Gabriel M.A.
My Red Dot Glows For You
That, and life is like a roll of market-brand film: you never know what you're gonna get
Joe
Established
Flim Forever!!
aad
Not so new now.
Just got back from a South America trip, took the Pentax MX and one lens, no flash.
A friend brought his K10D and 2 lenses. I thought it was really neat, considered going that route at last-until I saw the results.
My wife saw them, too. She said no way would she go digital. Provia, maybe.
A friend brought his K10D and 2 lenses. I thought it was really neat, considered going that route at last-until I saw the results.
My wife saw them, too. She said no way would she go digital. Provia, maybe.
R
ruben
Guest
I look at the B&H selection of Medium Format film and I don't see any MF agony.
Obviously folks on a budget who cannot afford changing their already analog camera fleet for a digital similar one, may have some hardships with MF too.
What is an undisputable fact is that those voiced fears about film extinction, that are walkie talking our ears for several years, have proved wrong so far, and it is THEIR job to explain themselves today.
Cheers,
Ruben
35mmdelux
Veni, vidi, vici
only cool people shoot film.
Ray Nalley
Well-known
Ruben, the average consumer hasn't shot medium format since the box camera days. How many pros - wedding pros were the big users of medium format - do you see shooting medium format anymore? They are shooting digital.
tmfabian
I met a man once...
some of the best skate magazine photographers shoot hassies with chromes still, as do quite a few high end portrait and editorial photographers.
Just because PJ's and wedding photogs are almost 100% digital these days doesn't mean other pros aren't using film.
Now it may not be glamorous, but many school yearbook companies still use color neg film (my brain wants to say something in the 70mm/split 70mm area...i forget...but the point is, it's much easier, quicker, and cheaper to pop off c-prints than it is to pop out digital prints)
To be fair, film never went away, it just lost a bit of market share.
Ray Nalley
Well-known
TFab, I'm sure there are photographers who still shoot medium format. But to see the impact on a medium, you need to look around at who were the primary users of these cameras. My guess is that there are far more wedding photographers than skate board mag photographers out there.
And year book companies are almost exclusively digital now. The schools get a disk of the photos - senior photos as well. It has allowed these companies to make much greater profits.
And year book companies are almost exclusively digital now. The schools get a disk of the photos - senior photos as well. It has allowed these companies to make much greater profits.
tmfabian
I met a man once...
Yes, they get disks from scans.
I only know this because I part timed at a processing center for one working as a printer recently for a little extra cash. I don't know the exact format of the film but it was close to 6x4.5 The negs were scanned at the same time they were color corrected.
Ray Nalley
Well-known
Interesting. All I've seen at the schools, including senior photos, were shot with digital - mostly Canon 5D's.
tmfabian
I met a man once...
well...this was down in the south...you know we don't like technology....or books.
edit: as a side note, I may not remember the exact format of the film, but it was kodak portra nc 400...i only remember that because I thought it strange that they'd pick 400 speed film when they're using strobes....weird.
Last edited:
R
ruben
Guest
It is possible that MF films are manufactured in much smaller amounts than in the past. More than posssible.
But facts are facts: no manunfacturer has left the film production. And Fujifilm has declared its commintment to film in loud voice.
From the diverging points of view we have in this discussion, it is not upon me to explain it, but rather upon you to explain why it is so, despite your wedding digital photographers.
Cheers,
Ruben
Last edited by a moderator:
Ray Nalley
Well-known
Ruben, my comments were not about film in general going away, only to address the obvious fact that medium format use is only a shadow of what it was even eight years ago. But 35mm and medium format film have then the biggest hits. Again, the majority of film sold today is sheet film, which would seem obvious because the larger formats haven't been replaced by digital as quickly.
Only time will tell whether film survives as a viable product.
Only time will tell whether film survives as a viable product.
sanmich
Veteran
Wow, and you call your friends with a film camera...
retro
Well-known
Many colleges still teach film photography and darkroom. It's still
the best way to really learn photography. I think that has a lot to
do with why film is still hanging in there.
the best way to really learn photography. I think that has a lot to
do with why film is still hanging in there.
rogerchristian
Established
I own a camera store, and here are some facts from the trenches. Note, we are in a college town, and so this may not apply to all cities in all parts of the US.
Our basic offering of film has not changed dramatically over the past 5 or so years.
We are not carrying hundred of rolls of any one emulsion, but pretty much all are represented:
B/W TX, TMAX Neopan, Ilford, etc.
All speeds of Kodak and Fuji films. We are mostly seeing 24 exposure carded/hook hang boxes. 12's and 36's are still around, but most distributors don't stock it, since it is easier to stock the 24's as a compromise.
Slide films seem to be trending to 24's as well, but so far, all speeds seem to be readily available.
Our 'true' b/w lab still runs a LOT of film, same for our E6 line, but that has stabilized at around 200 rolls a month, keeps the chemistry in control, but we do have to watch it. That is down from the heyday of 800 rolls a month in the good old days.
On our doubles days, Wednesday, we get 40-50 rolls, about half of the peak, but still a very good volume considering.
2 years ago, the B/W film unit of one major west coast distributor sold over a million rolls of b/w film in the first 8 months of the year. I haven't heard that this has slowed down.
We also sell Holgas, the non-flash version sells better than the flash version does, but they do sell, and seem to be in a good resurgence. Our sales of 120 color film are doing well.
To sum up, it is a mixed bag, like consumers many dealers across the nation (a few of them friends of mine) simply dropped film, and never looked back. We have taken the attitude, there is a LONG TAIL <new industry buzzword, and we will ride the horse as long as we can, chemistry, paper, darkroom equipment and supplies etc.
Support the customer and they will support you.
And, personally I am still using film in my own shooting.
Our basic offering of film has not changed dramatically over the past 5 or so years.
We are not carrying hundred of rolls of any one emulsion, but pretty much all are represented:
B/W TX, TMAX Neopan, Ilford, etc.
All speeds of Kodak and Fuji films. We are mostly seeing 24 exposure carded/hook hang boxes. 12's and 36's are still around, but most distributors don't stock it, since it is easier to stock the 24's as a compromise.
Slide films seem to be trending to 24's as well, but so far, all speeds seem to be readily available.
Our 'true' b/w lab still runs a LOT of film, same for our E6 line, but that has stabilized at around 200 rolls a month, keeps the chemistry in control, but we do have to watch it. That is down from the heyday of 800 rolls a month in the good old days.
On our doubles days, Wednesday, we get 40-50 rolls, about half of the peak, but still a very good volume considering.
2 years ago, the B/W film unit of one major west coast distributor sold over a million rolls of b/w film in the first 8 months of the year. I haven't heard that this has slowed down.
We also sell Holgas, the non-flash version sells better than the flash version does, but they do sell, and seem to be in a good resurgence. Our sales of 120 color film are doing well.
To sum up, it is a mixed bag, like consumers many dealers across the nation (a few of them friends of mine) simply dropped film, and never looked back. We have taken the attitude, there is a LONG TAIL <new industry buzzword, and we will ride the horse as long as we can, chemistry, paper, darkroom equipment and supplies etc.
Support the customer and they will support you.
And, personally I am still using film in my own shooting.
Ray Nalley
Well-known
"2 years ago, the B/W film unit of one major west coast distributor sold over a million rolls of b/w film in the first 8 months of the year. I haven't heard that this has slowed down."
It is good to hear that the advent of digital has had little impact on film sales.
It is good to hear that the advent of digital has had little impact on film sales.
remegius
Well-known
Wow! Wait until Craig Tanner, Lou Razin, Jay Maisel, and all the rest of those guys find out that they don't know what they're doing. I bet they'll be surprised.
Cheers...
Rem