From: heller@deepsoft.com   
      
   At Mon, 1 Dec 2014 07:20:55 -0800 (PST) hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com wrote:   
      
   >   
   > Yesterday there were railfans out watching the holiday rush, as usual.  I w=   
   > as pleased to see many young people with modern equipment taking photos and=   
   >  videos.  (Instead of using a paper timetable like us oldsters, they keep t=   
   > he schedules in their phones).   
   >   
   > Glad young people are taking up the hobby.   
   >   
   > I think on a relative cost, photo and video equipment are cheaper than it w=   
   > as in our day.  Back then, a good SLR camera system, including lens, filter=   
   > s, and accessories, was quite expensive, not to mention film and processing=   
   > .  Quality moving picture images were basically unaffordable (8 mm was very=   
   >  low quality, and early video cameras weren't much better).   
      
   A very basic 35mm SLR was like $350 (camera body + 'standard' 50mm lens).  Add   
   some additional lenses filters, etc. and yes, you could easily spend over   
   $500.   
      
   A good 8mm (or Hi8) camcorder cost about $1,000. (Hi8 was not bad quality,   
   just shy of broadcast quality, and was sometimes used for low-end TV   
   production purposes.)   
      
   I guess modern camera phones probably exceed the quality of either 35mm SLRs   
   or Hi8 camcorders. I am not sure where MiniDV camcorders fit in terms of   
   quality or really what they cost. Little digital PAS cameras are very cheap   
   and probably do at least as good a job as a good quality 'consumer-grade' 35mm   
   SLR -- certainly *better* than something like an old box camera (eg a Brownie   
   or something like that) and without the wait for film development and with   
   models with removable (eg field replacable) SD cards & batteries, it is   
   possible to take an enormous number of pictures, so long as you have a supply   
   of charged batteries and a supply of 'empty' SD cards...   
      
   >   
      
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