The comeback?

[keenmaster486]

any second now but, don't hold your breath.

Mrmmrff.....

ALL TECH IS A SOCIALL CONSTRUCT THAT PERPETATES THE EVIL CIS MALE PATRIARCHAL CAPITALIST SYSTEM OF OPRESION!1!!!!!!11!11!11!!1!!!11!

 

[REAndy]

I stand by my statement: If I buy a fountain pen, it'll represent a massive increase over what I've got now!

I owned a Mont Blanc Meisterstück 149 for a number of years, even had the pretty black leather case for it, but it was all wasted on me, so I sold it.

Ah, I mistook what you said. It sounded like you were saying if you bought a single fountain pen, it would be a huge increase in the world sales/production of fountain pens.

The thing to understand is that not all fountain pens (like a Montblanc) would be considered Jewelry with gold, platinum and precious stones. You can get a fountain pen for a few dollars, or (as mentioned) for a few thousand. Just like you can buy a cheap camera or a Lieca. Or maybe even go all out and get a Hasselblad H6D-400C for about $45,000. It's all relative on what you want and how much you are willing to spend on it.

All I wanted to do was share some facts about the resurgence of fountain pens, like the resurgence of vinyl records.

I don't know if I enjoy film photography, vinyl records and fountain pens because of nostalgia or just because they are just fun. But I do know that I enjoy them all.

 

[4season]

The thing to understand is that not all fountain pens (like a Montblanc) would be considered Jewelry with gold, platinum and precious stones. You can get a fountain pen for a few dollars, or (as mentioned) for a few thousand. Just like you can buy a cheap camera or a Lieca. Or maybe even go all out and get a Hasselblad H6D-400C for about $45,000. It's all relative on what you want and how much you are willing to spend on it.

Don't wanna be "that guy" anymore. I'd rather emulate this man:
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2...imalism-can-living-with-less-make-you-happier

 

[jtk]

My Samsung will probably serve a long time, beating most of the flapping mirror digitals in visual terms. If it fails I'll probably pick up another from KEH. But it's plastic so may last forever. I'm a photographer, not a cost account. If I was a cost accountant I'd still be shooting Nikon Ftn, sneering at Pentax like true Nikon shooters have always done.

Interesting to see folks comparing funky antiques with today's average DSLRs (and mirrorless wonders!) without noting what stinkers those old cameras are at reasonable wall-size (e.g. 13X19) in comparison. Wall hanging is the ultimate test for print makers because that's where everybody but the photographer wants to see them. That's why we see occasional alibis for tiny, unfocused, bad color prints.... using those photo failings as excuses for Snapfish, Blurb, Shutterfly et al.

The price of one sort of camera or another doesn't affect pros, plumbers, or orthodontists nearly as much as it does bubba-on-a-budget.

Would we rather shoot Leica or Junkstore 1A, or Funkomatic (like my Samsung) ?

 

[faberryman]

I have made very nice 16x20 prints from 35mm and have no reason to offer alibis or excuses.

 

[removed account4]

Interesting to see folks comparing funky antiques with today's average DSLRs (and mirrorless wonders!) without noting what stinkers those old cameras are at reasonable wall-size (e.g. 13X19) in comparison. Wall hanging is the ultimate test for print makers because that's where everybody but the photographer wants to see them. That's why we see occasional alibis for tiny, unfocused, bad color prints.... using those photo failings as excuses for Snapfish, Blurb, Shutterfly et al.

The price of one sort of camera or another doesn't affect pros, plumbers, or orthodontists nearly as much as it does bubba-on-a-budget.

Would we rather shoot Leica or Junkstore 1A, or Funkomatic (like my Samsung) ?

gear, print size and photofinishing snobery has nothing to do with how good a photograph or photographer is.
this is the same leaky bucket that gear snobs have been using for years.

yawn...

 

[jtk]

gear, print size and photofinishing snobery has nothing to do with how good a photograph or photographer is.
this is the same leaky bucket that gear snobs have been using for years.

Jnanian speaks.

 

[jtk]

I have made very nice 16x20 prints from 35mm and have no reason to offer alibis or excuses.

Yes. No need for big prints most of the time but they can tell us how well we're doing and they can be better for actually appreciating an image with fewer obstacles ( furniture, iffy lighting etc). For more intimate sharing I like letter size albums with polyester sleeves...

 

[removed account4]

its too bad people propagate the myth that the static matters more than the sound
and its equally sad and depressing that there are so many people that drink the kool-aid
with print size and how new or great their latest camera being most important when they can't compose an image
if their life depended on it. went to school with someone years ago who couldn't make a photograph with
a cheep entry level 35mm camera but he got a rollei that cost as much as a new car so he could make big prints
and brag about his gear .. and then there folks who hadn't mastered basic "stuff" with 35mm or entry MF gear
yet s/he bought 11x14 + 14x17 camera and lenses that could pay off the national debt ..
the kool aid must taste really good.
===
OP
i HOPE there is a comeback cause people with expensive gear need to use it before they sell it all for pennies.

 

[Nodda Duma]

Depends on what is meant by “comeback”.

Back to 1990 levels? No, and you wouldn’t want a market like that anyways, dominated by a single entity (Kodak) who thinks itself as too big to fail and thus has no motivation to innovate and offer new products.

A viable photographic medium in a smaller, yet vibrant and healthy market driven by innovative small businesses (which should sound very familiar to anybody working in technology sectors) and a growing core of dedicated and young users? We're already there. If you can't see that, then you need to expand your knowledge of the analog photography industry beyond what you read on Photrio.

 

[blockend]

gear, print size and photofinishing snobery has nothing to do with how good a photograph or photographer is.

I agree. Printing a 35mm negative large offers diminishing returns. What "large" means depends on the expectations of the viewer in size and resolution. First the film plain has to be absolutely flat, which is why Contax introduced the vacuum back. Your negative holder has to be equally parallel. This is only possible with glass negative holders, which means 6 surfaces to clean and dust, 4 glass, 2 negative. The taking and enlarging lens have to be the best you can find. Digital scanning doesn't make the job easier, few negative holders keep the film flat and processing introduce artefacts that reveal themselves in large prints. There are drum scans for those who can afford them...

I find 12 x 9" prints straightforward to make, offering sufficient sharpness and resolution for the most discerning viewer. Beyond that things get sketchier, corner grain is less sharp than centre, and shortcomings in either lens come to light. I've never printed a 16 x 20" I've been happy with close up, from 35mm. 18" square prints from 120 work for me.

 

[Alan Edward Klein]

Analog watches and clocks instead of digital are also making a comeback. I always was able to estimate appointments and time better using an analog watch rather than a digital. There's something about the distance moved by the hands that makes it easier. How about you?

 

[jtk]

Analog watches and clocks instead of digital are also making a comeback. I always was able to estimate appointments and time better using an analog watch rather than a digital. There's something about the distance moved by the hands that makes it easier. How about you?

Yes. The distance is a pleasure, it helps me enjoy passage of time.

I wear a Seiko 5 automatic, which tells me when I've been inactive (it speeds up) or active, (it's happy). Awareness of that is another thing that keeps me on my toes.

 

[keenmaster486]

Analog watches and clocks instead of digital are also making a comeback. I always was able to estimate appointments and time better using an analog watch rather than a digital. There's something about the distance moved by the hands that makes it easier. How about you?

I switched to a fully analog watch a couple months ago after using a hybrid for years. It took me about a day to adjust and now I don't even notice. Not sure if my time-estimating ability has changed though.

 

[jtk]

I agree. Printing a 35mm negative large offers diminishing returns. What "large" means depends on the expectations of the viewer in size and resolution. First the film plain has to be absolutely flat, which is why Contax introduced the vacuum back. Your negative holder has to be equally parallel. This is only possible with glass negative holders, which means 6 surfaces to clean and dust, 4 glass, 2 negative. The taking and enlarging lens have to be the best you can find. Digital scanning doesn't make the job easier, few negative holders keep the film flat and processing introduce artefacts that reveal themselves in large prints. There are drum scans for those who can afford them...

I find 12 x 9" prints straightforward to make, offering sufficient sharpness and resolution for the most discerning viewer. Beyond that things get sketchier, corner grain is less sharp than centre, and shortcomings in either lens come to light. I've never printed a 16 x 20" I've been happy with close up, from 35mm. 18" square prints from 120 work for me.

It's emotionally OK to be happy with our limitations. "Sufficient" is often fine. Quest for perfection can be unproductive and can take away from artistic intentions.

I never had problems with soft corners when, for a dozen years, I relied on a Durst 609...regularly confirmed alignment, and relied on anti-newton glass holders. Had simple routines to almost always eliminate dust (one simple solution to film dust involves proper handling/filing after processing). Used that Durst with point source for a while, which tested corners even further...but after that exploration I lost interest in the look. That enlarger did have better condenses that Omega or Beseler, which is why they offered better condensers as options.

"Expectation of viewers" only means something if we're mind readers. It also has to do with situation and the particular viewers. Viewers may or may not be happy when we try to impose "expectations". If viewers like big prints and galleries don't light prints well, big is often better that little.

 

[E. von Hoegh]

Are fountain pens, typewriters and vinyl records making a comeback?

They never left.

 

[David Brown]

... you need to expand your knowledge of the analog photography industry beyond what you read on Photrio.

 

[faberryman]

If you can't see that, then you need to expand your knowledge of the analog photography industry beyond what you read on Photrio.

I think that is correct. Photrio represents only a slender demographic of analog practitioners. You really do need to step out of this world to see what is happening elsewhere in analog photography.

 

[MattKing]

Analog watches and clocks instead of digital are also making a comeback. I always was able to estimate appointments and time better using an analog watch rather than a digital. There's something about the distance moved by the hands that makes it easier. How about you?

When our nieces were in their early teens, they had trouble reading the time off of a non-digital clock.
And very, very few younger people are depending on a watch to tell time - that is the job of their phones!
So if it is a comeback it is a niche comeback.

 

[Film-Niko]

Sales have been up, but not 60-80%.

Yes, they are not up 60-80%, the increase is even much higher (my mistakes, wrong base year).
Well, in your first post you have given the link to an article with the data up to and including 2013. To that I was referring to.
In 2013 we've had 6.1 million units sales. In 2017 we've had 14.3 million unit sales. In the US alone, on a global scale it is of course even much much higher.
The increase from 2013 to 2017 is 134 %.

The all-time low in vinyl sales in the US have been quite early in 1993 with about 0.3 million sold units.
From 0.3 to 14.3 million sold units is an increase by a factor of 47.6 x (!). That is a very impressive increase and revival for a medium which was declared to be dead very soon after appearance of the CD.
Meanwhile several new vinyl pressing plants were build including complete new machinery (see my link above). There are about 40 pressing plants worldwide, all operating at full capacity. And even Sony - the company which was the first stopping vinyl production - is now building a new vinyl pressing plant!!
Despite this impressive revival some guys here nevertheless claim that there is no vinyl revival.
Some people just hate facts. And seem to live in their own bubble.

 

[Film-Niko]

Depends on what is meant by “comeback”.

Back to 1990 levels? No, and you wouldn’t want a market like that anyways, dominated by a single entity (Kodak) who thinks itself as too big to fail and thus has no motivation to innovate and offer new products.

A viable photographic medium in a smaller, yet vibrant and healthy market driven by innovative small businesses (which should sound very familiar to anybody working in technology sectors) and a growing core of dedicated and young users? We're already there. If you can't see that, then you need to expand your knowledge of the analog photography industry beyond what you read on Photrio.

Exactly!! You've nailed it.
Photrio with all its permanent negativity, grumpy old men declaring the 'doom and gloom of film', discouraging comments to young film beginners is not representative at all for the current film photography scene. Fortunately!
What is going on out there can be clearly seen by all the numerous activities of the manufacturers, labs, film and used gear stores.
It is obvious to all looking at the hundreds of different film photography groups on facebook. For example the Vietnam film photographer group there is bigger than photrio, has more daily activity, and is growing by more than 4.000 members every month! And that is Vietnam only.
On instagram professional film photographer José Villa has 366.000 followers. Richard Photo Lab has more than 89.000 followers there. Ilford has 107.000 followers there. John Sypal (Tokyocamerastyle) has 113.000 followers. Just some examples. The total number of film photographers there is in the several hundreds of thousands range. And significantly increasing.

 

[removed account4]

Some people just hate facts. And seem to live in their own bubble

sadly my bubble includes record stores near me / brick and mortar stores
where prices are high and i can't even imagine forking over 25-28$ for a repressing of "Boston" or "more songs about buildings and food" or "Pretenders II" or "2x45" &c
maybe there is a comeback as you have said, but there's no way i can afford to be part of it. unless i buy all my music at a flea market...
which means ill have to start listening to bobby vinton and the carpenters and bad 70s disco / top 40 .. i can't get myself to do that ..
was just talking to someone last night who was urging me to sell my 150-200 albums i haven't listenened to in 15-20 years as i toyed with the idea of getting a vertical record player
cause im too lazy to bring up the turntable from the basement.. i wish my victrola played 33 1/3 and my cactus needles were diamond tip..

Photrio with all its permanent negativity, grumpy old men declaring the 'doom and gloom of film', discouraging comments to young film beginners is not representative at all for the current film photography scene. Fortunately!

you can say that again !

 

[faberryman]

There is an old saying: There are lies, damn lies, and statistics. Sometimes I feel that way about facts. Facts are individual data points, and facts get spun so many different ways, you really have to look behind them to arrive at some semblance of the truth, which is different than facts.

 

[Film-Niko]

Sorry, clicked the wrong button....just wanted the delete a typo in my last post.

 

[Saganich]

I meet a lot of young people who are artists or want to be artists and I usually have either a film Leica or Rolleiflex on my body (as I don't like camera bags) so inevitably a conversation ensues about film. What I hear every time is, "Film is cool! I want to do film. How do you do film?" Soon in the conversation, usually when I talk about buying chemicals, the tone changes. So I think a lot of people like the idea but get bumped from the experience due to lack of resources and knowledge. It's unfortunate the change to digital was so rapid destroying much of the film infrastructure we all took for granted. Film can't really "come back" because no one will ever invest in the necessary infrastructure. At best film will survive but only if all those curious people have a cost effective means of exploration like community darkrooms, high school arts programs, undergrad programs. On this level there is at least as much as building outdoor wood fired kilns or glass blowing. Painting while drinking wine is quite popular in my parts...an example of interest coupled with easy access creating a cottage industry.