Does film photography have a future?

Does anyone think TriX or E6 gets used by non-hobbyist consumers today, or even 5 years ago?
 
I am growing weary of this question..
Ultimately, I believe it does and will remain my aesthetic.
If you believe that it is still a viable option then go for it.
Brian
 
Does anyone else see convergence? I like shooting film. When I get a good image it is much better and more rewarding than digital. But I like to scan my negs and use a digital darkroom.
- John
 
shutterfiend said:
We live in an age when most digital SLRs and some serious digital P&S cameras rival the clarity and grain of medium format. Most professionals have switched to digital already
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Well, let's clarify a point or two. Dslr clarity rivaling mf film is, at best, an opinion. At this point in time there is no...NO...objective test to make a definitive conclusion. Beauty, it seems, is still in the eye of the beholder.

Yes, many pros have gone digital. In speaking with alot of pros as well as reading articles and news posts from many pros the decision to move to digital was primarily a business decision driven by cost of the deliverable end product. Many, many of these guys shoot film when they are doing fine art work or for their personal enjoyment.

Film will be around for a long time yet. And it will continue to serve as the standard digital seeks to achieve.

Best Regards,

Bob
 
Though I can't source it, heard/read a couple years ago - can't recall where, that a BILLION rolls of film were sold world-wide. The (let's see 1,2,3...) 3 labs (one of which is a pro lab that does my medium format color)/3 drug stores that are within a 10 minute drive from my house in the suburbs of Philadelphia all seem to be doing quite well, the A thu Z bins stacked with processed prints.

To me - "I" represent a "market". And this market refuses to shoot digital, which I think from the cameras to the images "suck" - from their annoying as hell blown highlights to their bland, dull, computer dependent, battery eating, software dependent, crappy slow 3.5-5.6 zoom lenses, to their finicky and expensive to run inkjet printer dependent crappy images to their futzy little cheap plastic buttons to their annoying drop-down menus, to their "firmware updates". I might be a "niche market" we digital haters... but we're a market none-the-less. And where there's a market, there will be someone to fill it.

There's a reason why TV shows with any type of budget shoot on beautiful, evocatie FIL-UM, and leave digital to cheap reality TV shows and cheap soap operas. Could it be their bland computer generated "captured images" aren't evocative enough for drama? What would that crappy digital image look like blown up to the size of a huge movie screen that 35mm film does without a problem?

Are they coming out with digital slide film anytime soon? Or will I have to spend thousands on a digital projector for the priviledge of viewing horrible, crappy projected digital images? Pros who shoot digital do it for a cost savings. A concession. You get what you pay for.

One question might be, do digital cameras have a future? Might people - pros and amateurs alike, eventually get sick of buying a new $250, $350, $500, $1000, $5000, $10,000 camera every couple years? My "newest" camera is 17 years old. My oldest - still functional, a Russian Iskra (cost with CLA $160) is about 47 years old... still taking great pics, still going strong. What number DSLRs produced in 2007 will be snapping pics in the year 2054? Bet not a lot. Bet not any.
 
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Aren't disposable cameras (which use film) still selling well? I thought they were in fact a growth market.

Anyways, if disposables continue to be popular, that should keep the film infrastructure alive.
 
You're right about disposable film cameras being a growth market.

Does film photography have a future? It does in my house and my wife supports this Don Quixote!

Last year she bought me a Leica M6TTL, 35mm 'Cron ASPH, Leitz Focomat V35 and she's made room for 900 feet of film in the freezer/fridge for me. She even encouraged me to buy a CV 21/4 Skopar two weeks ago. Of course I seem to manage to make good photos of her and the kids. What can you do? I'm lucky!

Cheers from filmworld,
Alex

p.s. If film goes down, I'm going down with it - all the way baby!
 
... well, i have a freezer full, just in case!
Film will be around long after we've 'logged out'
 
Last year she bought me a Leica M6TTL, 35mm 'Cron ASPH, Leitz Focomat V35 and she's made room for 900 feet of film in the freezer/fridge for me. She even encouraged me to buy a CV 21/4 Skopar two weeks ago.
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OK, and what did you have to get her in return? (I've been married for nearly 20 years, and there definitely ain't no such thing as a free camera :D)
 
Well Alan, nothing. My wife just really likes me. I give her a VERY good lifestyle (wife of a diplomat). She just really likes it when I have something to do that is creative. What can I say, I'm lucky - seriously!

Best from Jerusalem!
Alex
 
Hi... here's my 2-cents worth.
Film will be around for a long time.
Those who are not computer savvy, the elderly, and those committed to
fine film photography, like RFF and other Forums... WILL help to keep
film alive.

There's a lot of hype in the digital camera industry, with the megapixel wars and 'built-in obsalescence.' The 1-hour Labs, have every right to have 'their
day in court' as well. Business is, in effect, the Law of Supply & Demand.
Yes, there are zillions of people walking around with P & S digicams... worldwide.
And, it seems that in a lot of places worldwide, film is still available.

Oh my... we can talk this subject to death, hmm?
Let's get out there and use the good stuff :D

Cheers, mike
 
Well Alan, nothing. My wife just really likes me. I give her a VERY good lifestyle (wife of a diplomat). She just really likes it when I have something to do that is creative. What can I say, I'm lucky - seriously!
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You certainly are, Alex :)
 
Cameraphones now account for 9% of all consumer still images; that's double what it was a year ago. Cameraphones are eating up the disposable film camera market much faster than anybody (especially Kodak) thought possible. Super cheap one-time digitals are already on the market; they will take over the wedding/party portion of the disposables market in no time. In the US, film disposables will most likely survive in "evidence kits" and other legal applications where digital is considered too easy to manipulate/forge/fake. But the entire casual photography market is going all-digital really, really soon. Pros will be 90% digital by 2010; they are already 70%+ digital.

So...where does that leave us? I think we're going to go through a period of very limited film availability pretty damn soon. Maybe we're already in the midst of it. BUT...if all the majors get out of the film business, smaller players will emerge to serve the film diehards of the world. We've seen this happen with almost every other "obsolete" consumer technology and it's much more likely than not going to happen with film. There are about half a billion 35mm cameras in existence; even if only 1% of them remain in use, it would be enough of a market to support several small suppliers.

Just be prepared to pay though the nose and possibly other orifices for your film, folks.
 
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Designers still pick up pencils and paper to illustrate

Designers still pick up pencils and paper to illustrate

Ash said:
designers still pick up pencils and paper to illustrate.
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That's hilarious... surely you jest.

They use Wacom tablets.

Best,
George
 
Film would not be disappeared. You see, Cosina is still producing the Bessa series. I don't afraid I could not get couple rolls when I need them.
 
Earlier, Pherdinand mentioned the widespread dutch chainstore "Hema" who sell their own brand of colour-negative, b+w and transparency films in 35mm. I have used the b+w film (sold in packs of three !) a few times quite reasonably and used their cheap E6 frequently, for testing camera shutters etc.

This evening I went back to get a few rolls of E6, but I was told that it will no longer be stocked and that the black+white is under review. This has happened just in the last week or so, oops.

I also recall reading that Ilford intended to stop making own-label films for other sellers, so perhaps that will be another problem for the future of any Hema b+w film - depending on their supply contracts etc of course.


:(
 
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