Reply to: Any Photographers out there ?

[Bunk]

Yep. The "Old Timers" I saw at this show were immaculately restored, and one even had luggage and official looking Communist Party stickers etc. That's what I meant when I said "fascinating", because it was a glimpse of a life I never knew.

I found that a lot learning about the DDR. It showed me how little I knew about what happened after the war, even up until relatively recently (late 80s).

[Paddy]

Yes.

The Hillman Imp.

Though the engine was in the back of that.

The Hillman Imp was not good for the garage industry because it was the easiest car to work on DIY. Even removing the engine took 20 minutes with no use of hoists or ramps. Un-bolt the rear mounting, disconnect the shafts and push the car forward.

[Sysman]

Trabants have a cult following now. You see groups of them driving around Berlin in Trabant Safaris. Comes under Ostalgie I suppose.

Yep. The "Old Timers" I saw at this show were immaculately restored, and one even had luggage and official looking Communist Party stickers etc. That's what I meant when I said "fascinating", because it was a glimpse of a life I never knew.

[Sysman]

Yes.

The Hillman Imp.

Though the engine was in the back of that.

I didn't know that. All the rear engined stuff I have come across had the tank at the front (though I haven't a clue where it is on a VW Microbus).

[Bunk]

Well, have you seen a car with the petrol tank in the engine compartment?

If you thought an Allegro or Marina was bad engineering, look what the DDR had.

Trabants have a cult following now. You see groups of them driving around Berlin in Trabant Safaris. Comes under Ostalgie I suppose.

[doodab]

In the Czech Republic in the 1990s I watched a line of cars drive slowly up a hill. A long line of Skodas, held up by a smoking and coughing Trabant at the front.

West Germany: Mercs and Porsches.
East Germany: cars so bad they hold up Skodas.

Skoda's of that era dominated their class in the RAC rally. Something like 13 straight wins.

[Sysman]

In the Czech Republic in the 1990s I watched a line of cars drive slowly up a hill. A long line of Skodas, held up by a smoking and coughing Trabant at the front.

West Germany: Mercs and Porsches.
East Germany: cars so bad they hold up Skodas.

I remember seeing newsreels of them crossing the border just after the Berlin Wall came down.

All pushing them up the queue with the engines switched off to save fuel.

Just like I'd seen going across borders in Africa.

[Paddy]

In the Czech Republic in the 1990s I watched a line of cars drive slowly up a hill. A long line of Skodas, held up by a smoking and coughing Trabant at the front.

West Germany: Mercs and Porsches.
East Germany: cars so bad they hold up Skodas.

As with any poorly maintain car they will smoke; especially two stokes. Collectors who have bought them have them running very well.

[Ignis Fatuus]

Well, have you seen a car with the petrol tank in the engine compartment?

If you thought an Allegro or Marina was bad engineering, look what the DRR had.

In the Czech Republic in the 1990s I watched a line of cars drive slowly up a hill. A long line of Skodas, held up by a smoking and coughing Trabant at the front.

West Germany: Mercs and Porsches.
East Germany: cars so bad they hold up Skodas.

[Ignis Fatuus]

Last couple of times I've actually taken a shot on film, after I got over expecting the camera to focus itself with a half-press, I found myself thinking, OK, but I can't see it right away, how do I know it worked?

OTOH watching the image come up in the 60 seconds in the developer tray is a magic that you will never forget.

[Sysman]

My record with digital was ~170 shots in an afternoon at a vintage car rally. They had a Trabant section which was fascinating.

Fook....I'm sorry but you really need to widen your interests

Well, have you seen a car with the petrol tank in the engine compartment?

If you thought an Allegro or Marina was bad engineering, look what the DDR had.

[Troll]

My record with digital was ~170 shots in an afternoon at a vintage car rally. They had a Trabant section which was fascinating.

Fook....I'm sorry but you really need to widen your interests

[Sysman]

My usage:
6 months backpacking in Africa: 10 36-exp rolls.
12 months all round South America: 18 rolls.
1 week trip with a digital camera: 100+ shots.

My record with digital was ~170 shots in an afternoon at a vintage car rally. They had a Trabant section which was fascinating.

In Africa, the battery ran out. Fortunately I was using an OM1 which was 100% manual + match-needle meter. So I just kept going with Sunny-f/16 and still got almost all the shots.

Quality of photos? About the same. A few careful shots with film; or (when I first got a digital camera) a few careful shot on digital; then (when it really sank in that the images were free) hundreds of digital shots. Results all about the same. I.e. once you have mastered the technical side, admittedly harder with film, then the photographer is you, not the camera.

Now fire away...

I was lucky to have a darkroom at college when I got my first SLR and did all the monochrome processing myself. I got some pretty decent pictures when I was doing that.

On my big trip to Africa I took a shiny new Canon. Unfortunately there was a fault with it and everything came out underexposed. I thought at the time that the settings weren't reflecting the bright light but trusted the camera's meter, 'cos it had been OK with the first few rolls taken in the UK. Lesson learned: I should have taken an external meter as backup. The camera shop replaced the body under guarantee without question when I showed them the photos.

Batteries didn't last in the tropics, and new ones took a bit of tracking down.

[Pogle]

Worked as a photographic technician in a scientific laboratory after leaving art college.
We had large format and 35mm cameras as well as a SEM. I did all the b/w film processing and hand printing we sent the E6 processing out. I did my city and guilds in professional photography whilst there and ended up doing all the company in house photography. I had a Bronica at one point and a set of halogen lights for portraits and hired a flash kit as needed - portraiture was my thing.
Took redundancy and went off to do my BSc at uni, I still have my Nikon, but haven't touched it in years. i just use my camera phone these days. One day I'll build myself a darkroom and get back into it.
This thread has made me feel like digging out all my old prints

[doodab]

My usage:
6 months backpacking in Africa: 10 36-exp rolls.
12 months all round South America: 18 rolls.
1 week trip with a digital camera: 100+ shots.

In Africa, the battery ran out. Fortunately I was using an OM1 which was 100% manual + match-needle meter. So I just kept going with Sunny-f/16 and still got almost all the shots.

Quality of photos? About the same. A few careful shots with film; or (when I first got a digital camera) a few careful shot on digital; then (when it really sank in that the images were free) hundreds of digital shots. Results all about the same. I.e. once you have mastered the technical side, admittedly harder with film, then the photographer is you, not the camera.

Now fire away...

That's my point. It's a lot easier to actually master the technical side with film, because you have to. I shoot almost totally digital and have done for years but i often find myself thinkin i need to slow down and think about waht i'm doing. Takes about an hour of walking round with the camera before i take any good photos now...