If Kodak and Fuji stop making film, we´ll make our own

[Prosaic]

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dark_orange/sets/72157603226919391/

 

[dmr]

There's been quite a thread on APUG about this machine, plus some input from somebody who knows the builder.

Speculation is that something like this could even be used to coat color films.

 

[SolaresLarrave]

How about the stuff to make the film? Customer service? Canisters?

All in all, though, looks nice and promising. I guess some enterprising, fearless photographers could start something like a cooperative and keep the market alive.

 

[sooner]

Although I don't know much about how film is made, I don't think the problem is that film will disappear. The problem is that the market becomes small enough that whatever specialty producer keeps making it will have to charge us an arm and a leg for it, to the point where only those of us who can afford Leicas and Zeiss Ikons will be able to afford the film itself. I guess that's one good thing about out of control population expansion; out of 7 billion people on earth, enough people will use film to keep it in affordable supply.

 

[shadowfox]

sitemistic, I know what you mean and I to a certain point agree with you, but will it kill you to be positive once in a while? 🙂

What sooner described is a *key* turning point for film photography to become a true art form. That's why we have painting supplies today is because the painting industry took that turn and the niche players picked up the baton.

Remains to be seen if film will make the similar transition. If it doesn't, it won't survive. But I have a suspicion that it will.

 

[sooner]

Hey, I've lived in Asia and Africa, so I know that not all the billions of people in the world are sitting around chewing their lower lips hoping to buy film. But with vastly expanding middle classes around the globe, what qualifies as a "niche" market today might still be 100 million people. So I'd be more worried about the film of tomorrow being priced in rupees, with a comparably weak dollar, than in there not being enough people wanting to buy film. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if some of the buoyancy in Ebay prices lately comes from some of those pesky foreigners with foreign currency.

 

[wgerrard]

I'm inclined to think residents of emerging Third World societies will have the same motivation to buy cheap digital cameras as the rest of us. Sure, film is liable to be commercially viable for a longer period of time there, but it will be just a longer glidepath. You gotta have cameras to put the film in. Does anyone expect to see a born again film camera industry?

Besides, people will buy computers and net access before they buy cameras. Once they have those things, a digital camera falls right into place.

 

[Nokton48]

Well for my uses I'm currently quite happy about using Eastman 35mm movie film in my Leica. I have a feeling that it will be available for quite a long time 🙂

I can buy 400' of fresh B&W movie stock, which gives me 70+ rolls @ $1.75/roll.

Unlikely to become unavailable anytime soon.

 

[wgerrard]

One more thing: Where are the new film photographers going to come from?

Even if film survives as a cottage industry, I think most everyone expects its price to increase dramatically. Let's say a roll costs $20 and processing costs $30 (if you can find it). How many newbies are prepared to throw away $50 a roll while they are learning? For that matter, how many veterans would be willing to pay $50 for the proverbial 2 or 3 keepers per role? Pros could pass on the cost, but amateurs would think twice about using film.

Then, of course, there's the business of the cameras. Where are film cameras going to come from once everything on ebay has sold six times and is broken?

 

[Sparrow]

sooner, the vastly expanding middle class around the globe is buying digital p&s cameras, not ancient film cameras.

you really do need to avoid those negative vibes man; i mean just go with.....well........the flow, ya know

 

[erikhaugsby]

If Kodak and Fuji stop making film...
...I'll buy Ilford.

🙂

 

[aad]

Good to see someone doing it. The basic equipment to make the film base isn't hard to make-I used to design bits of it.

It'll be a while before it makes economic sense.

Sitemistic, you kill me! At least I don't think of you as a white-bearded fellow now.

 

[larmarv916]

Before the Fuji boys call it quits....they just released Velvia 50 ...Again after killing it. But we not have Efke, ADOX and there are brands coming out of China. It might be a good idea to consider that China will be more than happy to help Fuji by setting up a producer factory. The issue of where do "film shooters" come from as more important.

First, lets see most current US high school grads cant hardly read or spell....let alone under how of chemistry. Lets remember that over 60% of the high schoolers cant pass the required exams for basic Math. So that means they wont be able to figure out the math for exposure and F-stops or read a light meter.

Does this sound cruel and synical.....sad but way to true. So it will be that a small percentage of digital "kids" will find a creative vacum inside themselves and go down the artistic path in order to get away from the digital "goof proof" crowd.

Oh and buy the way the plight of the third world has never change inspite of all the best intentions of Europe, the USA and the wealthy western world for several hundered years. Doesn't any remember that old joke your mom pulled on you as a kid?.......About all the starving kids in China that didn't have brussel sprouts to eat.

How that has any relivance on film is beyond me. In a free market someone will find a way to make a profit and in the end that will keep the business going.

For now I do not worry about it.............Best Regards, Laurance

 

[40oz]

Sooner, most of those 7 billion can't afford food, much less cameras and film.

Now, I don't know that that is true. Do you have any evidence to back up that claim, or is it a guess?

 

[varjag]

As of 2001, the last year we have complete statistics, the World Bank found approximately 4 billion people lived in what it terms severe or moderate poverty (living on less than $2 a day). An additional 2 billion lived in "functional" poverty. None of these folks are a target market for a camera. Even those just above the poverty level are not likely to spend their meager resources on cameras and film.

Most don't even have access to clean water, much less a one-hour photo lab.

My initial job paid $30 a month, $1 a day. It was 1997 in Belarus when I was a student. Not very comfortable amount but back then it was enough for living and buying a book (or alcohol) once in a while.

There are surely huge amounts of people in suffering, but take such figures with a grain of salt.

 

[varjag]

Why such hostility, sitemistic? 🙂 Thought you were talking about per capita figures?

So many well-off people imagine the rest of the world as one giant armpit, with hungry crowds fighting daily for a cup of UNAID rice. It is true for many regions and it gets the most coverage, but it ain't that uniformly hopeless everywhere.

 

[literiter]

The idea that film will become completely unavailable from the traditional manufacturers, in the future, is a distinct possibility. But would film cease to be available from other manufacturers? If there is one soul out there who wants to buy film there will be another ready to supply it. There could be price, variety and quality issues to be sure but it could be argued there are these issues now.

The film coating machine is one answer.

Personally, I want to stay with film. But, I'll switch if the day comes.

I have all film gear, collected over the years, still perfectly good, still perfectly useable. I am a complete amateur, now, and will never use the equipment professionally again.
I am pleased and amazed by the absolute utility of digital equipment. Many would say that it has, or will soon surpass film in every respect. Why would I argue?

But, I cannot, as an amateur, justify switching to a digital system while there is still film available. My M2 will never be replaced by the M8 or other digital Ms in the future. My F2 is a far superior camera (in my eyes) to the D3.

I don't think I am the only one who feels this way. The world is plumb full of us Luddites.

Someone, somewhere, somehow will be supplying film. And if not, well,..... I'll just embrace the alternative.

 

[Socke]

Ok, so coating is possible, where do I get the emulsion?
And, since we're at it, the film base, preferably with transport holes already cut in.

Oh, by the way, optimum speed is 4 to 6 meters a minute? Looks as if I run it once a year for 10 minutes or so.

 

[tomasis]

I'd like contribute money to RFF to make our own film 🙂

I think It is ironic that seimistic avatar shows a fat woman eating sweeties.🙂 but I agree with him that shortage of clean water is big problem.