Can the increase in popularity of toy cameras save film?

[stephen.w]

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It's not that film necessarily needs to be saved, but I was just curious to hear any of your thoughts on what the resurgence of 'toy cameras' might mean for this segment of the industry as a whole. There are now Lomography flagship stores selling the Lomo, Diana, etc in many major cities around the world. It might turn out to be nothing more than a fad, and hipsters are the only people I've seen actually shooting these cameras, but might this trend not force film producers to rethink discontinuing some of their 35mm films?

 

Most Fuji Pro C-41 Films Discontinued - Photo.net Film and Processing Forum

[stunsworth]

...but might this trend not force film producers to rethink discontinuing some of their 35mm films?

 

No.

[Gentleman Villain]

Stephen is smart to question the impact of "toy cameras" on film. Toy cameras are an inexpensive way for an experimental person to try out film for the first time. There is always the possibility that the person may become serious and start looking to purchase a more professional quality camera and fill it with more professional quality film at a later date.

 

My best guess is that toy cameras won't necessarily have a direct impact on production of the types of professional quality films that most of us desire. However, toy cameras can impact film indirectly by introducing many people to the medium that may become more serious supporters of the professional quality film at a later time.

 

Who knows?

[dpattinson]

Well, it sure wasn't "professional" cameras that brought back polaroid 100 and 600

[Nikkor AIS]

Film is cool, Film is Hip. My 13 Son thinks film is way cooler than digital, so who knows.

 

Gregory

[el.nino]

It's not that film necessarily needs to be saved, but I was just curious to hear any of your thoughts on what the resurgence of 'toy cameras' might mean for this segment of the industry as a whole. There are now Lomography flagship stores selling the Lomo, Diana, etc in many major cities around the world. It might turn out to be nothing more than a fad, and hipsters are the only people I've seen actually shooting these cameras, but might this trend not force film producers to rethink discontinuing some of their 35mm films?

 

Most Fuji Pro C-41 Films Discontinued - Photo.net Film and Processing Forum

 

1. Nothing needs to be saved.

In Germany there are left:

- over 70 black and white films

- over 50 color print films

- exactly 26 slide films

 

2. fuji did not discontinue any film except Neopan 400 120 because of environmental reasons. two other films were discontinued as well, but will be reintroduced in summer this year. all the other films are still produced by fuji, but some countries stopped importing some of them. that's why there was so lot confusion about it (and so many different press releases)

so, if they stopped importing some in your country you can still import it yourself from another country (or directly from asia)

have a look here: Interesting news about Fujicolor Pro - APUG

 

3. shooting film is very (!!!) big in japan. in europe a bit as well.

 

Responding to the remarks, David Bell, managing director of UK-based Leica Camera Ltd, said: 'Sales volumes vary worldwide. In Japan film is still considered very cool and there remains a specialist audience for our film cameras, for example, in the fine art world. In Europe, there is also a strong following, but perhaps not to the extent of Japan. This is in contrast to the US where 'new' tends to command greater attention.'

 

Bell added: 'In the UK, new Leica M film cameras (M7, MP) currently equate to approximately 6% of M cameras sold. Furthermore there continues to be a great demand for film cameras in the second-hand market, making film relevant to a new generation of photographers, which we very much support.'

Leica USA: Only 5% of sales are film cameras news - Amateur Photographer - news, camera reviews, lens reviews, camera equipment guides, photography courses, competitions, photography forums

[Julian Thompson]

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Each time I go in to my local max spielmann or boots shop here to get some film developed I expect to the looked at in a strange way, like 'ah you've got a roll of film to process have you? Weird!' - but each time this does not happen. Every single person in the shop is normally doing the same thing as me - getting film developed. And every time, the person or persons are over 60 years old.

 

Just pause for thought one moment. Lets say you don't have a computer, or don't have the ability to manipulate a file structure on a computer for storage - actually getting prints back in less than 20 minutes from the local shop makes digital seem clunky rather than the other way round!

 

This is why in my opinion film will last in the UK (on the highstreet as a mainstream product) as long as the over 60's I mention continue to take pictures. Once they stop, it'll be a 'post it off to a lab' job at a massive price hike. Or develop it yourself.

[Xmas]

Hi

 

The cine people use film in long takes on fast motor drives, Plus-x was with drawn, Take three, clack....

 

Never see people using plastic cameras, there are more leica film cameras, in use.

 

Will it be the N or the O you don't understand?

 

Noel.

[stunsworth]

Lets say you don't have a computer, or don't have the ability to manipulate a file structure on a computer for storage - actually getting prints back in less than 20 minutes from the local shop makes digital seem clunky rather than the other way round!

 

How so? The 1hr labs near me all have machines where you can insert your memory card, select the photographs you want printed, and then collect them shortly later from the shop.

[Xmas]

Hi Steve

 

It is called denial.

 

The film takes 20 minutes in mini lab machine to turn into a CD, and 2-3 GBP, the DLSR person merely removes the memory card from camera.

 

XP2 and equivalents are not cheap.

 

Noel

[Julian Thompson]

Steve - You would be surprised, I believe. If you watched my dear Mother attempt to do anything with a memory card - even the process of formatting it in the camera, operating the kiosk - everything. It's just so much easier to hand over a roll of film ! (Well that's what she tells me!)

 

(And maybe that's the crux - why change?)

[earleygallery]

I bought my mother a digicam, she can't get the hang of it at all. Her old Olympus is no problem.

 

As to the original question of course all film use will help, but there are plenty of us using it out of preference, I suspect the % of lomo types is a pin prick

[Austinite]

Lots of digital folks already think film is dead. Only relics still use it. Part of the problem is only a handful of companies still manufacture film cameras. Leica supposedly only sells several hundred new M7's and MP's a year. It might be the death of film cameras that causes the death of film. I know someone will counter that with you can fix old film cameras but besides Leica, Rollei and maybe Oly there will be a day when no one fixes other brands. I guess the answer is shoot film, lots of it and hopefully they'll make some new film cameras.

[redbaron]

Don't tell the digital evangilists that they've been conned. They get cranky.

 

Hollywood still churns through millions of feet of film. I wonder why.

[Gentleman Villain]

Don't tell the digital evangilists that they've been conned. They get cranky.

.

 

 

Digital has already peaked in terms of cultural cool factor, now it's just another medium.

[earleygallery]

Follow some film stuff on ebay if you want to see how 'unpopular' it is.

 

There must be an enormous amount of collectors around the world stacking shelves in their homes with mundane, well used and hardly rare or particularly interesting gear, or maybe - please indulge me here - maybe they are buying it to use!!!

[etp095]

Don't tell the digital evangilists that they've been conned. They get cranky.

 

Hollywood still churns through millions of feet of film. I wonder why.

 

i guess it's quality,huh.

[Xmas]

Hi

 

Suggest you guys are in denial, e.g.

 

Vinyl, 33rpm, micro-groove analogue sound, has not been a commercial product for 20 years, you can still get turntables, albeit only real quality ones, and still get vinyl - niche discs.

 

Film is different in two counts -

 

- the capital investment for e.g. 35mm film is larger

- the distribution cost is larger, film has a sell buy date, - vinyl lasts for decades in sleeve.

 

The bean counters in Kodak, Fuji, etc. are only interested in profit on bottom line and

 

- too may of us are into M8 and M9

- grannies are not shooting enough 35mm, too many are able to do digital, or use their phone cameras.

- kids have never seen or touched a film camera, e.g.

 

Quote for photg student on handling my Canon P, and firing a frame,

 

'you mean it has a tape inside it?'

 

her photog tudor sighed...

 

I suggest film will last a long time but will become, more expensive in real terms, less available, and the selection will be reduced, to only the most popular - in terms of sales.

 

Plate ('film') seems to have gone.

 

Cine is still using film but cine Plus-x is now history, e.g. I only buy -xx (5222)

 

Noel

[Gentleman Villain]

- grannies are not shooting enough 35mm, too many are able to do digital, or use their phone cameras.

 

We must thank the digital Gods for freeing film from lame grannies and soccer moms. The best thing that ever happened to film was digital, it's just gonna take a few more years for the kinks to get worked out. Film is going to be better than ever.

 

 

Quote for photg student on handling my Canon P, and firing a frame,

 

'you mean it has a tape inside it?'

 

her photog tudor sighed...

 

haha! that is classic

 

I bought my first digital camera in 1999. It was a dcs520 and cost about 10k per megapixel (on a lease.) Models kept asking me "why are you always looking at the back of the camera?" They had never seen an LCD before and had no idea why I kept chimping on the camera LCD.

 

In the past decade, we've gone from "why are you looking at the back of the camera" to "you mean it has tape inside it?" That's too funny imho

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Hallo,

Look here: Interesting Leica gear

[jsrockit]

Mainstream film production will never come back, but smaller companies will keep making it.