Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2006/09/27

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Subject: [Leica] film vs. digital in my brain.
From: bd at bdcolenphoto.com (B. D. Colen)
Date: Wed Sep 27 17:21:32 2006

Well, there's a big difference between being unhappy with the man//machine
interface, and ranting about digital - which is what the poster did. ;-)


On 9/27/06 5:38 PM, "Philip Forrest" <photo.forrest@earthlink.net> wrote:

> I'll give you that, BD.  My eyes & brain don't really know what is going on
> in the camera with regards to medium.  Perhaps it's the handling of the
> instrument then.  I hate the viewfinder, I hate the warm-up time, I hate 
> the
> lag between shots as the camera saves to the card, and I really don't like
> the crop factor.  That's 30% of my 70-200 L series lens that I don't get to
> use.  So perhaps I'm "measurebating" (copyright Ken Rockwell.  Thanks Ken)
> about the equipment.  But it's equipment that I don't enjoy using.  It has
> failed on me several times in the last few weeks.  I'm a bit of a luddite 
> as
> well so perhaps that's an issue.  The man/machine interface just doesn't 
> cut
> it for me, so that may be the issue.  I have no problem with digital.  I
> wouldn't mind being all digital, all the time.  It would save me a ton of
> money.  
> Thanks all for your opinions.
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: lug-bounces+photo.forrest=earthlink.net@leica-users.org
> [mailto:lug-bounces+photo.forrest=earthlink.net@leica-users.org] On Behalf
> Of B. D. Colen
> Sent: Wednesday, September 27, 2006 4:12 PM
> To: Leica Users Group
> Subject: Re: [Leica] film vs. digital in my brain.
> 
> Well, this would make great sense - if the photos people were turning out
> with their digital cameras were one whit better than the photos they turned
> out with their film cameras. But - with rare exceptions - they're not. Yes,
> if someone was using a manual film camera and switched to an automated
> digital camera they may now be getting better exposures and their photos 
> may
> finally be in focus. But focus and perfect exposure do not excellent
> photographs make. The eye, brain and heart don't know that the camera is a
> just-released-at-Photokina digital, or a Leica III or an Olympus OM or a
> Nikon F. Vision and imagination haven't a damn thing to do with the box, or
> the material that's capturing the light. ;-)
> 
> 
> On 9/27/06 3:19 PM, "GeeBee" <graham@geebeespaw.freeserve.co.uk> wrote:
> 
>> Hi Philippe,
>> 
>>> From the Walt Wayman on the Olympus list:
>> I've got a fridge full of 120 film, both tranny and negative color, plus a
>> s**tload of B&W, that I've been neglecting, to use in pretty complete
>> outfits of Mamiya RB67, Graflex/Graphic 6x9 Centuries, Crowns, and XLRFs,
>> with enough lenses to buckle the knees of a pack mule. Suddenly, somehow,
>> digital seems to be losing its luster. And I just found six more rolls of
>> Kodachrome. Seems like an omen.
>> 
>> Digital takes the magic out of the process. Any idiot can get a decent
> photo
>> with a digital camera -- just keep shooting and chimping, then fix it
> later.
>> Film takes some expertise and smarts. I have really slowed down shooting
>> since going digital because I get nearly no satisfaction from a procedure
>> that requires so little skill and thought, no matter how good the result.
>> It's like fishing with dynamite or quail hunting with a flame thrower. I
>> prefer a fly rod and the circa 1914 Parker Sweet 16 that belonged to my
>> grandfather for those, and I'm getting gladder by the minute that I've
> still
>> got every single bit of my OM gear.
>> 
>> Walt
>> 
>> 
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
> --
>> -----------------
>> 
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "Philip Forrest" <photo.forrest@earthlink.net>
>> To: "'Leica Users Group'" <lug@leica-users.org>
>> Sent: Wednesday, September 27, 2006 8:08 PM
>> Subject: [Leica] film vs. digital in my brain.
>> 
>> 
>> Lately I have fallen in love again with my old Nikon FM and a 50mm f/1.8
>> lens.  Here begins my problem.  I LOVE film however, I just can't afford
>> shooting it as much as I would like.  Soon perhaps, but that's of no
>> consequence.  So I take my Canon EOS 10d out most places with me and
> rarely
>> shoot ever.  I try to make myself, but I don't know why the finger doesn't
>> push the button.  If I take my Leica with, I'll shoot several rolls a day.
>> Same with the Nikon FM and my EOS RT.  The digital DOES have a few issues
>> that I don't like: warm up time, battery life, the crop factor and a small
>> viewfinder.  (I was spoiled by Nikon F3's and F4's a few years ago and
> have
>> kicked myself every day for selling them.)  So I'm wondering, is there any
>> logical reason that I would consciously or subconsciously want to shoot
> film
>> over digital?  I'm hoping that a move up to an EOS 5d might help this, but
> I
>> wouldn't want to invest $3k and find out that I still have this digital
>> "funk" and continue to shoot film.  I'm not saying that one is better than
>> the other.  I'm "soul searching" for a reason of why I want to take a
>> photograph with a film camera and not a digital.  Because I believe that
> in
>> the end it's all about the image itself & not the tools used to make it.
>> 
>> Your sage wisdom is appreciated.
>> 
>> Philip
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> _______________________________________________
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>> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information
> 
> 
> 
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> 
> 
> 
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In reply to: Message from photo.forrest at earthlink.net (Philip Forrest) ([Leica] film vs. digital in my brain.)