Obsolescence Project

Day 53 – Nikon FM

Nikon FM camera from front

Nikon FM SLR Camera. A mechanical camera, needs no batteries. (except for the light meter.) But, of course you would have a light meter that you carried with you no? ( Like this one  from Day 1 of this blog!)

This camera weighs a lot. Is that what defines analog vs digital – weight? As we move further and further into a digital world, will things eventually be weightless? This camera feels like it weighs twice as much as my Nikon D-5000 SLR, which is physically larger. It’s all that metal.

Compared to shooting with a digital camera, I probably didn’t take as many photos as I felt I did with this beauty, given the preciousness (ie: cost) of film. But even still, over a decade or so I shot a lot of film. It has a fantastic lens. Very basic, but sharp. I got to know this camera so well, and used specific film with it, so that just by looking at the day I could tell what settings to use.

Here is nice manual explaining how to use it.  From a site with a pictorial history of the Nikon lines.  (BTW – that photography site has been online since 1997! )

Nikon FM camera from back

Purchased it second-hand from a camera shop in Montreal. It was old when I bought it, but it’s really old now. Still functional. I stopped using it about 2-3 years ago, when I found that for a particular project I was working on at my mom’s place, it was just too much hassle to bring through security at the airport (that pesky metal). And the cheap Nikon digital I had at the time did the job for exploratory shots.

I will keep this camera. I read that the medium priced digital SLR’s (at over $1K at the time I didn’t personally think the D-5000 was medium:) don’t do the best  job with focusing. Something about a blur being added in. With this FM, as long as my vision was accurate, the shot was in focus. With the D-5000, it seems like I have to shoot 4-5 pics to get the perfect focus. Technology. Maybe that’s part of the planned obsolescence of these medium-range SLR’s – that you need to upgrade to a much higher end model to get the quality you’re looking for.

Clearly, it could have used a little cleaning. But the grime on top adds to the allure, no?

Nikon FM camera from top

Status: Take out for a spin and see what she  is still capable of offering up.

Posted on by Deanne in Photography

Day 52 – Chinese Stamps

50 different stamps from China

Stamps From China. From 1949 >

These were a gift from someone who is deceased. So they are imbued with this chap’s presence, and it’s a sad story. But they don’t always make me feel sad, rather more like an archaeologist, digging up clues. One is worth $6. Most are 20-60 cents or so. It seems incredible that something so delicate and small as a paper stamp that survived over half a century might only be worth 20 cents, but there you have it.

The “50 Differents” board I include for the  spelling.

I wrote away to an internet auction site specializing in Chinese stamps once, hoping for a treasure:) They were polite, but not interested. But you know, I didn’t send them every single one, so hope springs eternal.

Chinese Stamps

Two of my favourites: The green airplane one for the imagery, the fact that it’s franked and that it was lovingly steamed off an envelope.
The purple one for the colour and the same other reasons.

Chinese Stamp 10 Airplane

Chinese Stamp 10

Status: Photograph with a macro lens (reason #5 for purchase) and either get a bleeding proper stamp collection book, or sell them.

 

 

R.I.P. Mr. Eric

Posted on by Deanne in Paper

Day 52 – Kodak Slide Projector

Kodak Carousel

Kodak Carousel 750H Slide Projector.

Kodak has an archive site of all their projectors. Funnily  enough the first sentence on the page is “Where to buy lamps for obsolete projectors”.  There are about a dozen of this particular model of projectors on eBay right now, from a low of $20 to a high of $129.99. I would like to see the stats on sales over the last five or so years. Have they gone up or down? Who is buying them– are they slide hoarders, artists, galleries, hobbyists?

Like the Eumig C5 Camera, I’m borrowing from my partner’s beauties to include in this quest for obsolescence. It still functions, and we still have slides, both the art documentation type, and the travel type. There is even an old roll out screen for viewing (another beauty for another day). But it has been sitting idle for quite a long time.
And the slides are supposed to be scanned.

Carousel Tray

Status: As said object is not “mine”, I am released from giving it a designation. But, if I did I would say throw a slide party, invite all those with dusty slides to show off their treasures (max 10 each) and then make it a scanning party too. Someone loads the carousel tray, another unloads and scans, and another figures out how to recycle the debris.

Posted on by Deanne in Photography

Day 51 – Scottish Doll w/ Bagpipes

Scottish Doll from Behind

Scottish Doll. 6″ with cap on.

His pipes have become detached.  Otherwise, he is in decent shape. Plastic. His eyes close when he is laid down. His arms are articulated, but I looked and the rubber that holds them together looks very thin, so not much movement left in the little chap.

A gift from one of my parent’s friends from their travels. I was probably a bit old for dolls, but it was (and re-discovered he remains) much appreciated.

Scottish Doll

His cupid lips are hand-painted on, quite delicious. Borderline kinky. I know I didn’t paint them on – so they must have been there from the start.

Scottish Doll Face

Status: Admire. Keeping him wrapped in tissue paper didn’t protect him from losing his bagpipes. So he may as well be on display.

Posted on by Deanne in Dolls

Day 50 – VHS Tapes

VHS tapes

VHS Tapes – Master copies of a video art piece from 2003.

Considering it happened in this century, I’m not sure why I didn’t have the tapes mastered to DVD. But it might have been the production studio that did the work that suggested it – or the gallery where I showed the work. Either way, I think these are the last 2 VHS tapes I own.

I once taped every season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer on  VHS, and came so close to selling the collection on Craigslist not that long ago, but I was missing one or two shows, and the buyer balked. Finicky folks, these collectors.

VHS tapes

These tapes, along with several art projects (by myself and others) on CDs are truly unplayable. I think I like the notion that they are playable in some analog museum, or a parallel universe. A few summers ago at Block Buster they were promoting renting VHS tapes by saying if you rented them you didn’t need to return them. They might even have been 1/2 price. We didn’t take them up on the offer.

Status: Keep for a time machine.

Posted on by Deanne in Objects