Market for LF gear?

rafe bustin wrote:
: On Fri, 01 Apr 2005 03:01:14 GMT, Gregory Blank
: wrote:


: I suspect vast majority of Fine Art LF Photographers
: want nothing to to do with this crap. Its only the
: the studios, and architectural photographers that want
: scanning backs for that matter can afford them. Most art photographers
: are actually still using a darkroom and just printing B&W. I know I only
: want to shoot film in when I shoot LF.
:
: New affordable Scanners are great but, its just one small portion
: of the stuff I need, I don't get enthralled with new stuff any more.
:
: There are two types of LF photographers those that buy the camera
: and learn its work therefore giving it up for simpler systems and those
: who become serious about the craft of photography and continue to do it
: never the less, since I have been shooting 4x5 since 1986 I guess I
: qualify for the latter.


: Interesting rant, though nobody yet has
: begun to answer my question.

: I take it the proper answer is, oh, maybe
: a few dozen?

The true answer is that nobody taking the bait on your troll.
--




Keep working millions on welfare depend on you
-------------------

rafe bustin wrote:
: On Fri, 01 Apr 2005 03:01:14 GMT, Gregory Blank
: wrote:


: I suspect vast majority of Fine Art LF Photographers
: want nothing to to do with this crap. Its only the
: the studios, and architectural photographers that want
: scanning backs for that matter can afford them. Most art photographers
: are actually still using a darkroom and just printing B&W. I know I only
: want to shoot film in when I shoot LF.
:
: New affordable Scanners are great but, its just one small portion
: of the stuff I need, I don't get enthralled with new stuff any more.
:
: There are two types of LF photographers those that buy the camera
: and learn its work therefore giving it up for simpler systems and those
: who become serious about the craft of photography and continue to do it
: never the less, since I have been shooting 4x5 since 1986 I guess I
: qualify for the latter.


: Interesting rant, though nobody yet has
: begun to answer my question.

: I take it the proper answer is, oh, maybe
: a few dozen?

The true answer is that nobody taking the bait on your troll.
--




Keep working millions on welfare depend on you
-------------------

On Thu, 31 Mar 2005 22:43:13 -0600, Frank Pittel
wrote:


The true answer is that nobody taking the bait on your troll.


No troll, Frank. It was a simple question.

I think the answers involve all of us, in
terms of the long-term viability of this
particular form of photography.



rafe b.
http://www.terrapinphoto.com

rafe bustin wrote:
: On Thu, 31 Mar 2005 22:43:13 -0600, Frank Pittel
: wrote:


: The true answer is that nobody taking the bait on your troll.


: No troll, Frank. It was a simple question.

Sorry to jump at you. As you know a few of phoography groups have
had more then their fair share of trolling lately

: I think the answers involve all of us, in
: terms of the long-term viability of this
: particular form of photography.

No cites per say and I'd be shocked there are any numbers of how
many LF cameras are in use. I do keep an eye on ebay and there is
heavy turnover of LF equipment there. I also know that Jack Deardorff
is back into making cameras and he has large backlog of orders for
work.

I also frequent the local Calumet and talking to sales people I ask
how the sales of LF film and related equipment is going. The answer
I get is that sales of LF film is strong as is the used market. The
cameras, lenses, etc being traded in by pros and studios for digital
cameras are being bought by students and hobbiestsSP?.

I think as people are being exposed to LF they're discovering what we
already know. That digital and 35mm isn't in the same leaque as LF.

--




Keep working millions on welfare depend on you
-------------------

rafe bustin wrote:
: On Thu, 31 Mar 2005 22:43:13 -0600, Frank Pittel
: wrote:


: The true answer is that nobody taking the bait on your troll.


: No troll, Frank. It was a simple question.

Sorry to jump at you. As you know a few of phoography groups have
had more then their fair share of trolling lately

: I think the answers involve all of us, in
: terms of the long-term viability of this
: particular form of photography.

No cites per say and I'd be shocked there are any numbers of how
many LF cameras are in use. I do keep an eye on ebay and there is
heavy turnover of LF equipment there. I also know that Jack Deardorff
is back into making cameras and he has large backlog of orders for
work.

I also frequent the local Calumet and talking to sales people I ask
how the sales of LF film and related equipment is going. The answer
I get is that sales of LF film is strong as is the used market. The
cameras, lenses, etc being traded in by pros and studios for digital
cameras are being bought by students and hobbiestsSP?.

I think as people are being exposed to LF they're discovering what we
already know. That digital and 35mm isn't in the same leaque as LF.

--




Keep working millions on welfare depend on you
-------------------

rafe bustin wrote:

OK, anyone have a swag at how many
4x5" and/or 8x10" view cameras are in
active service, in the USA and the
rest of the "developed world?"



I haven't any idea, couldn't even begin to guess at the numbers of "view
cameras", never mind the number of MF units out there. The MF people are
just as serious about film photography as their LF counterparts are.

The "developed world" is an interesting part of the question. What will
be the effect of an improvement in the economys of the developing third
world countries? Will those people take a trip through analog
photography on their way to digital? If they do, then we can look
forward to source for supplies for many more years - kind of a pleasant
thought.

Better yet, cites?

I mean, what new and exciting products
await us in the LF world?




I do LF photography for a hobby, same as I do my tube radios. I find it
relaxing to work in a technology where there's no pressure to jump to
the next best thing. The very act of thinking about and setting up the
camera for the photo has the same calming effect as wating for the tubes
to warm up so that I can hear the radio. It relaxes me and that is a
relaxation that I have needed badly at time during the last decade and a
half of self employment.

Me, I'd like to see good affordable
scanners and scanning backs.


I'm sorry to sound like a dinosaur, and certainly don't think negatively
of people who do look forward to new technologies, but I personally am
not looking for anything in LF photography other than a continuing
supply of decent quality analog photo supplies such as film and chemicals.

cheers

--
regards from ::

John Bartley
43 Norway Spruce Street
Stittsville, Ontario
Canada, K2S1P5

( If you slow down it takes longer
- does that apply to life also?)

rafe bustin wrote:

OK, anyone have a swag at how many
4x5" and/or 8x10" view cameras are in
active service, in the USA and the
rest of the "developed world?"



I haven't any idea, couldn't even begin to guess at the numbers of "view
cameras", never mind the number of MF units out there. The MF people are
just as serious about film photography as their LF counterparts are.

The "developed world" is an interesting part of the question. What will
be the effect of an improvement in the economys of the developing third
world countries? Will those people take a trip through analog
photography on their way to digital? If they do, then we can look
forward to source for supplies for many more years - kind of a pleasant
thought.

Better yet, cites?

I mean, what new and exciting products
await us in the LF world?




I do LF photography for a hobby, same as I do my tube radios. I find it
relaxing to work in a technology where there's no pressure to jump to
the next best thing. The very act of thinking about and setting up the
camera for the photo has the same calming effect as wating for the tubes
to warm up so that I can hear the radio. It relaxes me and that is a
relaxation that I have needed badly at time during the last decade and a
half of self employment.

Me, I'd like to see good affordable
scanners and scanning backs.


I'm sorry to sound like a dinosaur, and certainly don't think negatively
of people who do look forward to new technologies, but I personally am
not looking for anything in LF photography other than a continuing
supply of decent quality analog photo supplies such as film and chemicals.

cheers

--
regards from ::

John Bartley
43 Norway Spruce Street
Stittsville, Ontario
Canada, K2S1P5

( If you slow down it takes longer
- does that apply to life also?)

John Bartley wrote:

( a lot of bad speling and gramer)

Having read this, I think I need to back to grade school level spelling
and grammar for a refresher course. :-[

--
regards from ::

John Bartley
43 Norway Spruce Street
Stittsville, Ontario
Canada, K2S1P5

( If you slow down it takes longer
- does that apply to life also?)

John Bartley wrote:

( a lot of bad speling and gramer)

Having read this, I think I need to back to grade school level spelling
and grammar for a refresher course. :-[

--
regards from ::

John Bartley
43 Norway Spruce Street
Stittsville, Ontario
Canada, K2S1P5

( If you slow down it takes longer
- does that apply to life also?)

"rafe bustin" wrote in message
...

OK, anyone have a swag at how many
4x5" and/or 8x10" view cameras are in
active service, in the USA and the
rest of the "developed world?"

How many square meters of dollars are you willing to spend to know the
answer, Rafe?