Friday, November 28, 2008

An Explanation

My goodness, I have been getting lazy here. And to go a little further with that thought: I will be getting lazier. Remember: there are only a couple of weeks left in the semester (crunch time), then a week of finals. So sorry to say, but there will not be a lot of posts for a while. In fact, crunch time has already begun, and as all the people I work with know, I have been on a bit of a marathon for a while with school.

You know, the 8 to 15 hours a day nonstop for weeks at a time. My buddy Steve-O called me the other day, and I’m sorry to say that I did not even notice until about an hour ago (his missed call was stacked up with all the other ones I miss on a regular basis- sorry buddy).

As a matter of fact, he left a comment on my last post. Here it is (to save you from scrolling down):



I can't believe that you've abandoned the ranks of film users. I'm disgusted really!



Naturally he is talking about the recent purchase of another digital camera. And I do feel that I have to explain my actions here, being as pro film as I am.
Yes, I do prefer film to digital. Here is why:


  • There is no playing in the darkroom with digital. I love the dark room.

  • With black and white photography, there are real problems with digital. First, if you want to use external filters, you have to mess with the white balance to get them to work. That is a pain in the ass. The contrast is hard as hell to control, unless you photoshop them after. And I don’t get to use the darkroom. Again.

  • Film looks better when printed well. By me. In the darkroom.


There are a couple more reasons to put down, but I am going to just mention those here, so I can now justify why I have digital:



  • Film is expensive. Both to purchase and more so to process. And I can’t justify the cost when I want to take pictures just for the hell of it (i.e. when I’m bored). And digital allows the ‘clicking away’ free of charge.

That is the only reason right? Well, no. I have others, but for the sake of the explanation here that will be sufficient to support my digital purchase. Now as for the SLR, mentioned in my last post. I have a very ‘pro’ type of point and shoot (as pro as you can get without going to an interchangeable lens system). But point and shoot has its issues too. I will not go into specifics in great detail now, just the biggest: lag time, battery life and lens limitations.

Those are the primary reasons I purchased the DSLR. I also wanted a back-up digital in case one bit the dust. And for the price I got it for, it was not a big investment for me by any means. So, sorry for the nausea Steve-O, but my digital acquisitions are merely a financial measure, and not a personal preference (like I would give up film! WTF! How long have you known me?!- hahaha!).

And if it makes you feel any better, here is my next purchase (if I can get the funds together, because this one is by no means cost effective (you know more than anyone)):


T