It's official; Film is Cool

[bensyverson]

Google is your friend. This is old news and the photo forums were red hot with threads about it when he said it. CEO Perez "Film is dead".

Not rumour. Fact.

Thanks—I wasn't familiar with this "Google."

Seriously though, all I can find are a bunch of photo forums talking about the quote. Can anyone point me to the original? I'm not doubting its veracity. I just want to read it in context.

 

[jsrockit]

http://www.whec.com/news/stories/s1956065.shtml

 

[tlitody]

Thanks—I wasn't familiar with this "Google."

Seriously though, all I can find are a bunch of photo forums talking about the quote. Can anyone point me to the original? I'm not doubting its veracity. I just want to read it in context.

stuff disappears from the web but a fairly full transcript exists at dpreview.

 

[bensyverson]

Really? Maybe I'm not Googling hard enough. When I search for "film is dead" and "Perez" on dpreview, I only get 8 forum posts.

Again, not doubting it happened, but forgive me for not immediately believing a forum post.

 

[tlitody]

Try this. The actual quote is "film is gone" but I guess it got translated pretty darn quick.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/07/business/07interview.html?scp=1&sq=kodak+perez&st=nyt

 

[Andy Kibber]

My film use is down significantly year over year. I did shoot a roll with my Nikon F100 on Sunday though.

Forget manual cameras. The F100 never makes a mistake as far as I can tell. 🙂

 

[Nikon Bob]

I agree... though many on this site make like digital is so damn evil. Photos are photos. There is room for both and great images are made daily with both.

Ain't that the truth though.

Bob

 

[bensyverson]

Try this. The actual quote is "film is gone" but I guess it got translated pretty darn quick.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/07/business/07interview.html?scp=1&sq=kodak+perez&st=nyt

Oh, excellent. Thank you very much.

Film is gone, and single-purpose cameras are on their way out, too. Devices to capture images will not only be in cellphones, but in jewelry, in glasses frames, in all sorts of multipurpose items that you carry or wear.

This is in the context of mass-market consumer products, so it's true that "film is gone" and people use cellphone cameras more than "single-purpose cameras" these days. I'm not so sure about jewelry cams though. 😉

 

[Gabriel M.A.]

I agree... though many on this site make like digital is so damn evil. Photos are photos. There is room for both and great images are made daily with both.

Swirly backgrounds, uncropped photos...it's all good. 🙂


The trick is making the photo work.


And, once again, for those who believe that there is only one Photographic Truth (that of "Film"): I beat on the Daguerreotype Drum: bring it back!

Seriously, I love film. Please don't fundamentalize it.

 

[sara]

More young people processing maybe because of "the Lomo thing", or the fact that people believe film cameras are "retro" and wear one around their neck to "make themselves look cool", as I've come across many before.

 

[Jamie Pillers]

"Shooting on a manual camera means you can't make a mistake".

If I remember correctly, the word "bracketing" was used frequently when using film all those years ago. 🙂

 

[wooiloon]

Printing in the darkroom is even more fun 😀

 

[tlitody]

More young people processing maybe because of "the Lomo thing", or the fact that people believe film cameras are "retro" and wear one around their neck to "make themselves look cool", as I've come across many before.

I think there is a bit of a resurgence from the colleges. Most of them rushed to digital because it used computers which they already had. But of course a decent digital camera is far more expensive than a decent film camera.
And the colleges have found that using film is a better tool for teaching. A lot of people don't like using computers and students can't afford photoshop etc etc. So colleges are pushing film as the medium of choice for people starting out.

 

[jsrockit]

And the colleges have found that using film is a better tool for teaching. A lot of people don't like using computers and students can't afford photoshop etc etc. So colleges are pushing film as the medium of choice for people starting out.

I would imagine that any photography program would push both... if you are learning photograhy on the college level... and not just taking one class, there is plenty of time to learn it all and you'd be a fool to neglect learning the digital process.

When you take weekend or week long classes at the ICP here in NYC, they prefer you to use digital (or for you to develop / scan overnight) so the images from the prior day can be put on the screen right away for critique the next morning.

And seriously... you are stating that students can afford college, but can't afford a student copy of photoshop? That's BS. When you are in art school, it goes without saying that you will be spending money on supplies. It's not like film, fiber / c-print paper, presentation materials, etc are cheaper.

 

[tlitody]

I would imagine that any photography program would push both... if you are learning photograhy on the college level... and not just taking one class, there is plenty of time to learn it all.

Well yes, but I know that in the UK colleges like to get students started using film. It has a lot more to offer on the learning curve.

 

[Pickett Wilson]

"If I remember correctly, the word "bracketing" was used frequently when using film all those years ago. 🙂"

Especially with slow slide film!

The year was 1972. Olympic Games. Nine FPS was there!

http://www.mir.com.my/rb/photography/hardwares/classics/canonf1/html/canonf1highspeed.htm

Later, Walter Iooss shot with a special 14 FPS Canon New F1.

Back in the "olden days," as a newspaper shooter, I consistently shot 100 rolls of film a week. When your paycheck depended on getting the photo, you bracketed! 🙂

 

[shadowfox]

I agree... though many on this site make like digital is so damn evil. Photos are photos. There is room for both and great images are made daily with both.

Some of us are passionate about film photography, in which the process is part of the enjoyment as much as the end result.

I love digital technology, but I don't find the pleasure when I work on photos in Lightroom or PS compared to when I am in the darkroom.

But digital is not evil, it's cool even! 🙂

 

[GSNfan]

One thing which I really like about film, apart from the look and its asthetic is the fact that it makes me work hard, processing, scanning all of that to me is work and rewarding. No click, click in front of the screen with a hand on the 'undo' button, its more thoughtful preparation and execution and then reward.

IMO laziness and quality work are mutually exclusive.

 

[jsrockit]

Well yes, but I know that in the UK colleges like to get students started using film. It has a lot more to offer on the learning curve.

Well, I'm not so sure it has more to offer... I think they just think it is an important process to learn from a historical stand point. Digital allows one to see their mistakes a lot quicker... I would think that is beneficial for learning.

 

[tlitody]

Well, I'm not so sure it has more to offer... I think they just think it is an important process to learn from a historical stand point. Digital allows one to see their mistakes a lot quicker... I would think that is beneficial for learning.

No, there is far more than history to be learnt. A 10x8 camera can be had for peanuts. A digital back for a large format camera can't. Film makes entry into the marketplace far cheaper for people starting out with little money.