View camera mag

[Bob McCarthy]

I wonder if view camera magazine would prosper if it went online.

Ive been using my iPad for more and more reading, originally books, now some magazines.

I have not been able to locate a retailer anywhere around since Barnes & Noble dropped it (at least here).

Back issues on line would be really nice.

Anyway his cost w/o printing could make it more attractive to advertisors and potentially expand the community. And increase circulation as the savings on printing could be passed through to his subscribers.

It might be where we obtain our limited circulation publications in the future. Retail is dying from what I see.

Anyone talk to Steve to get his thinking??

bob

[BrianShaw]

I thought they already offered an on-line edition.

[Bob McCarthy]

Hmmm, Ill have to look, but there is a huge divide between a publication accessable online with a mac/pc/laptop (subscription based) and one thats available in an app store for the tablet market (advertising based).

I suspect there is a tablet device destined for everyone. Much more useful than a phone. Actually I see a convergence.

I dumped my laptop when I came to understand just how good these devices are for daily use. I went back to a desktop at home dedicated to photo editing.

bob

[Eric Biggerstaff]

There is an online version of the mag, contact Steve and he can set you up.

[Frank Petronio]

Why mess with perfection?

[Mike Anderson]

Hmmm, Ill have to look, but there is a huge divide between a publication accessable online with a mac/pc/laptop (subscription based) and one thats available in an app store for the tablet market (advertising based).
...

There's potentially better experience in a tablet app over a traditional web site but it's expensive. NY Times, NPR, BBC, etc. have the resources to do this, but smaller-time operators would have a harder time getting a ROI, I think. And it will get more complicated as the number of tablet platforms increase (iPad, various Androids, HP's webOS, and maybe something viable from Microsoft).

But for big players I think the wave of the future is to have tablet app(s) to supplement a website.

...Mike

[Ed Richards]

Large format pictures on an Ipad. Why bother with LF at all if you not going to make prints? At least VC prints images large enough that you can tell they were not taken with an Iphone. I know Lenswork is going to the Ipad, but it already prints everything tiny.

I understand the economics - it is a shame that there are no dotcom billionaires interested in LF to subsidize VC.:-)

[Sanjay Sen]

What Frank said.

[Jan Pedersen]

Congrats to Richard Wasserman for a great series of images from the Chicago River in the latest issue (received yesterday)
Excellent work.

[Bob McCarthy]

The foundation of my comment was not critical and that the magazine is loosing distribution channels and eventually volume will dry up and make it uneconomical to produce. I would hate for that to happen. View camera is a credible resource for maintaining the community. How to introduce the craft to new users. Thus site also performs that function, but I believe the structure of a magazine is important too.

I can envision fairly simple layout software with useful templates for steve to use., much like web site development has experienced.

It's the future and we don't need multimedia like the major publications, just good authorship and printing.

Just my thoughts.

Bob