I assume the readers of this blog are Americans, and are relatively sophisticated, technology-wise. I wish I could do a survey right now and find out how many of you know what a SLR camera is. I would estimate that only 50% of you do, and the number may even be lower. For Ticos, the percentage is probably something like 1%, at best.
But, in any case, those of you who are photography enthusiasts would know what a SLR camera is for sure, and the rest probably don’t - and don’t want to know. I won’t bother you with the details, but SLR technology is one of the big breakthroughs in 35 mm film camera technology. It is far too complicated, and too expensive, for the point-and-click crowd, who are satisfied with anything that looks like a photograph. But for the sophisticated photographer (or for those who want to look sophisticated, and are more interested in showing off their camera, than using it), a SLR is mandatory.
You never see a SLR camera in the normal camera stores in Costa Rica. As far as I know, only two stores in whole country sell or service them.
I still have my SLR, and right now it is the only camera I have, because my digital camera is busted. And every once in a while I ask one of my Tico friends to use it to take a picture of me. I try to explain that using the shutter button is a two-step process. Pressing it half way down focuses the picture, and then pressing it all the way down releases the shutter. They have no idea what I am trying to tell them. They can see the picture is out of focus, so the try to clean the lens.
At this point, I go insane. You never try to clean a high-quality lens because it scratches the surface of the lens, which are made of soft glass. I keep a special filter mounted on front of my lens to protect the lens itself for this very reason. But my Tico friends can’t understand why I get so excited. For them there is no such thing as a delicate piece of equipment. They still live in the era of the ox-cart, where if something doesn’t work, you beat it up.
This applies to their poor, beat-up old cars too. If the engine is sick, you just run it faster, and when it finally dies completely, you just park on the street on front of your house. Many houses have three or four of them on display, and this seems to increase their prestige. Eventually, most of small parts on these wrecks disappear because they are considered community property. But I digress.
The bottom line is that they cannot take a decent picture with a SLR. They just end up getting frustrated, and I end up getting infuriated. The culture gap is just too big.
Don't know exactly what kind of people you'd been dealing with when this post was done, however, from what I could infer, you are the typical American that looks for the uneducated, unsophisticated Costarican to be able to convince yourself of your prejudices and that way feel superior. I know your kind and you definitely are no better than the one who allows the blogs to be online....
Posted by: Another Tico | July 07, 2006 at 08:10 AM