On Tue, 20 Dec 2022 Godfrey DiGiorgi wrote:
I'm somewhat abashed to see people who can list all of their cameras. I know I
have six digital cameras, not counting iPhone and iPad(s) cameras. But film
cameras ? sheesh, every time i open a drawer or a box I find a couple more. I
don't know how many I have at all, but it's a number well past 30. At a quick
glance, I counted nine Polaroid cameras alone?!
The accretion over time thing is at work. Many of these cameras I've acquired
and used over decades of time. A few more than most, but such are the vagaries
of whimsy.
Many/most film cameras are available for dirt cheap prices now. But that
doesn't mean that any person who has gotten interested in using a film camera
shouldn't have the option to buy a fine new film camera from a Leica, a Pentax,
and/or some other quality brand name. As long as the manufacturer can make a
profit commensurate with their investment to go into production, there's no
downside to it. I'd like a new Leica M6 or M-A: I certainly don't need one, but
it's nice to have the option available.
I have to say I'm good with the K1000 I inherited from my dad but if Pentax
thinks there's a market developing then I wish them luck. Places to get the
existing film cameras maintained have to be getting fewer, not to mention parts
so if the interest in shooting film continues eventually new cameras may be
needed.
This project got pretty far along the development curve:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/reflexcamera/reflex-bringing-back-the-analogue-slr-camera
It might be nice to see Pentax (or someone) pick up that ball and run with it,
if they're going to do a new film SLR, although it doesn't address Pentax-
specific needs like focus drive. It depends heavily on who the potential
market is for such a camera. Some would *love* to be able to swap out the lens
mount and use tons of legacy glass from every manufacturer under the sun. Of
course that wouldn't drive sales of any new glass. At least someone should
steal that interchangeable film back design. :-)
In any case, if they go for it I hope they do their market research and make
money at it. It's interesting now that we're here and film is becoming a
niche thing that it's following the exact curve we talked about in my photo
class in college. Much of fine-art printmaking developed out of available
commercial printing processes when they were supplanted by newer processes
(from engraving and stone-based lithography to metal-plate litho, silkscreen,
etc. - we had old second-hand litho stones in our printmaking studio with
designs of bank certificates on them in Spanish, had cheap from closing print
shops in South America). Digital photography was in its infancy then but we
saw that it was gaining capability and would eventually be good enough for
commercial work and leave film behind. For a while it appeared film might die
entirely, but instead folks are keeping it alive, to some degree, for other
purposes.
Bruce N.
--
Love your enemies, for they tell you your faults.
(Benjamin Franklin)
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