When Asked Why You Are Not Shooting Digital, What Do You Reply?

fstop · Apr 15, 2011

I shoot both also. I use digital for things that are going on the web. All the hoopla about mp is completely lost when you put images on the web. most peoples monitors are not good enough to tell the difference between 2 mp or 12mp, the load speed of the higher resolution is a problem and you end up compressing them and losing a large percentage of that 12 mega pixel quality anyway.

"'cause it's full frame and it's £10"

My techno geek buddy likes to have all the latest electronic gear,I do the same thing to him.

upnorthcyclist · Apr 15, 2011

Ah, hell - I'm so old everyone just assumes I'm too cranky to change...

Mike

blockend · Apr 16, 2011

fstop said:
I shoot both also. I use digital for things that are going on the web. All the hoopla about mp is completely lost when you put images on the web. most peoples monitors are not good enough to tell the difference between 2 mp or 12mp, the load speed of the higher resolution is a problem and you end up compressing them and losing a large percentage of that 12 mega pixel quality anyway.

OT but I recently bought a 12mp Sony compact and can see no difference between it and my ancient 4mp Canon compact on my laptop. And I agree, load speeds are a PIA, especially 1080 video!

Matthew Rusbarsky · Apr 16, 2011

Lawrenceu said:
I am amazed at how many folks have high end amateur cameras, even pro models who really don't know how to shoot. I feel bad for them. They have been sold a bill of goods that you can buy an eye.

I was shooting a crowd scene with my Bessamatic in failing light, and the selenium meter had pretty much reached it's limit. The photographer next to me had a full frame Nikon mounted on a tripod. I asked nicely if I could ride off her meter. Blank stare. I asked for an LV. More confusion and blank stare. I asked (again nicely) if she could tell me her ISO, shutter and fstop. The photographer apologized and explained she would like to help but had no idea what I was talking about.

guitstik · Apr 16, 2011

Matthew Rusbarsky said:
I was shooting a crowd scene with my Bessamatic in failing light, and the selenium meter had pretty much reached it's limit. The photographer next to me had a full frame Nikon mounted on a tripod. I asked nicely if I could ride off her meter. Blank stare. I asked for an LV. More confusion and blank stare. I asked (again nicely) if she could tell me her ISO, shutter and fstop. The photographer apologized and explained she would like to help but had no idea what I was talking about.

LMAO

yulia_s_rey · Apr 16, 2011

lol...do you think she even bothered to use the "sun & sand" function?

Steve Smith · Apr 16, 2011

blockend said:
can see no difference between it and my ancient 4mp Canon compact on my laptop.

Of course not. You only need about 1M to fill a monitor.

Steve.

Lawrenceu · Apr 16, 2011

Matthew Rusbarsky said:
I was shooting a crowd scene with my Bessamatic in failing light, and the selenium meter had pretty much reached it's limit. The photographer next to me had a full frame Nikon mounted on a tripod. I asked nicely if I could ride off her meter. Blank stare. I asked for an LV. More confusion and blank stare. I asked (again nicely) if she could tell me her ISO, shutter and fstop. The photographer apologized and explained she would like to help but had no idea what I was talking about.

Now that is a case in point!

pbromaghin · Apr 16, 2011

Matthew Rusbarsky said:
I was shooting a crowd scene with my Bessamatic in failing light, and the selenium meter had pretty much reached it's limit. The photographer next to me had a full frame Nikon mounted on a tripod. I asked nicely if I could ride off her meter. Blank stare. I asked for an LV. More confusion and blank stare. I asked (again nicely) if she could tell me her ISO, shutter and fstop. The photographer apologized and explained she would like to help but had no idea what I was talking about.

According to a salesman at my local camera store, this woman is in the majority. This guy is a photography nut, has managed a lab, loves both film and digital and can converse knowledgeably on just about any aspect of photography. He says he sends high end Canons, Nikons and Leicas out the door every day with people he knows have no intention of ever understanding basic photography. The questions they ask when they come back in with lousy pictures proves it to him. It doesn't bother his conscience at all to sell $4000 point-and-shoots - his kids have to eat.

David A. Goldfarb · Apr 16, 2011

It's not a question people ask me much. If I'm shooting film, it's usually medium or large format, so people assume, I guess, that anyone with such an inconvenient-looking camera must be doing something serious. Weegee said always to carry something like a Speed Graphic, if you want to get across police lines. Nowadays, the police prefer an NYPD-issued press ID for that particular purpose, but the big camera can get access in other situations.

wotalegend · Apr 17, 2011

pbromaghin said:
According to a salesman at my local camera store, this woman is in the majority. This guy is a photography nut, has managed a lab, loves both film and digital and can converse knowledgeably on just about any aspect of photography. He says he sends high end Canons, Nikons and Leicas out the door every day with people he knows have no intention of ever understanding basic photography. The questions they ask when they come back in with lousy pictures proves it to him. It doesn't bother his conscience at all to sell $4000 point-and-shoots - his kids have to eat.

In my opinion and experience, the majority of people who will "challenge" you about "still" using film are this type of person - those to whom an expensive DSLR is a status symbol just like a Rolex watch or a gold Tiffany pendant, and those who believe that the more expensive their DSLR the better photographer they become. Their challenge is their way of validating their choice of equipment and schmoozing their ego. It is rare that an experienced pro will challenge your choice because he/she knows that each medium has pros and cons.

j-dogg · Apr 17, 2011

I have a full-frame DSLR that I paid 800 bucks for, and it uses the same lenses that my 35mm Canons do. 5D mk1 ftw.

My DSLR makes me money, but 35mm lets me be creative, and preserve the past for future generations. "where will your digital images be in 20 or 30 years?" Favorite reply to that question.

guitstik · Apr 17, 2011

pbromaghin said:
According to a salesman at my local camera store, this woman is in the majority. This guy is a photography nut, has managed a lab, loves both film and digital and can converse knowledgeably on just about any aspect of photography. He says he sends high end Canons, Nikons and Leicas out the door every day with people he knows have no intention of ever understanding basic photography. The questions they ask when they come back in with lousy pictures proves it to him. It doesn't bother his conscience at all to sell $4000 point-and-shoots - his kids have to eat.

On those rare days that I have off I usually hang around the only real camera store in town and help out. It is not unusual to have people come in and buy a camera that is beyond their understanding besides the basics that we explain to them. One day a woman and her husband came in wanting a camera and not a P&S when asked what she planned to do with it she stated that she wanted to take "really great photographs". It was obvious that she had no clue on even the basic functions of a camera. I like those kinds of people because usually they are the ones selling their digi stuff on craigs list when they don't get the results they are expecting the camera to take for them.

ic-racer · Apr 17, 2011

I ask them why they are still using a lens. Ray tracing software has replaced that.

ME Super · Apr 17, 2011

For some photos, I don't use a lens either! Got my dogs to lay still for a 3.5 min exposure with a pinhole camera.

I've done ray tracing too. It takes lots of math for that though. I don't have nearly as much math to do when I take a photo.

R gould · Apr 17, 2011

I use classic cameras, the newest a Rolleicord Va2 from 1961 the oldest a bessa 66 1938 vintage, and when asked why I don't shoot with a digital camera I ask them how old their digi is, usually a year or so, and then how long they hope it will last, they shrug their shoulders and say maybe a few years, untill it breaks, then I point out that whatever camera I am using is x number of years old and still takeing great photos, and usually it is no contest, a good old un beats a new un, and I have even converted 1 or 2 digi snappers to the wonderfull world of film,Richard

Naples · Apr 17, 2011

I tell them I prefer the physical image on the negative to the computer file of 1s and 0s a digital camera gives you.

Dave_ON · Apr 17, 2011

I just tell them the truth....that I have a digital camera and I do use it, albeit for a paper weight.

Ihmemies · Apr 18, 2011

I use my digital camera too.. for product shots when I sell stuff.

Otherwise film, because it has so much variety digital lacks regarding color/tonality/dynamic range etc. I rarely see good-looking digital photos, and I never (except once) managed to take digital photos which I really liked.

Shooting digital is simply not worth the effort and huge amounts of cash it takes to get a decent FF system with AF lenses.

OldBodyOldSoul · Apr 18, 2011

"I am poor", "I am weird", "I just escaped from jail and didn't have time to go to BestBuy" are some of my answers. They all do the job of stopping the conversation before it even starts.

blockend · Apr 19, 2011

Took my AV-1 to a kid's football game at the weekend and it started a long conversation among the dads about the film cameras they'd had. I get the feeling a few will be dusted down in the next few weeks. Slightly surprised how many had hung onto their film kit.

removed-user-1 · Apr 19, 2011

I was at an outdoor art festival this past weekend, and while nobody asked me WHY I was shooting with film, one exhibitor who was displaying digital inkjet prints commented that "not too many people still shoot film." I just explained that I like using these cameras and that film gives me what I want without having to check a screen after each shot. It was a short but friendly conversation.

Eric Rose · Apr 20, 2011

Just tell them you are using a special film that see through clothes. Then drool a bit.

Klainmeister · Apr 20, 2011

blockend said:
Took my AV-1 to a kid's football game at the weekend and it started a long conversation among the dads about the film cameras they'd had. I get the feeling a few will be dusted down in the next few weeks. Slightly surprised how many had hung onto their film kit.

I'm always amazed at how when you approach someone regarding film, it goes from "why still use it" to "I used to really like that old camera" to "hmmm, I used to get better pictures" to finally "maybe I'll dig it out".

Almost without fail have I gone through those motions with quite a lot of people. It's like everyone got brainwashed and it's a nice punt back to reality.

michaelbsc · Apr 20, 2011

Klainmeister said:
blockend said:

Took my AV-1 to a kid's football game at the weekend and it started a long conversation among the dads about the film cameras they'd had. I get the feeling a few will be dusted down in the next few weeks. Slightly surprised how many had hung onto their film kit.

Click to expand...

I'm always amazed at how when you approach someone regarding film, it goes from "why still use it" to "I used to really like that old camera" to "hmmm, I used to get better pictures" to finally "maybe I'll dig it out".

Almost without fail have I gone through those motions with quite a lot of people. It's like everyone got brainwashed and it's a nice punt back to reality.

"I got better pictures."

I saw my former wife at my daughter's graduation, and she had her customary yellow box disposables for pictures.

One comment she made to me was that everyone still tells her she gets the best pictures of anyone at an event.

The yellow cardboard box blows away the consumer digital still.

When Asked Why You Are Not Shooting Digital, What Do You Reply?

fstop

upnorthcyclist

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Matthew Rusbarsky

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When Asked Why You Are Not Shooting Digital, What Do You Reply?

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