Film rules and digital sucks but to what extent can compromise be effective?

Last year, November 2010, I bought my first Leica, an M6 with a 35mm, 6-element Summicron, an all mechanical, no batteries required, film camera. It’s been a continuous thrill ever since. There’s something about holding a legend in your hand that gives you a sense of empowerment, responsibility and passion. Everything else has since paled in comparison.

For the last few years, I’ve been shooting digital. A Nikon D70, D80, and a D300 with an assortment of lenses from 10.5mm, 10-24mm, 12-24mm, 24-120mm, 105mm, and 18-200mm. They’ve been useful to me, but for some reasons yet to be verbalized, never ignited the passion, which I believe to be critical to producing one’s best work. Digital capture for me got the utility but lacked the love. Being Asian, it is easy for me to say that digital is to photography as a Suzuki is to violin =). But that’s the cheapshot. Look around you, what do people who make a livelihood on their profession use? Equipment matters and they’re selective on what they choose.

7/1/11. To be continued…