Saturday, May 26, 2007

Still A Dinosaur

I've been using Nikon SLR film cameras for 25 years so you'd expect I'd have switched to digital with a D50, D80, or D200 camera body by now. You'd expect that, but you'd be wrong. When it comes to SLRs I'm still a dinosaur.
Oh I have a digicam alright. It's a Nikon Coolpix 5000 from 2001 or so. Takes nice 5Mp pics for my computer or email. And it works with my older Nikon Speedlights.
However a DSLR is another matter.
First of all, there's the question of crap getting on the sensor. That's no problem with a sealed digital camera like the Coolpix, but dust and dirt is a fact of life with a digital SLR. Cleaning off the sensor is about as appealing to me as washing a speck of dust off my eyeball.
Second, a DSLR has a crop factor that effectively multiplies the focal length of interchangeable lenses. Almost every one of my compact and fast fixed focal length lenses gets hosed. My 50 mm normal lens becomes an 75mm telephoto. What's worse, my 24mm wide angle becomes a 36mm equivalent lens. To get wide angle capability back with a DSLR I'd need to buy a 12-24 DX zoom lens - another $1200.
Third, my Nikon Speedlights are incompatible with a DSLR. I'd have to get a new one for $400 or so.
Finally, I'd need more CF cards, batteries, chargers and adapters to take the DSLR to Euope or any other overseas holiday.
Net cost to go digital with an SLR is close to $2500. That is a lot to pay just to do what I can still accomplish with film.
No, as long as 35mm film can be purchased and processed, I'll stick with film for holiday photography. I just get a CD made from the negatives when the prints are made, and I'm all set with both analog and digital.

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