Camera collecting going the way of the Dodo bird?

[pancake]

Nah, people will still use film cameras, it'll become a niche for a while, but the film recipes are not going anywhere, they may be put in a safe until one day film will become "hip" once more.

Digital cameras are versatile and allows people to be more productive. But us human has a universal quirk, we do not like to be generalized, when everyone and their dogs shoots digital, someone will bound to buckle the trend and go back to film.

Digital camera also has one severe handicap: It has a very short half-life.

I collect old Olympus film cameras from the 50's and they are *all* still working. I wouldn't even imagine what my 8 MP DSLR would become in 10 years, let alone 57 years.

So to those who are dumping their precious high quality film gears on the net, bring them on. I'll collect them, trade them, whatever, and I'll be making a little profit here and there. Add to that the joy of using them. It never failed to bring a smile on my face.

I'm sorry if my first post ever on this forum is somewhat a "rebel yell" kinda post but come on, folks, camera collecting is an art in itself, go digital if you want, but don't lose sight and appreciation of the classics.

BTW, I don't consider myself young, but at 36, I also do not belong to the generation who bought a Leica IIIf as a new camera. And believe me, there are *a lot* of people my age and younger who became attracted to film cameras because we are sick of squeaky clean digital images that people are parading around everywhere.

So let's go, do not lament the disappearing avid posters, there are a lot of smart young ones who will take their place.

[Just Plain Curt]

Hi Pancake,
Nice to see a new poster here and don't worry about the rebel yell. Everyone here on The Camera Collector has an opinion and I for one would like to hear everyone else's as well as just the usual few posters. Difference is what makes us all unique and interesting in our own right. Personally, I've collected for 35+ years now and can't see stopping but I could see modifying my areas of collecting a bit. For myself I use 35mm mostly, so I could see thinning out my TLR's, folding cameras, and 110/126 gear. Even getting down to a more specific area like M42 mount and K mount but I doubt I'll ever go fully digital. They have their advantages but just don't give me the same feeling in my gut when I use them. Yesterday for example I took my 1960's Start SLR and my digital to shoot some waterfront decay photos for a Flickr group I do often. When I got there I realised I hadn't brought along a take up spool for the Start so I shot 99 photos on my digital. I still had a good time, still came home with images to view and share, but felt I hadn't done much since with my little Kodak point 'n shoot all you really do is compose your shot and choose modes, no focussing, setting f stops, shutter speeds all the things I like doing. But, I did come home with images and I did manage to take 99 while with film I might have been more selective and only shot 3 or 4 rolls of 24. To each their own, but I just get more kick from film. Glad to see you post here and please feel free to post often. That goes for the other new people or lurkers too. All your opinions are valid, there are no silly questions only silly answers.

[Reiska]

Hi, pancake, nice to have you here

I understand, that you question is rhetoric. As you wrote, we can take
pictures with digital cameras but we can also collect old cameras as well.
Shooting with them is nostalgia or retro but it is also enjoyable

Yesterday I red an article and a review of new turntables in a technical magazine.
Vinyl is back for fun but mostly we listen digital media. More than make money ;D,
the motive of my collecting is an aspiration to conserve the past and to
entertain those who are interested in old cameras.

Regards
Reijo

lauro.fi/

[Randy]

Hi Pancake! Glad to see a new poster! I think film cameras will be around for a while yet. I've been thinning my collection down a little...one day I realized I had over 100 cameras, and I thought..."how did I do that?". The price of an affordable DSLR is still to high for most people, so the film camera is still the affordable alternative for quality photos.

[kiev4a]

Welcome pancake:

I enjoy collecting and studying the history of my Russian cameras. And I'm not likely to part with my Nikon F3HP in the foreseeable future. But when it comes to shooting I have become a digital convert. That doesn't lessen my appreciation of the mechanical cameras, however. It's a matter of convenience and cost.

[pancake]

Hi all,

Thanks for not "stoning" me
I am looking forward to learning a lot and sharing about this wonderful hobby/affinity we have.