I'm getting straight messages about film been alive.

[Skiff]

Was downtown Calgary the other day and ran into four, that's right FOUR, different film shooters all on Stephen Ave. Two were pros shooting projects.
The week before saw a guy with two M6s shooting downtown. I've also seen a few film cameras hanging from shoulders at events around town over the past couple months.
Not exactly like the old days but for the longest time there were no film shooters on the street.
The Camera Store has also increased its film stock over the past couple years.

"The Camera Store" in Calgary not only has increased its film and darkroom stock, fortunately they also made two videos about film photography:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMqmENnOZ8w


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D8av9NqQbjU


Then there is also the Calgary located and very popular photographer and youtuber Irene Rudnyk, who has recently discovered film for her work, loving it and reporting about it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NWPUD3F-jFE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_pl_BAkL6g

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKCZQjrRJak

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ju792eH3A_s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GG14eyuTEnc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8xkOOl3xYHc


These popular young digital photographers, who also integrate film in their work, are very important to get more young "digital natives" into film.
Fortunately the number of youtube channels about film photography have increased in the last two years.

But we all should do our part in our surroundings to get more (young) photographers into film to keep it alive and kicking.

 

[Huss]

I wonder whether the real problem is less film vs. digital but more one of web vs. print. Don't care whether you print wet or print with ink... it's the prints that will survive and the web-only images that won't.

It's also the film that will survive, that the prints are made from.

 

[mcfingon]

I've been a long-term (since 1976) Ilford film user, Kostya, and they seem to be surviving well from what I can see in Australia. I can still get the film that I now use most of, 35mm Delta 100, in bulk rolls. I believe Ilford is still a profitable business. Here's a 2015 article about Ilford's plant in England: http://www.vivianeli.com/blog/2015/04/ilford-harman-how-a-manufacturer-profits-in-a-declined-industry/
John Mc

 

[BLKRCAT]

You must not shoot downtown kofe. Everyone is shooting film here. I walk past at least 25% or more film shooters in a day whether it be old slrs or Rangefinders or point and shoots.

Film is very much alive. Maybe just dead in the suburbs.

You’re not in the action

 

[Clanky44]

I'm with Huss. These are amazing shots.


- Murray

Thank you Murray. 🙂

 

[DanskDynamit]

Honestly, these "google trends" are absolutey worthless. They say nothing. Your Fujifilm example is an excellent evident:
In the same time period Fujifilm has been getting much more successful and bigger than ever in its company history. With all segments!
They have increasing sales with their X-Series digital cameras, and a huge boom with their instax cameras and films for years.
So exactly the opposite of what this ridiculous "google trend" is showing.

Cheers, Jan

Jan, Google trends data is unbiased and shows the interest people have in certain topics based on their searches (and please don't mistake them with sales...). So yes, it is an important tool to have an overview of where the interest is and this is why it's a tool used by all marketing departments.
For you maybe this data is worthless, as much as for me a German dictionary because -sadly- I can´t read German.
Japan is keeping Fuji alive, not the rest of the world and the interest in instax is declining since 2015.

cheers.
ps: and dont get me wrong, I only use film cameras. I only have my iPhone as a digital camera.

 

[DominikDUK]

Jan, Google trends data is unbiased and shows the interest people have in certain topics based on their searches (and please don't mistake them with sales...). So yes, it is an important tool to have an overview of where the interest is and this is why it's a tool used by all marketing departments.
For you maybe this data is worthless, as much as for me a German dictionary because -sadly- I can´t read German.
Japan is keeping Fuji alive, not the rest of the world and the interest in instax is declining since 2015.

cheers.
ps: and dont get me wrong, I only use film cameras. I only have my iPhone as a digital camera.

Actually Google trends is considered to be pretty biased, one of their big biases is that they pretty much only care about the english speaking world understandable but not correct if one considers that most countries in the world do not have English as primary language

 

[HHPhoto]

Japan is keeping Fuji alive, not the rest of the world and the interest in instax is declining since 2015.

All in this sentence is completely wrong! Please do a proper research based on facts. Fujifilm is a global company which has strengthened its position significantly over the years in all of its different segments. Look at their published balance sheets.

As to Instax sales: Increasing sales without interruption since 2004!
Last years:
2014: 4.3 million units
2015: 5.7 million units
2016: 6.5 million units
2017: 7.5 million units
The instax film production is running in 3-shifts a day 24h.
If the interest in instax is declining since 2015 as you say, why is the demand increasing??

Concerning the digital X-system: Have a look at these facts:
https://www.dpreview.com/news/38407...able-lens-production-capacity-as-demand-grows

Cheers, Jan

 

[Ko.Fe.]

You must not shoot downtown kofe. Everyone is shooting film here. I walk past at least 25% or more film shooters in a day whether it be old slrs or Rangefinders or point and shoots.

Film is very much alive. Maybe just dead in the suburbs.

You’re not in the action

My daughter is third person I introduced to film in Milton. Earlier on I did it for two kids from another families. One is using SLR I gave him for few years now. Another is holding into my light-meter.

I do not live near TO downtown. I work few times per year in downtown.
And every time after work I walk for more than one hour. I even made to APUG common exhibition somewhere uptown and walk for more than one hour on Spidana all way down to Union and before it I walked to Downtown Camera from Union first. While in store I have seen one with TLR, while on Spidana walk I have seen one kid waiting at LCBO, he has Zenit which he wear as decoration, he put zero film in it.

As for staying on surbub and avoiding action you are right.
We have four kids and mover-in-law. Toronto downtown has too much shooting and else deadly actions to be suatable for family life now. It is sad to see how quickly Toronto went down this year. After van man one of my ex coworkers wrote email asking if we are OK.
And our elder daughter text me - dad this is where we used to live.

 

[jnalepa]

Lots of downtown Toronto film shooters on the streets. Go to Kensington Market on a weekend and you're bound to run into a few.

It's true the streets are a little more tense these days with all the shootings, but for the most part, it's still a safe city to live in. I'm actually surprised there hasn't been more incidents considering the size of the city and its growth over the last decade.

With any tragic event, it's what you do following it that shows what kind of community you have. I was out on the Danforth only a couple days after the shooting and there were plenty of families around showing support for the community. The sidewalks were covered with chalk messages from children showing nothing but love.

Best,

Justin

 

[zuiko85]

Well, in April, at a photo show here in western Washington, another old timer and I got to help a couple of young ladies check out some used Spotmatics they wanted to buy. They had a keen interest in film but didn’t have the technical knowledge to evaluate the condition of the cameras. They both bought Spotmatic’s (so they could share lenses) and got a lot of good advice on doing their own developing at home.
It was the best experience at the show for me.

 

[Roger Hicks]

Film is certainly alive and well in Arles: more Leicas to the square foot there than anywhere I've ever been, and probably at least half of them "real" (film).

Cheers,

R

 

[Ko.Fe.]

Lots of downtown Toronto film shooters on the streets. Go to Kensington Market on a weekend and you're bound to run into a few.

It's true the streets are a little more tense these days with all the shootings, but for the most part, it's still a safe city to live in. I'm actually surprised there hasn't been more incidents considering the size of the city and its growth over the last decade.

With any tragic event, it's what you do following it that shows what kind of community you have. I was out on the Danforth only a couple days after the shooting and there were plenty of families around showing support for the community. The sidewalks were covered with chalk messages from children showing nothing but love.

Best,
Justin

My another ex co-worker elder daughter might still works at German Doner place in Kensington Market.
We went where with one of our daughters, I was showing her Toronto which wasn't vandalized by overdeveloping yet. I have pictures taken where by Canadian Leica, but I never seen another film photog where in 2017 and earlier on.
This area is not immune from shooting in Toronto trend, unfortunately.

 

[jnalepa]

My another ex co-worker elder daughter might still works at German Doner place in Kensington Market.
We went where with one of our daughters, I was showing her Toronto which wasn't vandalized by overdeveloping yet. I have pictures taken where by Canadian Leica, but I never seen another film photog where in 2017 and earlier on.
This are is not immune from shooting in Toronto trend, unfortunately.

Kensington attracts some rough individuals, especially in the late hours, but that hasn't stopped me from going there almost every weekend. Lots of interesting subjects to photograph. I've got dozens of shots from Kensington on my instagram account (in signature), if you feel like perusing.

The Doner place, Otto's, is particularly tasty.

Best,

Justin

 

[cz23]

I guess I'm just late to the game. Got into film photography earlier this year, teaching myself to develop BnW film and now pride myself as a beginner analog shooter.

I spent most of today walking downtown Guelph with my wife shooting historical landmarks with two film cameras. Had a few folks do double takes as I changed film at a restaurant while having lunch. Glad to say that I'm not alone, I've seen plenty of folks walking the downtown core with film cameras recently. At a party in Milton last night and got complimentary comments from a few folks about film posts mixed in with my usual digital bird pics on my Instagram account. I answered questions on film developing and scanning and start up costs as honestly as I could, and truth be told, I think a few of them might give it a try. We can, and we should do our best to spread the word. Show off your film images to friends and family, plant the seed.

I purchased a (new to me) 45 yr old Fujica st801 from Burlington Camera last week. Took a quick test roll for light leaks, chasing my dog around the backyard and was amazed at the quality of the Fujinon lens that came with the old camera. A few pics from the test roll, Ilford HP5+ shot at box speed and developed with Kodak T-Max and scanned with Epson v600.

Edit, sorry for the file size!

I like digital, but it will never offer such a lovely aesthetic. Congrats on two truly beautiful pictures.

Johm

 

[BLKRCAT]

x2. Kensington is pretty safe during the day. I don't go there as much as I used to because I want some variety but in the city there will be shootings, stabbings, etc. It's just something that comes with the amount of people living closely amongst one another.

I don't think that I would end up shooting in kensington at night though. Unless it's something like the winter solstice I wouldn't risk it.

Just need to be smart and aware when you are taking pictures.

 

[Mcary]

Leica DC held a photo walk yesterday at which I saw 2-3 young people with film Leicas another shooting sheet and Polaroid film with a Crown Graphic 4x5 and this young man using with a Hasselblad.

 

[Scapevision]

Clearly you've never been in Kensington Market in Toronto. There's more film shooters there than the rest of Canada.

 

[BLKRCAT]

zing.

10characters

 

[rfaspen]

I purchased a (new to me) 45 yr old Fujica st801 from Burlington Camera last week. Took a quick test roll for light leaks, chasing my dog around the backyard and was amazed at the quality of the Fujinon lens that came with the old camera. A few pics from the test roll, Ilford HP5+ shot at box speed and developed with Kodak T-Max and scanned with Epson v600.

Fuji made a lot of stunning lenses. Truly stunning. I just wish they made more of them for my favorite rangefinders 🙁. I can only recall one LTM Fujinon ever being made (and no M-mount). Of course its rare and expensive 🙁😡

Anyway, as your lovely canine photos attest. Beautiful lens, nice SLR camera (I had a Fujica briefly), and quite nice photographic compositions, etc. Go Fuji.