Camera Appreciation Person

[walbergb]

About three years ago three young punks were so appreciative of my Canon F1-N AE that they tried to shove me down an alley and mug me for it

I didn't get mugged, but shooting film saved me from being mugged, I think. I was doing some night shots in downtown New York when a group of 20 somethings passed by. The last one, stopped, "eyed" my Pentax LX on top of the tripod and said "That's a nice camera. Expensive I bet!" I replied, "Not really. It's an old film camera." He said "Oh," and left.

 

[Moopheus]

Today since it was a nice sunny day I went for a walk at lunch with my RB67. A guy sitting on a bench says, hey, is that a Mamiya? Turns out he used to be a crime scene photographer for the local PD, and has an antique 8x10 at home.

 

[Steve Smith]

A guy sitting on a bench says, hey, is that a Mamiya? Turns out he used to be a crime scene photographer for the local PD

My RB67 came from a police force in the north of England. It had hardly been used.


Steve.

 

[amsp]

I usually get a lot of admiring looks and friendly comments when shooting with my Hasselblad 501cm. I especially enjoy when someone with the latest and greatest digital camera around their neck jealously eyeballs it People I photograph also seem to respond more favorably to it than tourists with their digital p&s, some also take for granted that you're a professional (which in this case I happen to be) just because you're shooting film.

 

[wblynch]

...I usually get a lot of admiring looks and friendly comments when shooting with my Hasselblad 501cm. I especially enjoy when someone with the latest and greatest digital camera around their neck jealously eyeballs it ...

The sad thing is, when all the expense of the equipment and never ending digital 'upgrades' are taken into account, it is much less costly to have a Hasselblad and take your photos on film.

Perhaps it is that reality sinking in that fuels the jealousy?

I think so...

 

[benjiboy]

My RB67 came from a police force in the north of England. It had hardly been used.


Steve.

I live in the North of England and one of my friend is a police photographer he told me the vast majority of their work is digital these days, which is probably why it's "hardly been used".

 

[John_Nikon_F]

Last week, when I was returning the F5 with its flaky command dial issue, I had my F FTn sitting on top of my bag. Another customer walked by and said "that's a beautiful camera" as he was headed to the used Canon case to look at some d_____l lenses for his EOS DSLR. A few years ago, I was at the Northwest Flower & Garden Show in Seattle, and one of the vendors saw my old F2A with MD-1/MB-1 combo slung over my shoulder and said "Now, that's a real camera!" I, of course, responded in full agreement.

-J

 

[Pumalite]

My Rolleiflexes seem to be a hit with women

 

[one90guy]

Several years ago before I foolish sold my F4, I had people asking me if its digital.

 

[wblynch]

I did that about 8 years ago. The photographer got upset and said, "this is Film!".

I shrugged it off at the time but now I understand.

 

[amsp]

The sad thing is, when all the expense of the equipment and never ending digital 'upgrades' are taken into account, it is much less costly to have a Hasselblad and take your photos on film.

Perhaps it is that reality sinking in that fuels the jealousy?

I think so...

I think it's the realization that they traded soul for convenience

 

[dehk]

Nobody really wants to talk to me. Usually they stares at me looking puzzled. Usually very puzzled with the Rolleiflex, sometimes with my EXA.
Only one that I remember someone spoke to me about cameras, they were wondering if my 645Pro is a video camera. Wait, the waitress at the cafe last week liked my 35RC.

Everything else I own everyone just think its digital. The golden question after you took their photos.
"" CAN I SEE IT ??? ""
And once you told them it's film..
""So you have to take it in to places, like walmart?"

"No folks, I prefer to bring my film to places that doesn't sell tampon and develop photos at the same time. "

 

[Moopheus]

I live in the North of England and one of my friend is a police photographer he told me the vast majority of their work is digital these days, which is probably why it's "hardly been used".

That's what this guy said. He did say that meant there were worries about altering the photos. I gather the really old-school guys liked Polaroids because they were practically impossible to tamper with.

 

[brian d]

My Rolleiflexes seem to be a hit with women

Guess what just got added to my want list

 

[dehk]

Wait, I remember a funny one. I had my Petri 1.9 RF at a ball game. At the smoking area, a lady asked me, that camera looks old, how old is it? I let her held it and played with it. I said its from the 60s, and i said its a good camera, but it wasn't top of the line back then.She said, Right, its not, because Kodak was the top of the line back in the days. I said, yes, sure, yes. >.>

 

[wblynch]

My Rolleiflexes seem to be a hit with women

Guess what just got added to my want list

Of course.... Women !

 

[Dennis S]

Here it is mostly the rich tourists who question me about the why I use film when digital is sooo much better with their new $1000 digital. And I respond with "What... Are you still scared of the dark @ your age ?" or the majority of the time people ask me "What are you taking pictures of ?" . Maybe what scares them off is me standing there staring trying to think of what I took the last 30-40 shots of during the day. Works for me......

 

[BrianShaw]

Of course.... Women !

The last time I attracted the attention of a woman with a camera (a Rollei, in fact) she was about 40 years my senior. One needs to be careful what they hope for.

 

[RalphLambrecht]

About three years ago three young punks were so appreciative of my Canon F1-N AE that they tried to shove me down an alley and mug me for it in broad daylight at around 4PM right in front of the town hall on a busy weekday, they must have thought because I'm old (I was seventy at the time) that
I was "easy meat", but I'm a former Royal Marine and still keep in shape, and in the ensuing fight two of the three muggers ended up in hospital the third ran off.
The most shocking about this incident to me and my wife was as a result a police sergeant came to my house and told me that because I had been trained in Unarmed Combat, and Close Quarter Battle in the Marines although it had been about forty five years ago they were thinking about charging me with Assault With A Deadly Weapon !, fortunately the charge was never made probably because it would have been laughed out of court if made in the circumstances against a man of my age.

why take that risc for a canon? you could have hut them more by giving the camera to them!

 

[jp498]

The last time I attracted the attention of a woman with a camera (a Rollei, in fact) she was about 40 years my senior. One needs to be careful what they hope for.

I've got a Rolleiflex and a Jaguar E-type. Both attract women. Commonly way older women. (I'm in my 30's). Such machines were iconic back in their day. Among women my own age, the car is either a more tame connection to Austin Powers or a generic automotive symbol of affluence, neither of which are important reasons for me to have such a car (nor is picking up women). As for the camera, young women seem to be the ones more serious about photography and more apt to extend film some credibility (regardless of whether it's rollei of yashica). Rolleiflex is the standard for TLRs and they have lots of bling chrome that is sort of timeless appeal. It's quaint in it's humble operation, and was used by many famous photographers, so it has a reputation. People that stop and talk about a classic film camera are generally retired folks, or younger women exploring photography. I live in a more artsy less technical locale, so I don't get so many megapixel comparisons that it becomes annoying.

 

[benjiboy]

why take that risc for a canon? you could have hut them more by giving the camera to them!

Because I love my Canon FD gear and I was as mad as hell that they thought because I'm old I was an easy victim, but the only way they were going to get it was from my cold dead hands.

 

[cliveh]

Because I love my Canon FD gear and I was as mad as hell that they thought because I'm old I was an easy victim, but the only way they were going to get it was from my cold dead hands.

Good for you, well done. You are an example to us all.

 

[brian d]

Of course.... Women !

A good woman was already the top of the list

 

[BrianL]

I've encountered such persons and had mixed emotions. About a year ago I was at the hospital with my Leica waiting for radiation treatment. A guy sat next to me and after bitching the CL is not a real Leica and my curt response (I love the CL and prefer it to any other Leica), he reached down into his bag and smiling pulled out his CL. We had a great conversation.

OTOH, back with I was shooting the Polaroid 180 and 195s, people talking loudly, scaring off anything worth shooting and pouring through rolls of 35mm film on nothing worth filming would interrupt me as I was setting up a shot using the Majestic and Polaroid after waiting hours for the darned lighting to be right and start talking to me about how when they were growing up their parents' pride and joy was some Polaroid camera and how no one could touch it; they treasured it more than the old Kodaks, blah, blah, blah. Then they'd start remarking it was not a shame I did not have a real camera such their 35mm whatever and I was using a camera that was so poor. For those who stuck around, they soon learned a lesson as to what a real camera and not some 35mm toy could do. Other times, I'd just reach into my camwera bag and show them my backup, the Bronica ETRS or Leica and tell them that size matters and not to belittle what I shoot with when they ain't in the same ballpark equipment wise. It usually shut them up and they left me to my shooting.

When walking with my Rolleiflex or Bronica from time to time someone will come up and remark; usually they have, wanted or had one. We'd compare and discuss the pleasure we received from shooting these great cameras. With the Bornica, the persons tended to be professionals who used them for weddings and fine art. They were univesally somwhat surprised I was amateur who had been using the Bronica for decades.

The biggest group of cameras that attract attention are the pair of bakelite 120 box cameras. They seem to attract the largest group and age range. Old geezers who remember them from the 20s and 30s, youngens who barely, if at all, even know about film. One has the flash built in using large bulbs so there is a massive reflector on top.

 

[aroth87]

I was taking photos at the farmer's market this morning when I passed a guy about my age (mid-20's) shooting a digital Nikon. "Cool Rollei!" he said and I stopped and explained that it was actually my wife's Yashica Mat, my Rolleiflex was in the shop at the moment. He told me how he'd recently found a Rolleiflex for $75 and it was currently in route to Krikor to get the shutter fixed. Its always a pleasant surprise finding others who shoot film.

And then later while I was sitting to eat a bite of lunch a man at another table noticed the camera and asked if it worked. Then he was curious if it was a movie camera

Adam