You gotta love this forum... like a parallel universe... simultaneous debates in the same thread...
And yet, as film use surges in popularity, film sales continue to decline in double digits quarter after quarter. It's a mystery.
Surge is probably not the best adjective... processing 20 -30 rolls of film per day is hardly going to keep the doors open of my local lab. But there does seem to be renewed interest in using film as an imaging media in my local area among mothers and students.
As for film continuing sales decline... I can understand that. I work with a number of people in the film industry, OK, Sydney is not Hollywood, but Sydney is the home of Fox Studios that produces steady stream of major releases like the Matrix series and etc. According to my contacts, while film is being used an archival media, there is big trend toward digital especially among small film makers and documentaries. And the Canon 5D Mk II has been a huge hit among small producers. As the movie industry continues to move toward digital there will continue to be a steady and major decline in film sales.
The survival of film depends on the ability of manufacturers to move their production lines from mass production to a small run, speciality product. If I was going to make any prediction about film, it go along these lines... I believe film will be continue to be made indefinitely, probably even forever, but not by the familiar names that we now know, Kodak or Fuji, but by either a currently small firm such as Efke or Foma, or by a start-up that is purpose built for small runs.
There was a discussion of profit margins in developing/printing... this is indeed true.
Charing Cross make no bones about being expensive... $14 for processing and a set of prints from a 24 exp roll of C-41. But I am happy to pay that as the service they provide is top notch. Charing Cross use an Agfa machine for prints, they are happy to set-up a profile for each film that I bring in, in fact they have reprinted a 5 rolls of film now 3 times for me at no charge to get the exact contrast, color correction, and etc. that I want... and all this for a nice set of 4x6 prints. They print on heavy paper and the finished product is simply gorgeous 4x6 prints that are a joy to behold.
I can hear all the US-based photographers proclaiming that they could never afford $14 a roll, and that was my opinion for a while. But I suddenly realised that I will pay for what I want, I buy the morning paper each day... $1... and have at least 1 espresso every day and usually 3 at $3 each... so I am willing to $7 to $10 each day on little things that I consider essential to me having a good day. Photography has been a very important part of my life for over 30 years, something that I find great joy in. So allowing my self to shoot a roll or two of film each week is no different than my allowance to drink 3 espresso's each day. So simply drinking a few less cups of coffee each week and buying the paper only every other day, I am getting my film processed and printed for free.
It is one of life small pleasures to be able to use my 50 year old Nikon F to expose rolls of film that I drop-off at the lab. The next afternoon I pick-up an envelope of beautiful prints that I review over a cup of coffee at my favorite café.
