you sir" and usually that's that. Sometimes a few more words will be exchanged and I might even let the person fondle the camera a bit or look down the finder which is usually followed by a very long "oooooohhhhh".

But sometimes someone will say "ohhh is that a 50/80/150/whatever lens on it" and I'll say "yeah..." and then they'll go on about some old story about how they had one or always wanted one or their friend who worked for Time magazine or whatever had one or this and that and you know what, I really do not care because I am out with my friends and my wife and the kids and whoever else and I just don't want to talk cameras, I just want to have a good time and use the camera rather than talk about it. So after ending up in this situation a few times I now just try to end the conversation as quickly as possible.

So maybe the 17 year old just didn't want to talk to some random guy so don't be too quick to judge. Just sayin'...

BradleyK · Dec 28, 2012

film_man said:
You know just because you see someone using a film camera doesn't mean they want to sit there and talk with a complete stranger (and let's face it, usually an old fart) about cameras. Every now and then while I'm out shooting with my friends or family some old geezer will stop by and say "hey nice camera" (usually when I carry the Hasselblad). So I'll say "hey thanks, good day to you sir" and usually that's that. Sometimes a few more words will be exchanged and I might even let the person fondle the camera a bit or look down the finder which is usually followed by a very long "oooooohhhhh".

But sometimes someone will say "ohhh is that a 50/80/150/whatever lens on it" and I'll say "yeah..." and then they'll go on about some old story about how they had one or always wanted one or their friend who worked for Time magazine or whatever had one or this and that and you know what, I really do not care because I am out with my friends and my wife and the kids and whoever else and I just don't want to talk cameras, I just want to have a good time and use the camera rather than talk about it. So after ending up in this situation a few times I now just try to end the conversation as quickly as possible.

So maybe the 17 year old just didn't want to talk to some random guy so don't be too quick to judge. Just sayin'...

Your observation is true for the most part: It usually is one of the over-40 crowd that recognizes a film camera...and then proceeds to give a lengthy discourse on his/her own experiences...the virtues of various films...their favourite camera(s)... In my experience, however, there are a couple of exceptions to the "generational divide." Folks seem always to be intrigued by my Hasselblads (always asking questions about the thing and wanting to look through the viewfinder), and always stop for a look-see if I have a motor-driven F2 out. In the case of the former, part of the interest may no doubt stem from its unusual appearance; in the case of the latter I would hedge a bet that it is either its well-beaten appearance or the fact that the sound of the motor-drive is enough to disturb the wildlife...

Alan Gales · Dec 28, 2012

When I was young and in school I worked part-time in the cameras and sporting goods department of a department/discount store. Every Wednesday we gave a 10% discount to the senior citizens. We would pack them in and sometimes it seemed like every one of them wanted to talk about something. It was hard because there were people in line behind them in a hurry to get waited on.

There are a lot of lonely people out there.

StoneNYC · Dec 28, 2012

Chan Tran said:
I have to disagree with you there! All of the Leica owners I know, although some are snooty, know how to use their cameras well. That is one thing about Leica shooters that they might not take good pictures but they know how to use their cameras well. It's the D users crowd that although might got some very good pictures don't know how their cameras work.

I just have to play devils advocate here...

You say they "know how to use their camera" but yet talk about the pictures being not so good... Which to me at least is my first clue...

Leica shooters who don't take good pictures... Are Leica shooters who don't know how to use their cameras...

Just sayin'

So I agree with the first poster, the Leica shooter who has money and technical knowledge isn't the Leica shooter who knows how to use their camera... Hehe

~Stone

Mamiya: 7 II, RZ67 Pro II / Canon: 1V, AE-1, 5DmkII / Kodak: No 1 Pocket Autographic, No 1A Pocket Autographic | Sent w/ iPhone using Tapatalk

A sign of hope

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