Dubiousone
Senior Member
Howdy! I'm not really 'new' to photography, been out of it for a while and I've rekindled an old hobby that used to give me hours of pleasure! How does that happen?
Back when I first started 'my' camera was a Mamiya 1000DTL because a Pentax or Nikon was just a bit out of reach for a kid working after school at an ice cream parlor. Later on, I bought a Canon A-1 which then, was the new-hottest.
Fast forward thirty years; the Canon hasn't been used in a while because life has a way of interfering with one's hobbies and photography took a back seat. Besides, those Powershots (I've got a Canon) and every phone's got a decent camera these days but...there's nothing like a decent SLR for taking photos.
I've recently gotten into digital media which led me right back....thirty years ago.
Sure, I shopped the big box stores, looked at the new-hottest....way too much camera for a guy like me so I went simple; First I found one that felt good and worked for a lefty; D300, D7000 with the top mounted LCD and the 'whiz-bang' knob as I call it on the left side works for this lefty better than the D5100, 5200, etc. Sure, I did look at Canon; to be honest, Nikon just 'felt' better. I took a passing glance at Pentax but honestly, after 'fondling' them all, I was really leaning towards Nikon because they just felt better than ANY Canon I picked up.
I stumbled on to a D50 used in great shape for the right price! Wow, simple straightforward, I'm really enjoying the digital age! Along the way, I'm having to relearn exposure, composition, DOF and all that other 'stuff'. What better place to relearn THAT than with a film camera!
The day I bought that D50, the fellow also had an almost pristine Pentax K1000SE. Well, that followed me home. After thirty+ years I finally got that Pentax...and a Nikon! Then of course, I visit my favorite camera guy who happens to have the little brother of the Mamiya I had so long ago, the 500TL. It came with a bunch of lenses and it is still a joy to use just like I remember. (Yeah, if that D50 had a spot meter and C needle, it'd be PERFECT for me, LOL!) Then I find a Pentax ME Super...and another elderly homeless Spotmatic...
That K1000 and ME, well...nothing like those 1970-80 cameras. They just feel good and using them forces me to remember the basics and hopefully, that tactic will pay off with better photos as I ALSO learn the D50.
Who knew I could have so much FUN with a thirty year old camera!!!
As much fun as film still is, digital is way cool; I get to see if I got what I wanted right off. Then I can crop and print all without that messy chemical stuff that used to drive mom crazy...
I'd forgotten how much BETTER an SLR does. Funny though, I feel more comfortable on manual.....
Sure is nice to have that auto...everything, point and shoot. But what fun is that?
I'm already planning my next digital; D300...maybe. Perhaps a D7000, (but both are waaayyy too much camera right now. Guess that means I'm hooked, huh?
Back when I first started 'my' camera was a Mamiya 1000DTL because a Pentax or Nikon was just a bit out of reach for a kid working after school at an ice cream parlor. Later on, I bought a Canon A-1 which then, was the new-hottest.
Fast forward thirty years; the Canon hasn't been used in a while because life has a way of interfering with one's hobbies and photography took a back seat. Besides, those Powershots (I've got a Canon) and every phone's got a decent camera these days but...there's nothing like a decent SLR for taking photos.
I've recently gotten into digital media which led me right back....thirty years ago.
Sure, I shopped the big box stores, looked at the new-hottest....way too much camera for a guy like me so I went simple; First I found one that felt good and worked for a lefty; D300, D7000 with the top mounted LCD and the 'whiz-bang' knob as I call it on the left side works for this lefty better than the D5100, 5200, etc. Sure, I did look at Canon; to be honest, Nikon just 'felt' better. I took a passing glance at Pentax but honestly, after 'fondling' them all, I was really leaning towards Nikon because they just felt better than ANY Canon I picked up.
I stumbled on to a D50 used in great shape for the right price! Wow, simple straightforward, I'm really enjoying the digital age! Along the way, I'm having to relearn exposure, composition, DOF and all that other 'stuff'. What better place to relearn THAT than with a film camera!
The day I bought that D50, the fellow also had an almost pristine Pentax K1000SE. Well, that followed me home. After thirty+ years I finally got that Pentax...and a Nikon! Then of course, I visit my favorite camera guy who happens to have the little brother of the Mamiya I had so long ago, the 500TL. It came with a bunch of lenses and it is still a joy to use just like I remember. (Yeah, if that D50 had a spot meter and C needle, it'd be PERFECT for me, LOL!) Then I find a Pentax ME Super...and another elderly homeless Spotmatic...
That K1000 and ME, well...nothing like those 1970-80 cameras. They just feel good and using them forces me to remember the basics and hopefully, that tactic will pay off with better photos as I ALSO learn the D50.
Who knew I could have so much FUN with a thirty year old camera!!!
As much fun as film still is, digital is way cool; I get to see if I got what I wanted right off. Then I can crop and print all without that messy chemical stuff that used to drive mom crazy...
I'd forgotten how much BETTER an SLR does. Funny though, I feel more comfortable on manual.....
Sure is nice to have that auto...everything, point and shoot. But what fun is that?
I'm already planning my next digital; D300...maybe. Perhaps a D7000, (but both are waaayyy too much camera right now. Guess that means I'm hooked, huh?
