The only thing I worry about is that there will likely never be a true "mechanical" camera taking digital photos. Currently, although I don't have the software at home, I have most of my rolls scanned, and therefore get digital and traditional photos from my H2, Spotmatic, ME Super, Leica IIIc, Retina IIa, Voigtlander Vito B, etc. -- plus the ability to use any modern film.
Even the few point-and-shoots I've tried are no "fun" -- just press the button, a whirring and buzzing noise, that plastic feel. Even the top-of-the-line digital cameras look like they handle more like camcorders than an LX or Leica. I really like winding, rewinding, hearing the "snick" of the shutter. I love playing with the cameras, unloaded, putting them through their paces. The Pentax ZX series are so light and plasticky, the MZ-S I held once was far better, but the true metal-bodied, manual wind 35mm SLRs may be gone (I guess I shouldn't try a Nikon FM3A, lest I be tempted! But it's very expensive, of course.) Photography isn't the same to me without that "mechanical" feel -- perhaps like comparing someone who prefers to tell time via an old, immaculately crafted pocket watch over a new, digital, lithium battery-powered shock-resistant, GPS-enabled wristwatch. And with photography, you get to be even more involved in enjoying the mechanical workings than you would be by just winding a pocket watch -- you get to turn dials, wind levers, press buttons ... real, ultimate mechanical gadgetry! And although I haven't done darkroom work in a long time, I remember the pleasure of it and can imagine that it gives many photographers a joy and satisfaction that Photoshop doesn't. What may happen is that at some point, a "posh" titanium digital with old-style dials and manual control will strike a chord and become something of a cult camera, but it would be astronomically priced (like the digital version of the current Contax G2? Is that the camera I'm thinking of? There's one with old-style needle-and-scale analog readouts of shutter speed, I think). But that fine mechanical feel and craftsmanship, priced moderately as Pentax cameras always historically were, may be forever gone, especially in the push-button world of digital. I can always hope for someone who will pop up on eBay, offering digital back conversions for old Pentaxes! Joe RE: >On Wed, 13 Feb 2002, Collin Brendemuehl wrote: > >> Film isn't a "god". Film is a mechanism to a goal; it's a thing. >> It may or may not disappear. That's irrlevant. It's the image >> that's important. Quality imaging skills WRT composition, >> lighting, and printing will continue to be used. > >This is exactly how I feel. > >I love my Leica and my two MXs, but give me a camera of about the same >size, that can store 50 10,000x8000 images on a $100 memory stick, >that has a decent viewfinder, manual modes, a 10ms shutter lag and ISO >25-12,500 settings and I'll be digital. > >It will happen, and when it does, the quality of my pictures will >improve. > >I might even sell my M6 to Shel then :-) > >j -- Joe Wilensky Staff Writer Media and Technology Services - Cornell University 1150 Comstock Hall Ithaca, NY 14853-0901 e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] tel: 607-255-1575 fax: 607-255-9873 Please visit our Web site at http://www.mediasrv.cornell.edu - This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org .
