Dad was a photog, and a college photography instructor. Soon after he switched from electronics to photography (in the mid-’60s), he got a Nikon F Photomic camera that he really loved. He had some larger format cameras for studio use, but the Nikon was his main camera. He got a custom attache case fitted to keep all its lenses and filters. I inherited the camera and lenses when he died, and kept them insured under a policy that provided for replacement.
When the Photomic F (but not then lenses, except the one that was on it) was stolen in the early ’80s, the insurance company replaced it with the then-current Nikon F3. While it was a fine camera, changes in the linkage to the internal light meter made it a bit klunkier to use with the older lenses, and I used it less through the ’90s.
Digital photography was a game changer, and the Nikon was retired. I recently pulled it out to discover that not only were the old dead batteries still in it (Eveready EPX76 x2 should you need to replace them) – fortunately, they hadn’t leaked – but there was still a roll of Kodak Gold Plus 100 film loaded. I also had an unopened box of Tri-X pan 400, but since the “fresh” box recommended processing before July 1993, I figured it probably wasn’t going to be worth my while 20 years hence to see what images might still be (partially?) visible on such old film, and trashed it all. (Well, we recycled the cardboard and plastic containers.) Which doesn’t mean we’ve trashed all the old memories – in fact, just the opposite. We’ve been going through old prints and digitizing them. I now keep a copy of the entire memory library with me on a USB drive.
The memories of the people, places and pups captured in those images are cherished, but the camera itself, while it holds certain fond memories, is not something I’m inclined to put on display. The life we’re living today is quite different from the lives we’ve lived through the almost 50 years a Nikon’s been a part of the household, and the time has come to say goodbye. Maybe someone who still gets goosebumps from hearing that big shutter fire will buy it. I’m moving on. If you might be one of those people, check ebay for a Nikon F3 with lenses – maybe it’ll still be there (ebay name: houndguy2002).
Weirdest part of the process, taking the attached images with the iPad. Progress? You be the judge.
It’s hard to give up an old life, but empowering to embrace a new one.
Copyright © 2015 Joey and Mark Jones
