I was wondering if there is anybody out there who would like to scan my pictures and upload them to my journal. Or just scan the pictures, put them on a cd and send that to me so I can upload them in the next library.
(I know, I should switch to digital one of these days…).
It would be so much fun to share what I see with all of you!
Apple Pie
Switch to digital… prices have come down immensely, no need to buy a 5 or 6 megapixel camera, my little Olympic Stylus 300 is 3.1 Mpix, waterproof/durable, cards are cheap, it is easy to use, lightweight/small, and since it is not the newest model out there, low cost…
I got a deal online (one of the bigger camera supply houses online, B+N photo) for my camera, a 64mB card, a 256mB card, case, two batteries, charger, sync cord, other stuff I don’t know what it is yet, all for under $200. Considering no more developing, no more worries about heat ruining film, no more developing costs and having to go to developing place 2x, and I D/L pics to my laptop quickly, and use it everywhere now, I cannt believe I waited so long to switch over…
-xtn :boy
airferret
But it does have its limitations. If you are considering large prints and/or publishing, slide film is still the way to go.
I use the Olympus STylus 3.2 MP camera myself and love it.
However, I am seriously thinking of using slides again for the CDT and scanning them in.
We’ll see.
Mags
Yeah… if I ever go to digital I would need the more expensive kind. I’m definitely thinking about trying to get professional. I’ll have some of my CDT ones exhibited at Traildays to see what the feedback will be. Look for them at the booth with the drums. 
Apple Pie
Walmart, Walgreens, K-Mart, etc all now offer “develop to CD” options where you can get a CD back with you prints (or instead of prints). I have a real nice Canon EOS Elan 35mm and have no intention of going digital until the prices of the digital SLRs come WAY down. I get all my film developed to prints and CDs.
stt
i will do it as long as it is not like a 1000 pic. That is what the trail community is for helping people.
luke kaim
Apple,
The thread kind of went astray from what Apple asked, but…
I just switched to digital. Got a Nikon Coolpix 5600 for US $219 online. 5 megapixel camera. Bought a 512 card for 50 bucks. Got some batteries–the Coolpix uses any kind, not just a proprietary rechargeable–and I’m amazed at what this camera can do: equivalent 35 to 105 zoom, pluse great macro shots.
The ferret is right: the prices of good digital cameras are coming down fast, and if you shop for a minute, you can do well.
On my thru hike so far this year, I shot 9 rolls of 35mm film with an old dependable Olympus camera. Cost to develop the film, get negatives and prints and a photo CD was around $18 per roll, for a cost of $162, plus the cost of film, another $72, total: $234 for 33 days worth of pictures! Plus the hassle of carrying and protecting film on the Trail, etc. (Plus, the color balance on the pics on the photo CD were totally whacked, too, all yellowish and dead looking…)
The camera is super easy to use. I was deeply skeptical and worried about going digital, but now I’m sold.
And best of all, the camera weighs 7.8 ounces, locked and loaded.
OT but I hope helpful.
~~Blackbird
www.blackbirdjourney.com
Blackbird
Both have their merits, pros and cons.
You can’t beat digital for ease of use. For web based showings and prints up to 8x10 (or even 11x14), works great. I must have close to 700 pics online done digitally.
However, for print media; slide film is still by the most popular. Found this out recently the hard way…but that’s another story (luckily, had slide film from the PCT).
FWIW - found 36 exposure Fuji slide fillm from B&H photo for $3 a roll, another $3 to develop (iirc). For that’s 720 pics in 20 rolls. Or $120 for to buy film and develop.
Scanning them to CD is the expensive part. The good quality slide scanners (the photo CD’s usually aren’t too great if done for non-professional use ie. lik XYXMart or your local drug store) can be expensive. I’ve seen slides scanned in for professional use. Exquisite! But expensive. I need some one in an MFA program who has access to all the good stuff. 
Ah decisions, decisions. Note I am in favor of both…but for different needs. Guess if high quality is a premium (books, magazines, large prints) go with slides. If convenience and the occasional larger print for personal use is what you are after, digital. I have not used slide film in over 3 yrs…but again, seriously considering it for the CDT. So, I am pretty unbiased as I have used both.
Of course, if you want the best of both worlds, a digital SLR for $2000 would do it, too. Anyone want to donate?
Mags
So maybe you should sell some of those fabulous pictures and buy a big fat digital behemuth camera, mags? You want to play, you’ve got to pay…
In photography, you pretty much get what you pay for where quality is concerned.
Film processing, especially slide film, is heinous for the environment because of the used chemicals that go down the drains. Ditto for the chemicals for wet prints. Untold billions of kodak snapshots in landfills now, accumulated over the last 50 or 80 years. Digital is the best thing to happen for the environment since, um, the flu epidemic of 1918.
Most people don’t need prints of everything, and can easily go to any drug store and get prints of specific good shots. I know hardly anyone who goes out regularly and gets color prints made any larger than 4 by 6. For display and artistic purposes, there is a niche market that will always exist for a few erudite dabblers and dilletantes.
Also, a 5 meg file will fulfill any print shop’s requirements for digital product nowadays. Dump it into photoshop and poof!, straight to plate.
Film is Dino the dinosaur. Professionals already have gone digital. For the usual distance hiker, of average flavor and stripe, a little digital cam will do all the tricks needed. 3 or 4 or 5 megapixel, ten ounces, good to go.
Of course, there are people out there carrying Kelty external frame packs with 65 pounds of stuff, too. Really no need to move forward with the times, is there?
Poobahka
I love how people take a simple question for help and turn it into a personal crusade to force their opinion upon others…
To the others, thanks for your input. I’ll probably order the cd’s next time on top of my prints. I just happen to love my prints!
Apple Pie
Poob: A joke…a joke I say.
Is is requirement for people to check their humor at the door when using Internet forums? Smiley face I tell ya!
Mags
mags,
where are you getting 36 exposure slide film developed for $3? i’d love to find those kinds of prices.
thanks, grizz
grizzly adam
Ask you shall receive!
It is “gray market film”; film usually sold outside of the US. When I bought the Fuji slide film from them a while back, it had the logo from the World Cup held in Korea (sponored by Fuji)!
They also have pre-paid film development mailers from Fuji as well. These are now currently $4 for 36 exposures. The film lab is in Arizona.
Used it to great success on the PCT. Would keep slide film and pre-paid (and pre stamped!) mailers in my bounce box. Put film in envelope, put envelope in mailbox. Had the developed slides mailed to my family.
B&N Photo is out of NYC and has been around for a while. They still ship me this crazy, huge catalog every yeas that is more a very large trade paperback than a catalog!
Mags
i’ve been buying my fuji slide film in bulk from b and h for years. they are great for all my photographic needs. but, never knew that they had prepaid mailers and developing. i’ll have to look into that one. thanks.
grizzly adam
Apple Pie…many cool things about digital but still some cool things about film too. one thing being that digital is only as good as the capture that moment whereas film can be scanned quick, cheap, crappy and then rescanned a year later when you’re ready to actually do something nice with your best images like make a cute little coffee table book or a print on the wall. i say rescanned because of course you can print them but if you want scans, the scanning technology will continue to grow whereas that digital file you shot a year ago will never get bigger or better.
I shoot professionally and sometimes carry a little light rangefinder film camera with excelent lens or other times a 5LB DSLR (canons newest full frame digital which is $8000 without a lens!!) My packweight starts at 27-32 lbs for AT through-hiking stints but add 5lbs and I’m wondering about quality vs. weight on my back
here’s 2 digital options for you later ~$500 for canons recent powershot 500 i think…7Mpixel with very high quality image processor geek-speak;) OR the 20D 8mp, looks like an slr, takes all canon lenses, ~2lbs super duper quality.
i have 2 scanners i could help you out with too though…email me and i’ll see what we can do.
sorry sooo long:boy
check out Cupcake’s 2005 trailjournal for some fun photos…all digital;):girl
Mr. Crumbles
Thanks Mr. Crumbles. I know all about Cupcake’s pictures… Have you seen the one of the girl in the bathtub? That’s me. We sure had fun;) And he had more great pictures. Spur too by the way and he had a great digital camera it just seemed so complicated to get everything loaded on to discs and you’d have to have access to a computer or digital album or something so they had huge bounce boxes. Plus I’m totally not tech savvy and I’d probably get totally stressed out dealing with all that stuff :oh
apple pie
You said Cupcake 2005… I haven’t checked those out yet! I was still stuck in 2004. Are we talking about the same Cupcake? I guess I’ll check them both out.
apple pie
lol, I agree with you - I often read these posts and think “That’s not what (s)he asked” and in case you missed the nice little 2 sentence post, luke kaim volunteered – what a trail angel!
ps. …er, is that an off-trail angel?:oh
Wild Hare