How old is too old for a camera or is there such a thing?

[Designer]

Sounds like you made the band-aid companies some good money.

Whaaaa??? You had Band-Aids? Luuuucccckkkkkeeeee!

 

[Derrel]

Let's just put you into one of the more modern digital cameras. Have a look at Adorama, B&H, and KEH. All are reputable dealers who grade their trade-ins accurately, and price them fairly.

Take your budget on a little online shopping trip.

Just you and your budget.

And several dozen of us here on TPF.

EXACTLY--get a modern, digital camera. No sense learning how to make recordings on wax cylinders, or learning how to drive with a horse and buggy, no learning how to cook with a wood-fired kitchen oven...digital image-making has been around for 16 to 18 years as a common, everyday way of doing it. We got our first digitial, a Nikon CollPix 800, in 1998 or 1999. Just looked at Thanksgiving pictures the other day from that very first Digital Thanksgiving.

 

[Shutterpug]

Flint and steel you say? Aha! The plot thickens! But that does make sense that would ignite it. It's always fascinated me how human beings have been able to invent such intricate and amazing devices such as prosthetic limbs cameras cars Etc. Imagine where we would be as a species if we could stop the violins and visualize whirled peas.

 

[DanOstergren]

And here I thought my Canon 5D MK I was old...

 

[vintagesnaps]

You can shoot film and still use a digital camera too. Just like you can cook on an electric stove and still cook over a campfire. Or in whatever smoker contraption Gary A. has on his patio paradise.

I was looking at pictures over the holidays from B&W film my dad left in the camera he had in the army and I finished the rest of the roll some years ago (after it had been sitting in the camera for maybe 40-50 years).



edit - And Polaroids too (for photography not grilling).

 

[petrochemist]

Back when, they didn't use gunpowder to add light to photos.
Flash-lamp - Wikipedia

Those weren't available for more than 50 years of photography.
Magnesium powder (typically with a nitrate or chlorate) was used before the flash lamps. Before that just LONG exposures seem to have sufficed.

Film photograph is not really for the 'financially challenged' however, especially not large format where film tends to be ~$100 a box. It is possible to make your own light sensitive media for LF cameras. Some of the early photographic techniques do lend themselves to experiments like this - Salt prints are possibly the easiest - but effective ISO will be very low & vary from batch to batch.

 

[waday]

Just buy LF digital.

LargeSense Large Format Digital Backs and Cameras

You know, if you have $100k lying around.

 

[Shutterpug]

Oh sure let me just dig that out of my couch cushions.

 

[480sparky]

Pffft. I tip my paperboy more than that every week.

 

[Shutterpug]

Sounds like I need to get a job as your paperboy.

 

[webestang64]

I still shoot with 50-75 year old film cameras.

 

[nerwin]

I'd say when a) camera physically stops functioning and b) limits you as a photographer is when the camera is too old and time for it to be retired and put on display. Haha.

 

[dennybeall]

Let me get some film from the case and I'll be ready in just a minute...