Digital Divide

Count me as one of the (very) few who hasn't jumped into the Digital age with both feet, grinning ear to ear. Now, I'm not anti-technology, but I do have a problem when a new format or 'gimmick' comes along and sideswipes an old technology that, for all intents and purposes, is working just fine thank you very much. I enjoy using film when taking pictures. I like the way it looks…I like the fact that you don't get immediate feedback, or the chance to 'do-over' your picture 1000 times before you 'get it right'. I like that you have to work a little to get a good shot. I like the anticipation of seeing how your prints turned out. With digital…its just too easy. The pictures themselves always seem to come out a little too clean…the cameras cost quite a bit…and I've found whenever I use one, its difficult to get the picture you want in focus. They just seem so limited. And don't even get me started on camera phones…

If people choose Digital camera's over film camera's, that's their choice. I understand that people like not having to pay $10-15 to get their film developed, and being able to rub out crappy shots, but I still want to be able to have the choice to shoot my pictures with film if I so choose without people giving me funny looks and asking 'why don't you just get a digital?'. I went to 7 different camera/photography places today…7…looking for B&W Advantix film for my camera…not one place carried it. As it turns out, the Advantix camera has now been discontinued, and all us suckers who got one of these nice cameras 4-5 years ago are now fucked. Digital is taking over. Soon, I won't even be able to get ANY film for my camera (or so said the guy at the Rapid Photo). I feel like one of those suckers who bought a BETA back in the '80's. "Sorry dude...your team lost!" So…in a matter of a couple of years, I'm going to have a great, working camera that I won't be able to use…and I'll be forced to go out and get "something new" in order to take pictures. Sound familiar?

I was also one of the late VHS holdouts…until it became clear that video stores weren't going to carry VHS anymore…so I got a DVD player because it seemed that format would enjoy a VHS like run of its own. I still have a great collection of VHS movies...but now my VHS machine is breaking down due to lack of use (and too much dust). But at least I'm set with DVD for a while, right? WRONG! Now we've got HD DVD and Blu Ray fighting it out for next generation domination. Great! I've also got an XBOX. I have little desire to 'upgrade' to the new XBOX360…the graphics are great, but there seem to be so many glitches with the machine and such a crappy line-up of games for it that spending $500 for a new system when I've already got one that I really only play sporadically doesn't make a lick of sense. 10 years ago I would have bitten...but $500 disappearing from my bank account for 'video games' would probably feel more like taking a punch to the gut from Bill Gates himself than the excitement I had when I got my first NES. I've also had the same cell phone since 2002. It doesn't have a colour screen…it doesn't have flashy neon lights…and it doesn't take pictures…it was the cheapest model when I got it and it still works, so I keep it. What is the fascination with the 'new'? If it ain't broke…

Anyway, after asking the guy in the white lab coat a few more questions, it turns out that I can still get B&W prints made using colour film…so that's what I'm going to 'try'…but I'm a little skeptical. If this is the case…what was the point of B&W film then? It seems my fall photography experiment just wasn't meant to get off the ground I guess. Add to the camera/film issues the fact that many of the leaves on the trees have now fallen off…to call today a little discouraging would be an understatement. Plus…finding somewhere to park my car on the side of the road proved a lot more difficult than I thought it would. I thought there would be 'fewer' cars on dirt country roads. Wrong again. The whole thing turned out to be a real chore today, rather than the enjoyable outdoor experience I was hoping for.
One positive…I probably got enough fresh air to keep an entire army of infants asleep for 12 hours straight…so it wasn't a total (YAWWWWWWWWWN) wash.


The NEW zbx7600-Digisuperzoomapalooza v 1.0...now THAT'S a camera!