[quote name='fyrfoto' timestamp='1351267338' post='501619']
The change to digital, while convenient is also extremely frustrating because of the obsolescence of equipment. On the shelf in my office I have a Nikon/Kodak NC2000, a D1, a D1x, and a D2 that are essentially expensive paperweights with no real value. My old Nikon FM2s, F3s and F4s worked beautifully, and still work beautifully, but in order to stay current and competitive the digital cameras have needed to be upgraded every few years, leaving the old cameras as obsolete. Don't even get me started on medium format! That bag of equipment is wonderful but largely unused except for pleasure. It is making the camera manufacturers gobs of money as the digital world moves on.
The other issue that I have with digital equipment is that it has largely taken the craft of photography down a notch. People can "chimp" and look at the screen to determine correct exposure and composition instead of getting the photo right to begin with. Shoot it in raw mode, tweak it in photoshop and make a crap photograph "exceptional." The ability to get the shot right from the camera is not a big concern for the vast majority of people at this point, which is sad. In a way it is a lot like driving a fire truck. If you had to learn to drive a truck on an old manual ALF or Mack, you paid attention, developed the skill and learned to "drive" the truck. Now anyone can hop into a 500hp monster, release the brake, stick it in drive and pretend to drive their Honda. It may be convenient, but if the technology is used incorrectly it can be downright dangerous.
The person that I view as the finest fire photographer in the world once told me a story about using a 4x5 camera to shoot a fire, and challenged me to try it. I did, it was a tremendous pain in the butt, it was painful, it made you THINK. While I don't ever want to do it again, I am a much better person because of it. It makes you slow down and think, something you do not have to do with the ability to shoot hundreds of photos in one shot on a memory card. Digital has taken much of the skill from photography.
I think I need to hurry up and build that darkroom in my basement, stock up on 120 and 35mm film, and shoot and print some real photos that don't have the Adobe seal of approval.
[/quote]
Thank you for speaking the truth!
The world of rail photography is even worse IMO, nothing but spoiled rich kids running around indulging their ego trips...
The change to digital, while convenient is also extremely frustrating because of the obsolescence of equipment. On the shelf in my office I have a Nikon/Kodak NC2000, a D1, a D1x, and a D2 that are essentially expensive paperweights with no real value. My old Nikon FM2s, F3s and F4s worked beautifully, and still work beautifully, but in order to stay current and competitive the digital cameras have needed to be upgraded every few years, leaving the old cameras as obsolete. Don't even get me started on medium format! That bag of equipment is wonderful but largely unused except for pleasure. It is making the camera manufacturers gobs of money as the digital world moves on.
The other issue that I have with digital equipment is that it has largely taken the craft of photography down a notch. People can "chimp" and look at the screen to determine correct exposure and composition instead of getting the photo right to begin with. Shoot it in raw mode, tweak it in photoshop and make a crap photograph "exceptional." The ability to get the shot right from the camera is not a big concern for the vast majority of people at this point, which is sad. In a way it is a lot like driving a fire truck. If you had to learn to drive a truck on an old manual ALF or Mack, you paid attention, developed the skill and learned to "drive" the truck. Now anyone can hop into a 500hp monster, release the brake, stick it in drive and pretend to drive their Honda. It may be convenient, but if the technology is used incorrectly it can be downright dangerous.
The person that I view as the finest fire photographer in the world once told me a story about using a 4x5 camera to shoot a fire, and challenged me to try it. I did, it was a tremendous pain in the butt, it was painful, it made you THINK. While I don't ever want to do it again, I am a much better person because of it. It makes you slow down and think, something you do not have to do with the ability to shoot hundreds of photos in one shot on a memory card. Digital has taken much of the skill from photography.
I think I need to hurry up and build that darkroom in my basement, stock up on 120 and 35mm film, and shoot and print some real photos that don't have the Adobe seal of approval.
[/quote]
Thank you for speaking the truth!
The world of rail photography is even worse IMO, nothing but spoiled rich kids running around indulging their ego trips...
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