Would you like me to look after that for you..

As of late we have had the pleasurable company of an old college friend of mine, you could call it a part time lodger kind of scenario.
As you can imagine we tend to talk about the olden days when we where more handsome (I am actually more handsome now), much slimmer, drank lots of beer and chatted to nice ladies. There where no digital cameras of any kind back then and film ruled the day, and indeed the night.. These days of course things are quite different and I was particularly awe struck when our new lodger pulled the Hassalblad Mk II from his Billingham bag. It was like the Fabriche Egg of the camera world with its full size LCD screen lighting up the owners face like the opening of a treasure chest. Upon holding this almighty digital thing of beauty I wanted to make for the door (or a window) like a robber but then remembered I was in my own house. The image quality as you would expect was incredible with a sharpness I can only compare to a 10/8 contact on glossy paper. I immediately started to fantasize about having no lab bills and imagined myself stood on a mountain top at dusk admiring the instant previews like a polaroid and knowing I had it in the bag. I imagined passing through airport customs without the fear of my film being x-rayed and how great it was that the camera would fit in my hand luggage. This had to be the camera I had been looking for and I was sure I could continue in the same method I use at the moment with film. But alas my little friends of the Mode there was one big problemo. With a maximum exposure time of 30 seconds there is just no way I can use such a camera for my work (keep in mind most of my exposures start around a minute and up into the long hours for the effect I want). Its a real grey area with digital and lengthy exposure and there seems to be many problems that have not been considered for the likes of I. And so with a tear in my eye I reached for my mighty 6/17 panoramic and tried to convince myself that this was as good as the Hassblad. The fact is, my camera looked liked a small child had made it from old tyres and bottle tops compared to the mighty Blad. But of course its not the camera or how the camera looks that matters its what you do with it. But thats not to say I dont want it and may have to stage an elaborate plot when my temporary lodger is asleep...