Whilst I have never owned nor operated a digital camera (and probably never will) I think they are a dandy idea, in principle. Much more efficient than color film processing, as anyone with an in-house E6 dip-and-dunk line will tell you. And any real or imagined deficiency in image quality will soon be overcome with rapid advances in technology. As prices continue to plummet.
I ran into a large display of these cameras yesterday during a visit to my local Circuit City store. Very impressive what they can pack into such a tiny unit. Some of the better units cost less than a Hasselblad lens shade. And no film to buy. What’s not to like?
But I got thinking about my recent experiences with Circuit City.
A few months back, I purchased a radio with an XM satellite receiver. The radio did not function, right out of the box. Something about the antenna, they said. So I drove back to the store and exchanged it for another.
Three days later, the satellite receiver bit the dust. Just quietly sitting on the corner of my desk. No rough treatment whilst riding on a skateboard (I’m 64). The connection broke on the radio as I removed the non-functioning receiver.
Having had enough, I took advantage of the store’s liberal return policy and dumped the whole outfit and cancelled my radio subscription.
And this isn’t the first time I have gone round and round with little electronic goodies. Fifteen years ago, I invested several thousand dollars in a top-of-the-line Yamaha surround-sound stereo system. All the bells and whistles. Then the local dealer died, no one took over the franchise, the store closed, the equipment became “obsolete” with no repair possible. I was left with a very large and painfully expensive pile of silent black boxes. So after a couple of years everything is now resting (quietly) at the local Goodwill thrift store. Never do that again!
At the same time, my friend has an 11x14 Deardorff from the fifties with which he is still earning a living. What’s to break?
After decades of heavy commercial abuse, I am still using the same Nikor tanks and yellow plastic Kodak print trays I bought in 1967. Clean and shiny as the day I brought them home from the store.
The most important feature of my new super-dooper EOS is the ability to turn off all that automation for which I just paid so much. Nice to be able to concentrate on the photography instead of fighting the built-in computer. Just like the old days with my M4 outfit.
My terrifying thought: Is the younger generation getting sucked into purchasing (and becoming dependent upon) a whole range of products the innards of which no one but an Asian factory-trained tech rep understands nor can repair? Great plot for a spy novel.
What do people do when their digital widget board crashes out in the field? How do you explain that to the client who is expecting a dependable professional?
Whatever happened to taking stuff down to your cellar workbench after supper and fixing it yourself? There is no electronic duct tape.
As for me, I have decided that it’s time to return to the simple life. You can have all your fancy buttons.
My wife has been encouraging me to purchase a dedicated laptop on which to write my long-promised photography book. I think instead I shall get out the latest Levenger catalogue and purchase a nice leather-bound notebook and a new fountain pen. Perhaps some iced tea and a chaise for under the maple tree. No batteries nor extended warrantees necessary. And no 128-page owner’s manual.
Just a thought...
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