But it does sound like an early death knell.

I have to admit that I bought an enlarger a fwe years ago, and I have never used it, because I don't have a suitable set-up and I'm leery of the chemicals.

I am leery myself of running my own shop for the same reasons -- so I really need to sign up for a community college class or something so I can get back to it. I like the dark room.

I think the digitals would share lenses with more electronic SLR's than older manual SLR's

It is a bit tricky exactly which lenses, but typically as long as it's a lens than can work with the autofocus system then they transfer. Canon and Nikon digitals both do this. However since the CCD on the digital cameras is smaller than the 35mm film plate it has the effect of changing the working length of the lens. I think it's around a 1.5 conversion. So a 300mm lens becomes a 200mm.

I loved having access to the department dark room when I was in grad school. I miss it.

I like the dark room.

Me too. I like printing picture much more than procesing film. My first teacher made us process on steel reels, and they were a bitch.

Once I got used to them, I much preferred steel reels to the plastic ones.

Processing film involved fuckups that couldn't be recovered from. I lived in fear of the scratched negative. You can't experiment!

Printing, on the other hand -- so much room to play.

Once I got used to them, I much preferred steel reels to the plastic ones.

That was the rationale on teaching us on steel reels, but I dreaded to splotches and would wind and unwind and rewind. I belonged to a co-op darkroom for a while where the ventilation was broken, and it was on the top floor of an empty building, so I associate those steel reels with sweating in the dark.

Bless! As the owner of a Nikon N70, it seems my lenses will work with the very digital SLR linked to upthread.

Maybe Christmas, or maybe before Kenya. We'll see.

(Jealous)

I don't take enough pictures to rationalize buying a new SLR right now. But still.