[Tarkwin]

10 yrs ago when I worked in photographic retail, this first digital cameras were emerging onto the market.

320x240 pixels...everybody from the press experts down were scathing of them.

my one and only foray into digital was a sanyo (640x480 pix)...died within a year and I got a refund. Before and after that it's been emulsion cameras - Contax, Bronica and Cambo. I've never owned an AF camera - or come to that a fully automated one, not out of a feeling that I can do better...I've just never bought one.

then came the first 1M pixel camera (Olympus I think)..this changed everything...this resolution gave reasonable results up to about 10x8"(A4ish)...which is about the same as the average compact camera.

Until this time the only hi-res digtal camera was the Kodak Pro unit - based on a Canon EOS camera....it was available in three versions...colour B&W and infra-red. This cost about £9K.

Since then things haven't looked back..5.1M pixel cameras can be picked up for just over £100. Considering that you will never need to buy film, or pay for processing...it's the way the market will go.

In a few years, there will be a few specialist shops able to supply 35mm transparency film...and even fewer offering to process it. As an example...I challenge you to find a roll of 127 roll film - 20's/30's roll film cameras, or somwhere that will process minox film cassettes.

This change to digital has hit the processing shops (bonus print etc.) - 3 have closed in Reading in the last few years.

Cameras I have owned ( or do )

Zenit E - my first camera
Yashica FXD, Yashica TLR - shutter release kept failing
Mamiya C220 - built like a tank, solid and very reliable
Contax RTS, RTS2, 137MA
Bronica ETRs
Pentax Spotmatic SP, SP2, 110 SLR
Nikkormat FTn - died in a horrible dog meeting light tripod accident
Cambo SC2
Kiev 4 - shutter passed away

and a handful of 'classic' non-working cameras

those I would like to own

Nikon F4s,FA and 50mm F1.2
Canon Eos1rt, EOS10, A1 - SLR not compact,F1 - they made a 50mm f1.0 lens which was *very* nice
Contax RTS3- the ultimate MF 35mm SLR, G2 - rangefinder
Pentax LX - interchangeable viewfinders on a 35mm slr - quirky
Hasselblad 500 C or C/M...well who wouldn't, arguably the best small/medium format lenses in the world...(don't buy the ones with a built in motorwind the batteries die quickly)

I had a job where I was allowed to borrow cameras, and took the opportunity to do so most weekends. I would run a few films through them ( FP4, HP5, Velvia 50 - self loaded and processed ) and take them back...allowed me to use som *really* nice gear without paying the sort of rentals that agencies in London charge. In some cases I ended up buying the item in question, mostly not tho'.

T.