Random analog thoughts...

[Ted Striker]

Ted, the short answer is that I'm married to a Japanese citizen, that takes care of my being a legal resident here. The reason I choose to live in Japan is because I love it here.

Good luck with your dreams.

Mike

Yep, that will do it.

Japan is indeed a great place. I've been there 7 or 8 times and never tire of the country.

 

[Ted Striker]

But the photo world is a lot bigger than Ann Arbor Michigan.

Not sure what else to say really other than I agree with what the OP has said about measuring the uptick from the low point ( 2008?), not 1999.

The closest lab to me for color is 225 miles away so what little color I do, I send out. For black and white I use this new lab:

The labs that no longer exist that I referred to were in Chicago, a city of 3.5 million people.

 

[Ted Striker]

Personally I would not measure the intensity of a resurgence in film photography based against levels that it previously enjoyed before it’s demise. Instead I would try to measure any new growth against the low point in film’s use. As to whether or not a true renaissance is happening, or is possible or is just plain ludicrous depends on each individual’s point of view. With that in mind I suppose some sort of agreed upon standards would need to be established. One of those would have to do with the documented opening of new film processing labs. Another would surely have to do with the introduction or the reintroduction of film options that did not exist at films’ low point. Another measure would of course be the introduction (or again the reintroduction) of film cameras that do not currently exist.

I realize that this this last unit of measure is the least likely to happen but also the single biggest indicator of a true renewed interest in film by both photographers and industry alike. I’m sure that this is the event that most would never see happening. People used to say exactly the same thing about turntables. (At one point in the late eighties after I bought a new turntable I literally could not give my old Technics turntable away. When it became apparent that no one wanted it I sadly ended up throwing it out in a dumpster as I just didn’t have enough storage space for it.) So I’ll go out on a limb here, purely for the sake of conversation, and predict that we’ll see a film camera introduced by someone other than Leica within the next five years.

Fujifilm introduced some really nice film cameras around 5 years ago. The Klasse S, Klasse W 35mm cameras were really nice and cost around $400. I wish I bought one of those. Also, they produced some of the finest medium format cameras to ever exist; the GF670 and GF670W. I did buy those.

Unfortunately, Fujifilm's total lack of interest in still film faded and they ceased making these cameras.

 

[Dralowid]

Did you get my Telex?

 

[Guth]

I’m sure that there are plenty of people who won’t pay much attention to this story, but this guy generates a lot of attention among a good sized subset of the population. A move like this will have much more impact than your typical new business venture.

Jack White launches photo lab

 

[bmattock]

I’m sure that there are plenty of people who won’t pay much attention to this story, but this guy generates a lot of attention among a good sized subset of the population. A move like this will have much more impact than your typical new business venture.

Jack White launches photo lab

Yeah, Jack White is into everything I like these days. Cool story, thank you!

 

[Guth]

By the way, I had not noticed earlier that this thread was moved to a different forum (film vs digital). I now better understand some of the earlier comments.

 

[css9450]

Interesting. What's the lab's name in Glen Ellyn. I'm sometimes in Naperville and might pop buy and use them if I have a need.

PJ's Camera on Roosevelt Road in Glen Ellyn. They do C-41 in-house and I think their E-6 is done there too but I've not used it. Their B&W is done on an as-needed basis depending on volume. Nice people; been there since the 70s.