I'm not certain how to explain it. It seems the older I get the harder it gets to focus on some things. As an example I am considering buying a new camera. Oh, I have had a digital camera for a number of years now, almost from the first ones. My Nikon Coolpix has been a great camera but I thought I should upgrade a bit to a digital dslr. I was feeling fairly informed as I knew that a dslr meant digital single lens reflex. And I knew that is the type of camera that used film back in the day. The single lens reflex camera is superior to a regular digital camera for image quality and speed. Yes, I was feeling pretty good about my knowledge base. That ended the moment I googled a simple question, " what dslr camera should I buy to photograph my grandson playing soccer ? "
After scrolling down the page past all the ads for cameras, the " opinion " pieces and sales pitches I began to read. It didn't take much reading for me to understand one thing. I didn't have a clue what these folks were talking about ! I didn't know the type of SD card made a difference, let alone the processor. There are ones with mirrors, ones without mirrors and interchangeable lenses. The more I read the more I became confused. I began just typing in more questions. All kinds of " can I " questions. All I know for sure is that if I spend enough money, I can. Eventually I became overwhelmed with knowledge and just closed the tab. Maybe I'll go to a camera store and just ask the guy or girl there. That's usually frustrating as well as I know they want to sell me something. So, I have to take whatever they tell me with a grain, as the saying goes.
There was a day when I would have researched this question until I was satisfied I had a grasp on the subject. I don't know anything more about how to choose that camera today than I did yesterday. The thing is, I just can't stay that focused on the subject. I find myself saying, the pictures you have taken in the past are good enough, just stay with what you have. Hey, I had a Polaroid swinger back in the day and those pictures were just fine. The Brownie instamatic wasn't bad either ! The question I really wanted answered was, which camera has a battery that lasts a long time, you can zoom in quickly and take a picture every time you push the shutter button ? I have grown annoyed with having to push the button half way down, wait for the camera to focus and then take the picture. Can't I just point and shoot ! I had a 35MM camera with auto advance that did just that and that was thirty years ago. Now, from what I can figure out I need to spend over two thousand dollars for a camera that will do that. But, it does comes with Wi-Fi !
Well I'll chalk this up to age and technology. I'm not going to say I can't figure it out, that I can't understand it, but I feel like I just don't have the time. I'm not getting younger you know. Maybe it is time to just relax, enjoy the things I know and leave the rest to the young folks. I still enjoy my coffee from a percolator and I'll keep on driving the car by myself, I will never allow a car to drive me ! And I will never wear athletic shoes with support hose and Velcro closures ! Truth be told, I'd still be happy with waiting for my film to be developed, it was always exciting to see how they came out. Patience, it took patience. That's something lacking in todays world for sure. We aren't teaching our children or grandchildren the value of patience. Patience breeds appreciation. An appreciation of something often leads to that thing being cherished or highly regarded. It is valued. Valued objects aren't replaced.
Yesterdays technology seems so simple to us today. The reason is obvious. It is because we understand it completely. It is the tech we grew up with and became comfortable using. I remember when you could put a piece of aluminum foil on your tv antenna to increase reception. Remember when you could replace a tube in your television ? Old technology, a thing of the past. I mistakenly believed I could just google a simple answer to a complex question. Seems everything is complicated these days. We even argue about whether someone is a boy or a girl ! It's complicated. My question is, does it have to be ? Not to my way of thinking it doesn't.
After scrolling down the page past all the ads for cameras, the " opinion " pieces and sales pitches I began to read. It didn't take much reading for me to understand one thing. I didn't have a clue what these folks were talking about ! I didn't know the type of SD card made a difference, let alone the processor. There are ones with mirrors, ones without mirrors and interchangeable lenses. The more I read the more I became confused. I began just typing in more questions. All kinds of " can I " questions. All I know for sure is that if I spend enough money, I can. Eventually I became overwhelmed with knowledge and just closed the tab. Maybe I'll go to a camera store and just ask the guy or girl there. That's usually frustrating as well as I know they want to sell me something. So, I have to take whatever they tell me with a grain, as the saying goes.
There was a day when I would have researched this question until I was satisfied I had a grasp on the subject. I don't know anything more about how to choose that camera today than I did yesterday. The thing is, I just can't stay that focused on the subject. I find myself saying, the pictures you have taken in the past are good enough, just stay with what you have. Hey, I had a Polaroid swinger back in the day and those pictures were just fine. The Brownie instamatic wasn't bad either ! The question I really wanted answered was, which camera has a battery that lasts a long time, you can zoom in quickly and take a picture every time you push the shutter button ? I have grown annoyed with having to push the button half way down, wait for the camera to focus and then take the picture. Can't I just point and shoot ! I had a 35MM camera with auto advance that did just that and that was thirty years ago. Now, from what I can figure out I need to spend over two thousand dollars for a camera that will do that. But, it does comes with Wi-Fi !
Well I'll chalk this up to age and technology. I'm not going to say I can't figure it out, that I can't understand it, but I feel like I just don't have the time. I'm not getting younger you know. Maybe it is time to just relax, enjoy the things I know and leave the rest to the young folks. I still enjoy my coffee from a percolator and I'll keep on driving the car by myself, I will never allow a car to drive me ! And I will never wear athletic shoes with support hose and Velcro closures ! Truth be told, I'd still be happy with waiting for my film to be developed, it was always exciting to see how they came out. Patience, it took patience. That's something lacking in todays world for sure. We aren't teaching our children or grandchildren the value of patience. Patience breeds appreciation. An appreciation of something often leads to that thing being cherished or highly regarded. It is valued. Valued objects aren't replaced.
Yesterdays technology seems so simple to us today. The reason is obvious. It is because we understand it completely. It is the tech we grew up with and became comfortable using. I remember when you could put a piece of aluminum foil on your tv antenna to increase reception. Remember when you could replace a tube in your television ? Old technology, a thing of the past. I mistakenly believed I could just google a simple answer to a complex question. Seems everything is complicated these days. We even argue about whether someone is a boy or a girl ! It's complicated. My question is, does it have to be ? Not to my way of thinking it doesn't.
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