Why is RF the "last" stronghold of film usage

joachim

joachim

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Hi,

To me it seems that rangefinder photography is a last stronghold of film usage. Any idea why?

Let me give a few points to reason the above:
  1. Most 35mm film cameras I could by new are rangefinder
    1. Leica M7 and MP
    2. Voigtländer (3 or 6 models depending how you count)
    3. Zeiss Ikon
  2. In contrast to my knowledge the Nikon F6 is the last survivor in 35mm Film SLR
  3. Rangefinder is also still strong in MF - You can still get a new Mamiya M7 with all the lenses
  4. Ok, here I am not so sure how to count medium SLRs since in many cases you just put another back behind the same kit, but Film only medium SLRs (e.g. Pentax 67 & 645 line) have died.
Any idea why that is? Is the market just so flooded with used film SLRs that there is less point in making those than there is in making rangers.

I look forward to your thoughts. Many thanks for reading.

Best wishes
Joachim
 
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I'm not sure what you mean by "stronghold of film usage." Film is exposed (used) in every format that you can still buy it in or cut it for by a vast array of cameras. It sounds like you are talking about camera manufacturing. Did you know that a number of large format cameras are still made today?
 
loquax ludens said:
I'm not sure what you mean by "stronghold of film usage." Film is exposed (used) in every format that you can still buy it in or cut it for by a vast array of cameras. It sounds like you are talking about camera manufacturing. Did you know that a number of large format cameras are still made today?
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Hi,

Thanks for asking back. With "stronghold" I mean that in the rangefinder community (this community) there seems more interest in "burning" film than in the SLR community, to the point that it makes sense manufacturing new cameras for them.

Also it seems to me, that film users are favouring rangefinder cameras, but that could just be, that RFF is my (personal) favourite resource when asking film related questions. The other places I hang out, show no interest in film any more :(
 
Roger Hicks said:
Dear Joachim,

What about MF and LF?

Cheers,

R.
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Hi Roger,

Thanks for replying. I was under the impression that 24 MP Nikon FX bodies and 40+ MP medium format backs are eating heavily into the film market which used to be MF and LF. You perceive that different?

Joachim
 
joachim said:
Hi Roger,

Thanks for replying. I was under the impression that 24 MP Nikon FX bodies and 40+ MP medium format backs are eating heavily into the film market which used to be MF and LF. You perceive that different?

Joachim
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Dear Joachim,

Certainly, the sheer volume of film we used to put through the Hasselblads and Sinars thirty years ago just isn't there. But RFs were always a niche market to begin with, and there's not much choice in digi RFs, so it's no surprise that there are still lots of film RF users.

I think I may have misunderstood your question slightly. I took it to refer to the volume of film used today in absolute terms per camera type, not relative to the past, and I doubt if RFs really are all that significant. On further reflection, in fact, I'd bet that the REAL stronghold is still disposable cameras.

Cheers,

R.
 
I think the reason that there appears to be more RF cameras still being made than SLRs is because there is an *enormous* number of SLRs available second hand, and maybe even as a niche for someone like Cosina, the market is not viable, as you're competing against used, very nice cameras. With RFs you compete too, but most second user RFs out there maybe don't have the features people want, like AE, or even a meter at all. RFs never truly modernised in the way SLRs did, so maybe now there is a market for a more modern RF.

I think Roger is right, the film stronghold is likely disposables. Maybe Lomography takes a share (they claim 1 million members, so I guess that's a lot of film being used), but looking at APUG, the 35mm SLR still seems very popular there, more so than RF I think.
 
joachim said:
To me it seems that rangefinder photography is a last stronghold of film usage. Any idea why?
Click to expand...

am browsing occasionally dedicated film forums such as apug. all camera types seem to get equal use imo. no strongholds anywhere.
 
Walking around the streets of NYC I see a healthy number of 35mm rangefinders, 35 mm SLR and some medium format TLRs.
Nice vintage-y SLRs definitely more often, usually in the hands of 20-30 something year olds, many photography students (I often stop chit-chatting). Plus a number of holga-style plasticky cameras, in the hands of cute girls and aspiring hipsters :) .Not statistics, just anecdotes.


jarski said:
am browsing occasionally dedicated film forums such as apug. all camera types seem to get equal use imo. no strongholds anywhere.
Click to expand...
 
daninjc said:
Walking around the streets of NYC I see a healthy number of 35mm rangefinders, 35 mm SLR and some medium format TLRs.
Nice vintage-y SLRs definitely more often, usually in the hands of 20-30 something year olds, many photography students (I often stop chit-chatting). Plus a number of holga-style plasticky cameras, in the hands of cute girls and aspiring hipsters :) .Not statistics, just anecdotes.
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Do you also happen to notice that those types, seem to carry the camera as just another fashion accessory and they hardly take a picture and if they do they make sure others of their type notice them. They do this by standing for a long time in a place and discussing the shot with their 'spotter' or as a group, they're always two or more, never a single one because the idea of looking for pictures all alone is unthinkable to them if not down right silly... You might see them as 'hope' I see them as hopelessness.
 
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Ilford, Kodak and Fuji still make most formats of film all the way upto very large formats including 20x24. so there is a market. There are lots of LF camera manufacturers out there and a few MF manufacturers. yes new 35mm film cameras are few and far between but there is a huge second hand market.
Look at APUG forum and Manualfocus forum and largeformatphotography forum and you will find that RFF forum is not the only one that talks film.
 
I've heard the 'cameras as hipster fashion' for a long time - but I noticed it in Seattle. I see a lot of who'd probably meet the hipster title with Holgas and SLRs but they seem to be using them regularly.

Its usually one person in a group of friends, taking shots. And slowing the group down while they work out compositions.

Again, anecdotal, but I do wonder if the jewlery position is over played... and if there are more collectors here. ;)
 
I´d say MF in general is the stronghold of film. The hipsters with their Holgas and Dianas count for some. But even "proper" MF cameras are on the rise as the new enthusiast favourite. Technical quality way surpassing 135, and yet for a price bordering on the laughable. Yes each frame costs more, but as Roger has always said, the number of keepers go up, in direct correlation to the decrease in the number of frames exposed.
 
I agree with the OP that RF is the last stronghold but would quality that as by saying in 35mm. This is because RF photography is associated with "street photography" and a specific genre of photography that is also a fun hobby. "Photography" isn't your passion or hobby - it's specifically street photography. Although you can do this type of photography with any camera, it is a genre that us usually specific to the use of a film rangefinder loaded with traditional black and white film stock, like Tri-X. Another closely related "stronghold" is the current Holga movement. Visiting those blogs, you have your Holgas but those shooters tend to opt more toward point-n-shoots when they go "off-Holga" in 35mm. Although you can do this kind of photography with any kind of camera, the rangefinder is the "tool of the trade". Increasingly, however, I'm finding modern digital cameras with some simple mods to be more useful than rangefinders for this type of photography.

The only thing lacking is the "bokeh" aspect (in addition to the black and white) which is requisite part of the RF style.
 
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the last 10 or so gallery shows i have stumbled into have been put on by the 'useless' hipster crowd that wear cameras as 'accesories'

they actually fou d a retail storefront here, put in a darkroom and opened a gallery. silly useless buggers, been open a few years now.
 
Cause no one has made an affordable digital RF style camera that is fast or designed for anything other than novice shooters.
 
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