Shutterbugs - resurgence in 35 mm SLR cameras?

[Dan Thomas]

Ah, analog. Always reminds me of the original Link Trainer...an analog computer, using vacuum as the computational media.
View attachment 140457
View attachment 140458
Ron Wanttaja

In the flight school our first simulator was an older electromechanical Frasca. It was naturally unstable and would wander off heading and attitude if you took your eyes off the panel for more than a couple of seconds. Great scan trainer. It used a bunch of motors and a confusing array of mechanical linkages and wheels.

The next two sims were digital, but they used potentiometers for the flight and engine control inputs. Potentiometers are a really troublesome doodad, as their carbon tracks get worn and make carbon dust that gets under the runner and causes sudden and severe resistance excursions, leading to loss of control. I had to regularly replace those pots. Potentiometers caused throttle runaway problems in the earlier throttle-by-wire cars, too. My 2006 Hyundai has a custom-made dual throttle potentiometer, and the computer looks for agreement between them. If one starts acting up, the car goes into a low-power limp mode. Mine acted up and I paid $300 for a new one and installed it. Opened the old one and discovered that I could have simply cleaned it with a bit of isopropyl alcohol.

When we bought the new and expensive Redbird sim, it still had pots in it. I asked their engineers why they hadn't used or created induction or Hall-effect sensors for the inputs so as to eliminate the frustrating potentiometer failures. They had no good answer to that one.

 

[DaleB]

Ouch. We still have a 1060 and a 2220B sitting on the shelf that work just fine, lol. Dad bought it in the mid-70s and gave it to me as a first stereo when I was a young teenager (mid-90s). Only 30W/channel, but that was enough for my bedroom!

I've never owned a GOOD turntable. The closest was a Sony my kids gave me probably 10-15 years ago, which was OK - a lot better than the old BSRs built into the cheap 70s teenager bedroom stereos we all know and loved. I gave it to my daughter when she and her son got into vinyl. I'm looking for a nice turntable now; I'll probably buy something new rather than dive into the rabbit hole of learning about the older ones to figure out what's good and what won't be a maintenance nightmare. Then I get to figure out what I want to do for an amp.

In high school I carried a Minolta SRT-102 that Dad bought new, which my sister now has. There was a Yashica also, not sure if that still lives or not. I do know I got rid of my enlarger and darkroom stuff decades ago. I'm interested in getting back to vinyl, but not film.

 

[SoonerAviator]

My dad still has his Pioneer PL-518 turntable. Amazing that all of that mid-1970s stuff still operates like new. Built like tanks, lol.

 

[Salty]

My little collection sans the Nikon Apollo F. I used to develop my own 35mm back in the day. Maybe again some day.

 

[Sac Arrow]

This was my travel kit. I bought it in Germany, and probably half of all the pictures I've ever taken on it was of Germany, mid to late 80's.

 

[Pinecone]

I have a pretty good collection of film cameras and a freezer full of film.

I am a Canon guy. In approximate order of acquisition

Canon III Rangefinder (my Dad bought in Japan and started me into 35mm)
Canon A-1 (first camera I bought).
Canon F-1n (actually belonged to ex, but still at my house)
Canon T-90 ( I have at least three of these. AMAZING camera)
Canonet QL17 G3 (pocket rangefinder, have 2 or 3)
Canon FTBn (wanted one in HS but never got it, so had to add to collection)
Canon T-70 (bought for my Dad when he traveled)

I have lenses from 20 mm - 300 mm, mostly the fastest in each length, many L series.

 

[judypilot]

So, maybe I’ve still got a chance to sell mine?

I was thinking the same thing. I have an old Pentax that was awesome in its day.

 

[Brad W]

I got rid of my old film cameras years ago when I stopped being able to get fresh film and the actual camera shops where you had folks that could process the prints beyond just whatever the machine gives you....

Where would you even get film from these days? (no doubt there's someplace online, but I've gotta believe that the sales volume is low and the options are limited)

 

[Sac Arrow]

I got rid of my old film cameras years ago when I stopped being able to get fresh film and the actual camera shops where you had folks that could process the prints beyond just whatever the machine gives you....

Where would you even get film from these days? (no doubt there's someplace online, but I've gotta believe that the sales volume is low and the options are limited)

Surprisingly, it plentiful online, but also you can get new manufactured Polaroid Land film, as well as Kodak 110 film as well as other sizes.

 

[Sac Arrow]

I didn't have a lot of lenses for my Canon since I was literally living out of a duffel bag for four years. But the Soligor zoom was truly a Swiss Army knife of lenses, so that's what I carried with me when I was out in the field. This is one of my more memorable photos. We were literally standing at the very edge of the East German border, facing off with these guys.

 

[Beachy]

The "best camera" to have is, of course, the one you have with you. For many of us that is a phone.

Back in "the day" I worked my way through college (partly) by doing wedding photography. That was back in the film and flashbulb days. So, I've been around cameras for a very long time and have had/used most of what has been pictured above. A few years back I sold my Nikon gear to move down in size to the Olympus MFT world. I have a couple of online galleries and actually sell quite a few landscape/seascape art photographs, averaging about 60 sales per year for the last dozen years. These days, I find myself using my iPhone 16 Pro more than my Olympus DSLR. The photo below was done with my iPhone about three weeks ago.

 

[Pinecone]

Where would you even get film from these days? (no doubt there's someplace online, but I've gotta believe that the sales volume is low and the options are limited)

Amazon.

I thought that Kodak stopped making film, but see it is still available. Also Fuji and Ilford.

Even a few new companies (at least new from the last time I bought film).

 

[AV8R_87]

I thought that Kodak stopped making film

So did I. I wonder if it's Kodak film or they just sold the naming rights to someone, like it happened with Polaroid.

 

[Hengelo]

The "reason" I believe is just novelty. "Polaroid Go" is in vogue and I the "everything old is new again" artisanal culture it out there waxing their mustaches and hand making everything from pickles to leather shoulder harnesses for their iPhones...

If you can find a bid on ebay hit it!