The hand-wringing is over. I’ve taken the plunge and spent what is still a ridiculously large amount of money on a discretionary item by getting a Nikon D80 digital SLR. Despite the fact that some of my favourite amateur photographers use a Canon EOS camera, I decided to go for the Nikon based on personal recommendations and the fact that I’m a sucker for the rich browns it seems capable of capturing. Good times ahead, although I fear this purchase may be a gateway drug to also finally spending money on a Flickr pro account.
I don’t think I’ll ever leave film behind though. Despite my lousy conversion rate of about five decent photos for every roll shot, there’s something about film that digital will never match. Not only in the texture of the image produced, but in the anticipation of development, the joy of the happy accident (a common occurrence in my light-leaky old Canon AE-1), and the sense of wonder at the precise mechanical ingenuity that went into the manufacturing of my beautiful, heavy old camera, long before I was even born.
Anyway, despite the fact that the clocks went back last weekend and all our lovely summer light is gone, there should be more photos around here soon.