Film camera sales

[clicker]

I am seeing so many beautiful film camera that are going unsold on the forum, is this a harbinger of things to come ? Being that there have been such large numbers of film cameras produced over the years, I would imagine that only the very rare and unique models will hold or increase in value, as more and more people will transition to digital and beyond.

 

[kshapero]

Hard to say as this seems to trend up and down, but then again this could be it.

 

[MarylandBill]

Well, keep in mind that most of the people on here that are film shooters (or want to be) already have film cameras... and most of the rest are dedicated digital shooters. So my guess is that people can be and are choosey; they only go for a camera they really want (or what seems like an outstanding deal to them).

In the general world, the film camera market seems to be dominated by the whole Toy camera/Holga/Lomography thing. Not that there is anything wrong with that per say, but the people interested in those cameras are not interested in the precision cameras that are often sold here.

Just my thoughts.

--
Bill

 

[MIkhail]

Well, keep in mind that most of the people on here that are film shooters (or want to be) already have film cameras... and most of the rest are dedicated digital shooters. So my guess is that people can be and are choosey; they only go for a camera they really want (or what seems like an outstanding deal to them).

In the general world, the film camera market seems to be dominated by the whole Toy camera/Holga/Lomography thing. Not that there is anything wrong with that per say, but the people interested in those cameras are not interested in the precision cameras that are often sold here.

Just my thoughts.

--
Bill

This makes sense. I been watching the classified as I was selling my 35/1.4 lens (already sold, so, moderator, you don’t have to alter my posts any more) and I see that tons of great capable equipment is just sitting there and only two categories are moving: outstandingly cheap deals and specialized items. My guess is- with the influx of digital Leica’s people are dumping their film cameras to be able to afford one. Great time to buy.
With that being said, I also see that while everybody says “film is back!” the inexpensive films are disappearing from freestyle and such one by one. This does not help at all…

 

[Platinum RF]

Film is not practical anymore. If we can not buy afford film who will pay %-6 dollars for a roll of film and unable to find a decent affordable place to process it? So I would say film is dead for 99.99999999% of them people

 

[kshapero]

Film is not practical anymore. If we can not buy afford film who will pay %-6 dollars for a roll of film and unable to find a decent affordable place to process it? So I would say film is dead for 99.99999999% of them people

If you have been on this forum as long as some of us, you heard this about a thousand times. But.....

 

[yossarian123]

I'm all stocked up. Nikon, leica, OM - I have more than I'm able to shoot. Although I have been hankering for a hexar AF.....

 

[Matus]

I guess it depends on the camera (type, manufacturer, etc). I have been watching some medium format one and for example Contax 645 went definitely UP in price over last 2 years. The price for 1 lens kit (body, viewfinder, lens, 120 mag) was about 1000 - 1200 Euro (for a nice one).

 

[thegman]

Film is not practical anymore. If we can not buy afford film who will pay %-6 dollars for a roll of film and unable to find a decent affordable place to process it? So I would say film is dead for 99.99999999% of them people

Depends who you are, it's plenty practical for me. In the UK, considering inflation, film is actually not really any more expensive that it was in the heyday. Also, I don't shoot that much, maybe 1-4 rolls per month. I think film is as practical as it was, if not more so, with easy online ordering for film/processing.

But back to the point, I have only a little luck selling any cameras here, digital or film, on eBay, they sell quick and for a good price. I think the fact is for me is that the market on eBay is hundreds, if not thousands of times larger than this one. Also, eBay buyers seem to be more comfortable with trading internationally.

 

[Platinum RF]

My local shop stopped to process film, and the one still do it ruined half of my film and they are expensive. I was given a box full of different film cameras including 4x5.

 

[zuiko85]

Yes, film is dead. If you folks who know that want to get rid of all those useless film cameras then send them to me for proper disposal.

 

[literiter]

Yes, film is dead. If you folks who know that want to get rid of all those useless film cameras then send them to me for proper disposal.

Yeah, so you say, but I have the proper facilities to properly dispose of those radioactive and otherwise toxic Leica lenses.

 

[mervynyan]

processing films has becoming unaffordable, i don't wish film cameras disappear but digital is the future.

i have yet to decided which digital system I should switch to and upgrade regularly, maybe leica, but it is way too expensive-🙁

 

[sevo]

Film is not practical anymore. If we can not buy afford film who will pay %-6 dollars for a roll of film and unable to find a decent affordable place to process it? So I would say film is dead for 99.99999999% of them people

You may be right where US consumers are concerned. But these never accounted for anything near 99% of the US film market (Agfa did half their business in other market segments), and elsewhere even consumers are less convenience minded.

 

[cosmonaut]

I think it has more to do with the popularity of the new compact camera systems. They are so many on the market now it's easy to find one that fits your needs.

 

[froyd]

Those of us who like mechanical cameras but prefer or cannot stick to an analog process and self-development are in a really tough spot these days.

More emulsions are disappearing, the remaining ones are quite good, but quite expensive, processing is either affordable and poor or good but expensive.

However, digital offers no relief either. The only cameras that would satisfy lovers of OVFs, manual focusing and traditional control layouts are the digital Ms (though, of course they are not mechanical). Unfortunately M8 are still selling for $2000 or more. The Epsons are far more affordable, but in my case the 1:1 is a turn off, not a selling point.

 

[Johnmcd]

Film is not practical anymore. If we can not buy afford film who will pay %-6 dollars for a roll of film and unable to find a decent affordable place to process it? So I would say film is dead for 99.99999999% of them people

I don't see it as expensive at all - just more effort. But that's exactly why I do it, to be more involved in the process.

I buy my film from the US where it is a third of the the cost in Australia (don't worry Australians are used to this on a lot of products). By loading my own I can shoot Delta 100/400 for less than $3 a roll of 36. I develop my own negs and then scan. All up the cost would be cheaper than a good cup of coffee at a cafe. Time consuming perhaps, expensive no.

And I am not losing hundreds each year in devaluation on the latest digital camera. If anything my film cameras are worth more.

Cheers - john

 

[lencap]

Wolf Camera, a large chain in the SE, just closed. They sold mostly mid/lower level gear, but also a few higher end cameras on order.

I asked the manager what happened. "We never made money selling cameras, we made money processing film. Over the last few years we kept losing developing revenue. Got to the point that we couldn't cover the overhead any longer because of digital cameras."

I'll bet that a lot of other shops have similar financial models. If so it's may mean that the entire business has to adapt to a new model to survive. Not quite sure what that will be, but the big stores with their buying power will make it a challenge for any dealer to compete on price alone.

 

[Chemophilic]

I have my set of OMD that I am very happy with that is good for everyday shooting (events, random snaps, etc). However, I have also grown to love mechanical cameras and film, first with a Hasselblad, and now trying to get into RF. The main factor for me is time however. It's a tough call to decide between what's convenient and quick (digital), or what's quality but time consuming (film).

That, and always looking for a good deal to save $$ as well.

 

[sevo]

More emulsions are disappearing, the remaining ones are quite good, but quite expensive, processing is either affordable and poor or good but expensive.

I've been photographing some 35 years, and good prints have always been expensive. So have black and white and slide processing. The only things that have changed are that cheap quality CN development is getting scarce, and that good digital prints depend on your postprocessing rather than on a master printer - which will feel more affordable if you assume your PP work to have no monetary value.