It seems like digital can be cheaper. Is there a way to turn this around? Is there a commercial demand for prints? Could we DIY some kind of high iso film at a lower price? Asude from large format, when does film have an advantage over digital? What are the best cameras for arctic winters, rainy days, and operating underwater?
The expense of shooting film
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Digital makes more sense for underwater photography because one does not need to come out of the water at the end of the roll.
For Arctic and Antarctic or other cold weather photograph the film cameras should have a CLA [Clean Lubrication Adjust] with the colder weather lubricants.
There are many advantages of film over digital but this website discourages film versus digital discussions as they cause discord. I prefer film because I like the process and results much better. For me my film cameras and lenses cost a lot less than the top of the NIkon or Canon digital cameras. I do my serious work with Hasselblad cameras, medium format, and 4"x5" cameras.
Noted. I'll try not to stir up any wars.
Thanks for the tips.
My dad's old film camera was broken by the time I got my hands on it and he barely ever used it. I once owned a point and shoot film camera, but it broke. I had some antique cameras that I got cheap before I could afford to buy film for them. Unfortunatrly they were effectively stolen from me by a poorly managed storage facility. I happen to have bought a used 35mm camera off ebay recently, but I got what I paid for because ... it's broken. You're probably on to something with medium format. At least they are still being made.
What kind of work do you do with yours?
No.
Yes, absolutely. Virtually all of them are made from digital files, so there's no advantage to film in that area.
Not really, no.
If the user desires it - and that's a perfectly sensible reason!
35mm: WideLux F7, Nikon N75, Nikon N80, Nikon F100
120: Hasselblad 503 CX and 903 SWC
4"x5": Graflex Model D and Pacemaker Speed Graphic
Anybody check the price of Velvia or Provia 8x10 film recently?
I hardly think that can be taken into the equation because for every large format user there will be a whole lot more 35mm. Yes it is expensive but a niche market that hardly bears any comparison with 35mm.
For those of us who use film the cost is almost irrelevant. Just look at a previous post comparing the cost of owning running and maintaining even a small boat. Those who do own one would not do so unless they enjoyed it's use. It is the same as film.
The only thing that concerns me is the amount of choices we have with film has drastically dropped even in the past 5 years Kodak now apparently make at least 35mm colour C41 film for Fuji, possibly others For colour printing we are stuck with Fuji paper and the processing chemicals have both increased in price and availability
The only thing that concerns me is the amount of choices we have with film has drastically dropped even in the past 5 years Kodak now apparently make at least 35mm colour C41 film for Fuji, possibly others For colour printing we are stuck with Fuji paper and the processing chemicals have both increased in price and availability
When you consider that every ROLL of 135-36 is equivalent to one SHEET of 8x10 film, how's the comparison fare?
Both are approximately 80 square inches of surface area and so it 120 film.
Darkroom wet prints are still made and sold. Some collectors prefer them.
If it wasn't the 'compulsion' then the virtual avalanche of new Digital cameras would have tailed off . It is them, the buyers who are keeping the manufacturers in business, - actually taking them for what they are - suckers!
There are many who MUST have the latest singing and dancing kit with all the bells and whistles as a form of 'one up-man ship' As we say in England 'Keeping up with the joneses'. Buying a new camera for the sake of having the newest up to date camera only very rarely improved a persons photography, they still cut heads of in group shots or have lamp posts sticking out of the top of someones head!
How many of us who do use digital get around to using all the little tweaks and tricks that are programmed into the software that comes with each camera. There will be the geeks who revel in the use of them but in comparison I bet hardly ever take a decent picture. They will be too busy fiddling with the controls to get the best out of the equipment. On the other had there will be some who buy the camera and set it on programme and point and shoot and are quite happy with what the camera produces. My Digi of choice is a Nikon D300s, when was that introduced? Pre 2010 if I remember correctly. I can still print, if I wanted to do so, an A3 image How many of the digital owning fraternity with far newer cameras ever print anything! It is set on Aperture Priority has one set focus point and away I go.
I have two printers. One a Canon Pro 300 which is exceptionally good, about a year old. I was forced to change from my elderly Epson because the inks became exceptionally difficult to source. My other is my even older LPL 7700 enlarger which apart from a bulb change every now and again a few scratches here and there still works as it did in 1990 when I bought it new.
Yes I use digital for convenience, but for choice I still use a manual, in all senses of the word, 35mm camera that make me think (not fiddle with buttons) before I press the button afre is an extension of the best camera for photography I ever used which taught me to look, see and consider a second or two before pressing the shutter. That camera was Pentax SV with a clip on meter and a few prime lenses, todays equivalent is my very late model Nikon F2a.
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What prevents you from thinking (not fiddling) before you press the shutter release on your digital camera? I use my digital camera just like my film camera. I think and don't fiddle. If your digital camera makes you fiddle, maybe you need a different digital camera.
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Just wait until AI is incorporated into the next generation of digital cameras. No more poles coming out of heads, no more cut-off heads, the ability to make multiple exposures of group shots and combine the best expressions into one shot...the list goes on...and there will be buyers.
Much more likely and readily available for cell phone cameras (AI is not going to be something that exists without a network) - but it will surely come. People will get it whether they want it or not.
Absolutely. By volume, it's probably around 0.000000001% of the prints being made. Might be a little less. That doesn't make them any less interesting, worthwhile or valuable. It does mean that film isn't ever going to displace digital even to a small extent.
After all how many digital prints did Ansel Adams sell? Just like Jimi Hendrix who still releases new albums every few years after death, unlike Janis Joplin and Jim Morison, these days one can still get newly made Ansel Adams silver gelatin prints.
Many digital cameras today already have wi-fi, connection to a network is not far behind.
Well, I guess it depends on how you define "commercial demand." If you are talking about people printing their family/travel photos or gallery sales? Even then, I would guess that digital shooters print an extremely small percentage of their photos, even after taking into account the much larger number of shots made digitally vs film.
But I agree that film is never going to displace digital for consumers and pros. I'm not sure about fine art, there is an aspect of hanging on to older processes, the "antiquarian avant-garde" as Lyle Rexler put it. But plenty of that is printed digitally today, too.
Why the angry criticism of people who do not think and do as you do?
For some, if someone disagrees with them or does not think like them, there must be no redeeming qualities and the only option is death. See that makes life decisions so much easier to make. Simple.
@Sirius Glass
You quoted me, but I didn't see a question or a statement from you in the post.
You quoted me, but I didn't see a question or a statement from you in the post.
I dread to think of what it will allow people to get up to. Honesty could go out of the window and real creativity will also be lost
You should ask yourself the same question. How about, when in a glass house don't throw stones! I very rarely get angry, but there is no vaccine for stupidity, I just remain incredulous, a little sad, but definitely not angry.
Personally I do as I wish, but try not to interfere with the lives of others but if I inadvertently do I usually apologise if that is possible, when but the stupidity of some people is considered and that has the effect of absolute incredulity, that deserves comment. Not anger, but shaking of heads!
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On the point of "Broken" cameras, most film cameras are old enough that they are already overdue for an overhaul. (often refered to as a CLA) their is a sub group here for Camera repairs, and many repair people are out their, some who only work with given brands or Models. one of the advantages of film Cameras is that they often will happily give 60 years of service with a CLA every Decade or so. (the manufacturers used to say every 3 years, But most keep working well past that time)
and of Course film is always the best it has ever been, so many film Cameras produce better images now then when they left the factory.
and of Course film is always the best it has ever been, so many film Cameras produce better images now then when they left the factory.
Maybe in a perfect world. A simple CLA can extend the useful life of a camera and keep it from developing more serious problems. However, the number of trained, qualified technicians is slowly dwindling and the ones with a reputation for their work can have months- and year-long waiting lists. Parts are becoming NLA, donor cameras can be difficult to find especially if the part in question is subject to failure on a large number of cameras. Some cameras can be quite expensive to repair, too. It really depends on the camera in question and the repair or maintenance required.
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