Checking the Pulse of Film Photography

[Phil_F_NM]

For instance, the recent Netflix film "Kodachrome" was shot using 35mm Kodachrome film.

Can you post a link to the production of that film and show if it was, in fact, shot on Kodachrome? The general consensus being that no labs are left to process any rolls of still K14 let alone process 50,000 feet of 35mm stock. Yes, some folks have tried with limited success in reproducing the process but I don't think there are any houses left that have the knowledge, the equipment and the chemistry to make a movie out of the stuff.

As for my own film consumption, I don't shoot enough of it. Such is life on a limited budget. But come the fall, I'm going to be shooting a lot of 16mm black and white.

Phil Forrest

 

[Kai-san]

Film supply is quite important to me as I shoot on average three rolls per week. The B&W supply is very good for the moment so Fuji's pull-out is no worry. Fomapan has been mentioned here, their Fomapan 100 is a very fine grained film that T-max lovers should check out. It really shines in X-tol and it is very cheap. Those who like Acros should check out the Adox CHS 100 II, it's an orthopanchromatic film that resembles Acros, and it's cheaper than Acros. Adox also makes the Silvermax 100 which is really nice.
I'm more worried about colour film for the moment. I think we can forget Fuji, I suspect they have already scrapped their machines and is now selling from freezer stock. They did exactly that with the peel-apart instant films. That leaves Kodak as the only maker of high quality colour film. So for those who would like to still get colour film in the future I think we need to support Kodak, whatever we might otherwise think about this company. At least that is my strategy for the moment.

 

[dave lackey]

Film supply is quite important to me as I shoot on average three rolls per week. The B&W supply is very good for the moment so Fuji's pull-out is no worry. Fomapan has been mentioned here, their Fomapan 100 is a very fine grained film that T-max lovers should check out. It really shines in X-tol and it is very cheap. Those who like Acros should check out the Adox CHS 100 II, it's an orthopanchromatic film that resembles Acros, and it's cheaper than Acros. Adox also makes the Silvermax 100 which is really nice.
I'm more worried about colour film for the moment. I think we can forget Fuji, I suspect they have already scrapped their machines and is now selling from freezer stock. They did exactly that with the peel-apart instant films. That leaves Kodak as the only maker of high quality colour film. So for those who would like to still get colour film in the future I think we need to support Kodak, whatever we might otherwise think about this company. At least that is my strategy for the moment.

Kai,

I completely agree... thanks!🙂

 

[:: Mark]

I am definitely shooting more film than digital today. But I have not shot Fuji film in more than a decade because it became vastly more expensive than just about any other brand.

Here it is rare that a day passes when I do not see someone shooting with a film camera on the street. And try buying a medium format camera: dealer stocks seem to be at an all time low and prices at an all time high.

Film is certainly not dying out!

 

[Calzone]

B-9 mentioned how F3's are up in demand. A few years back the market was flooded with them. I also take note that F5's are also up.

Sadly as Acros is disappearing Pancho 400 shows up and P30.

Been playing around with Rollie 400S because I can get it cheap in bulk in 70mm and basically shoot a Baby Linhof like a Leica by loading 15 feet of film into a cassette and using a CINE back for over 60 exposures of 6x7 without reloading.

I secured three 15 foot reels, found a JOBO 3013 tank, and even found a Unicolor Roller for $29.00. So I guess I'm digging in.

For 135 I think when I deplete my 35mm stockpiles, I will just bulk load 5222. Pretty much all I need.

There has been some loss, but then also some gain as analog photography redefines itself. To me it is really a mater of how you position yourself. I also have a Linhof Tech IV 4x5. The JOBO 3013 that I will use for 70mm also serves 4x5.

It really is about adapting and recreating/carving your own nitch.

I understand though that this all would be different if I were not a B&W film guy. Color certainly is different.

Cal

 

[Prest_400]

Can you post a link to the production of that film and show if it was, in fact, shot on Kodachrome? The general consensus being that no labs are left to process any rolls of still K14 let alone process 50,000 feet of 35mm stock. Yes, some folks have tried with limited success in reproducing the process but I don't think there are any houses left that have the knowledge, the equipment and the chemistry to make a movie out of the stuff.

As for my own film consumption, I don't shoot enough of it. Such is life on a limited budget. But come the fall, I'm going to be shooting a lot of 16mm black and white.

Phil Forrest

Probably just Kodak MP film and not Kodachrome itself. Could be filmed in 16 or 35mm. Haven't seen that movie, and I think the only way Kodachrome may appear is through slides as an object.


OTOH, 13 reasons why 2nd season seems to feature Polaroid (IP) quite prominently, like cassettes were in the previous one perhaps. Just an observation, I've noticed small indie music projects and labels have a demand for cassette by the public.


B&W with Ilford, Foma, et al is a realtively safe market. After all color film displaced it long ago. Adox & Ferrania are consolidating themselves as small integrated factories.


I do shoot color and it's more of a Delicate issue, quite a complicated manufacturing process. Fuji & Kodak and that's it at the moment and they are huge. Fuji's got this ambiguous uncanny attitude and Kodak depends on MP.

Agfa and Inoviscoat do have the capability to make it, Ferrania should be on the way as well eventually.

 

[dave lackey]

The consensus seems to be "What, me worry?" 🙂

I hope that is the case, however, with the economy due for a recession and the continuing uncertainty with Kodak, I am not yet convinced enough to order a Leica a la carte MP. (I wish!...LOL...)

Maybe the best plan for us all is middle ground, shoot like crazy (like Cal has been doing) and the purchase of extra film used will help Kodak and Ilford, and... stock up as much as possible with bulk film in the freezer. In others, fully commit to shooting a lot of film, with some in storage, just in case we are all wrong.

Sounds good to me. 😀

 

[Jake Mongey]

I mean i`m well aware of the fact that I may not be able to shoot film my whole life. I hope for kodak and ilford and rollei to keep up production but I do feel like the interest in film will fade away to only the few dedicated people.

However I shoot 6-10 rolls a week and really try to support kodak, ilford and rollei equally. obviously i miss acros and have shot most of my final college work on 160NS but in reality most of my work that earns money is on digital and at the end of the day digital will prevail IMO

 

[Bill Clark]

I believe black and white film will be around for a while.

But I’m slowly forgetting about film. I seem to develop the film but don’t make hardly a print any more.

Matter of fact, even with digital I seem to have lost the desire to have prints made any more.

Could the folks who do the printing be in a dinosaur business as well? I find so many look on their phone or tablet computer then that’s as far as it goes. I know some believe prints are for posterity, but that idea seems to go in one ear and out the other.

When I was doing wedding gigs, it changed as it went from, “let me see what size print should I order;” to, “I want the files on a CD or jump drive or both. And if you don’t I’ll hire some one else.”

 

[Contarama]

I can tell film is very much alive by the prices of the cameras.

Nikon F3's have risen in price over the last few years.

The Nikon F6 is still in good demand getting almost twice the dollar as say a Nikon D700 or even D600.

Premium Compacts like the Yashica And Contax T have inflated to crazy high prices.

I remember buying a Yashica T4 for 0.65$ years ago... no one wanted those cameras when I joined RFF

What he said...

Nothing is really going away I think...its just more or less. I have two record stores within a mile of me...two camera stores as well. They survive thank goodness

 

[stevierose]

Over the last year I got back into shooting and developing my own BW film. There have been some ups and downs, but overall it seems to me that the film market has stabilized for the most part and is improving in some ways at least for BW. Yes Fuji is pulling out, so for me that means Acros will be gone, I didn't shoot their other films. But I keep reading that Kodak/Alaris and Harman/Ilford have shown improving sales over the last couple of years, and we have companies like ADOX and others introducing new films. I think that BW film will be here for the foreseeable future. Not as sure about color, but, to my mind digital is better for color anyway.

 

[farlymac]

Keeping film alive here on my end, though not shooting as much as I'd like to.


To heck with Fuji, I never much cared for their stuff anyway, except the b&w, and I came to that too late.


I've seen the uptick in camera prices, but there are still bargains to be had. One just needs to look everywhere. I own cameras now that I never thought I'd be able to afford.


Unless Nikon comes out with a killer mirrorless system that is somewhat affordable, I'll likely be shooting film until the day I die, which on some days feels like it could be any moment. 😀


PF

 

[sepiareverb]

Afte Neopan 1600 went away I didn’t really shoot anything Fuji. When I shot slides for stock I was about equal parts Kodak and Fuji, with some Agfa thrown is as well. Shows how long ago that was.

 

[kamil_k]

In the past months I've been shooting film almost exclusively. It's always sad to read about big players discontinuing film production. On the other hand there are also some newcomers on the market who fill the gap and see their future there. Fotoimpex is ie. expanding their ADOX production facilities close to Berlin.

 

[jawarden]

Cost may rise and the river too, but film isn't going anywhere. It's all good.

 

[davidnewtonguitars]

Cars were supposed to supplant horses & buggies. You can still buy horses and buggies, and even buggy whips.

 

[willie_901]

I wonder: Is that really a big thing? ...

In their most recent Financial Statement FUJIFILM reports they sold 6.6 million INSTAX cameras in fiscal year 2017. The total Photo Imaging Group revenues for the same period were ¥236.8 billion. However, this is figure includes all revenue from photographic film and paper products including developing and printing technologies.

Who else sold over 6 million new film cameras in 2017?

INSTAX cameras sell from $60 to $130 US. If their wholesale cost is only 1/3 of that, then the revenue for just camera sales could be at least $180 million. Twenty exposures costs $12.40 on Amazon. So, the total INSTAX film revenue stream is not trivial.

PS

The X and GFX cameras and lenses are products of the Optical Device and Electronic Imaging Group. This Group's revenue was ¥105 billion. This figure also includes TV, cinema, security and projector lens sales.

 

[willie_901]

Can you post a link to the production of that film and show if it was, in fact, shot on Kodachrome? The general consensus being that no labs are left to process any rolls of still K14 let alone process 50,000 feet of 35mm stock. Yes, some folks have tried with limited success in reproducing the process but I don't think there are any houses left that have the knowledge, the equipment and the chemistry to make a movie out of the stuff.

As for my own film consumption, I don't shoot enough of it. Such is life on a limited budget. But come the fall, I'm going to be shooting a lot of 16mm black and white.

Phil Forrest

My pleasure.

"Despite a credit noting that the movie was shot (to little effect) on 35-millimeter Kodak film, “Kodachrome” will mostly be seen on the streaming platform, whose current business model hastens the destruction of physical media."

 

[css9450]

In their most recent Financial Statement FUJIFILM reports they sold 6.6 million INSTAX cameras in fiscal year 2017. The total Photo Imaging Group revenues for the same period were ¥236.8 billion. However, this is figure includes all revenue from photographic film and paper products including developing and printing technologies.

Who else sold over 6 million new film cameras in 2017?

INSTAX cameras sell from $60 to $130 US. If their wholesale cost is only 1/3 of that, then the revenue for just camera sales could be at least $180 million. Twenty exposures costs $12.40 on Amazon. So, the total INSTAX film revenue stream is not trivial.

That is wonderful news if it prevents or at least delays their discontinuance of other, "regular" emulsions. But Fuji being Fuji, I haven't really seen that happening.

 

[ptpdprinter]

Who else sold over 6 million new film cameras in 2017?

People buy the Instax because it is instant. The technology is irrelevant to the typical buyer.