Another battle in the war on film

[user237428934]

And there is money to be had, that's why the mom and pop shop down the road sold 100 packets of d76 in a week-long period. It doesn't give me warm fuzzies to purchase photographic supplies at a photography store, it's expected. Stores are limiting photographic mediums, taking the choice away from the consumer. And as stated here, consumers are being forced to do their business on the internet.

Digital and film can and will coexist - they are completely different. What is turning people off, are the ignorant store-owners spreading disinformation about film.

Thanks for reminding us that there is a world wide conspiracy of photo-shop-owners to kill film.

 

[atlcruiser]

We have one large camera store here in atlanta. They now advertise as the digital heaquaters and digita this and digital that. There is no mention of film anywhere in their store or web site.

They do stock some film, paper and chemicals so all is not lost with them. I see their position...so many folks, including me, go to the internet for many purchases. A stand alone store needs to really work at a niche to keep the money flowing in and to stay in business. I dont see it as a plot but as a way for them to kepe the doors open.

One thing I do wonder about is average customer spending over a given amont of tie between film and digital.

One could think that film might be more profitable with the puchase of film and developing over time while digital could be thought of as more or less a "one shot" consumer purchase. With the continous "upgrades" in digital the comsumer might purchase many more cameras and there is paper,printers, ink etc..all wrapped up with digital as well. When we think of "plot" that might be a good place to look 🙂

At the end of the day I wonder if the volume of sales was more or less equal which would generate more money for a business over the long haul; film or digital? It is a bit of a mute point as there are not enough "new" film products to sell so that customer base is gone for good.

I can see a time, not very far down the road, when we will start to see smaller, high end botique camera shops to service what the see as a hi end, arty crowd. As with anything if there is money to be made it will be opened!

 

[Sonnar Brian]

I wonder if Tri-X is declining. I mean, that film has had no reason to exist since the 1970s! 🙂

Film has not been used as a Digital Storage Device since about then, but people still use it a lot for photography.

Kodak made a "Gigabit" storage system using film as the media. Write-Once-Read-Many.

 

[anitasanger]

Thanks for reminding us that there is a world wide conspiracy of photo-shop-owners to kill film.

It's not a conspiracy, just disinformation spread via ignorance. Just like the store owner telling me that I wouldn't be able to order chemistry online. Some stores phased out film because it wasn't profitable and others because they found it irrelevant and antiquated. Both are valid reasons if nothing else. But to tell customers that film is no longer being made and that chemistry is no longer available is just preposterous.

 

[FrozenInTime]

Film has not been used as a Digital Storage Device since about then, but people still use it a lot for photography.

I find it amusing that the latest movies are being written out to black and white cine film for archival storage.

Schawn Belston, vice- president of Film Preservation at 20th Century Fox, counts on celluloid for preserving assets at his studio.
“The only thing that I know of that is permanent is film,” he says.
“Here at Fox, all of our feature productions record YCM black-and-white separations, negatives or positives on every feature that we make, and we finish digital as sort of an insurance policy.
It’s scary, the rate at which data tapes become obsolete. We rely on film preservation all the time.
I can take YCM masters that are 50 years old, re-combine them, and make a new negative.
I have data tapes that are 10 years old that I can’t get the data off of.
It’s really just that simple. It’s really a no-brainer.”

http://motion.kodak.com/motion/uploadedFiles/archiving.pdf

and another quote:
“Digital technology is wonderful, and it has tremendous potential,” says Utley. “But right now, let’s secure our future and make sure we’ve got it written to film.”

 

[antiquark]

I find it amusing that the latest movies are being written out to black and white cine film for archival storage.
....
I have data tapes that are 10 years old that I can’t get the data off of.
It’s really just that simple. It’s really a no-brainer.”

Agree 100%. What I find interesting is that no anti-film people have chimed in with their rebuttals. There used to be big fights around here about that. Maybe they all moved on to more "enlightened" forums. 🙂

 

[wgerrard]

Agree 100%. What I find interesting is that no anti-film people have chimed in with their rebuttals. There used to be big fights around here about that. Maybe they all moved on to more "enlightened" forums. 🙂

I've found few, if any, "anti-film people" here. Recognizing what's going on in the market is not anti-film.

Every form of data storage has limits and risks.

 

[jbh]

Things are pretty strange.

I needed to move some gear including darkroom stuff simply because I couldn't take it with me, so I posted an ad for the darkroom gear (Dusrt, Jobo etc) on craigslist and I had five replies within 15 minutes. A guy came and got it and promised that what he couldn't use he'd pass along to good homes.

The local camera shop, in a major metro area, turned it all down, saying they couldn't give it away.

 

[c.poulton]

Was at smithsonian air and space museum last week with my kids. I stopped into the gift shop which was resplendent in it's supply of memory cards and batteries. I had my m3 with me and only needed film. I was told by the store manager that " they stopped making film sir. It's been discontinued". Go figure

That's one of my greatest fears when travelling abroad - running out of film and not being able to buy any. Luckily the few times that I have needed to buy film I have been in large european cities and managed to find some photographic stores that stock film. What worries me is that even the large retailers and department stores, although still stocking film (very limited range, especially B+W) it is usually very expensive and almost always 'dug out' from the back of the store as if it's the last of their stock - never on open display.

I now always travel with ample supplies of film, just in case. And yes, although I would like to support my local camera shop (unfortunately it shut down six months ago!) I do buy my film online....

 

[gnashings]

...The trip to my X-favorite photography store was a strange experience. Rather than being sympathetic or understanding, the man made me felt like I did something wrong. Like it was preposterous that I would inconvenience him by asking to purchase some black and white celluloid, not to mention…chemistry. (GASP) He probably would have broke his neck to offer me wide variety of multi-gigabit SD cards. But I digress.

Luke

Thank you for summing that up so eloquently - I usually hit a wall of profanity and uncontrollable shaking when I try to express this experience, which is unfortunately common... Its bad enough that a supposed "photography" store has...well, nothing to do with photography, but aside from that - this need to condescend and make one feel like some sort of recently thawed out glavial luddite for even asking... We do live in interesting times...

 

[gnashings]

I've found few, if any, "anti-film people" here. Recognizing what's going on in the market is not anti-film.

Every form of data storage has limits and risks.

Film is NOT a data storage device, its a medium.

 

[c.poulton]

Good observation.
I talked to a local Arts and Supply store manager, and the answer is still a big and distant "Maybe"

Very puzzling to my mind as some of these stores have what most of us (individuals) are lacking, inventory and a place where people can and will pay to learn how to do "fine-art" photography.

Good idea, especially as film seems to appeal to the fine art sector more that your average Fred Bloggs who has moved over exclusively to digital.