Precision Equipment

[cliveh]

Mark,

I'm sure that if you used your fancy fishing equipment for years in the same location, you'd catch fish like that too. You'd arguably enjoy it more too, because of that nice equipment. But at the same time, I think I enjoy it more when I accomplish something special with modest tools.
This is part of the reason I so enjoy a good old Pentax Spotmatic. When I get a really good 16x20 from it, it feels better, because I feel like I applied a lot more skill to get there.

Thomas, I thought you used an M2.

[Dan Fromm]

Hmm. My S8 Beaulieus reek of quality, are much much too fragile.

[markbarendt]

Thomas, I agree that nice tools are a pleasure to work with.

As to the fishing rod you pine for Clive, as an art piece a $1500 fly rod might make sense.

There are other good reasons too. One of my co-workers has a son who is in the fly fishing guide business who picked up one of these rods this summer. It provides two things that his old rod didn't, 1-he can catch more high dollar client trips because of the magic bullet BS brag line he can spin around it and 2-he gets bigger tips from clients & favors from the shops he refers his clients to.

[Ulrich Drolshagen]

I have always thought this is why we became photographers and not painters. Cameras are such beautiful examples of precision equipment compared to paint brushes.

Did you ever see really good brushes?

[Thomas Bertilsson]

Thomas, I thought you used an M2.

I use an M2 also, and it's amazingly enjoyable. The Spotmatic keeps it real.

[Thomas Bertilsson]

Thomas, I agree that nice tools are a pleasure to work with.

As to the fishing rod you pine for Clive, as an art piece a $1500 fly rod might make sense.

There are other good reasons too. One of my co-workers has a son who is in the fly fishing guide business who picked up one of these rods this summer. It provides two things that his old rod didn't, 1-he can catch more high dollar client trips because of the magic bullet BS brag line he can spin around it and 2-he gets bigger tips from clients & favors from the shops he refers his clients to.

I enjoy the savvy of your colleague.

[Trond]

This is part of the reason I so enjoy a good old Pentax Spotmatic. When I get a really good 16x20 from it, it feels better, because I feel like I applied a lot more skill to get there.

I'm not sure if I follow you here Thomas. The level of precision in a Spotmatic and a M2 should be the same, if not something is wrong with the camera. Apart from the obvious difference in cost and the rangefinder/SLR difference I can't see why it would require more skill with a Spotmatic. Or perhaps it it just the feeling?

Trond

[David A. Goldfarb]

Thomas, I agree that nice tools are a pleasure to work with.

As to the fishing rod you pine for Clive, as an art piece a $1500 fly rod might make sense.

There are other good reasons too. One of my co-workers has a son who is in the fly fishing guide business who picked up one of these rods this summer. It provides two things that his old rod didn't, 1-he can catch more high dollar client trips because of the magic bullet BS brag line he can spin around it and 2-he gets bigger tips from clients & favors from the shops he refers his clients to.

A bit like the wedding, portrait, and commercial photographers who shoot Hasselblad to impress the clients, or at least they used to.

[markbarendt]

I enjoy the savvy of your colleague.

Me too.

[markbarendt]

A bit like the wedding, portrait, and commercial photographers who shoot Hasselblad to impress the clients, or at least they used to.

Exactly.