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Re: [APML] Astrophotography 2004 - Price Shock Horror
Hi Chris,
As for mountaineers, painters, programmers, signers, etc., there are many amateurs and few professionals. Professionals will
SOMETIME spend a lot of money and ALWAYS spend much more time in their discipline to get better results. No matter if these results
are obtained with expensive equipment or not, amateurs should not see professionals results as an inaccessible target but as an
inspiration to improve their own work. You are one of these professionals that inspire many of us, and your skills, well over the
average, largely compensate for the lack of microprocessors in your observatory!
Clear skies!
Philippe Chrétien
http://www.astrophoto.ca
----- Original Message -----
From: "Chris Schur" <comets133@yahoo.com>
To: <astro-photo@seds.org>
Sent: Wednesday, June 02, 2004 4:35 PM
Subject: [APML] Astrophotography 2004 - Price Shock Horror
> Hi all,
>
> The all too depressing financial reality set in for me
> this weekend at the RTMC from the current trends I am
> seeing in the amateur skyshooters options. A decade
> ago, you could take a home made mounting, a less than
> a hundred dollar 35m SLR, and a 3 buk roll of film and
> with a lot of care and patience, get stunning images
> that could rank up there with the best
> astrophotograhers, and get those images published in
> the magazines.
> Now all of that has changed. Exept for mine, all of
> the talks this year were centered on digital or CCD
> imageing. Must-have gear includes the $4000 to $8000
> ccd cameras, a new $12K mount because that mount that
> worked so well with film isnt good enough anymore, and
> of course a complete digital darkroom wtih the
> software alone costing more than the 35mm SLR was.
> Dont get me wrong, I do like to see the hobby
> advancing, but to now the playing field is no longer
> level - highly skilled astrophotographers can no
> longer compete on the world playing field without
> being very well to do financially as well. This was
> painfully apparent when most of the old time friends,
> which were the best of the best film photographers
> only what seems a short while ago simply can no longer
> afford a fraction of the gear needed to show off thier
> SKILLS.
>
> The trend that seems to be geling is that most imagers
> of today must be both competent in both making money
> as well as have the rudiments of sky shooting skills.
>
> I love change, but is this really fair?
>
> Any comments ?
>
>
>
>
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