# What the hell is wrong with my NON DIGITAL DEVICE??? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [May 13, 2012, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-is-wrong-with-my-non-digital-device/621740 "2012-05-13T00:53:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jamicat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c67d28/32.png) [@Jamicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jamicat)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2012, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-is-wrong-with-my-non-digital-device/621740/1 "2012-05-13T00:53:14Z")
I was thinking about recording a show my band was doing. All I have is an 8mm Sony Cam and plenty of tape. They scoffed at the idea that it wasn’t…(cough)…DIGITAL. WTF??? I can upload to my computer just fine with it. They even scoff at the actual _Film_ Camera I have. :rolleyes: Why buy something of less pixel quality just for the ability upload it instantly to ‘whatever’ over the net? I don’t have $1000 for the latest Digital ‘I’-whateverabob’s, but I do have functional ways to accomplish the same thing for free, because I already have that. Is this what everyone thinks, or am I just being out of touch? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Lobohan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobohan/32/79_2.png) [@Lobohan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobohan)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2012, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-is-wrong-with-my-non-digital-device/621740/2 "2012-05-13T01:00:18Z")
> [@Jamicat](#): > > I was thinking about recording a show my band was doing. > > All I have is an 8mm Sony Cam and plenty of tape. > > They scoffed at the idea that it wasn’t…(cough)…DIGITAL. > > WTF??? > > I can upload to my computer just fine with it. > > They even scoff at the actual _Film_ Camera I have. :rolleyes: > > Why buy something of less pixel quality just for the ability upload it instantly to ‘whatever’ over the net? > > I don’t have $1000 for the latest Digital ‘I’-whateverabob’s, but I do have functional ways to accomplish the same thing for free, because I already have that. > > Is this what everyone thinks, or am I just being out of touch? 😕 Were you trying to Telex this message? ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2012, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-is-wrong-with-my-non-digital-device/621740/3 "2012-05-13T01:08:23Z")
I miss my 35mm camera. ---
**Author:** ![Lobohan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobohan/32/79_2.png) [@Lobohan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobohan)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2012, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-is-wrong-with-my-non-digital-device/621740/4 "2012-05-13T01:15:39Z")
> [@foolsguinea](#): > > I miss my 35mm camera. The camera in my phone is smaller than 35mm… 😃 To the OP, I would assume that they are worried about about loss of quality when it’s put into digital form for editing and distribution. I don’t know how easy it is to get a film transfer, but I can see reflexively not wanting to do it. And for the tape, I’d be worried of the level of quality you’d get off an old cam. I could be wrong, knowing nothing about non-digital AV stuff, but as a general person who uses imaging technology in my job, I’d be hesitant to use non-digital cameras when good HD digital is getting awfully cheap. ---
**Author:** ![Jamicat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c67d28/32.png) [@Jamicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jamicat)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2012, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-is-wrong-with-my-non-digital-device/621740/5 "2012-05-13T01:26:50Z")
[christopher walken] yea… I speak… In… Double Space. [/christopher walken] I also have Headphones that actually cover your ears too. 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2012, 11:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-is-wrong-with-my-non-digital-device/621740/6 "2012-05-13T11:22:20Z")
Speaking as someone who’s fond of both retro and modern tech, my concern at someone showing up with an actual film camera for something like filming a concert or event would be that they were doing to make an artistic or expressive statement rather than necessarily having “the best tools for the job.” Now, as you rightly observe, the older tech may be absolutely suitable for the job, but just as if someone was taking interview or lecture notes with a fountain pen, I’d be alternating between admiring their sense of style and raising my eyebrow at them for such a deliberately anachronistic choice in the setting. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2012, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-is-wrong-with-my-non-digital-device/621740/7 "2012-05-13T12:35:33Z")
What’s the point of having all the latest technology if you can’t sneer at people who still do things the old-fashioned way? ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2012, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-is-wrong-with-my-non-digital-device/621740/8 "2012-05-13T13:17:57Z")
they are just making a fuss because they didn’t buy quality Sony products. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2012, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-is-wrong-with-my-non-digital-device/621740/9 "2012-05-13T13:19:30Z")
It’s getting to the point where they may not even understand the old tech. So may immediately assume “less quality”… _I mean, dude, how do you even get a picture onto a cassette tape?_ That’s probably how Mini-8 looks to them. ---
**Author:** ![buckgully](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/eb9ed0/32.png) [@buckgully](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buckgully)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2012, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-is-wrong-with-my-non-digital-device/621740/10 "2012-05-13T21:17:49Z")
Analog 8mm camcorder? Even if it originally cost thousands of dollars, even a professional grade high-band 8mm is still going to produce video that looks like ass by today’s standards. It will be easily outperformed in virtually every way by sub-$100 digital gear you can buy just about anywhere. NTSC was not a pretty thing, and nobody should be inflicting it on their friends. ---
**Author:** ![Jamicat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c67d28/32.png) [@Jamicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jamicat)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2012, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-is-wrong-with-my-non-digital-device/621740/11 "2012-05-14T00:16:53Z")
> [@buckgully](#): > > Analog 8mm camcorder? Even if it originally cost thousands of dollars, even a professional grade high-band 8mm is still going to produce video that looks like ass by today’s standards. It will be easily outperformed in virtually every way by sub-$100 digital gear you can buy just about anywhere. NTSC was not a pretty thing, and nobody should be inflicting it on their friends. That’s the question…BUY MORE SHIT..BUY MORE SHIT…BUY MORE SHIT. :mad: Exactly when do, I SAVE MUNY…after i keep BUYING MORE SHIT, that I already Bought? Anyway, I’m gonna just cam it all, and whatever anyone thinks…FUCK EM’. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![BubbaDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bubbadog/32/333_2.png) [@BubbaDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BubbaDog)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2012, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-is-wrong-with-my-non-digital-device/621740/12 "2012-05-14T13:02:20Z")
> [@Jamicat](#): > > … > > Exactly when do, I SAVE MUNY…after i keep BUYING MORE SHIT, that I already Bought? > … If your only goal is to save money, then you shouldn’t have bought any shit in the first place. If your goal was to record something for others to watch then its a good bet that they would expect at least some minimum quality level that met the standards of today’s technology ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2012, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-is-wrong-with-my-non-digital-device/621740/13 "2012-05-14T14:27:52Z")
How does one upload analog 8mm film? ---
**Author:** ![Lobohan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobohan/32/79_2.png) [@Lobohan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobohan)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2012, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-is-wrong-with-my-non-digital-device/621740/14 "2012-05-14T14:44:44Z")
> [@Jamicat](#): > > That’s the question…BUY MORE SHIT..BUY MORE SHIT…BUY MORE SHIT. :mad: > > Exactly when do, I SAVE MUNY…after i keep BUYING MORE SHIT, that I already Bought? > > Anyway, I’m gonna just cam it all, and whatever anyone thinks…FUCK EM’. 😉 If you don’t care about quality, pay a homeless man to draw pictures of your performance on old newspaper with a China pencil. Problem solved. And you can hire him with a can of pork and beans that _you already have!_ ---
**Author:** ![Lobohan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobohan/32/79_2.png) [@Lobohan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobohan)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2012, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-is-wrong-with-my-non-digital-device/621740/15 "2012-05-14T14:47:54Z")
> [@Tom\_Tildrum](#): > > How does one upload analog 8mm film? Get it transferred, at $20 a reel, wait a couple weeks, rip it from the DVD, upload. And you get something that is one generation removed from a bad quality original. Or borrow someone’s iPhone, and upload it to Facebook the second the concert ends. ---
**Author:** ![SteveG1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@SteveG1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SteveG1)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2012, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-is-wrong-with-my-non-digital-device/621740/16 "2012-05-14T16:52:45Z")
> [@foolsguinea](#): > > I miss my 35mm camera. Me too. Set the film speed, set the shutter speed, set the aperture, and click. No menus, no firmware updates, or operating systems. Mine still work perfectly (except for the film availability and development thing) Welcome to forced obsolescence, and the never ending treadmill of buyng more shit you don’t need or want, simply because the old stuff is “no longer supported”. It’s just a way to keep taking our money over and over and over. What? You thought this" new new new" all the time was for OUR benefit? \ ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2012, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-is-wrong-with-my-non-digital-device/621740/17 "2012-05-14T17:08:12Z")
And _do_ not get me started on these so-called “parking places” with scarcely enough room for my chariot, let alone my steeds! ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2012, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-is-wrong-with-my-non-digital-device/621740/18 "2012-05-14T17:45:03Z")
> [@Lobohan](#): > > > [@Tom Tildrum](#): > > > > How does one upload analog 8mm film? > > Get it transferred, at $20 a reel, wait a couple weeks, rip it from the DVD, upload. > > And you get something that is one generation removed from a bad quality original. Or borrow someone’s iPhone, and upload it to Facebook the second the concert ends. Lobohan is correct about [8mm **film**](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/8_mm_film), but the OP was talking about [8mm video](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/8_mm_video_format). To upload that, you plug the video output of the camcorder into the video card of your computer, and then play the tape (in real time) while recording on your computer. Not quite as time-consuming as a film transfer, but not as quick as transferring a digital file, either. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2012, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-is-wrong-with-my-non-digital-device/621740/19 "2012-05-14T17:51:14Z")
And just to confuse the issue, the OP mentioned being prepared to record the concert on both videotape _and_ film. ---
**Author:** ![Jenaroph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e8c25b/32.png) [@Jenaroph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jenaroph)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2012, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-is-wrong-with-my-non-digital-device/621740/20 "2012-05-14T18:03:49Z")
> [@commasense](#): > > Lobohan is correct about [8mm **film**](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/8_mm_film), but the OP was talking about [8mm video](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/8_mm_video_format). > > To upload that, you plug the video output of the camcorder into the video card of your computer, and then play the tape (in real time) while recording on your computer. Not quite as time-consuming as a film transfer, but not as quick as transferring a digital file, either. And still looks like videotaped ass, compared to 1080p digital video that a [sub-$300 camera](http://www.google.com/products/catalog?rlz=1C1ASUT_enUS459US461&q=1080p+video+camera&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=shop&cid=12434789153513196957&sa=X&ei=PkixT5ebKsid6AHZ5MSLCQ&ved=0CPoBEPMCMAQ) can capture. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-hell-is-wrong-with-my-non-digital-device/621740.md?page=2)