Do you think film gear cost will keep going up?

[rayonline_nz]

Speaking of longer term like 5-10yrs do you think it will remain pretty static or would it go up? I mean, I think they have gone up lately but later in the years do you think it would keep going that way or would it pull back?

Not talking about expensive ones though. Just the typical RB67, 645 gear the Hassie 500 gear with the common run of the mill lens.



Cheers.

 

[Kino]

Supply and demand; these cameras are not being made anymore and as they break beyond repair and are scavenged for parts, the price would tend to go up.

That should be tempered by the actual demand; just how long will film hold the fascination of up and coming photographers?

Also, while we do have a number of film manufacturers with a fairly stable supply, anything can happen.

The prices could peak next week or in 10 years; who knows?

Grab what you need/want now, get it repaired while there are still repair shops and hope it lasts as long as you need it...

 

[MattKing]

Yes if film and lab services remain accessible.
No if not.

 

[Kino]

The Pro and Semi-Pro grade, systems cameras are what will go away and probably never come back.

Realistically, a 3D printed camera with a decent large format lens can give any of the cameras listed stiff competition for image quality, but they are for the most part inconvenient to operate compared to the above.

For me, it's the double plus of shooting nice images and holding a mechanical work of art.

At the bare minimum, you can take images with a sealed cardboard box and a pinhole...

 

[guangong]

An open question with many variables. However, quality cameras such as Leica, Nikon, Hasselblad, etc in all probability will go up in price if film remains a choice, Due in part to attrition of supply due to floods, dropping, being run over, and all other disasters that can befall camera equipment. Also, lack of replacement parts. It seems that almost every camera design has a weakness, so that the same part tends to fail for any given model.
However, I would not hoard cameras as a future investment. Also, mechanical film cameras require a craftsmanship no longer available, so don’t expect any new cameras to be produced. But so many high end cameras were bought as a fashion accessory by so many were heeled lawyers, physicians and others, that there are still a lot of like new forgotten cameras to be minded from drawers and closets.

 

[BrianShaw]

In general, the cost of almost everything keeps going up. Hopefully wages too!

 

[voceumana]

Let's hope that film usage remains active so that new film cameras of high quality will be manufactured again in sufficient numbers to drive down the cost of used equipment. But high quality digital equipment certainly seems to remain fairly expensive--this may simply reflect the high cost to manufacture and sell such equipment. If that's the case, then even new equipment will be expensive, and used prices would tend to remain high.

I bought a Pentax 67II body as a demo when the product line just became obsolete for about $900. To my surprise, these are now selling for over twice that price on the used market.

 

[4season]

I don't possess a crystal ball, but things fall in and out of favor, some relics from the past will resonate with a new generation of fans, while others will simply collect dust. For instance, at the moment it appears that Kyocera Contax items like premium compact 35mm cameras and the G system are red-hot, while German Contax items including Contax rangefinder systems, not so much. Nor do best-of-breed items necessarily attract most attention.

But more so than the 1980s and 1990s, I get the sense that today's younger buyers are more value-conscious, they'll set limits on what they're willing to spend, and they stick pretty closely to them.

Can't ignore demographic trends either: Baby boomers are downsizing, and birthrates are falling below replacement levels in almost every region of the world. Older people die, and their descendants simply want to be rid of all of their elder's accumulated possessions.