My letter to KODAK, will reply with response. Please consider doing the same.

[georg16nik]

... are you the oracle?

I know various industries relies on 35mm film for archiving, while LF is quite niche and getting squeezed in the corner as we speak - better prep to coat your own, instead of making a fool of yourself.

 

[RattyMouse]

Probably the most breakable, least repairable list of cameras possible.

And yet, ALL of them are available easily at reasonable prices. Exactly my point.

 

[RattyMouse]

It doesn't hurt to ask, but Eastman Kodak is an extremely improbable candidate for any new camera manufacture.

I agree. Kodak is in severe financial crisis now and most here refuse to acknowledge that. If Kodak can survive 2019 when their preferred stock must be converted to cash @$17.xx/share (currently $3.xx/share) it will be a major miracle. They simply do not have anywhere near enough cash to do this. By far.

The several people I know who still work there are stoically waiting for the end to come, complaining of the same short-sighted and unimaginative management style that Kodak has suffered for decades.

Kodak will go down in history as one of America's most mismanaged companies.

The fate of Alaris is likely linked to that of of EK and Fuji seems increasingly disinterested in chemical photography aside from Instax, so any future for conventional film or film cameras will likely lie with Ilford or one of the other European manufacturers. Black & white film, that is. Before too long, the production of the complex and expensive color emulsions will go the way of Autochrome, lost to history along with the deep practical knowledge base that made them possible.

Agreed. Ilford is the most safe film company out there. If their health is threatened, then film shooters are in serious trouble.

 

[chris77]

I know various industries relies on 35mm film for archiving, while LF is quite niche and getting squeezed in the corner as we speak - better prep to coat your own, instead of making a fool of yourself.

as long as lf beats digital (by far) there will be lf film. getting squeezed into the corner? you are phantasizing. there is no need for 10 or more iso 100 emulsions..

 

[PerTulip]

Writing letters is nice, but decisions are based on (expected) revenue. Why did the Bessa R's, a very nice and affordable cameras, get cancelled? What about the Zeiss Ikon ZM, an absolutely outstanding product, also cancelled? They just weren't selling. A Nikon F7 (with current AF/metering module, supporting E-type lenses) would be everything we wish for, but that depends on the sales of the Nikon F6, which miracously is still being produced. I wonder how sales are.
So, why should Kodak (IMHO wrong choice for building film cameras in the decades to come) or anyone else release new film camers? Will anyone (we?) buy them in sufficient numbers?

 

[RattyMouse]

The Klasse S and W cameras were only $400 when available. They didnt sell enough for Fujifilm to continue making them.

This whole exercise is futile.

 

[chris77]

The Klasse S and W cameras were only $400 when available. They didnt sell enough for Fujifilm to continue making them.

This whole exercise is futile.

i agree. its pathetic.

 

[PerTulip]

It's not pathetic, it's reality. Now: why would people really use film today or even in the future? Even digital cameras are in trouble because of smartphones.

 

[chris77]

It's not pathetic, it's reality. Now: why would people really use film today or even in the future? Even digital cameras are in trouble because of smartphones.

for many reasons. resolution, dynamic range, beauty of handcrafted prints, slow pace photography, durability, alternative processes, magic, ...

 

[PerTulip]

for many reasons. resolution, dynamic range, beauty of handcrafted prints, slow pace photography, durability, alternative processes, magic, ...

That applies to US here. What about the other 99.9% of the world's population? Slow pace is something they absolutely DON'T want and who even knows what dynamic range is?

 

[Ko.Fe.]

It is all about consumerism, which is buying new. And nothing else. Consumerism driven wants new. Some people from film era like me hates it. Where are millions of camera which are made to lasts for very long time. But for consumerist like OP It is no-no. It must be new.
Where are new film cameras made. Expensive Leica RF cameras, not expensive Lomography cameras. LF cameras are still made. Where are Cosina made SLRs which are just few years old. BH had them for sale nobody wanted it. Where is new Nikon F6 and new single use camera under different brands, including Kodak collecting dust of store shells. But no, OP wants his own new and wants to be a film saving hero.
Where are millions of film cameras in fully working order and they are made from metal and glass. They will works for decades. But no, OP wants new. Consumerism Iit is.
Why buy old and pay money for single repair person? It is not cool. It has to be new and under known label. Shameless consumersm. Shame.

 

[Ko.Fe.]

It's not pathetic, it's reality. Now: why would people really use film today or even in the future? Even digital cameras are in trouble because of smartphones.

It is nice hobby. And it is very close to traditional art. No computers involved. Just your head and hands. For some it is challenging. The younger person is the more challenging head and hands only is. Not only in photography, but for other things. Cooking, house keeping, fixing cars, gardening., farming...

 

[RattyMouse]

It is all about consumerism, which is buying new. And nothing else. Consumerism driven wants new. Some people from film era like me hates it. Where are millions of camera which are made to lasts for very long time. But for consumerist like OP It is no-no. It must be new.
Where are new film cameras made. Expensive Leica RF cameras, not expensive Lomography cameras. LF cameras are still made. Where are Cosina made SLRs which are just few years old. BH had them for sale nobody wanted it. Where is new Nikon F6 and new single use camera under different brands, including Kodak collecting dust of store shells. But no, OP wants his own new and wants to be a film saving hero.
Where are millions of film cameras in fully working order and they are made from metal and glass. They will works for decades. But no, OP wants new. Consumerism Iit is.
Why buy old and pay money for single repair person? It is not cool. It has to be new and under known label. Shameless consumersm. Shame.

Well said.

 

[removed account4]

magic

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
its because of this.
peeking into a film tank to
see if there are negatives hiding in there
is like pee wee hermon saying "good morning" to his bike after breakfast
and watching a print appear on a piece of paper is a dream ..
the world needs magic right now.
we don't need robots of fast cars or fancy suits, or cheep hamburgers
we need something to take our minds off of the eminent doom
the prognosticators have prognosticated ... personally
id rather be in the darkroom when the world splits in half
or the aliens come down and eradicate us, or the robots that feed off of us holds
by our ankle tendons and eat us like a fig in one bite.

magic is good

 

[BrianShaw]

Well said.

Up to a point. Good points but... Criticizing an idea is fine; criticizing the OP to the point of a personal attack is not.

 

[Lee Rust]

The OP is a hopeful member of the next generation of chemical photographers and deserves encouragement. Unfortunately, the consumer model for film imaging has been superseded by digital. End of story. However, the craft model is as expansive as ever. Home-made emulsions, improvised chemistry, films, plates, papers, hand-built cameras and even lenses... that's the future. Just like letterpress printing, gourmet cooking, hand-sewn garments, oil painting, piano playing, gardening, furniture building. Seems like fun to me.

 

[BrianShaw]

I like cheap hamburgers

I like inexpensive hamburgers.

 

[chris77]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
its because of this.
peeking into a film tank to
see if there are negatives hiding in there
is like pee wee hermon saying "good morning" to his bike after breakfast
and watching a print appear on a piece of paper is a dream ..
the world needs magic right now.
we don't need robots of fast cars or fancy suits, or cheep hamburgers
we need something to take our minds off of the eminent doom
the prognosticators have prognosticated ... personally
id rather be in the darkroom when the world splits in half
or the aliens come down and eradicate us, or the robots that feed off of us holds
by our ankle tendons and eat us like a fig in one bite.

magic is good

 

[chris77]

That applies to US here. What about the other 99.9% of the world's population? Slow pace is something they absolutely DON'T want and who even knows what dynamic range is?

you dont know what dynamic range is? you dont care about slow pace? so please, treat yourself, stick to your smartphone, try to use it till its broken (!) and dont put chemicals down the drain. perfect. snap away.

 

[chris77]

Up to a point. Good points but... Criticizing an idea is fine; criticizing the OP to the point of a personal attack is not.

+ 1

 

[Craig75]

It is all about consumerism, which is buying new. And nothing else. Consumerism driven wants new. Some people from film era like me hates it. Where are millions of camera which are made to lasts for very long time. But for consumerist like OP It is no-no. It must be new.
Where are new film cameras made. Expensive Leica RF cameras, not expensive Lomography cameras. LF cameras are still made. Where are Cosina made SLRs which are just few years old. BH had them for sale nobody wanted it. Where is new Nikon F6 and new single use camera under different brands, including Kodak collecting dust of store shells. But no, OP wants his own new and wants to be a film saving hero.
Where are millions of film cameras in fully working order and they are made from metal and glass. They will works for decades. But no, OP wants new. Consumerism Iit is.
Why buy old and pay money for single repair person? It is not cool. It has to be new and under known label. Shameless consumersm. Shame.

totally out of order and very rude to OP. Shame on you not him.

 

[macfred]

I like inexpensive hamburgers.

I like tasty hamburgers ...

... Criticizing an idea is fine; criticizing the OP to the point of a personal attack is not.

+2 !

 

[removed account4]

you dont know what dynamic range is? you dont care about slow pace? so please, treat yourself, stick to your smartphone, try to use it till its broken (!) and dont put chemicals down the drain. perfect. snap away.

i dont' care about dynamic range, i don't care about slow photography
( i do large format upto 11x14 and couldn't care less about slowpace ! if it would take me an hour or half an hour
to set up and take a photograph i wouldn't bother ) and i love using a smartphone to make snappies
and like with a Dslr to making xerox negatives, and film/paper.plastic too. not everyone who uses film
( paper or plastic or whatever it might be) does it for the same reasons. personally when i hear people
talking about "the craft of photography" " photographic vision" "the slow pace of camera work ( large format or whatever" )
i try to ignore pretty much everything because those expressions mean absolutely nothing to me.
i do like making stuff by hand though i love simple stuff too... and that can easily be done with files made from a happy snapper..
should i do the same ? keep snapping with my smartie?

im kind of wallowing ..

 

[Chan Tran]

It is all about consumerism, which is buying new. And nothing else. Consumerism driven wants new. Some people from film era like me hates it. Where are millions of camera which are made to lasts for very long time. But for consumerist like OP It is no-no. It must be new.
Where are new film cameras made. Expensive Leica RF cameras, not expensive Lomography cameras. LF cameras are still made. Where are Cosina made SLRs which are just few years old. BH had them for sale nobody wanted it. Where is new Nikon F6 and new single use camera under different brands, including Kodak collecting dust of store shells. But no, OP wants his own new and wants to be a film saving hero.
Where are millions of film cameras in fully working order and they are made from metal and glass. They will works for decades. But no, OP wants new. Consumerism Iit is.
Why buy old and pay money for single repair person? It is not cool. It has to be new and under known label. Shameless consumersm. Shame.

I think the OP is just naive! I don't think he is what you described. But you're the one that has a slight idea. If we want to get the young generation to use film we have to somehow make using film COOL.

 

[chris77]

i dont' care about dynamic range, i don't care about slow photography
( i do large format upto 11x14 and couldn't care less about slowpace ! if it would take me an hour or half an hour
to set up and take a photograph i wouldn't bother ) and i love using a smartphone to make snappies
and like with a Dslr to making xerox negatives, and film/paper.plastic too. not everyone who uses film
( paper or plastic or whatever it might be) does it for the same reasons. personally when i hear people
talking about "the craft of photography" " photographic vision" "the slow pace of camera work ( large format or whatever" )
i try to ignore pretty much everything because those expressions mean absolutely nothing to me.
i do like making stuff by hand though i love simple stuff too... and that can easily be done with files made from a happy snapper..
should i do the same ? keep snapping with my smartie?

im kind of wallowing ..

i agree with your point ov view. the point i was trying to make, even in a too provocative way, was to say, IF there is nothing special for you in shooting film, just dont do it.
although it may have sounded like i am judging smartphone photography, its totally not the case. i am doing it too. whatever works.