Film in China

RattyMouse · Oct 22, 2013

Here's an idea how well film photography is doing in China. A few weeks ago was one of China's golden week long holidays. I took my family up to Xi'an China for the week, doing lots of sight seeing. I came back with 16 rolls of exposed film. I waited a week to send them into the lab since I knew the holiday would result in a lot of work for my lab. After 7 days I sent in my film and was told that they still had a crushing load of film to process and I would not get my film back for at least 14 days. The usual turn around time is 4 days.

So there are plenty of film shooters out there here in Shanghai, that is for sure. The lab I use is quite popular and doing extremely well.

hdeyong · Oct 23, 2013

Ratty, do you think these people are using film because it's traditional, because they like it better, or maybe they just don't want to buy an new digital camera? Any ideas?

Nuff · Oct 23, 2013

It would be interesting to hear why. When I travelled in Nepal 4 months ago, there were a lot of Chinese tourists. 99% had digital cameras. But few had some nice film cameras, mostly rangefinders, like leicas and bessas. And they looked like very well off tourists, so I'm pretty sure they shot it because they must have preferred the results, look feel or something about it. Unfortunately I wasn't able to communicate with them, but my hasselblad got their attention.

RattyMouse · Oct 23, 2013

I am going to have to guess that almost all film use is from hobbyists like us. Film is VERY hard to find in the stores (except for Fuji Instax). You have to plan well ahead to have a supply of film. You wont find it on location unless you are seriously lucky.

Digital cameras, on the other hand, are EVERYWHERE. I mean EVERYWHERE. Also, Chinese are rabid smart phone users so they have cameras that way as well.

mandoloid · Oct 23, 2013

I could be off but I've sensed a very strong interest in all forms of photography in Asia, including traditional film. Look at the new film producing companies, the large format interest and of course the dominance of the Japanese camera manufacturers. I sold a Voightlander Bessa II with Heliar a few years ago on the auction site and fetched a good price from nearly 30 bids. All the bids save one (a Japanese bid) were from China. The camera went to Shanghai.

AgX · Oct 23, 2013

mandoloid said:
Look at the new film producing companies, ...

What new companies are there in Asia?

mandoloid · Oct 23, 2013

AgX, as soon as I sent my last post I was sure someone would call me on it. Quite fair, but sorry, I can't verify any "new" companies, only new to me. Shanghai, Lucky and Shantou-Era are some existing film producers. My point was that most of the action in new traditional photographic development that I see (what there is of it) is Asian. Shen-Hao, Chamonix, Cosina, Fuji, and the previous Foto-man are examples of newer film products being brought to market there and I'm pretty unfamiliar with any American or European stuff that is new. Of course we still have Zeiss, Rodenstock and Schneider for European lens production. "I could be off" but that's my sense

AgX · Oct 23, 2013

I understand.
But we must not forget that Lucky Film stopped their colour film production. Yes, Fuji is very successful in Asia with their Instax range.
Still there is innovation in Europe. Though on the photochemical field. The latest mechanical innovation would come from Silvestri I guess.

Mustafa Umut Sarac · Oct 23, 2013

Agx ,

When you will end short pulses of messages and start give us details. I cant read your mind. WHO are the inventors in Europe , what they did invented in photochemical field , what is the latest mechanical invention is coming from Silvestri. If you will keep writing meaningless posts like before , you will end in my ignore list. You are few does that every time , every post.

I had many german friends before and they play the wise Emmanuel Kant every time.

newtorf · Oct 23, 2013

I believe they like film or film camera better. I visit a Chinese photography forum (xitek.com) regularly. Films users are very active there.

hdeyong said:
Ratty, do you think these people are using film because it's traditional, because they like it better, or maybe they just don't want to buy an new digital camera? Any ideas?

AgX · Oct 23, 2013

Umut,

The phrase innovative is of course a ambiguous one. Let's say new products. Then we got in Europe Maco, Fotoimpex, Silvestri, Spur and Impossible.

The latest innovative photochemical product came from Lucky Film though. There RA-4 paper. And that was in 2010 or so.

abeku · Oct 23, 2013

mandoloid said:
...Shanghai, Lucky and Shantou-Era are some existing film producers.

Perhaps, you can sort this out for me? I thought Shantou-Era stopped making film years ago. At least the 135-film are gone and you'll only see some 4x5" film on eBay once in a while. Also when looking at the Lucky B/W films, the 120-films are gone and only 135-film SHD100 is available. Are they still making B/W film for the domestic market?

Ricardo Miranda · Oct 23, 2013

abeku
Yes, Lucky is still producing B&W SHD100 going by what they said last year to a member here. Colour films are out of production.

Ektagraphic · Oct 23, 2013

Very interesting to hear about. I would love to give some of the Chinese films a try such as ones from Shantou-Era but am not sure where I can find them

RattyMouse · Oct 23, 2013

I am not sure why people are interested in 3rd rate films. Kodak, Fuji, and Ilford are as good as it gets.

Fixcinater · Oct 24, 2013

I know some folks (not saying the ones expressing interest here are applicable) like it because they're bored with striving towards better. Same reason you'd use a Holga in place of a Hassy.

Better image quality != better images.

Arctic amateur · Oct 24, 2013

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PhotoJim · Oct 24, 2013

Lucky 100 is not a bad film. Its lack of an antihalation coating is a liability in some scenes, and an interesting attribute that you can exploit in others. There's a time and place for almost everything.

Richard S. (rich815) · Oct 24, 2013

RattyMouse said:
I am not sure why people are interested in 3rd rate films. Kodak, Fuji, and Ilford are as good as it gets.

I have a load of frozen Shantou ERA 100 in 135 that I got in Beijing a few years ago for 75 cents a roll. Sure for the same price I'd take Tmax 100, Delta 100, FP-4 or Acros instead every time but even for 75 cents it holds it's own against the others. It's a fine performer, even in a P&S camera:

UC Berkeley campus YashicaT4Super Shantou ERA100 D-76-90perStock 6min45sec 20C 2010-12 VSmac 9000 Scan-101211-0007 by rich8155 (Richard Sintchak), on Flickr

PKM-25 · Oct 24, 2013

Fixcinater said:
I know some folks (not saying the ones expressing interest here are applicable) like it because they're bored with striving towards better. Same reason you'd use a Holga in place of a Hassy.

Better image quality != better images.

The most talented photographers I know stick with a few films at most for years on end and make the content of the image the center of picture, not what film they tried out that week out of boredom.

Most are dabblers, few are masters...

Arctic amateur · Oct 24, 2013

Not everybody is trying to become a master.

Richard S. (rich815) · Oct 25, 2013

Arctic amateur said:
Not everybody is trying to become a master.

Any many who think they are, aren't.

Hatchetman · Oct 25, 2013

rich815 said:
Any many who think they are, aren't.

PKM-25 · Oct 26, 2013

What evs, as long as everyone is buying film. I don't care if it takes me all my life to master what I use, as long as I can make a living at it and keep aiming high...

Ken Nadvornick · Oct 26, 2013

rich815 said:
It's a fine performer, even in a P&S camera:

What an incredibly beautiful photograph...

Ken

Film in China

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