If you are trapped in ancient time, what would you take?

On Mon, 21 Jun 2004 17:48:42 +0000 (UTC), wrote:

Let's say, through the act of god, or whatever, that you've been
transported back through time for a few thousand years. Would you've
preferred that you have a digital camera? Or a film camera?

There are reasons that technological breakthroughs come when they do;
supporting technology must also be possible.

What would you do with any film you exposed? Did you also backpack
your chemicals?
How would you *view* your pics? Did you also pack in your papers? How
about a darkroom?
With digital, how do you view the pics?

Even just getting *water* will be a problem; there's a reason everyone
drank beer & wine: the water was really bad.

I seriously doubt that film, if unprocessed would last to today, *if*
it were discoverd in some dig.
A Compact flash card? It's plastic; plastic lasts a long time, but not
*that* long.

Then, as others have pointed out, technology, if sufficiently
advanced, is indistinguishable from magic.

However, let's say you could keep your magic private; digital, with a
laptop and a solar recharging unit, would be *far* easier to use than
film.
Film just requires too much technology that wouldn't be availabe to
you; as I said, even clean water will be a problem. A source of
reliable, white light would be another problem.

As for hoping that your pics will survive a thousand years or so
isn't, IMO, a reasonable hope.
Imagine: you've found some way to, say, package your film (laptop) so
that it actually survives. Can you imagine the howls of laughter from
other archeologists when someone announces the find?


Bill Funk
Change "g" to "a"

You should read Mark Twains "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthurs Court" to
see how he dealt with this kind of time shift.

wrote in message
...

Let's say, through the act of god, or whatever, that you've been
transported back through time for a few thousand years. Would you've
preferred that you have a digital camera? Or a film camera?

If you just happen to have a digital camera, say a Canon digital rebel
(or D Mark II, or Nikon D2x, whatever) with a fully charged battery,
and say a 1GB compact flash (heck, say a 10gb cf). How would you use
it? It's unlikely that you'll be able to charge the battery once it's
gone. If you will never make it back to our time, do you think the
compact flash will retain its data for a few thousand years? Under
the assumption that it might retain the data for a while, how would
you shoot? Are you gonna shoot raw? JPG, what compression level? What
do you think is more worthwhile to archeologists, 1000 medium grade
pictures, or 500 higher grade pictures? Or 200 raw pictures?

On the other hand, if you happen to have say a film camera, with a few
roll of film, say 10-20, what would you do? For the sake of argument
I'll assume the film camera also takes battery, but those batteries
might last a bit longer. However, there's no place to buy additional
battery or develop the film, so it's also unlikely that it will last a
few thousand years for us to see anyway....

If we change the scenario a bit, let's say you get 'rescued' after 3
years, but you don't know that, but you are under the assumption that
you will be rescued after some time, how would you use your camera to
document this once in a lifetime never before possible encounter to
the world? If you have your pick of equipment, what would it be?
Whatever you pick, it has to fit in a backpack.

Me, I think I'll take a DSLR that takes AA battery and a few GB of
compact flash, and a solar AA battery charger, and a GPS that writes
the tracklog to compact flash and virtually unlimited waypoint
storage, that also takes AA batteries

Or, I could use a fully mechanical film camera and some bulk films.

Raymond

Al Denelsbeck wrote:

I would probably take a Nikon F5. I would then seek out the ancestors
of a few key people, and use it to bash their skulls in.

Other than that, what possible use would I have for a camera that far
back? I'd be too busy trying to invent toilet paper...


Get John Houseman to go back with your. There could be a remake of 'The
Paper Chase'. A cameo appearance by Raquel Welch dressed in proper
caveman attire may also be in order.

In a pinch, Valerie Perine would do nicely. I appreciated her full
frontal acting abilities in Kurt Vonnegut's 'Slaughterhouse Five'..



mike

"Big Bill" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 21 Jun 2004 17:48:42 +0000 (UTC), wrote:

Let's say, through the act of god, or whatever, that you've been
transported back through time for a few thousand years. Would you've
preferred that you have a digital camera? Or a film camera?

However, let's say you could keep your magic private; digital, with a
laptop and a solar recharging unit, would be *far* easier to use than
film.
Film just requires too much technology that wouldn't be availabe to
you; as I said, even clean water will be a problem. A source of
reliable, white light would be another problem.

Bill Funk

If the technology is not present to deal with film you can be assured you
won't be using digital either

"Big Bill" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 21 Jun 2004 17:48:42 +0000 (UTC), wrote:

Let's say, through the act of god, or whatever, that you've been
transported back through time for a few thousand years. Would you've
preferred that you have a digital camera? Or a film camera?

There are reasons that technological breakthroughs come when they do;
supporting technology must also be possible.

What would you do with any film you exposed? Did you also backpack
your chemicals?
How would you *view* your pics? Did you also pack in your papers? How
about a darkroom?
With digital, how do you view the pics?

Take your DSLR setup, Laptop and Solar Charger and a history book. Use them
to convince leaders that you are from another world and that if any harm
comes to you that you will destroy earth... You will need money and
transportation to travel the world and document everything with your "Magic
Window" or your species will take over the earth. Use the history book to
predict events here-and-there, so that they know you're serious... Enjoy
the world like a god!

- Harrison.

"Ken Oaf" a écrit dans le message de
...
On Mon, 21 Jun 2004 17:48:42 +0000 (UTC), wrote:


Let's say, through the act of god, or whatever, that you've been
transported back through time for a few thousand years. Would you've
preferred that you have a digital camera? Or a film camera?

I'd take Paris Hilton.

Is that the only way to take that idiot off the air?

In rec.photo.equipment.35mm skymuffins wrote:

"Big Bill" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 21 Jun 2004 17:48:42 +0000 (UTC), wrote:

Let's say, through the act of god, or whatever, that you've been
transported back through time for a few thousand years. Would you've
preferred that you have a digital camera? Or a film camera?

There are reasons that technological breakthroughs come when they do;
supporting technology must also be possible.

What would you do with any film you exposed? Did you also backpack
your chemicals?
How would you *view* your pics? Did you also pack in your papers? How
about a darkroom?
With digital, how do you view the pics?

Take your DSLR setup, Laptop and Solar Charger and a history book. Use them
to convince leaders that you are from another world and that if any harm
comes to you that you will destroy earth... You will need money and
transportation to travel the world and document everything with your "Magic
Window" or your species will take over the earth. Use the history book to
predict events here-and-there, so that they know you're serious... Enjoy
the world like a god!

And the leaders would believe you are from another world instead of just
being a good oracle for precicely what reason?


- Harrison.



--
Sander

+++ Out of cheese error +++

jean wrote:

"Ken Oaf" a écrit dans le message de
...

On Mon, 21 Jun 2004 17:48:42 +0000 (UTC), wrote:


Let's say, through the act of god, or whatever, that you've been
transported back through time for a few thousand years. Would you've
preferred that you have a digital camera? Or a film camera?

I'd take Paris Hilton.


Is that the only way to take that idiot off the air?


That would test whether she could truly deal with a "simple life",
indeed. Likely you would want to brain her with the camera after a week.

Phil

Ken Oaf wrote in message . ..
On Mon, 21 Jun 2004 17:48:42 +0000 (UTC), wrote:


Let's say, through the act of god, or whatever, that you've been
transported back through time for a few thousand years. Would you've
preferred that you have a digital camera? Or a film camera?

I'd take Paris Hilton.

Then I could ask for room service...

then you'd go blind and find out it's just a cardboard fake

no camera no paris , just alot of hilt on tounge from a storm truper puper

In rec.photo.equipment.35mm Big Bill wrote:
On Mon, 21 Jun 2004 17:48:42 +0000 (UTC), wrote:

Let's say, through the act of god, or whatever, that you've been
transported back through time for a few thousand years. Would you've
preferred that you have a digital camera? Or a film camera?

There are reasons that technological breakthroughs come when they do;
supporting technology must also be possible.

What would you do with any film you exposed? Did you also backpack
your chemicals?
How would you *view* your pics? Did you also pack in your papers? How
about a darkroom?
With digital, how do you view the pics?

Ever heard of self-developing film or Polaroid? Or were those not yet
around when you crawled out of your cave?


Even just getting *water* will be a problem; there's a reason everyone
drank beer & wine: the water was really bad.

oh yeah. Maybe you should stop mixing up history and history channel garbage.

[snip - even more crap]



Bill Funk
Change "g" to "a"

--
Sander

+++ Out of cheese error +++