doom and gloom on the horizon

[hipsterdufus]

Sad, but expected. I know that my film cameras are slowly being relegated to black & white duty. I'll live.

 

[sper]

Walgreens? Really?

Film is going to become niche. B&W is very easy to DIY. There are plenty of really high quality labs that take mail order processing.

Get your film tax free (if you don't live in NY) from B&H. Buy it by the brick. Kodak just released Portra 160, which if 400 is any indication, will be great!

I see only good things on the horizon. Film is now the artists medium (if they so choose). Plus I just bought a Fuji GA645 for $250 dollars. I'm not complaining about digital.

🙂

 

[ibcrewin]

I bet the machines are going on ebay.

 

[Gary E]

What type of sale return would a film camera user expect in this day and age of digital renewals that occurs every 6 months? I'll tell you, near zipo. So, use them till film is no longer available and process your own if you have to. Otherwise, if you would like to continue with photography, just jump on the digital bandwagon. I don't think even if I sold every accessory and camera I own that I could afford the M9, so I keep on shooting film till the "real" end of film days are here.

 

[jsrockit]

I've been using slide film again lately... but I'm starting to think it's not such a good idea. It's just for fun and I guess something I'm doing for a limited time (since my M8 is at leica for repair).

 

[Keith]

I'm seriously thinking of narrowing my film usage down to MF and LF and only black and white. But I'll never stop wanting to shoot the stuff!

135mm colour was always bound to be the first major casualty of digital IMO.

 

[kbg32]

Small labs have been closing in NYC for quite some time. Plenty of 1 hour photo options though.

 

[oftheherd]

Who the heck is that dang German guy selling that tini tiny camera and using motion picture film in it? He's going to ruin photography! Sell your real cameras now, and even the little 4x5s and 6x9s as the film for them is going to disappear soon ...

😛

 

[Pickett Wilson]

Not to worry. Someone will post soon that the Walgreens manager was just badly informed, that Walgreens is actually processing more film than ever! 🙂

Seriously, my local Walmart doesn't even have a film drop off anymore. Closest place to get a roll of film processed is 60 miles from here. So I only shoot Tri-X in 35mm and 120 now so I can process it myself.

 

[MC JC86]

No Walgreens, or any drug store for that matter, has processed film around me for quite a while. The new targets and Super Walmarts that are built are built with out C-41 capabilities and the existing ones are steadily losing them.... I think that this is just them CATCHING UP with the times, the sales haven't been there for years now. Whether a certain type of item will continue being produced or not is certainly always in questions but I don't think that Walgreens is necessarily a rock steady "barometer" for "doom and gloom" for those of us who still enjoy silver halide.

 

[MIkhail]

Last week in my local Costco store I was told: no more film processing. Only digital files.
They knew me by name, since I was probably the only one person who brought film for "development but no prints". It's over now. X100 looking good, since I cannot justify M9 by any stretch of imagination.

 

[willie_901]

Sadly, it's not just digital cameras that have killed convenient film processing in the US, it's smartphones too.

That said, developing color negatives at home is practical if you have the space for a couple of small, temperature controlled aquariums. Aquariums are can be bought cheaply at yard sales.

 

[MCTuomey]

The pro labs continue to serve film users. Precision Camera. North Coast Photographic Services. To name just two. Patronize them and they'll survive and even thrive. More expensive than the local drugstore machines? Yes. Quality? Very high.

Call me Pollyanna but I don't see the gloom in it. It's just the market evolving, adapting.

 

[jsrockit]

What type of sale return would a film camera user expect in this day and age of digital renewals that occurs every 6 months?

I'll give you a little more than zippo for your M4-2...

 

[kuzano]

Yes...

Yes...

ProPhotoSupply in Portland OR set up a new processing lab just about three years ago. The pro's still need service. Not all of them have been sucked into Digital. Many are still Analog (or is it Analogue?)

 

[zauhar]

When I recently coming back to film (although I never really left), I had no expectation that Walgreens/Walmart/Costco would be developing film. I was shocked when I discovered that the local CVS drugstore was stocking a few varieties of color and B&W film.

I would expect that economic reality will reduce the varieties of film available, but it is a big world, and even a niche market of luddites/anachronisms/psychos translates into a lot of people and potential revenue.

Besides that, the hipsters (bless their little hearts) think film is cool! That's gotta be worth something.

 

[Neare]

I've never once had film developed at a chemist and I'm still managing fine. Walgreen's isn't actually necessary, just convenient.

 

[steveyork]

Once I tried Dwaynes (kodachrome) and discovered how easy it was just to mail your film out, I switched to them for everything. I've sent them over 100 rolls of film, and I haven't had any problems.

 

[semordnilap]

Is there a thread listing quality labs? Could be a nice resource...

 

[anu L ogy]

I develop my own film. The only thing that I worry about is depleting the worlds supply of silver before I die. Luckily fewer people like silver than oil.