When I went in recently for a routine chest Xray, I jokingly asked a 20 something technician for two 5x7's and an 8x10 glossy. l got the strangest deer-in-the-headlights look. She had no idea of what I meant. Her photos were on a cell phone or computer monitor.

Young folk have little need for hard copies, they have hundreds on their electronic devices, and they can share them or save them to the cloud with a push of a button.

I bought an adapter to mount my camera to my telescope. Sure enough they had a phone/telescope mounting fixture.

If you are a camera buff you understand the things a camera can do that a phone cannot. If you are the average person that likes to take pictures, you think phone.

There are a lot more folks who care about the quality of their camera photos, than that small portion of the population that care about their camera's abilities.

If they put a view finder and tripod mount and a serious photographer's app on a phone, they would capture an even larger market share.

The reason is because it does not matter enough to concern folks.

4x5, 4x6, 5x7, 8x10, 16x20 ect. are the classic dimension. They are time tested and work for the majority of photo cropping needs. Also, all the standard frames and matts follow these figures.

However, if your photo crop needs to be 11x14, you can order a custom frame and matt, or simply mount it in a readily available 16x20 frame.

Is the extra effort worth it? To some yes, to others not so much.

The person you mentioned that has repaired cameras for 20 years has the tools, the knowledge of camera evolution, a feel for the market, a customer base, the patience to hunt for a unique problem.

As mentioned I would get to know or better yet assist him.

Cameras are becoming a a niche market rapidly giving way to electronic imaging. The lens was once the soul of the camera, the next generations will be looking to digital processing programs where the lens is of secondary importance.

If I were a professional photographer, whose photographic tools are my life line, my gear would go back to the factory for repairs.

Fortunately, there will always be old camera junkies. Folk still practice Pinhole, Daguerreotype, cut film, 35 mm and old video photography formats. However, those folks may not need many repairs but they will need supplies.

It is true, cameras, guitars, telescopes, bicycles etc. the best one is the one you use the most. Often the easiest or the one that "feels right".

My wife uses her phone or a $100.00 wonder camera we bought at K-mart years ago.

Those photo are fine for posting on the internet or viewing on a monitor, she has even had a couple of 8x10's printed at Walgreens.

It is only when you want to do heavy cropping, low light, macro, or control depth of field that you need a camera with advanced controls.

The truth is that phone cameras are simply good and getting better. They should be that is where all the development money is going.

There are many interesting subjects but clouds have to be one of the more popular backgrounds.

And a very Merry Christmas to you.

Dennis,

Having grown up in the 1950's, my mother was emphatic about proper grammar. Many of my distant relatives came from war torn Europe and "Didunt speak so good na English". My folks spoke and wrote very well and their children would also. So to the schools and my teachers.

Personally I would never discount the importance of proper spelling and grammar but with the exception of those involved with legal and many technical documents, the trend is for short cutting spelling and grammar. Hence my comment about emojis symbols and single letter contractions like OMG and LOL.

It seems that at one time, poor grammar used to be the mark of the illiterate, an accent or a cultural hold over. Today poor grammar seems less important, if not an impediment to quick communications.

Given the ever increasing power of word and grammar processing, I believe improvements to spelling and grammar will be due mainly to artificial intelligence. Of course there will always be those individuals fascinated by proper language. It will be their job to make and change the rules periodically.

All that said, this is only my opinion. I probably still would have missed the "angles" for "Angels" while proof reading my comments. Sometime you see what you want to see. :)

"Fur" (for) is right up there with "impordant" (important). I cringe when I hear it.

Of course all this makes for entertaining reading. But it is on a par with "How many angles can dance on the head of a pin? Basically an interesting academic study.

The thumbs flying across the phone pad, do not even worry if the auto-correct corrected properly. It simply is not needed in most of today's environments.

Yea verily Brotheren, the language hath changest.

Really. it is was not my fault, I am having enough trouble keeping up with emojis, LOL & OMG.

In revenge, I write in cursive so my Grand kids think I know a foreign language. :)

Over Achievers Unite.

Just kidding, great shots of an interesting monument. It is hard to imagine that much organized man power in that era.

I like the shot.

Nothing beats luck

My wife gets upset when the hawks hang around the bird feeder looking for a plump dove.

I just remind her that it is just one more way to feed the birds.

Nice shot