adventures in shopping at GW..:)

So I saw this Nikon camera on a shelf at Goodwill ( not the book store in Avenida )..It is one of those point and shoot cameras popluar some decades ago..

It was compact, lightweight with a 29 mm lens. Model number EF300. It accepts a 35 mm film used in ordinary SLRs, It has a built in flash that lights up if the camera deems more illumination  is needed to make up a good photo. ..No zoom. You have to use your feet for this purpose..step forward, or step backward. Nothing could be simpler. Oh yes, 2 AA batteries are required for the flash and for the film to advance. When I first saw it, I was wondering. To buy or not to buy. There is a warning sticker ( present in all the electronic equipments ) CAN NOT BE RETURNED. The total cost is 3.99 plus tax. It comes with a nice leatherette case which would house my Sony digicam.

"Chuck it," I finally said and I put it into my Goodwill shopping cart which was labeled LOBLAWS supermart. I wonder if Loblaws donated the cart to them..

 

When I got home, I removed the 2 AA batteries from one of the  remote controls scattered around the living room. I placed it into the Nikon camera. Then I popped in a 20 shot 35 mm camera. The film wound itself automatically, .."So far, so good.." I said, feeling proud of myself..

Then I wanted to make some test shots..Went outside and shoot some views in the backyard. When Miguelita arrived from work, I took a few shots of her..

"Where did you get that camera?" she asked. Each time she asks these questions, I start feeling fidgety..

Honestly speaking,  it is the simplest kind of camera for anyone  who does not like to be bothered with technical BS when it comes to picture taking.KISS should be the rule. Keep It Simple Stupid....

Even the simplest and cheapest Digicam in the market is still crammed with many technicalities..Some people just do not want to be bothered with these machines' language..

Anyway, I continued shooting her ( with the Nikon ) until the last frame wasused up. Then a simple flick of a switch made  the film rewind, ready to be submitted to a film lab which arealready few and far between. But not to worry, film is not totally dead yet...

The cashier told me to come back after a week. With a digicam there is no need to wait that long.

A week after, I went to the film lab. My mind was filled with what-ifs..Oh well, the case looks lovely and it would cost more than 3.99 to buy it new, I tried to console myself...

I went to the cashier and she handed me the bag of photos..She charged me 9$

"Did the photos came out well?'I eagerly asked.. It seems all of them came out all right..

I opened the envelope. Lo and behold. The Nikon shots were better than some of the didgicam shots I made!

What's amazing is that the lab which is operated by the Canadian franchise Shopper's drug Mart gave me a CD-R..For free, they digitized ALL my shots..It seems I used a digicam after all!

AWRIGHT!! I said when I saw the stuff inside..Yessss...!!

Film technology is not dead yet.. It is alive and well and your SLR might still outlive those current crop of Digicam which are quite expensive and sometimes unpredictable...

Check the photos I made with the $3.99 camera....I downloaded directly the Nikon images from the free disk Shoppers gave me...

The backyard, in the light of a September afternoon sun...

 

Miguelita, that afternoon of September 28. That was her birthday..Do not ask how many years has passed by..:)

 

A longer shot...The white plastic bag contained some Chinese food which we celebrated September 28..."Remember, remember, the 28th of September..."...:)