Episode 200 : The father, the son and their cameras

It was the year 1977.

Grandpa was going on a tour to the UK. He felt he ought to get a present for his son-in-law. So he asked Papa Hyde what he would like.

'A camera' Papa Hyde said promptly and described the camera he wanted to replace his Agfa Click III with.

Grandpa returned with a Fujica ST605. And Papa Hyde was happy. He was so happy that he did not part with it for several years. In the process, he earned the reputation of being a very patient photographer.

Papa Hyde: Now I shall count till 3 and then all of you should say 'cheese'.
Others: (groan)
Papa Hyde: One....... two...........
Others: Ch-eeeeeeeeeeeee-sssssssssss
Papa Hyde: Two....
Others: It is three after two, not two again.
Papa Hyde: (click)

Developing film rolls cost money. And Papa Hyde wanted his photos to be as perfect as possible. That meant the people who were photographed would often have to wait for a year.

Being my father's son, I also got enamoured. So once in a year, father and son would have a discussion on the pros and cons of starting to learn photography.

I: I want to take photos using your camera.
Papa Hyde: Use my Click III.
I: It uses black-and-white film and you never buy it for me.
Papa Hyde: That's because black-and-white film is expensive.
I: You don't care. I am going to ask Uncle Hash to get a camera for me.
Papa Hyde: And who will buy the film?
I: (muttering darkly) Gah!

Uncle Hash got me a Kodak point-and-click camera. A very basic camera that fulfilled my photography craze till I got tired of just pointing and clicking. I wanted to focus, change light settings and take photos. My camera could do none of that. Nor did it have a built-in flash gun. I forgot all about photography.

Many years later, Papa Hyde discovered the advantages of using a point-and-shoot camera over a manual SLR camera. He got himself an Olympus. And his love for photography continued blooming. The cost of developing and printing film rolls had come down relatively which meant more photographs.

By then I had gotten older and had also gotten tired of not having a camera. Papa Hyde was more accommodating and so allowed me to borrow his Olympus... only because he was afraid I would break the Fujinon lens on his SLR camera! But in a very sneaky move, I claimed my inheritance.

I: The Fujica is mine.
Papa Hyde: Oh no it is not.
I: Of course! I inherit it from my grandfather, you were just keeping it safe for me. Thaata sothhu peran-ukku.
Mama Hyde: Your son's right. It's about time. Let him learn to use the camera.
I: (beaming)
Papa Hyde: (muttering darkly) Gah!

A year later, on an impulse I got myself a digital camera. A Kodak again. And it travelled with me. The Fujica stayed indoors because I did not have a flash gun for it, and lugging it around was a troublesome task. Papa Hyde was full of glee.

Papa Hyde: Alright now, return my camera.
I: Never!
Papa Hyde: But you hardly use it.
I: Neither will you. The day I get a flash gun, I shall start using it.
Papa Hyde: (muttering darkly) Gah!

I am yet to get the flash gun.

* * * * *

It is the year 2008. I get the feeling I need a new camera- a digital SLR. But my budget did not allow me to spend more than 20 thousand rupees. Then one day I read an article in a photography magazine.

An 8 megapixel, 18x zoom digital camera. Lens are fixed, so it isn't an SLR. But with that kind of zoom, I don't have to bother about changing lenses for a long time.

It was a birthday gift for me, from me. The camera, a bag, a digital card and batteries with the charger cost me a little over 20 thousand.

The model? Fujifilm FinePix 8000fd.

I wonder if brand loyalty is an inherited trait.