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Survey for Black & White analogue photographers: What kind of film are you using?

bjdejong

By bjdejong
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bjdejong

bjdejong

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Classical analogue photography seems to be under pressure. Still there are many people that love to use traditional film based cameras.

In order to get a view on which brands of film we love and need to protect I have made this short survey.

 

This survey is open for completion till October 1st. At the beginning of October the results will be published on the http://infocast.nl blog. (A notification will be provided to the Leica Forum.)

 

You can find the survey: http://www.kwiksurveys.com/online-survey.php?surveyID=HJOELO_4f033202

 

 

With kind regards,

 

Barend Jan de Jong

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andybarton

andybarton

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Who says "Classical analogue photography seems to be under pressure"?

 

I shoot more silver black and white, in more formats, now, than I have ever done since the 1970s.

 

I am sure I'm not alone in this.

 

I will look at your survey, but I question the premiss upon which it is based.

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aesop

aesop

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...<snip>In order to get a view on which brands of film we love and need to protect I have made this short survey.

 

 

 

...Barend, your ideas and intentions are, at best, unclear.

 

I think you will need to be a bit more expansive than the above in explaining precisely what you are gathering the data for and how it will be used. Further, if requests for data and data-gathering are going to form a major part of your future posts (and there is sufficient evidence to support this line of thought), perhaps now is an opportune time for a full disclosure.

 

In the event that I have totally misunderstood, of simply failed to grasp your objective(s), I would be more than happy for you to set me straight.

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menos I M6

menos I M6

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I was surprised as well, that Kodak Tri-X 400 is not included.

It is not only the film, I use the most, but interestingly, it is the film, that takes the biggest shelf space in every Chinese shop, aimed at enthusiast and professional film supplies.

 

It must be a best selling film, I suppose.

 

TMax in contrast can often not be found and takes very little shelf space, if available.

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aesop

aesop

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I was surprised as well, that Kodak Tri-X 400 is not included.

It is not only the film, I use the most, but interestingly, it is the film, that takes the biggest shelf space in every Chinese shop, aimed at enthusiast and professional film supplies.

 

It must be a best selling film, I suppose.

 

TMax in contrast can often not be found and takes very little shelf space, if available.

 

 

...perhaps Barend knows something we don't, menos. We await further input.

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bjdejong

bjdejong

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Dear "aesop",

 

Thank you for asking.

 

From my perspective it is kind of interesting to observe that some people suspect all kinds of motives behind my actions that are simply not there. I am a positive person that looks and investigates the world around me. I do this since I am a curious person that loves the wonders of life. I can do this in my private time, since I have a well-paid job. So I do all these kinds of things purely as a hobby.

 

That I use google, blog, twitter, facebook, forums and surveys is because they are available these days and the best tools around to do this sort of investigation. (Each of these tools has btw its own specific purpose.)

 

With regard to the actual questions that I try to answer: I suspect that other people have these questions as well.

 

For instance:

 

(1) I read many reviews of all kind of Leica lenses. But which ones are actually used?

 

(2) I love my analogue cameras, and wonder if I am going to invest again in calibrating my process for a film. Which film should I choose? Which one has the biggest chance to survive over the coming years?

 

 

These type of questions do not lend themselves very well for the forum. I observe that they are typically answered in a strongly opinioned fashion. Also, I notice that most answers on the forum are given from the perspective of the individual answering it. That is why I use surveys that people can fill in anonymously .

 

 

With regard to the results of my queries, surveys and observations, I will publish them on my blog http://infocast.nl . They will be available for free and for everyone to use, like everything else on that blog. It is just an account of what I come across and learn about the world around me.

 

 

What I would like to add to the discussion is, that observing some of the reactions on this forum, I become more and more interested in understanding why my surveys evoke such emotional reactions. It is really unclear to me why my questions are approached with so much suspicion.

 

 

I hope that I have clarified my intentions. In case of more questions, please just ask. I will react if they are clear, open and do not start with an accusation.

 

 

With kind regards,

 

 

Barend Jan de Jong

 

 

P.S. With regard to my omission of Tri-X: It is just an error that I made. I should have noted that, but I am only human. Please note BTW, I have never been in a Chinese shop with shelves full of Tri-X. I live in The Netherlands and film is rapidly disappearing from the shops that I visit.

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aesop

aesop

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...thank you for your response, Barend.

 

The Leica forum is a veritable cornucopia of varied views on distinct Leica-related matters. I sought membership of the forum on a purely socio-personal basis, and I take great pains to avoid any item that could be deemed non-social (in my eyes, of course) - for me, work is work and play is play. I have re-read your response several times over, but still fail to see how the continuous systematic compilation of discrete elements of members' preferences can serve to enhance your personal photographic enjoyment (after all, true art is highly subjective). Further, my understanding of blogs is that they should be opinion pieces. I also struggle to reconcile the "findings" of any surveys with my personal photographic choices - they may be useful for identifying trends and suchlike, but they have absolutely nothing to do with how I fly.

 

Based on the above, I will not be taking part in this or any other survey driven by you. I ask that you respect that this is a personal decision, taken after due consideration of available information. Lastly, I speak for no one else.

 

Good luck in your endeavours.

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bjdejong

bjdejong

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Dear "aesop",

 

Thank you for your reaction. I agree, the Leica forum is and should be a "veritable cornucopia of varied views". I respect your opinion, like I respect the ones of others.

 

Also, you are absolutely right that surveys are for identifying trends. There is a clear distinction between personal choices and statistics. For me, investigating this is pure a consequence of being a curious person.

 

Have a great day,

 

Barend Jan

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bjdejong

bjdejong

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Dear Andy (MPerson),

 

Thank you.

 

Indeed, I should have better Quality Assurance in place. In defence I could say that I have provided the Other/Comment option in the survey that could be used to add missing films, but I agree Plus-X and Tri-X should have been in the list.

 

On your site I see that you use Tri-X and Plus-X a lot, so I understand that you consider this a serious omission. So, I am sorry for this.

 

Cheers,

 

Barend Jan

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aesop

aesop

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I can't understand the relevance of an anonymous survey. Sales figures are important to marketing companies, but if I want to investigate a new film I want to know who shoots it, what they shoot and what those shots look like.

 

...better still, get a sample and try it out. Keep film alive.

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erl

erl

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Photography is an intangible mix of science and art and thereby, IMHO, defies a purely scientific analysis of how it 'works' or is driven. Similar to other 'boys toys' eg. cars and women, the mix that we all might appreciate is infinitely variable, but all very good in at least someones opinion.

 

I doubt very much that anyone else uses the film, developer, time, dilution, ratios that I do, but they are perfect for me. No market researcher is going to make sense of me, but that does not concern me anyway. When my preference becomes unavailable, I will prove adaptable.

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