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Here to explore a potential darkroom journey and to rant about the depressive state of old gear

Somewhere...

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Somewhere...

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Iriana

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Iriana

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deckeda

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Thanks, that's all!



OK, OK, I can tell you really care. Here we go. “It was never easy for me, I was born a poor black child." ~ Navin R. Johnson

100% hobby, zero pretense about art. Family snapshots, random self-directed projects etc. I dig rewarding processes. I don't require instant results, but I need outcomes to be improvable without huge learning curves.

Told myself I would never consider film again without developing it myself. Can't bear the cost otherwise. I would also like to learn how to do basic printing. I got 80% through my research on how I'll revamp my digital images database and editing methods and said, "Ya know, what if we just didn't complete that project yet?"

Film won't die because of film prices. It's subsidized! Hollywood makes it possible for Kodak to sell chems (and you thought they were a "photo film" company?) because Hollywood knows a pure digital workflow isn't the answer, for them. If that changes, Kodak is gone. No, death for the rest of us will come if the Pentax 17 or Jeff Bridges's Widelux X redux or a $50 disposable alternative is all there is. Those examples are all 35mm because that's what survived for consumers (see "100% hobby," above.) Hey, I once also owned the Canon ELPH brand-new. Didn't buy it because of dissatisfaction with 35mm. The ELPH was tiny, and metal-like in a sea of bland plastics, and the girlfriend wasn't gonna deal with any SLR.

Witness: eBay is riddled with "untested," or "parts only." Every YouTuber or blogger that introduces new audiences to old cameras misunderstands or likely, never knew that the old hidden gems were revealed in 1990s print magazines. That's OK. I read them, many years ago.

You have patience for reading that diatribe. I appreciate that you are here!
 
I'll say welcome to Photrio - quite an introduction.
Just so you know, outside of a very small business selling some chemicals to the few remaining commercial motion picture processing labs, Eastman Kodak has been out of the chemical business since their bankruptcy many years ago. They also stopped manufacturing most chemicals considerably before that.
Now they just license the brand name.
They are mostly in the commercial printing business - nothing related to photography, and they have a growing business using coating technologies with circuit boards and polyester films - not the photographic ones.
 
Welcome to Photrio.
 
I've always been 90% hobby from submini to 4x5", and for the last many years I've been "coasting the wave" of the technology boom. First it was auto-focus cameras that caused a drop in NON-auto-focus gear. I was able to get gear that was out of my price range just a few years previously. Now it is the digital cameras causing a drop in NON-digital gear. I'm able to grab up even more gear that was out of my price range just a few years ago.

Who cares about the price of film or paper or chemicals? The amount of money I've saved buying "old junk" has more than made up the difference.
 
that diatribe

Where was the diatribe? I couldn't find one.

There's plenty of good used film photographic equipment (cameras, lenses, enlargers, etc.). Easily enough for everyone who is using film. There are several manufacturers of film and chemicals other than Kodak, also.
 
There are a good number of equipment repair experts that contribute to photrio.
Also, buying used gear and having it repaired keeps the repair persons in business.
Paying 'more than the camera is worth' for repairs only is an issue for dealers. The value of working gear to a photographer isn't really measured in monetary units.
 
Witness: eBay is riddled with "untested," or "parts only."
And this is where the gems are hidden. I just got another Minolta srt-101 for $35 almost perfect condition but cheap due to lack of knowledge of the seller. Ignorance is bliss!
Every YouTuber or blogger that introduces new audiences to old cameras misunderstands or likely, never knew that the old hidden gems were revealed in 1990s print magazines.
Not so sure about this one. Those magazine were entertaining, but not much better than YouTube videos by people who don't know much. They were selling the current generation since there was no ebay yet. To wit the really crummy Minolta X-series cameras of those times that are more popular today than the old srt-101. The only reason I like it is the mechanical nature and mirror lock with good ttl metering. Much easier to use with aging vision.
That's OK. I read them, many years ago.

You have patience for reading that diatribe. I appreciate that you are here!

Thanks for the nice read, and welcome to Photrio.
 
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