out of business in an incredibly fi erce
marketplace.
As a member of a stock photo
agency, I used the Cradoc Caption
Writer software to label my slide
submissions — a slow, tedious
process. (When I went digital, I’d
enter captions on a spreadsheet. I
stored slides in diapositives and slide
boxes. In order to fully appreciate
my slides, I bought a Kodak Carousel
slide projector, light table, and screen.
When I transitioned to the digital
age, I sold all of this gear. I also
realized that my 35 mm camera and
lens were obsolete, so I sold them too.
It’s diffi cult to sell or trade-in used
digital cameras and lenses at retail
outlets, which claim they’re not
compatible with new equipment.
However, if you’re buying a new
digital camera, at least try to trade
in your old camera and lens as part
of the purchase price of new gear.
It will soon be obsolete, if it isn’t
already. It’s possible to sell camera
35 mm landscape photo ca 1985
35 mm portrait photo ca 1976
equipment online, but don’t expect
to get back anywhere near what it
originally cost. The shutter count can
be used to promote a sale, just like an
odometer reading; it can be found on
most digital single lens refl ex (DSLR)
cameras. Quality DSLR shutter counts
range from 100,000 to 150,000.
Polaroid fi rst off ered instant-print
cameras in 1948. While they aren’t as
popular as they once were, they’re still
in vogue in some circles, especially the
children’s market. I was amazed at
how popular they were with children
during a recent trip to Australia. I
used an instant-print camera for a
while but was never happy with the
print quality.
Since getting out of fi lm in 2006,
I’ve purchased several digital
Olympus cameras. The start-up
costs were horrifi c, and none
of my 35 mm lens would fi t the
Olympus digital brand; there were
few interchangeable lenses at the
time. Some (dated) accessories are
compatible with digital cameras, such
as some styles of tripods, but that’s
about where it ends. The costs of
converting to digital almost made me
quit as a photographer, but I’m glad I
didn’t. First off , I needed a computer
to archive digital photos, a portable
hard drive to back them up, and fl ash
drives for professional work using
LCD projectors. Since then, card
readers have become commonplace,
news&views WINTER 2019 | 17