Nh3
Well-known
In my humble opinion film has made a comeback.
Film has made a comeback in a very subtle way. There are quite a few reasons but mainly its due to camera hobbyist and collector/photographers, young people who are bored of digital and find film cameras 'cool', digital photographers frustrated with unforgiving nature of digital which shows everything as it is without that extra characteristic that film adds to a picture.
First of all I think people who use film fall in five categories:
1- Camera hobbyist and collectors who love old cameras. And film cameras with its vast verity provide them an inexhaustible selection... There is a subgroup to this category which consists of mainly younger people who consider it highly fashionable to use old film cameras and collect them. This category with its subgroup is by far the the largest base of film users.
2- Photographer's who have grown up with film and have spent a lot of time learning how to use film and are either computer illiterate or afraid/hate new technology.
3- Creative photographers who have specific aesthetic and look in mind which they get with film and that "look" is like a signature - Salgado and Alex Webb comes to mind.
4- Digital users who use film as a sort of "therapy" when their creative justices run out or for casual relaxing shoots.
5- Students who feel they need to start with film to learn about photography.
As the digital DSLRs have become well-established there has been a surge back to film because for most of the younger people the coolness factor of digital has faded so it was no wonder that the other day the used film section of my local camera store was nearly empty and as i was standing there a guy bought a Nikon F2 with a motordrive and the cashier girl was playing with a Nikon FE... In the same store the film chemical shelf was stocked with a wide verity and the film counter behind the cashier used to carry less than five selection of films both 35 and medium format but the other day there was a five level shelf full of all sorts of film and fridge was full of film as well.
Online camera message boards and clubs have been another force in making classic camera knowledge base more widespread and selling/buying of classic camers more easy and reliable. And Internet is where the camera hobbyist and collectors suddenly were connected to young people wanting to shoot film and with the knowledge and tool from the former group and money to spend by the later group there has been suddenly a surge of film users. And then off course internet has made it quite easy for people to learn how to process their own film with even videos on YouTube teaching how to process film.
Digital cameras are purely mechanical photographic tools and they are absolutely unforgiving. for example using Trix makes even the most boring of stuff interesting because the look of the film adds a certain atmosphere and mood to the picture, with digital its purely "what-it-is" and therefore, a lot of people soon feel bored of digital and frustrated on how ordinary their images look. And naturally those frustrated and bored with digital suddenly find in film a medium which actually 'helps the photographer actually like his own pictures'...
My conclusion as someone who falls squarely in 4th category in my classification and who is a digital user is that film has made a come back and it will continue to do so. Off course its all not good news because color film and processing has declined and will continue to do so, from Kodachrome to E6 and even C41 - the labs are closing and will not process them or the processing cost has increased (wal-mart increased C41 processing recently here in canada). But b&w has made a huge comeback because of ease of precessing and its appeal to many because of historical as well as aesthetic reasons; however, its mainly the ease of developing
/i typed this in a hurry so forgive the mistakes etc...
Film has made a comeback in a very subtle way. There are quite a few reasons but mainly its due to camera hobbyist and collector/photographers, young people who are bored of digital and find film cameras 'cool', digital photographers frustrated with unforgiving nature of digital which shows everything as it is without that extra characteristic that film adds to a picture.
First of all I think people who use film fall in five categories:
1- Camera hobbyist and collectors who love old cameras. And film cameras with its vast verity provide them an inexhaustible selection... There is a subgroup to this category which consists of mainly younger people who consider it highly fashionable to use old film cameras and collect them. This category with its subgroup is by far the the largest base of film users.
2- Photographer's who have grown up with film and have spent a lot of time learning how to use film and are either computer illiterate or afraid/hate new technology.
3- Creative photographers who have specific aesthetic and look in mind which they get with film and that "look" is like a signature - Salgado and Alex Webb comes to mind.
4- Digital users who use film as a sort of "therapy" when their creative justices run out or for casual relaxing shoots.
5- Students who feel they need to start with film to learn about photography.
As the digital DSLRs have become well-established there has been a surge back to film because for most of the younger people the coolness factor of digital has faded so it was no wonder that the other day the used film section of my local camera store was nearly empty and as i was standing there a guy bought a Nikon F2 with a motordrive and the cashier girl was playing with a Nikon FE... In the same store the film chemical shelf was stocked with a wide verity and the film counter behind the cashier used to carry less than five selection of films both 35 and medium format but the other day there was a five level shelf full of all sorts of film and fridge was full of film as well.
Online camera message boards and clubs have been another force in making classic camera knowledge base more widespread and selling/buying of classic camers more easy and reliable. And Internet is where the camera hobbyist and collectors suddenly were connected to young people wanting to shoot film and with the knowledge and tool from the former group and money to spend by the later group there has been suddenly a surge of film users. And then off course internet has made it quite easy for people to learn how to process their own film with even videos on YouTube teaching how to process film.
Digital cameras are purely mechanical photographic tools and they are absolutely unforgiving. for example using Trix makes even the most boring of stuff interesting because the look of the film adds a certain atmosphere and mood to the picture, with digital its purely "what-it-is" and therefore, a lot of people soon feel bored of digital and frustrated on how ordinary their images look. And naturally those frustrated and bored with digital suddenly find in film a medium which actually 'helps the photographer actually like his own pictures'...
My conclusion as someone who falls squarely in 4th category in my classification and who is a digital user is that film has made a come back and it will continue to do so. Off course its all not good news because color film and processing has declined and will continue to do so, from Kodachrome to E6 and even C41 - the labs are closing and will not process them or the processing cost has increased (wal-mart increased C41 processing recently here in canada). But b&w has made a huge comeback because of ease of precessing and its appeal to many because of historical as well as aesthetic reasons; however, its mainly the ease of developing
/i typed this in a hurry so forgive the mistakes etc...
Ray Nalley
Well-known
I'm sure Kodak and Fuji will be astonished to hear about the comeback of film! 
tomasis
Well-known
hope it is true
I made some prints and I couldnt stop looking at them especially when I see a lot of digital stuffs lately
I made some prints and I couldnt stop looking at them
especially when I see a lot of digital stuffs latelymorgan
Well-known
I hope that's true. I'd love to see #'s supporting this - kodak's year over year film sales for example for some solid proof. I know a lot of people can't stand Lomo's and Holga's, but when you can walk into non-camera stores (like urban outfitters and others) and buy film cameras, that helps keep film alive. They're reaching out to a demographic through channels kodak would love to get at and using appropriate marketing tactics to sell to the audience. I don't think Lomography can sustain an entire industry though, mainstream camera makers would need to make an effort to revitalize the market. Used Fm2's (or bessa-r's in our case) on craigslist only go so far.
I read something a few weeks back about how vinyl record sales are way up. Tiny in comparison to cd's, but it was like 300% (and 300% of tiny is still tiny). But labels are re-issuing classic records and indie labels especially are putting out new releases on vinyl with the ability to download the mp3s.
I hope this return to things analog is more than just a passing fad. We can never expect film to retake digital, but we can certainly expect for it never to die and remain relatively accessible.
I read something a few weeks back about how vinyl record sales are way up. Tiny in comparison to cd's, but it was like 300% (and 300% of tiny is still tiny). But labels are re-issuing classic records and indie labels especially are putting out new releases on vinyl with the ability to download the mp3s.
I hope this return to things analog is more than just a passing fad. We can never expect film to retake digital, but we can certainly expect for it never to die and remain relatively accessible.
nikon_sam
Shooter of Film...
Comeback....??? Film never went away...people are coming back...or discovering it for the first time...
I never left film...when asked why I still shoot with film, I say..."...that's what my camera uses..."
I don't own any digital camera other than the one in my phone...at least not yet...
I will never say never but for now it's Film for me...
Tomasis, I agree with your statement...a well made print is a wonder to behold...
I never left film...when asked why I still shoot with film, I say..."...that's what my camera uses..."
I don't own any digital camera other than the one in my phone...at least not yet...
I will never say never but for now it's Film for me...
Tomasis, I agree with your statement...a well made print is a wonder to behold...
chris000
Landscaper
I'm not too sure I would use the word 'comeback'. In a recent conversation with a local photographic dealer he said that B&W film sales had taken a big dive along with colour (no surprise) but that he felt that B&W had stabilised whereas colour was continuing to fall.
Whether it has stabilised at a level that is sustainable in the long term only time will tell - I hope so. Certainly so far I have had no trouble getting 35mm and 120 Ilford film.
Whether it has stabilised at a level that is sustainable in the long term only time will tell - I hope so. Certainly so far I have had no trouble getting 35mm and 120 Ilford film.
Gabriel M.A.
My Red Dot Glows For You
Frankly, "the coolness factor" is as "coolness factor" does.
MikeL
Go Fish
"Don't call it a comback,
I've been here for years,
I'm rocking my peers,
Putting suckers in fear,
Making the tears rain down like a monsoon...."
- LL Cool J
I've been here for years,
I'm rocking my peers,
Putting suckers in fear,
Making the tears rain down like a monsoon...."
- LL Cool J
Rey
Well-known
I think that B&W film has stabilized and that it will be around for some time. Color film is another story. It continues to fall, however, I feel that it will go through the same process that B&W did. At some point color films that have a definate "feel" to them, like Porta and Realla, should come back. It's very difficult to get what these films produce in digital without alot of tweaking in photoshop, and maybe not even then. Hopefully color film will not collapse completely before this occurs. I would not like to see another collapse like Agfa, I still miss their color film.
Gabriel M.A.
My Red Dot Glows For You
"making the tears rain down like a monsoon". Ooh, that's deep, yo.
MikeL
Go Fish
feenej
Well-known
I threw out my digital camera a year ago, and I don't own a cell phone.
hks3sgte
Established
.ken
I like pictures
I've just recently made the switch from digital to film... so there ya go. I am a living witness to the "la revolucion!" ;-)
Ronald_H
Don't call me Ron
1. Check. I'm still fairly young, or so I kid myself. Old gear is fun and cheap to buy and fun to use too.
2. Nah. Digital has undeniable advantages and my workflow has been mostly digital for years.
3. Check. I'm not a well know artist, but I wanted to do 'old skool' b/w concert photography.
4. Check. Different mindset, and it makes you work diffrently and use your neglected brain cells more.
5. Sort of. I started with film and had it developed, then scanned. Only now, 10 years later I develop my own b/w. Highly satisfying (and fun).
bean_counter
Well-known
Got back from a week-long trip to Yellowstone last week; very, very few film cameras in evidence amongst the tourists. A few vintage Canon and Pentax SLR's, typically carried by women hipsters in their early 20's or late 50's.
My MP-4, my daughter's Canonette, and my Yashica TLR were the only RF and MF cameras I observed.
My MP-4, my daughter's Canonette, and my Yashica TLR were the only RF and MF cameras I observed.
KoNickon
Nick Merritt
From time to time here and elsewhere I'll read a question that begins "I'm new to film photography...." I have to stop and think when I see that -- it's hard to believe. But the good news is that the writer has indeed discovered film!
I've said it before -- serious digital cameras will continue, but I bet the concept of simple p&s digicams will change over into all-in-one phone/email/internet communications "appliances."
Film will continue, but I wouldn't call it a "comeback" by any stretch of the imagination.
I've said it before -- serious digital cameras will continue, but I bet the concept of simple p&s digicams will change over into all-in-one phone/email/internet communications "appliances."
Film will continue, but I wouldn't call it a "comeback" by any stretch of the imagination.
Arvay
Obscurant
I'm often thinking that film is in its reincarnation, but after looking around and seeing that film becomes rare in most photogear shops, development becomes problematic and so on I'm realising that this is the result of that I'm just communicating with the people of the same sphere...
squirrel$$$bandit
Veteran
I think of it being like vinyl records: officially obsolete, but qualitatively different from the dominant format, and thus enjoying a solid, comfortable place in a niche market for artsy people.
scorpius73
Well-known
Never thought I would see the day when LL's lyrics would appear on Rangefinderforum. Rangefinder users get cooler everyday.