The expense of shooting film

[AnselMortensen]

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.

Hmmm.
Well....since this is not a strictly 35mm subforum, shall we talk about this on a "cost per exposure" basis?

 

[cmacd123]

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.

and all my Digital cameras are also in that situation. including a many thousand dollar 5D Mk II that Canon has discontinued all the parts and support for. At least the Mostly mechanical cameras can be looked at without current software support.

 

[Sirius Glass]

@Sirius Glass
You quoted me, but I didn't see a question or a statement from you in the post.

My cameras
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

 

[je55eah]

My cameras
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

Yeah. I did see that after all and I mistook it for a signature footer. Do you earn a living in photography? That subject is one of the most interesting aspects of this forum. If we can make some real money, then the cost of digital and analog equipment is probably an acceptable business expense.

 

[je55eah]

I successfully disassembled and reassembled an old pentax 35mm lens a few days ago. That was confidence building. I remember trying to disassemble my dad's pentax camera many years ago, the broken one. These devices are insanely complex. Is there a brand of cameras that is built with repairs in mind? I have a feeling that they are engineered to dissuade any would be technician. I am tempted to try a repair on the newest old broken camera, but I might be better off just selling it as parts.

 

[markjwyatt]

I...Is there a brand of cameras that is built with repairs in mind? ...

Maybe Graflex- Speed Graphic, etc.(especially with the focal plane shutter). Big and more accessible. Maybe most view cameras too, but I leaf shutters can be challenging.

 

[Ivo Stunga]

I love film. Which is why I shoot it, a lot.

Did the math to arrive at my expenses a year per film, BW Reversal and slide projection. I'm shooting about 50 films a year.

Developing:
0.87€ per film and 43,55€ per 50/year

Film:
50x 135/36 from my bulk rolls: 250€
50x 135/36 in store: 327€ to 522€, depending on film.
This year I'm studying Aviphot films offered by Adox and Rollei. Therefore I pay about 285€ a year to do this, all included.


I can live with that!


P.S. while I compiled the data for about a week, film got more expensive overall - an euro or two up!

 

[Philippe-Georges]

To my personal opinion, there is no 'the one or the other' but rather 'the one AND the other'.
For colour photography, I prefer digital as it is affordable, convenient and environmentally friendlier (than using colour chemicals).
But for B&W photography, absolutely nothing can beat film and analogue printing, particularly in relation to the image's recitation!

Remember: "The medium is the message." said Marshall McLuhan...

BTW, I think that nowadays both can live in peace next to each other.

 

[Ivo Stunga]

Who and why did awaken from ancient slumber to to engage in the sin of Analog Vs Digital, and to what point?

I had this discussion in the early 2000's and ad nauseam at that - nobody gained anything back then, nobody will gain anything from it now. It's a stupid, childish thing to do, I guess: you can drive a nail with hammer, with axe, power tools or yout teeth - use what you like and just show us the finished piece - there's nothing more to this.

 

[BMbikerider]

Hmmm.
Well....since this is not a strictly 35mm subforum, shall we talk about this on a "cost per exposure" basis?

Not really. It is the users choice to use large format but not everyone's. If your costs are higher than most others that is a cross which you have to bear alone.

 

[BMbikerider]

Who and why did awaken from ancient slumber to to engage in the sin of Analog Vs Digital, and to what point?

I had this discussion in the early 2000's and ad nauseam at that - nobody gained anything back then, nobody will gain anything from it now. It's a stupid, childish thing to do, I guess: you can drive a nail with hammer, with axe, power tools or yout teeth - use what you like and just show us the finished piece - there's nothing more to this.

I seem to remember that the early Digi V film was about quality, this is about costs which is an entirely seperate discussion.

 

[koraks]

But nobody listened.

Maybe the investments and operational costs of your scheme were a little difficult to justify from a business perspective, especially back then.
To put it mildly.
I mean, your idea sounds sort of nice if you look back on recent history, but not really realistic. Besides, 'predicting the past' is always relatively easy.

A roll of film cost around the same as a cup of coffee (correct me if I am wrong, I dont drink coffee) in a restaurant.

Maybe if you compare a very expensive restaurant to very cheap film. But OK.

 

[Sirius Glass]

Yeah. I did see that after all and I mistook it for a signature footer. Do you earn a living in photography? That subject is one of the most interesting aspects of this forum. If we can make some real money, then the cost of digital and analog equipment is probably an acceptable business expense.

While I was in college, I sold cameras during the summer. As an electrical engineer I started developing and using electro-optical systems.

 

[BradS]

.... A roll of film cost around the same as a cup of coffee (correct me if I am wrong, I don't drink coffee) in a restaurant.

That was true 30 years ago but not any more - it's not even close. A cup of coffee, even at a relatively expesive but popular place like Starbucks, is only ~$3 while a roll of 135-36 is at least ~$10.

 

[Sirius Glass]

Who and why did awaken from ancient slumber to to engage in the sin of Analog Vs Digital, and to what point?

I had this discussion in the early 2000's and ad nauseam at that - nobody gained anything back then, nobody will gain anything from it now. It's a stupid, childish thing to do, I guess: you can drive a nail with hammer, with axe, power tools or yout teeth - use what you like and just show us the finished piece - there's nothing more to this.

Not for someone going through this for the first time. Have some patience with him or her and guide him or her through the pros and cons avoiding the feelings that boil up from past confrontations. I had many of those confrontations too.

 

[snusmumriken]

I successfully disassembled and reassembled an old pentax 35mm lens a few days ago. That was confidence building. I remember trying to disassemble my dad's pentax camera many years ago, the broken one. These devices are insanely complex. Is there a brand of cameras that is built with repairs in mind? I have a feeling that they are engineered to dissuade any would be technician. I am tempted to try a repair on the newest old broken camera, but I might be better off just selling it as parts.

A little while back I opened up a broken Lumix digital point-and-shoot, just to see how it was constructed inside. That thing was packed - there was no way I could stuff everything back inside again. Not a confidence-building exercise!

 

[Pieter12]

Quite true , but what film camera makes exposures at a movie camera rate with a 20mm to 300mm Zoom so the creative artist can produce a couple of good images?
We live in an age where good photographs are produced by volume not by skill!!

TB

You can take thousands of photos without making a good one. I've seen it done, over and over.

 

[Pieter12]

...you're getting as much enjoyment as they are, but without the maintenance headaches of a boat.

Many boat owners would argue that point.

 

[je55eah]

It's all pretty interesting. Thanks fellas.

 

[skorpiius]

when does film have an advantage over digital?

For me, the limitations are the advantage. As someone who did film for a decade, then digital for 15 and now mostly back to film, I found my photography wasn't getting better with digital. The ability to shoot off hundreds of pics and then the ability to easily Photoshop them after lead to more time going through hundreds of photos and wanting to Photoshop them than I wanted to spend.

Then about 5 yrs ago I my mother gave me a Yashica TLR she got for cheap at some sale and I threw a roll of Provia in it and it worked perfectly and I was blown away by the photos. Photos I didn't feel the need to edit.
I'm sure I'll go back to my dslr at some point but as a much better photographer from working in the limitations of film.

 

[Roger Cole]

Most films will not last 30 years, at least in "as new condition," no matter how cold they are stored. Cold plus deep underground to shield from cosmic rays (and avoid radiation hazard rock like granite) - maybe, I don't know, certainly longer than just cold alone.

 

[Agulliver]

I think there's a few of us who literally have stored film for 30 years in a freezer and it's appeared to work "perfectly" when defrosted.

 

[Sirius Glass]

I think there's a few of us who literally have stored film for 30 years in a freezer and it's appeared to work "perfectly" when defrosted.

I am bordering on a twenty year maximum. Contact me about this in 2033.

 

[faberryman]

For me, the limitations are the advantage. As someone who did film for a decade, then digital for 15 and now mostly back to film, I found my photography wasn't getting better with digital. The ability to shoot off hundreds of pics and then the ability to easily Photoshop them after lead to more time going through hundreds of photos and wanting to Photoshop them than I wanted to spend.

One way to avoid that problem is don't shoot hundreds of images, and of the images you do shoot, only edit the keepers. I acknowledge that some people are, for some reason, unable to restrain themselves, but that is a problem with them, not the medium.

 

[xkaes]

I think there's a few of us who literally have stored film for 30 years in a freezer and it's appeared to work "perfectly" when defrosted.

A "few" + 1.