Making your choice
Through the family grapevine I have learned that one of my sons has something new in his family. No not the baby they’re waiting for, something a little easier to hold onto. He has bought what I believe is his first the SLR. Oh how I remember my first and my second. The first just stop working nothing, that could be fixed. And so after long reflection and counting my pennies I bought something new. Something better. Something that would be with me for the next half century. By the time I gave it up and send it off to be recycled even the film was no longer available to me. That’s how it worked. We had dreamt of something that used free media. Back then we had no idea what that could even be. And so like you do with any new toy I learned all the Inns and outs of the care and feeding of an expensive camera. I had to learn a lot and they had to spend a lot of time doing so. But in reflection I never left it out in the rain or by the side of a bed when I move from one room to another. Like any expensive toy I learned to take care of it. I did not go crazy. I bought very few carrying straps and very few fancy bags. I still have that bag if you’re asking. As for the straps, nope I didn’t use them then so there was no sense in hanging on to them. What my camera did teach me beyond being willing to keep an eye on the world around me is that if you treat your equipment properly it will be there when you need it. Over and over again. And of course I extended that principle to most other pieces of equipment that I spent too much money on. Yes there is still diving gear in the garage even though I will never take it underwater again. And my bicycles because there was more than one that went to newer homes. When we get started with technology we are usually unaware of the commitment that we are in baking in terms of time and money. But we will learn. My son did not call for advice which was a good move on his part. You have to make your choices and live with them. Again something that my camera taught me. And going forward I will probably never buy another camera or diving gear or bicycle but along the way I learned that what you choose is what you have to be happy with.
