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It’s like being hit by a manure truck, and then that truck stops, backs up, and dumps it’s manure on you.

At least I got it this week and not the day before I get on a plane.

UPDATE 12-15
Me 1 Stomach Flu 0

p.s. Nirvana Unplugged is good for both the darkroom and the flu.

I had heard that Fuji was going to put out a new high grade compact camera this month, and thought (like I did with their Natura and Classica cameras) “gosh that sounds nice.”
And after getting to mess with one for a few minutes in Yodobashi last night I don’t know what’s crazier- the fact that Fuji just put out an $800 compact film camera, or this feeling (I recognize Camera Lust by now) that it sounds like a good investment. I’ve only mentioned it a few times here but 2006 was the year of Color Film for me; over 3,800 3×5 prints in albums (and counting) and my Big Mini is getting worn out. Color film is the vehicle which powers my visual photographic diaries. A small compact camera is great to have on you at all times. Digital is good enough but film looks better to me.

Fuji Klasse W:

Aside from the fact that this is a gorgeous piece of photographic equipment, what struck me as very interesting is just how they are selling this camera with Film Snobbery. The tagline reads something like:

“If you are going to shoot, shoot Film.”
“Photography, for the people who know that Flavor/Taste/???”
(this is why I am not a translator)

After admiring the handling and balance, I set the demo model down and there to my right stood a Yodobashi employee. I asked him if they are selling very many of these and he said yes, they have so far. Hmm.
Then after I said something like how it is nice to see Fuji putting out a new film camera he glanced around and said in a low voice “Film looks better than digital” to which I agreed.

Something might be true here:
1. This is what he was told to say by Fuji to anyone who looks interested in the Klasse.

2. He really does prefer the look of film, and for each and every 8mp Casio digikame he sells to orange haired pricks with 16 year old girlfriends in heels with oversized vuitton bags he loses a small part of his dignity and soul. (ha ha this is a joke 20 years ago that same dude had a rizentou haircut with huge sunglasses and white pants when he bought a Canon Snappy 20, and you know his woman was sporting a MAD seiko-chan hairstyle )

3. Right before he talked to me he told the previous customer looking at the 10mp Canon that digital looks better than film. And then walked them to the register to make the sale.

HAH

I would blog about more interesting things but my life is not structured that way at the moment. Nothing I say or do is interesting to anyone other than myself hence these recent posts. Enjoy!

Kyoto

Tokyo

On August 4th on a swelteringly hot day in Kyoto I walked from Gion to Kyomizu-dera with fully loaded Domke F1 and F3 bags and a Pentax 67 and a Leica (a nerd). Relaxing in the shade by the pagoda I was taking some photos and noticed two young women with hell-of nice cameras.
Me: “Wow is that an FM3a?”
Yoko:”yeah”
Me: “Is that a Canon?”
Eri: “yeah.”
Me: “well, that’s cool I guess.”

And then we became friends and spent the next few hours tromping around Kyoyo’s Kyomizu area. Found out that the cameras were due to the fact that they were/are both photography students at a photo school in Osaka, and sometimes take the hour trip to Kyoto for picture taking. Before it was time to say good bye it was suggested (by me) to come up to Tokyo sometime and it was suggested (by them) that I could show them around. Since all three of us agreed on all points of this plan it was just that much better when it came to be. Which was Saturday afternoon at Ryogoku to check out the Araki exhibition. Then the girls said they wanted to check out a gallery with a Mika Ninagawa exhibition which is exactly the kind of show that I would not ever go to unless someone took me there. Which is exactly what happened. The show finished Saturday but you can learn more about the gallery on their site: Tomio Koyama Gallery.

Sunday at 9am I showed them around Asakusa and we took photos.

And (predictably?) in both cities I took some portraits because I like to.

Eri Kyoto

Eri Tokyo

Yoko Kyoto

Yoko Tokyo

Nerdness follows: I saw a K-1000 (which in Japan is rare in the hands of a Japanese, but I think the girl was American) and we gave props to two guy photo students, one of which was running a clean black FM3a with a 50mm lens.
The demise of the FM3a is the worse thing about digital taking over so far. Dead-stock bodies with the 45mm lens go for nearly $2grand in Japan.