----- Original Message ----- From: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Yet there are enthusiast shops on the web. And enthusiast forums and mail lists like this. Back in the seventies, if one wanted to talk photography or shop for specialized equipment, the choices were very limited. The past is always viewed through rose-colored glasses, while everyone wrings their hands over the present and future. For the most part, it's a crock of bull.
Really? Here in Regina when I was growing up, we had a delightful camera shop called Camera Craft. They had a very large store, stocked just about every type of camera they could get their hands on, inclusing medium and large format, had a terrific darkroom section and most any kind of film you could hope to find.
I could walk in and stock my darkroom with paper and chemistry from a half dozen makers, buy film from at least 5 makers, and get a new lens for my camera if I so desired.
They had a competitor called Camera Corner, who was much smaller, but tried real hard, and they opened the first in store photo lab in this area, and did in house E-4/ E-6 custom proofing and enlarging from negative and slide.
We had another enthusiast store called Ken's Camera World, who also tried really hard to be good, and earned my trade for many years.
Hell, even the Hudson's Bay store stocked Leica rangefinders back then.
Now, my one choice for a local camera shop has an onsite minilab, stocks a few popular Japanese brands of camera, no medium or large format equipment, no large format film, very little medium format film, virtually no darkroom supplies, and no darkroom equipment at all.
I suppose I am better off now, since I have the world wide web instead of a well stocked camera store at my beck and call, but I am having trouble convincing myself this is so.
Mailing lists are all very fine, and no insult intended, but I would much rather sit down over a coffee or beer and discuss this with a few buddies than write endless emails.
William Robb
