Some Good News.... Kodak sees resurgence of film

MaximusM3 · Oct 31, 2010

lns said:
I agree with you. And it's not just older people. It's people in their late thirties, or forties, or fifties, who just want, say, pictures for the Christmas card or pictures of the kid's concert. They cannot master these very complicated cameras: can't decipher the manual, can't figure out how to turn off the pop-up flash, can't turn out a decent print because the white balance is always off. Seriously, they are the first people to run and buy the latest thing, they are the reason photo processing stores are closing in droves, but they really don't like the results and wish for something simpler. Many bemoan how much easier it was in the film days. Without of course being willing to go back. They like the gadgets, but don't like the pictures. They don't print either; just load it onto their computers.

Apple really needs to make a digital camera for most people. They'd make a fortune. Another fortune.

Or Kodak or someone else needs to grow a brain and do something to make film and processing available and cool again. That would of course be my preference.

-Laura

You got that right, Laura. There is certainly much room to make a bold move and create/re-create a viable market. So many people waste time debating the quality between digital vs film, when in reality that is a marginal issue at best, at least for the masses. It's all about simplicity of use and convenience, which incidentally is what makes Apple so wildly successful (among other things obviously). Kodak and Ilford should probably get behind young entrepreneurs who can build businesses around film, smaller and very focused labs which can promote at a local level, etc. I know I've said this numerous times, but the hybrid workflow is a card that should be played as the happy medium to resurrect things a bit. Kodak understands that, as they know well that most of the film they sell today gets scanned, but they don't go far enough in the promotion/advertising department.

Max

Donmck · Oct 31, 2010

I think film is cool---B&W is exceptionally cool,------- but film is for art work and formal portraiture ----- not snap shots or commercial work(the largest portion of the film sector---the free ride is over)50 years from now ,nobody is going to find a shoebox full of family prints in Grandma's hall closet unless she planned ahead.

In a parallel nightmare ,Just as fiberglass fly rods are becoming state of the art, some dipwads start marketing graphite sticks-----the digital version of fiberglass.
(Full disclosure----fiberglass is the T-grain version of bamboo)

Years go by and just about everybody realizes that if your under an 8 wt.,fiberglass just fishes better. So here comes the resurgence

McFarland ,Stephen Bros.,Wm. Slater and Grandson,T and T,Southfork, ----Kabuto-the Japanese rarely miss a market
It's like the 60's when everybody was making boards in their garage

Ah-- boards= surf boards for you youngsters

Paddock "Lemon Drop"

http://fiberglassflyrodders.yuku.com/topic/14654/t/Lemon-Drop-series-703-3.html

http://fiberglassflyrodders.yuku.com/

Donmck · Oct 31, 2010

Hey Michael-the upload-

hello-fall browns on the line

http://fiberglassflyrodders.yuku.com/topic/15013/t/Fall-Browns-on-the-Cell-Phone.html

removed account4 · Oct 31, 2010

resurgence of film ?
sounds like a double edged sword to me ..

buy film ... shoot film ... have no way to get it processed ...
(not everyone wants to do it themselves)

all the mom+pop stores are shuttered, big send outs are pulling back
pro labs are dropping like flies ...

CGW · Oct 31, 2010

jnanian said:
resurgence of film ?
sounds like a double edged sword to me ..

buy film ... shoot film ... have no way to get it processed ...
(not everyone wants to do it themselves)

all the mom+pop stores are shuttered, big send outs are pulling back
pro labs are dropping like flies ...

Amen. There's more to life than b&w. Because 120 C41 and E6 have recently become a royal pain to get processed and proofed, there's less and less point to keeping a stable of MF cameras. Buying and shooting film won't make the pro labs in my area rise from the dead.

clayne · Oct 31, 2010

CGW said:
Amen. There's more to life than b&w. Because 120 C41 and E6 have recently become a royal pain to get processed and proofed, there's less and less point to keeping a stable of MF cameras. Buying and shooting film won't make the pro labs in my area rise from the dead.

Process it yourself then. If you want it bad enough, you'll make it happen.

M.A.Longmore · Nov 1, 2010

clayne said:
Process it yourself then. If you want it bad enough, you'll make it happen.

.
Positive Thinking !

Early 2009, My Son asked what was I doing with all my equipment.
The Rapscallion wanted to sell it all on eBay, and buy more
worthless rubbish with the funds. I told him him to sell everything !

And That, " I would never be using film ever again " ...

I Had Two Digital Disasters, With Defective Memory Cards.

And Came To My Senses, Rapidly ! Luckily !!!

I pulled Ye Olde Switcheroo on the kid, all the digital equipment is gone.
except for a 7MP DigiSnapper.

And I " Discovered " APUG !!!

Ron
.

CGW · Nov 1, 2010

clayne said:
Process it yourself then. If you want it bad enough, you'll make it happen.

Thanks for the motivational truism.

removed account4 · Nov 1, 2010

regular people will want to process their snapshots at home ?
i think it is funny to think that the crowd who goes out
to buy coffee at a donut shop because they can't figure out
how to put coffee in a filter and put water on it,
are supposed to be able to process c41 or e6 film ...

is wishful thinking that the general public will get that deep into things ...

MaximusM3 · Nov 1, 2010

jnanian said:
regular people will want to process their snapshots at home ?
i think it is funny to think that the crowd who goes out
to buy coffee at a donut shop because they can't figure out
how to put coffee in a filter and put water on it,
are supposed to be able to process c41 or e6 film ...

is wishful thinking that the general public will get that deep into things ...

100% correct, John. Labs cannot survive without the volume that is brought in by regular, casual shooters, and the few pros and APUG hardcores will never be enough. The guy shooting a digital point and shoot, will certainly never process its own C41, E6 or even black & white. Let's face it, things will NEVER be back to the way they were. Just not going to happen. The best we can hope is some sort of balance, with opportunities at a smaller scale to build film from a mere fringe to something that can co-exist with digital and thrive in its own smaller world.

CGW · Nov 1, 2010

"The best we can hope is some sort of balance, with opportunities at a smaller scale to build film from a mere fringe to something that can co-exist with digital and thrive in its own smaller world."

Perhaps possible 5 years ago but certainly not now. There's no sense of film community or interest in building one, at least in my area. The Toronto board is cold as a fish with no obvious signs of life in terms of getting to know who does what. Lots of lip service but no obvious commitment to building and supporting that "smaller world." I'm "in" if anyone else around the GTA is.

hpulley · Nov 1, 2010

Seems the ones left are hermits now in their darkrooms I guess! I need to go out to my local club, Toronto is just too far for a casual visit even just an hour away by the time you pay for parking or take the inconveniently scheduled trains.

Photo Engineer · Nov 1, 2010

There are people and groups of people out there trying to build a community that will embrace analog users. The major problem is that this involves a matter of time. Most of the senior members are quite old, and there remains little time to teach the younger members who are interested in analog all of the phases of analog photography.

It is hard in these economic times to pay to even travel to a meeting of like minded individuals and exchange information, let alone pay for workshops. And, the internet is really a poor second for such exchanges.

PE

CGW · Nov 1, 2010

hpulley said:
Seems the ones left are hermits now in their darkrooms I guess! I need to go out to my local club, Toronto is just too far for a casual visit even just an hour away by the time you pay for parking or take the inconveniently scheduled trains.

I've been through 2 clubs in Mississauga and won't be going back. One is full of old mummies who just swapped film for digital to do the same old camera club schtick; the other is mostly younger digital newbs with a disturbing affinity for what the geezers like. Yikes! Currently trying to mobilize a group of malcontents to do studio work.

Tom Kershaw · Nov 1, 2010

Photo Engineer said:
There are people and groups of people out there trying to build a community that will embrace analog users. The major problem is that this involves a matter of time. Most of the senior members are quite old, and there remains little time to teach the younger members who are interested in analog all of the phases of analog photography.

It is hard in these economic times to pay to even travel to a meeting of like minded individuals and exchange information, let alone pay for workshops. And, the internet is really a poor second for such exchanges.

PE

I suspect differing expectations, goals, and interests may also cause issues when considering a "real world" occasional gathering or regularly scheduled meeting.

Tom

MattKing · Nov 1, 2010

The club I'm part of has just one person left who does darkroom work - me! I'm also the only one who shoots film exclusively.

But there are people who shoot film and digital.

Most importantly, there is a large number of people who actually make prints. Some use ink jet printers, but most get labs to make RA4 prints for them - and there is actually healthy competition in the market between labs who do that work.

There is a local lab that does quite good work from digital files, and offers an incredibly low price for 11x14s for club members. They appear to be very, very busy. If ever I decide to have prints done from scanned digital files, I'll consider using them (they offer no film developing services).

I have access to three pro labs for film development and at least two of them will do optical enlargements for me.

As I understand it, those pro labs are busy, and the film based part of their business has stabilized (as far as volume is concerned).

I bring up all this to point out that the issue may be very regional, and may be dependent on existing synergies. So if effort is expended into building a self-sufficient analogue community, it may pay dividends.

MikeSeb · Nov 1, 2010

stillsilver said:
Four months from now Kodak will announce that it is completely halting all film production. In another four months they will say film will be around forever. I have shot a lot of Kodak in my lifetime but none in the last 15 years. It has been Agfa, Fuji, or Ilford.

Mike

That'll show 'em.

Ektagraphic · Nov 1, 2010

Shoot and Preach. I have seen quite a few young folk not understand the power of analog at all. The only thing most of them might tell you is that film exists and it is supposed to be higher quality than digital...

clayne · Nov 2, 2010

Or worse yet they focus on lowest common denominator stupidity arguments based on "sharpness."

Serious lack of critical thinking these days.

Some Good News.... Kodak sees resurgence of film

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