James ? on your assessment of the digital hype, I agree with you totally. You s ee IMHO everyone is pushing this digital stuff down our throats because there?s far more potential for making money than with traditional processes. With digit al there would be a huge market for capture, storage, and printing devices that even the small Ma & Pa outfits could get in on the action. Furthermore, the mo dern day consumer is quite inured to being on the constant upgrade treadmill to stay compatible with the latest computer bells and whistles. Like a mantra, alm ost everyone chants ?Technology will keep getting better and become cheaper,? so they see little point in buying for the long haul. In fact our entire consumer economy is based on low quality, planned obselesence, disposable or short lifec ycle goods ? people expect this.
Now the flip side, traditional photography, is anathema to those running the sho w in this world of bilk and money. The trouble is that the equipment lasts too long, and there there isn?t the need for constant upgrades; 50 year old cameras and lenses are still making beautiful pictures, as many this forum will attest t o. Thus in the brave new economy, traditional photography must be eliminated fr om the marketplace and replaced with something more lucrative for the corporate bottom line. Frankly, for the most part, those producing the gear and film we now use don?t give a damn about photography, it?s only about making money, i.e., maximizing shareholder wealth and CEO compensation. Ditto the magazine publish ers. These same people would sell their mother?s grave to make a buck if they c ould, e.g., see Enron, the is THE mentality in the business community today.
The quality of digital vs. traditional will not be an issue either. Most people are quite happy with their 8x10 digital prints and the masses really don?t appr eciate the quality we are getting with our beloved LF film and cameras. Standar ds in general are lower these days with everything geared towards one-size-fits mediocrity. It?s not about making a quality product anymore, it?s about market ing and hype.
R.I.P. LF as we know and love it, the masses won?t miss it!
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