Is there really a strong interest in film photography?

[VinceInMT]

…. Older people are more settled. I went to my grandson's first birthday party a week ago. I was the only one there taking pictures (ahem, digital) with a real camera. The rest used their cellphones including my daughter and son-in-law who bought a real DSLR camera when he became a father. But they weren't even using it.…

Annie Liebowitz, who knows a thing or two about photography, said that when asked what camera she’d recommend to friends, she says the iPhone.

https://petapixel.com/2011/11/16/annie-leibovitz-calls-the-iphone-the-snapshot-camera-of-today/

 

[MattKing]

I could wrap my head around the reasoning behind enforced contactless transactions during the height of the pandemic. But it’s a little frustrating to not be able to use cash for the smallest, simplest purchases even now—and it’ll likely continue to get worse.

Banks up here charge commercial customers big fees for handling cash.
And of course, cash actually has to be handled, transported, secured, and that requires trusted employees or contractors (e.g. Brinks).
Cash also is a target for theft - including most importantly by employees. My former dentists lost big dollars and many of their patients experienced some unwarranted stress because the practice accepted cash, and because what they believed to be a long time trusted employee actually shouldn't have been trusted with cash.
Cash register systems that incorporate inventory control are more expensive than some of the POS systems for small businesses.
If 95% of your customers prefer to use plastic/their phones to pay for something, as a business owner you have to think long and hard about the additional administrative costs and burdens imposed because you accept cash.

 

[Agulliver]

For the purposes of which the average person used cameras in the past, a decent smart phone does the job. Most people never went beyond shooting a small number of rolls a year on holiday/vacation, at Christmas, recording Junior growing up and so on. Most people didn't have an SLR, and even if they had a compact zoom camera they didn't use all the features.

So for those purposes, a good phone does the job. My phone, hardly a flagship, does everything a good compact camera with 3x optical zoom ever did.

"fad" refers to something that is not long lasting. A short-lived, intense craze. The film resurgence has already been ongoing for five years, so it's quite some fad. Will it remain a niche? Yes, probably. But vinyl records are now one hell of a niche. The fact remains that I can go into my preferred supermarket and buy records along with my parsnips and chicken. 20 years ago I could buy film too. Perhaps in another two years I'll be able to again.

Henning has presented more than sufficient evidence that the increase in sales isn't merely an illusion down to lack of supply. If one wants to look.

 

[Cholentpot]

Annie Liebowitz, who knows a thing or two about photography, said that when asked what camera she’d recommend to friends, she says the iPhone.

https://petapixel.com/2011/11/16/annie-leibovitz-calls-the-iphone-the-snapshot-camera-of-today/

Liebowitz loves the Iphone because her vision matches the built in filters.

 

[Pieter12]

Liebowitz loves the Iphone because her vision matches the built in filters.

Which filters would that be? She's a pretty straightforward photographer who uses a lot of artificial light.

 

[Cholentpot]

Which filters would that be? She's a pretty straightforward photographer who uses a lot of artificial light.

Any of 'em. Her style always looks over the top to me.

Not my cup of tea but that doesn't mean I don't respect the work or the artist.

 

[Pieter12]

Any of 'em. Her style always looks over the top to me.

Not my cup of tea but that doesn't mean I don't respect the work or the artist.

She's a commercial/editorial photographer. I don't consider most of her work as art. I'm sure there are collectors who do.

 

[Cholentpot]

She's a commercial/editorial photographer. I don't consider most of her work as art. I'm sure there are collectors who do.

I have to tread lightly specifically when taking about Annie. Some people take disinterest or critical review as personal affront and insult specifically with Leibowitz for some reason.

 

[MattKing]

Liebowitz loves the Iphone because her vision matches the built in filters.

I think it may be the other way around - her vision inspired the built-in filters.
But I do think the "small sensor/lots of depth of field, advanced exposure control and tendency to get close to your subject" approach that seems natural with a cel phone isn't a bad place for many people to start. After that, some people take it a lot farther.

 

[Cholentpot]

I think it may be the other way around - her vision inspired the built-in filters.
But I do think the "small sensor/lots of depth of field, advanced exposure control and tendency to get close to your subject" approach that seems natural with a cel phone isn't a bad place for many people to start. After that, some people take it a lot farther.

I'm inclined to agree with you.

I have to say, although the vast majority of my stills are done with film, almost all video work I do is with my cellphone. It's the greatest movie camera I've ever owned.

 

[Sirius Glass]

I could wrap my head around the reasoning behind enforced contactless transactions during the height of the pandemic. But it’s a little frustrating to not be able to use cash for the smallest, simplest purchases even now—and it’ll likely continue to get worse.

I have been essentially cashless for over two decades. If one does not carry cash, then they are not seen with cash and are less likely to be held up by robbers.

 

[Pieter12]

I have been essentially cashless for over two decades. If one does not carry cash, then they are not seen with cash and are less likely to be held up by robbers.

It does hurt retailers, who have to pay a fee for a credit card or PayPal transaction. Not sure about debit cards or Venmo.

 

[Sirius Glass]

It does hurt retailers, who have to pay a fee for a credit card or PayPal transaction. Not sure about debit cards or Venmo.

NMP Not My Problem If they do not want to take my credit cards, I will shop elsewhere.

 

[VinceInMT]

I think it may be the other way around - her vision inspired the built-in filters.
But I do think the "small sensor/lots of depth of field, advanced exposure control and tendency to get close to your subject" approach that seems natural with a cel phone isn't a bad place for many people to start. After that, some people take it a lot farther.

Exactly. How many of us started with a high-end camera? Me, it was a Kodak Brownie Starmite. This was when I lived in Honolulu, about 1962.

If I counted “frames shot,” I know I shoot more with my iPhone than I do on film, primarily because when I write a travel blog and I can post everyday along the way. Digital makes that very easy.

 

[Sal Santamaura]

It does hurt retailers, who have to pay a fee for a credit card or PayPal transaction. Not sure about debit cards or Venmo.

A quarter century ago, one of my friends who operated a small retail business finally gave in and began accepting credit cards. He said that, one year later, his business doubled. Plastic is only a problem for those who use it and don't pay their statement balance in full each month.

 

[MattKing]

It does hurt retailers, who have to pay a fee for a credit card or PayPal transaction. Not sure about debit cards or Venmo.

Offering cash as a payment choice is far from inexpensive - see my post #1127 above. Around here Debit transactions are usually less expensive to the retailer than credit cards.
Canada just started permitting retailers to add a fee to a price if the customer elects to pay by credit card. So far we haven't seen much take-up.

 

[Sirius Glass]

How does one use cash to buy things on the internet?

 

[Pieter12]

Cash transactions are easy to keep off the books, something a few small business might be tempted to do.

 

[Alan Edward Klein]

Annie Liebowitz, who knows a thing or two about photography, said that when asked what camera she’d recommend to friends, she says the iPhone.

https://petapixel.com/2011/11/16/annie-leibovitz-calls-the-iphone-the-snapshot-camera-of-today/

What we need is an iPHone that shoots film.

 

[Alan Edward Klein]

Banks up here charge commercial customers big fees for handling cash.
And of course, cash actually has to be handled, transported, secured, and that requires trusted employees or contractors (e.g. Brinks).
Cash also is a target for theft - including most importantly by employees. My former dentists lost big dollars and many of their patients experienced some unwarranted stress because the practice accepted cash, and because what they believed to be a long time trusted employee actually shouldn't have been trusted with cash.
Cash register systems that incorporate inventory control are more expensive than some of the POS systems for small businesses.
If 95% of your customers prefer to use plastic/their phones to pay for something, as a business owner you have to think long and hard about the additional administrative costs and burdens imposed because you accept cash.

The only reason I go to the bank anymore is to get cash at the ATM. If they shut those down, and do away with cash entirely, they could close all the banks and save on real estate leasing.

Although today I again had lunch and paid cash to avoid the 3.25% surcharge the restaurant is charging for using a credit card. I could see the credit card companies getting upset as more people use cash than ever before.

 

[Pieter12]

What we need is an iPHone that shoots film.

God, no. I absolutely hate taking pictures with an iPhone (or other). A camera for me has to feel like an extension of my eye, the iPhone is this wobbly thing held a foot and a half away from my face. I only use it a last resort or for note-taking--like where all the wires connect before I take something apart.

 

[Alan Edward Klein]

NMP Not My Problem If they do not want to take my credit cards, I will shop elsewhere.

Here's a new fad. Business charge fees for the use of credit cards. Here in New Jersey, it seems many restaurants are getting in on the act.

Of course, credit card companies return points of about 1% currently so the 3.25% fee the establishments' charge is somewhat offset. I could see the credit card companies upping the points to encourage us to use the credit cards more than paying cash. Then they'll raise the fees they charge the businesses to offset what they pay us. It's going to get interesting.

 

[Alan Edward Klein]

A quarter century ago, one of my friends who operated a small retail business finally gave in and began accepting credit cards. He said that, one year later, his business doubled. Plastic is only a problem for those who use it and don't pay their statement balance in full each month.

Or retailers who don't report cash sales to the IRS.

 

[MattKing]

The fees to customers are at least partially due to the fact that the fees paid by the retailer vary with the type of card used. If you pay with a bare bones card which doesn't return points or benefits to you, the merchant pays the credit card company less than if your card has a bunch of rewards attached to it.

 

[Alan Edward Klein]

Cash transactions are easy to keep off the books, something a few small business might be tempted to do.

A few? I met a guy who owned a small neighborhood gas station in Queens, NYC, 35 years ago, where some people paid cash for gas and overnight parking. He use to put $2000 a week in cash in his pocket. "That's for me.," he told me. He didn't report it to the IRS or the divorce court when he left his wife.