I am constantly searching eBay for cameras that I have not seen nor used with the hopes of winning them and shooting them if they are in working order. Recently I have come across a new acronym: TTV that translates to “Through the Viewfinder.” After some brief research on Google and Flickr I found that this TTV is none other than using TLR (Twin Lens Reflex) cameras as a filter putting it simply. How this works is a person buys a TLR and makes a snoot (a tube) out of black paper or poster board and then mounts a digital camera on top and proceeds to shoot through the viewfinder. So why does this bother me? Well for starters in order to do this you have to remove the pieces that cover and protect the viewfinder (typically done in a destructive way) and secondly this is making it harder and more expensive for people that love film photography to find good working cameras to shoot. Since the new “digital era” film camera production has become almost nonexistent and new TLR cameras other than the Holga is even rarer. I did not form this Blog as a place to rant and rave but this is one of the few times I will speak my mind about the topic of digital vs film…
MY RANT: These days everyone is a “photographer” as if owning a camera is the only rite of passage into this lifestyle. There in lies the problem with some of the photographers today they do not take the time to learn their trade. They do not understand f/ stops, aperture values, ASA (ISO), or dragging the shutter. Set it to Auto, click and wha-la you are a photographer. If you did not get it right in camera then off to Photoshop it goes! Boost the saturation, blur the hell out of the skin tones to almost a plasticy feel, crop the crap out of it and finally run it up in size to where it is almost pixilated and take pride in what you did. Just so your friends can Ohhh and Ahhh over it on social networking sites. Please do not get me wrong I have a digital camera and I use it when I have to but I make the choices, I do not pawn my work off on some computer chip to do the thinking for me. Yes there was a time when I first started out that I would have fallen into this category but I never EVER called myself a pro (and still do not), and would never had charged for my services at that time in my life. I see people today blow off 200-300 shots in under an hour and you ask me why… I will tell you in one word INSECURITY. It is insecurity in themselves, insecurity in their knowledge of their gear and insecurity in their craft as a whole. Why are people scared to shoot film? #1 reason, it cost too much. To me that is a line of crap, a roll of film is $5, processing is anywhere from $1-$15 depending on what you want done and who processes it. I bought an RZ67 with two lenses for a fraction of what I spent on my Canon EOS 1D Mk II body alone. Digital cameras go obsolete yearly if not monthly. My RZ67 is still one of the top cameras in its class and has been for years. In my opinion if you want to be a photographer got back to its roots and try out film, learn where your craft came from, learn, learn, learn!!! My all time favorite quote I feel say it best “EVERYONE WANTS TO BE A ROCKSTAR, BUT NOBODY WANTS TO LEARN THE CHORDS.” I wish I knew whom to credit because it is so true.
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So what does this rant have to TTV? Those cameras that people use for TTV give the same effect on film as they do on a digital sensor so why not use them as intended. If not leave the camera on the market for someone that will use it for what it was made for and stick to your filters and plug-ins in Photoshop. If you have already picked up one of these TLR camera put a roll of film in the camera and USE IT AS INTENDED.
