How film cameras won over a younger generation

[logan2z]

‘You only have one shot’: how film cameras won over a younger generation

A new wave of enthusiasts are eschewing the multi-megapixel convenience of digital photography in favour of an older, slower, ‘magical’ tech

www.theguardian.com

 

[Sirius Glass]

Thank you. That was very enjoyable to read.

 

[donotpaint]

Thanks for posting this. I thought the little note on gender was interesting. As a younger photographer, reading that note made me realize just how many disposable-camera photographers are women. Whereas it seems that most disposable-camera photographers are women, the distribution of manual film photographers is more even among all genders. I wonder why this gap exists, and I wonder if there's money to be had in marketing disposable cameras to genders other than female.

 

[gone]

A purse is a great place to stash a small camera, that may explain the difference using disposable cameras.

I almost never see a woman w/ a "real" camera, and I've lived all over the mainland US and in Hi. So my market research (based on an unweighted sample of one) thinks the gender split isn't that close. Our membership here has tons of males, but few females.

 

[Agulliver]

Nice article, mirrored by what I see and am told in more or less East Anglia. It is curious that I see more young women than young men with "real" cameras. My local camera shop is selling film cameras from all eras to young people, split slightly in favour of women/girls.
I know I'm directly responsible for at least 10 sales of film cameras to friends (all women, BTW) and at least three fridges full of film by talking up film photography.

So how long before being a middle aged man shooting on film has me as a minority in the film community?

I'm given to understand that a lot of the impetus behind the 110 format, the ill-fated disc format and general miniaturisation of 35mm cameras was so that they'd fit in ladies' purses and small handbags. It isn't surprising that this is still a factor, and a lot of the smaller cameras look damned cute. Which may appeal to women. though I am generalising hugely.

The biggest change compared to 10 years ago is that younger adults and teenagers no longer stare at me like I am some madman when I'm out and about shooting film. A few even approach and ask what gear I'm using. The knowing looks exchanged between myself and a teenage Japanese woman wielding a bright pink Hasselblad were priceless.

 

[John Wolf]

I'm skeptical, given the cost of film, processing, and scanning. Presumably, youngsters prefer color. If so, how do they afford it?

If the "winning over" is real, I just can't see it being sustained at today's prices. Granted, this is coming from a retired, fixed-income cheapskate

John

 

[Tel]

Before I retired, I used to bring my Kinor 35N movie camera to work and we'd shoot a sync-sound scene on short ends (remember those?). When the college got some Sony F5s I used those for most of my teaching but the students insisted on keeping the 35mm project going. When I retired I gave the Kinor package to a former student, who's still using it. I asked them what was the appeal and they couldn't describe it in detail, just said it was way cooler.

One time we were working on a student's thesis piece, shooting in the wee hours of the morning in a freezing drizzle in a supermarket parking lot. We were doing it by the book, double-system sync sound, proper slating and shot notation, measuring focus etc. As we were setting up a new shot, one student asked me if this is the way it was done in the real world and I said it was. She said, "I like it."

 

[AgX]

Depends on what you understand by "won over a younger generation". I read this as a whole generation having turned to film.

I did not see that, not even a hint of that. Unless, the last two years, veiled by the restrictions, this all happened.
But as with many aspects talked about at this forum: we live in worlds apart.

And amongst those who showed interest I experienced so far the majority leaving film again. Leaving a small hard core. Together big enough to make up for nearly all people sporting a film camera I came across, and big enough to empty Mirko's stock. But not a generation.

Nearly all young folks I have closer contacts with are students. Art, design, photography students. Maybe I thus am biased and the young folks talked about here are to be found elsewhere...

 

[Helios 1984]

The echo chamber is a real thing. I have a friend who used to believe that, in North America, there were infinitely more people driving cars with a manual transmissions. His father drove a standard, so did his brother, uncle and cousins, so, naturally, he was under the impression that everyone drove standards. He was in disbelief when he learned the hard truth. I had to tell him, that’s what friends are supposed to do.

 

[mtnbkr]

Just a couple weeks ago I saw a young (younger than me at least, she was probably in her early 30s) woman carrying a vintage Minolta film camera around a local festival. At the same festival, I saw an older (again, older than me, probably 50s-60s) with what appeared to be a Leica film rangefinder. Then I suppose there was the guy that bought my Crown Graphic last year. He was about my age, maybe a touch younger. Apparently he and his young son were into film photography and wanted to give large format a try.

Otherwise, I haven't seen many film cameras at all in any hands aside from my own.

Also, the local Wal-Marts still sell Fuji Superia 400 3-packs (saw some just the other day). *Someone* is buying it because the pegs keep emptying.

Chris

 

[AgX]

Otherwise, I haven't seen many film cameras at all in any hands aside from my own.

The number of encounters with people sporting a film camera per year in the wild I had over the last 20 years has remained constant. BUT the age turned from elderly men to people in their twenties.
Which, seen the low number, though is of little statistical significance...

Another aspect is the use of film cameras. If not sported visibly by purpose they may remain inside a bag or at home used only at special occasions, whereas for the snapping around still the phone is used.


Yet another issue is the internet sale, which can veil trends, not seen just looking at sales at brick&mortar shops, where films even the very last years were kind of stuck to the shelves (instant films aside). One may argue that then internet sales may show a trend. But likely a online shop got no age information, unless such is revealed by the provider of money transfer.

A further aspect is local hotspots. Something seemingly existing in Germany.

 

[Rayt]

I have a good friend in Hong Kong who runs an one-hour photo lab and used camera store. His customers are overwhelmingly high school age and female. Business is good. Classic SLRs with 50mm are good sellers.

 

[TheFlyingCamera]

I almost never see a woman w/ a "real" camera, and I've lived all over the mainland US and in Hi. So my market research (based on an unweighted sample of one) thinks the gender split isn't that close. Our membership here has tons of males, but few females.

I teach photography at a photography center here outside Washington DC. We have LOTS of women of all ages using "real" cameras, from our 77 year old director ( a Hasselblad ) to the teenage girls with 35mm SLRs.

 

[Cholentpot]

As a 'younger generation' but not that young any more. It's really about the variety of cameras and formats. You go with digital it's one flavor covered different ways.

Film? Folders, TLR, SLR, Scale, Box, Disposables, point and shoots, 4x5, 2x3, 120 in 6x45, 6x6, 6x7, 6x8 6x9, 35mm, half-frame, APS, 110, 16mm, Minox, black and white, color, slide, Polaroid, Intax, wide, square, mini, Zinx, fresh film, expired film, bulk film, cine film, Nikon, Canon, Pentax, Olympus, Minolta, Leica, Yashica, Chinon, Lubtiel, Lomo, K mount, F mount, FD, EF, M42, M39, Darkroom, Scanning, labs, home developed and on and on.

As opposed to digital which is more or less, mirrorless, mirror, full frame, APS-C, lightroom and photoshop. I'm simplifying sure, but it's really really not the wide open field that film was. Some of us like variety and film photography gives it in gobs and gobs.

And with all that, if there was a viable full frame 35mm digital drop in adapter that I could drop in and forget about I'd get one in a blink. I think it'll happen some day but we're not quite there yet.

 

[Agulliver]

From what I see and am told by the proprietors of camera shops in the East of England (and on a trip to Wales pre-pandemic)....it is indeed mostly colour film that the youngsters want. They buy an affordable camera, which costs no more than a "refurbished" base level digital compact (usually under £100) and shoot a roll every 3-4 weeks.

A couple of colleges have resumed teaching film photography after stopping more than a decade ago because the students wanted it back on the curriculum.

 

[pentaxuser]

A couple of colleges have resumed teaching film photography after stopping more than a decade ago because the students wanted it back on the curriculum.

Now that's one of the best indicators of an interest when colleges who tailor their courses to meet the interest of prospective students who pay for the courses. Every college needs to have revenue in mind so only resurrect courses if the demand exists

I enjoyed the story that opened the thread but we can't read too much into one story by itself. I have yet to see anyone in my town sporting a film camera but I do see plenty of fathers at my grandson's football matches holding camera phones at arm's length when I am holding my Pentax to my eye

pentaxuser

 

[faberryman]

The only time you only have one shot with a film camera is when you have already taken 35 shots and you didn't bring along another roll of film.

 

[Agulliver]

The only time you only have one shot with a film camera is when you have already taken 35 shots and you didn't bring along another roll of film.

Technically true, but what I read into the meaning of the young person is that compared to being able to shoot literally hundreds of shots on your phone - effectively for free - having a limited number of shots on a film is a totally different experience. One that some young people are learning to embrace and enjoy. Rather than the instant gratification of seeing their 100 burst shots on a screen and missing what's going on around them, they take a shot or two and then enjoy life in the moment.

 

[faberryman]

Technically true, but what I read into the meaning of the young person is that compared to being able to shoot literally hundreds of shots on your phone - effectively for free - having a limited number of shots on a film is a totally different experience. One that some young people are learning to embrace and enjoy. Rather than the instant gratification of seeing their 100 burst shots on a screen and missing what's going on around them, they take a shot or two and then enjoy life in the moment.

Do young people really take "100 burst shots" with their phones, "missing what is going on around them"? Or is that what old film users think young people do?

 

[Cholentpot]

Do young people really take "100 burst shots" with their phone, "missing what is going on around them"? Or is that what old film users think young phone users do?

Who the heck does burst shots on cell phones. You'll fill up your memory and then have to go and delete everything in a time consuming annoying fashion. Still photos are like, ick anyhow. Video clips get the point across better anyhow.

 

[Agulliver]

Who the heck does burst shots on cell phones. You'll fill up your memory and then have to go and delete everything in a time consuming annoying fashion. Still photos are like, ick anyhow. Video clips get the point across better anyhow.

I hate to break it to you, but most mid level smartphones have at least 128Gb internal storage and many can have a terabyte micro SD card. More often than not these days kids have unlimited data plans and save everything direct to the cloud. Memory is simply not an issue at all. People do take a hundred shots of the same thing and then look through them. That's part of the problem with scattergun photography. It works, but you lose your sense of being in the moment.

This is a crucial part of why some younger people are finding film photography to be so good for them.

I work with teenage kids. I also own a good Smartphone. I just choose not to use it quite that way. But it's certainly one of the stock options without going into any of the advanced modes on the stock camera app.

 

[Andrew O'Neill]

Film being popular is real. My course has been growing steadily over the past four years... It has nothing to do with my lovely personality and wit. Kids are digging up their grand parents' old film cameras. Earlier in the week, a girl brought in her Grandad's Pentax MV. In mint condition with three lenses. Her Grandad gave her a battery, I rolled her some film, and out the door she went. Next school year my program will increase by another class. My goal is to be teaching photography full time (I also teach ceramics, drawing/painting, etc) by the time I retire in a few years.
The challenge with teens is to get them to slow down, pay attention, think what they are doing...and to be patient! The other challenge is getting them to keep their damn phones out of the darkroom!! They're learning.

 

[Cholentpot]

I hate to break it to you, but most mid level smartphones have at least 128Gb internal storage and many can have a terabyte micro SD card. More often than not these days kids have unlimited data plans and save everything direct to the cloud. Memory is simply not an issue at all. People do take a hundred shots of the same thing and then look through them. That's part of the problem with scattergun photography. It works, but you lose your sense of being in the moment.

This is a crucial part of why some younger people are finding film photography to be so good for them.

I work with teenage kids. I also own a good Smartphone. I just choose not to use it quite that way. But it's certainly one of the stock options without going into any of the advanced modes on the stock camera app.

I have midlevel with 128gb etc...phone still gets full between the stupid memes and videos that half my contacts NEEEEEEED to message me.

 

[faberryman]

I guess my experience is unique. My children didn't take 100 burst shots and miss what was going on around them. Neither do the young people I see when I am out and about. Neither do the young people I interact with in both film and digital classes at my local community college. They do check their email a lot, and maybe watch a lot of TikTok videos.

The primary reason the young people in the film classes at my community college weren't taking many shots was that for them film was expensive. They were also sharing 25 packs of paper and trying to determine exposure with test strips the size of postage stamps.

 

[Duceman]

I'm skeptical, given the cost of film, processing, and scanning. Presumably, youngsters prefer color. If so, how do they afford it?

If the "winning over" is real, I just can't see it being sustained at today's prices. Granted, this is coming from a retired, fixed-income cheapskate

John

I recently watched a YouTube video of a young amateur film photographer that I follow. She mentioned having paid $20 for a roll of Portra 400, and then another $20 for its development/scanning. So $40 for a roll... and still no prints? I found that to be quite shocking. As for myself, I'm quite cheap as well, and do all of my developing at home. This usually means storing shot film in the freezer until I have enough to justify mixing up a batch of chemicals (mostly for color print of chrome film). Just last week, I developed ~20 rolls of color print film from one Unicolor batch of chemicals... putting developing costs at about $1.50 per roll.