The only thing that will slow down the resurgence of film users (new and old), will be the labs out there that can still develop the stuff. Labs are closing down like crazy due to lack of demand for them. Sure you can develop at home, but some 20 year old with a Lomo type camera or dads old 35mm, he won't want to develop it himself. Only option is to mail order the film, but I wonder how many will bother to do that, then just give up on using it when their local outfit is no longer available?
Ernst Hass on the subject...
"There are black and white snobs, as well as colour snobs. Because of their inability to use both well, they act on the defensive and create camps. We should never judge a photographer by what film (or digital media) he uses- only by how he uses it."
Interesting mental process in the BBC clan. If they applied the same complication based value factor to their studio video cameras... Well how very outmoded when they can do it with a iPad for hundreds not thousands of pounds sterling or Euros if you should chose.
A Minolta X370 is not a canon digital rebel. One takes much more thought to use.
It has taken a while for the wheel to turn full circle, but film is cool again. It is the material of choice for many, and it is testament to it's value as a medium, that people young and old are converting to film from digital and liking it ! I never took the digital route, as I saw film as a mature technology. Buy cheap film cameras while you can, as the price will start to climb again. I fully intend to "collect" a few more Pro Nikon bodies while I can. They are great to own, and seem to have soul and personality, where digital cameras do not.
I never took the digital route, as I saw film as a mature technology.
The only thing that will slow down the resurgence of film users (new and old), will be the labs out there that can still develop the stuff. Labs are closing down like crazy due to lack of demand for them. Sure you can develop at home, but some 20 year old with a Lomo type camera or dads old 35mm, he won't want to develop it himself. Only option is to mail order the film, but I wonder how many will bother to do that, then just give up on using it when their local outfit is no longer available?
While sales may be up from 10 years ago, they are not a patch on sales from 20 years ago... Before blaming companies business practices, lets not lose sight of the facts.
But he's part of a growing wave of photography enthusiasts who remain committed to the old technology.
I love film. Here is an article posted on Film Shooters Collective looking at film formats and why I love them.
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Tim
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Film users number is small. Labs are closing. Only few stores offering film.
BBC article is naive. The reason why dude is selling more film now is simple. It is not because growing popularity. But because no one else is selling film. Comparing to ten years ago.
Current reality is in abandoning of digital cameras. Mobile phones and are new reality.
Lots of BBC progs are poor.
Kodak are making less film.
Fuji ditto.
Labs are closing.
Dig cameras are still selling for replacement and new users.
Everyone has a camera phone well ok >99.97%
Even monkeys are taking selfies.
BBC article is naive. The reason why dude is selling more film now is simple. It is not because growing popularity. But because no one else is selling film. Comparing to ten years ago.
In the olden days, everyone doing photography had to shoot film.
Then came digital, and there was a Choice.
For many people, however, it wasn't a real choice: digital cameras were expensive and required new knowledge.
The group for which digital wasn't a real choice has gotten smaller and smaller: either due to cheaper cameras (phones) or due to old not so tech savvy people dying.
Mainstream film is becoming extinct. Mainstream film sales are drying up.
But at the same time Film the Choice has entered the stage.
And I argue that those sales aren't drying up. On the contrary.
The problem is of course that we can only see film sales as a whole. Thus at the same time it is true that film is thriving and that it is dying. More labs will close down, some film manufacturers might cease their operations but at the same time new film business better oriented to live as a Choice is emerging.
I myself do hope to see great late generation color (neg&pos) films in that emerging future. However, if that's not to happen and we'll only have somewhat grainier Ferrania transparencies, well -- one more good reason to shoot LF then, eh?
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