It's certainly interesting that film does seem to be getting more popular. I was on the way back from a meeting in Barking the other day and had the Pentax MX in my bag with several shots left on the film after the F&C London meet. I got off the tube and went for a wander down Brick Lane - there were a few people taking photos on their phones, but also a young woman (early 20s) shooting with an OM-1n. I talked to her about using a film camera and she explained that she was doing an architecture degree, and apparently using a film camera was part of an assignment. She said she did find it quite difficult getting more than 10 or so good shots from a roll, but was actually really enjoying the challenge.
I'm just really getting in to film again (started with it originally then moved to digital), but I do and will continue to use a DSLR - particularly for action, low light, and macro, where taking multiple shots can significantly increase the chances of getting a good one. In complete contrast, on the film front, I'm really looking forward to receiving my Croma 5x4.
It's funny you should mention all that, Carl.
I have also cancelled Spotify and have bought myself an iPod classic for listening to music.
I guess I have a similar approach to music as photography. I have over 1000 CDs collected over the years, all ripped to FLAC format and stored on a NAS, accessed via Sonos connects into amps and speakers and therefore available in multiple rooms throughout the house. I also have Spotify linked to this, so can play pretty much anything, and have no plans of dropping it. It's great for finding new music and also accessing stuff that you've not actually bought previously. Sometimes on the back of finding a new album, I'll then buy the CD, rip it and add it to the NAS collection and/or try to find a copy on vinyl.
I missed out on vinyl first time around - my first proper hifi was a CD player, amp and speakers bought in 1987 when CDs were just taking over. Then around 15 years ago (before it became trendy), I added a turntable, and so now have a fair number of LPs, and turntables in 2 rooms in the house. I enjoy listening to complete albums from the NAS, playlists on Spotify, and also the experience of putting an LP on the turntable. To take the digital/analogue thing even further, one of the turntables is run through a conventional transistor amp, the other through a valve amp!
... deciding I wanted to learn handwriting. I mean proper handwriting as mine is shambolic. It's legible, but only bacuse I write in uppercase. Ha.
This also strikes a chord. My handwriting had really deteriorated due to going completely paperless at work for a number of years, when 2 years ago I came across a random thread on a motoring forum (of all places) titled, "Do you use a fountain pen?". After getting a couple of new pens (a Jinhao from eBay, then a
TWSBI Eco), nostalgia kicked in and remembering my mum used to use an old Parker, it was off to that popular auction site. I've ended up with quite a few old pens and different bottles of ink, found a new interest in renovating them (including a wonderful 1920s Parker Duofold "Lucky Curve" - the marbled green one towards the bottom of
this FlickR album), and improved my handwriting out of all recognition.
@gazmorton2000 - if you haven't already, I'd recommend trying a fountain pen as it makes writing a pleasure and really seems to help it improve. If you want to try one for very little cost, the Chinese made Jinhao X450, or X750 can be had for well under £10 new from eBay. They write well and are a bit of a bargain. Happy also to recommend inks and papers if you're interested.
I guess in summary, there are pros and cons to both old and new technology, so why not use the best of both?
