26 replies to this topic

[BellaRose]

As someone that is passionate about the paranormal and the possibility of capturing it on film, EVP, or digital media...
I'd like to make something clear about inexpensive & expensive equipment.

If you and/or your team have the means to afford the latest, expensive equipment...
Than buy it... I would!!!
BUT...
If on the other hand, you do not have money in yor budget for the expensive stuff...
PLEASE do not let that disuade you or be a reason to not try!!!! PLEASE don't be intimidated when people talk about the latest gadgets.

There is plenty of EXCELLENT paranormal phenomena captured on the less pricey stuff. Specifically, I'm talking about Polaroid Instant Cameras, Disposable 35mm cameras, and regular tape recorders.

In fact, 35mm film cannot matrix!!!
You can literally blow it up to poster size and it will not matrix. Plus, the negatives prove a great deal. This is true because it is extremely difficult to tamper with a negative and have it not be detected, in this day and age. Conversely, digital media can be easily manipulated with many inexpensive programs.

So, if you have the$$$$$...
Go for it!
If you don't....Realize this is not an ELITIST hobby!
EVERYBODY CAN DO IT!!!!!!!!

[peepers]

Well spoken, my dear!!!....

[Joven76]

It's funny you mentioned the 35mm cameras... My father in law just popped into my office and handed me his old 35mm SLR camera... He's investing in a digital... He asked me if I wanted it... Um, duh!!! Now I just need to start learning all of the features of the SLR...

See... It's not that expensive... you just need to be in the right place at the right time (or have generous Inlaws... He gave me his MiniDV camcorder with IR capabilites too)...

It's an ongoing learning experience!!!

[Richard Kimmel]

"Keeping it simple" is what I have been espousing for years. If a spirit is present and wishes to make their presence known, it will. It won't matter one iota as to what type of equipment you're using ... even a pinhole camera.

[krcguns]

You are right...well, I almost totally agree. I disagree about spending the money on the expensive state of the art equipment. It is digital and that leaves no real evidence. What you said about the analog equipment is absolutely true and can be done for a fraction of the cost. I also want to let everyone in on a little secret (ok, some of you know but for those who don't)

You can have film developed very inexpensively. Find a mom & pop camera shop that does developing. Work out a contract with them so that they exclusively develop your film for you. Have them NOT cut your negatives but instead return it in one piece back to you in the plastic film canister. They can get 5 rolls of 24 exposure film on one disk (don't have them print the shots). Our camera shop only charges $7.50 per disk. That is pretty darned cheap!

I have been seeing a real trend in that more and more people are finding out that film is the only way to go and to them I say good for you! It is turning back in a big way and more and more people are finding out the right way to collect evidence, so if you think you will be all alone in using film...you won't be in the least. There are more and more every day!

[peepers]

Actually, I like to take the broader spectrum in regards to the debate ofver what works and what doesn't as far as the tpe within the genre of equipment.... we really don't know what it is we are supposed to be capturing, so, that being the case, we should continue using what we can to see which pics up something.... cheap or expensive, dunno which one is going to work better.... so some use the cheap and some use the expensive and we'll compare results to determine the finished product.... the same going for digital vs analog and film vs digital....etc....

[BellaRose]

krcguns, on Nov 9 2007, 07:38 PM, said:

I also want to let everyone in on a little secret (ok, some of you know but for those who don't)

You can have film developed very inexpensively. Find a mom & pop camera shop that does developing. Work out a contract with them so that they exclusively develop your film for you. Have them NOT cut your negatives but instead return it in one piece back to you in the plastic film canister. They can get 5 rolls of 24 exposure film on one disk (don't have them print the shots). Our camera shop only charges $7.50 per disk. That is pretty darned cheap!

KRC,
Very COOL idea!!!
Thanks SO much for sharing ALL of that info.

*Photo taken by me at EVERGREEN Cemetery (one of the oldest in Calif.) with a digital camera, day light w/ no flash, & stablizer feature activated...

[krcguns]

BellaRose, on Nov 10 2007, 11:09 AM, said:

KRC,
Very COOL idea!!!
Thanks SO much for sharing ALL of that info.

*Photo taken by me at EVERGREEN Cemetery (one of the oldest in Calif.) with a digital camera, day light w/ no flash, & stablizer feature activated...

You are most welcome BellaRose! You see it isn't about expensive or cheap really in the end. It is all about doing it the best you can. Collecting evidence that can be scrutinized by anyone at any time. The evidence that can stand up to scrutiny stands the best chance of being taken seriously in the main stream science world. Just my opinion and the reason why I only use analog equipment.

[Richard Kimmel]

krcguns, on Nov 9 2007, 10:38 PM, said:

You can have film developed very inexpensively. Find a mom & pop camera shop that does developing. Work out a contract with them so that they exclusively develop your film for you. Have them NOT cut your negatives but instead return it in one piece back to you in the plastic film canister. They can get 5 rolls of 24 exposure film on one disk (don't have them print the shots). Our camera shop only charges $7.50 per disk. That is pretty darned cheap!

I've found that my local Rite-Aid story will do this for 5 bucks a roll of 24 exp.

Edited by Richard Kimmel, 10 November 2007 - 01:50 PM.

[angelicus]

Thanks for the great info, everyone.

What kind of recorder would you recommend? Such as digital or tape-recorder?

Has anyone picked up a spirit on a cellphone camera?

Thanks,

Angelicus

[TheresaRHPS]

I agree that you can still capture great and very convincing results on cheaper media...but this post seems to be more about digital vs. analog...and analog isn't always cheaper.

I actually prefer analog voice recorders because I'm of the old school of thought that an entity is more likely to imprint directly onto the tape. However...that can get expensive. You'll need to invest in an external mic to cut down on internal gear noises...plus you have to constantly buy fresh, high quality tapes if you want your evidence to be as free of contamination as possible. And those tapes don't last very long as compared to the file capacity of most modern digitals, lol. Also, you'll have to invest in a good patch cord if you want to analyze your results online. Plus...you'll still need to invest in quality recorders with a wider range of voice pick up to maximize your results.

As for film cameras...again, I prefer to use film for various reasons including access to a negative and the imprintation hypothesis mentioned, but still...film is not completely free from flaws. Buying good quality high speed film gets expensive...as does actually developing said film, despite the good deals. Even a few bucks is a few bucks.
http://www.paranorma...phy_article.htm

And I'm not entirely sure where this idea of film cannot be matrixed comes from...true, MOST film pictures are of a higher quality, and when you enlarge them, they will not be subjected to the dreaded "pixel monsters" phenomena...but pareidolia (or as many people prefer to call "matrixing") is a sensory input process independent of what type of media is used.
http://skepdic.com/pareidol.html

Striking a happy medium would be to use both digital and analog in conjunction with each other, especially with cameras. Digital camera technology is improving and higher quality, higher megapixel models are becoming increasingly cheaper...and most people are now schooled on how to distinguish dust and orbs caused by camera malfunction, lol.

In any event...yeah, you don't have to be freaking stinking rich to enjoy paranormal investigation...but sadly enough, if you really want to be taken seriously in this field and eliminate as many variables as possible...you really do need to invest wisely in equipment, whether you choose analog or digital. Higher quality equipment with less limitations can get pricey, but if you're striving for quality evidence...it can be worth it. And really...there are ways of getting excellent equipment and still saving money. Shop wisely, look for the best deals, and be creative. In fact, I believe C_Tanner from COPS has an e-book he's advertising on this board filled with great equipment deals.

[BellaRose]

Quote

TheresaRHPS Nov 24 2007, 01:50 AM
I agree that you can still capture great and very convincing results on cheaper media...but this post seems to be more about digital vs. analog...and analog isn't always cheaper.

Greetings,
No, this thread is NOT about analog vs. digital....
It's about the HOBBY.

Quote

In any event...yeah, you don't have to be freaking stinking rich to enjoy paranormal investigation...but sadly enough, if you really want to be taken seriously in this field and eliminate as many variables as possible...you really do need to invest wisely in equipment, whether you choose analog or digital.

Again, I was referring to this as a hobby. If you are interested in presenting scientific evidence to the International Parapsychology community...I think this is the wrong thread and not the point. There are other threads here that debate what you are discussing.

[BellaRose]

You might find this GOLD STAR thread posted by someone that has presented his photography to the International Parapsychology community interesting....
DIGITAL RULES

[TheresaRHPS]

You're INTENTIONS may be that the thread was about inexpensive equipment for the hobbyists, but the TURN IT TOOK provided by the wording turned it into what is more like an analog v. digital debate...especially since in the long run digital is cheaper and the preferred medium of HOBBYISTS since people in the modern age are more likely to own digital cameras or ipods/mp3 players, etc. that can be implemented for evp work.

I applaud anyone with an interest in this field and find that hobbyists do have their place...but it doesn't help further the study when the so called hobbyists start trying to provide "evidence" to the public, or even themselves without going through the proper channels. A hobbyist, if truly interested in the paranormal, should hopefully still practice the scientific method and do their best to find the normal before the paranormal...or they're only cheating themselves out of the truth.

And yes...I have read that article...many times, lol. It's an excellent article and provides a very valid viewpoint...but not the ONLY viewpoint.

[C_Tanner]

I have made it my specialty to be able to find just about anything needed for ghost hunting cheap. If anyone has something that they want, if you send me a list I can find you several options at good prices

I paid $120 for my Sony MiniDV camcorder. Just the other day I found brand new Sony 30GB Hard Drive camcorders UNDER $300. I can find a lot of good items under $25.00. I just found for myself a replacement li-ion camera battery for my new Casio 10MP camera for under $1.00. Whatever you need, I can help.