Agent M10 Posted October 18, 2011 Share #1 Posted October 18, 2011 Advertisement (gone after registration) Gee whiz, and I just bought an M3. Film Fading to Black - Creative COW Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted October 18, 2011 Posted October 18, 2011 Hi Agent M10, Take a look here Film Fading to Black. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
pico Posted October 18, 2011 Share #2 Posted October 18, 2011 Gee whiz, and I just bought an M3. Film Fading to Black - Creative COW Good article, although it largely pertains to cine film. I believe there will still be film for still cameras for decades, especially LF and MF - or until mosaic digital photography improves. I don't know how many of you have seen film first releases before post-processing, especially since color became common in motion pictures, but it's dreadful stuff. In that respect, digital cine will be liberating. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wattsy Posted October 18, 2011 Share #3 Posted October 18, 2011 Good article, although it largely pertains to cine film. I believe there will still be film for still cameras for decades I don't wish to come across all 'AlanG' but film is film and the demise of the motion film industry (IF that happens) won't be particularly good news for us still film users. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cbretteville Posted October 18, 2011 Share #4 Posted October 18, 2011 So enjoy it while it lasts, that is what I'm doing. Carl Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanG Posted October 18, 2011 Share #5 Posted October 18, 2011 I don't wish to come across all 'AlanG' .... Why wouldn't you? I think it is pretty hard to be objective and not reach the same conclusions I have. Of course some people like the look of film, prefer its workflow and like using some film cameras. But other factors are driving the decline of film as this article clearly shows. As far as what happened in still film photography, I found this quote pretty illuminating. ------------------------------------------------- Veteran industry executive Rob Hummel, currently president of Group 47, recalls when, as head of production operations, he was negotiating the Kodak deal for DreamWorks Studios. "At the time, the Kodak representative told me that motion pictures was 6 percent of their worldwide capacity and 7 percent of their revenues," he recalls. "The rest was snapshots. In 2008 motion pictures was 92 percent of their business and the actual volume hasn't grown. The other business has just disappeared." Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pico Posted October 18, 2011 Share #6 Posted October 18, 2011 I don't wish to come across all 'AlanG' but film is film and the demise of the motion film industry (IF that happens) won't be particularly good news for us still film users. I understand, Ian, and I realize my view is motivated by observing how very many fine film cameras still exist and find it unbelievable that a secondary market will vanish. Perhaps wishful thinking. I'm envisioning a European or Near East enterprise to take over film manufacturing. I've no deep understanding of the industry or economics of film manufacturing, and I rather doubt anyone else here does. (I want to be wrong about that). So far we have only impressions and looks back to history of certain popular enterprises but none that I know of that are equivalent to film vanishing. We can still by carbon-copy paper, typewriters, lithography media, paints, canvas, pencils, crayons, live theatre, and so-forth. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cbretteville Posted October 18, 2011 Share #7 Posted October 18, 2011 Advertisement (gone after registration) Ilford, Forté, Foma, Adox and Rollei all European manufacturers of B&W film. Carl Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pico Posted October 18, 2011 Share #8 Posted October 18, 2011 Ilford, Forté, Foma, Adox and Rollei all European manufacturers of B&W film.Carl Yes, Sir, I know. I use some of them. But color film? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wattsy Posted October 18, 2011 Share #9 Posted October 18, 2011 But color film? Quite. That is my only concern about film. I don't think many people doubt that B&W film will be around for as long as anyone wants it but I'm less confident about great colour films like Portra. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest srheker Posted October 18, 2011 Share #10 Posted October 18, 2011 Ilford, Forté, Foma, Adox and Rollei all European manufacturers of B&W film.Carl Are they all really manufacturers or are the just brands, marketing film they buy somewhere? As far as I know Rollei is dead and only the name is appearing on cheap digital cameras and other stuff... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wattsy Posted October 18, 2011 Share #11 Posted October 18, 2011 Ilford are most certainly manufacturers of their own film. I've no idea about the others. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
StS Posted October 18, 2011 Share #12 Posted October 18, 2011 Quite. That is my only concern about film. I don't think many people doubt that B&W film will be around for as long as anyone wants it but I'm less confident about great colour films like Portra. Or someone else buys the machines, or ideally the whole film factory. As Adox did with the Agfa equipment. Stefan Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanG Posted October 18, 2011 Share #13 Posted October 18, 2011 Or someone else buys the machines, or ideally the whole film factory. As Adox did with the Agfa equipment. Stefan I wonder if there is much interest in being that "someone?" Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
andybarton Posted October 18, 2011 Share #14 Posted October 18, 2011 Are they all really manufacturers or are the just brands, marketing film they buy somewhere? As far as I know Rollei is dead and only the name is appearing on cheap digital cameras and other stuff... Rollei film is still available and made in Europe. Loads of B&W film is still made in England, Germany and the Czech Republic. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
StS Posted October 18, 2011 Share #15 Posted October 18, 2011 My mother has a 1953 Adler typewiter (she uses her HP PC these days). One can still buy a ribbon for it. As long there is demand, there will be someone to fulfill this demand. This works quite reliably since thousands of years. Stefan Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
andybarton Posted October 18, 2011 Share #16 Posted October 18, 2011 I don't think there are many 1,000 year old bits of kit in need of replacement parts that are still supported, but then again, there aren't many 1,000 year old users either Let's face it, so long as film lasts another 60 years, most of us here won't worry too much. I bet my kids couldn't give rats about film in 60 years time. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrism Posted October 18, 2011 Share #17 Posted October 18, 2011 Let's face it, so long as film lasts another 60 years, most of us here won't worry too much. I bet my kids couldn't give rats about film in 60 years time. Ain't that the truth. My mission is to have enough film to last me until I can't be trusted to develop it. Must go pick up that new freezer waiting for at Sears. I'm going to paint "Film Only" on the door. Chris Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
StS Posted October 19, 2011 Share #18 Posted October 19, 2011 My 56 years old M3 got a new shutter and a CLA recently. I wondered then, whoever owns this camera in 56 years will have some trouble to find someone to repair it again.... But then, there was a lot of progress in new manufacturing technologies, where any possible form can be done by using a laser beam as hardener. They just manufactured the first moving geartrains, using this method. There is even the expectation we won't have large factories any more in the future, but micro-factories, which produce on demand. Of course, the people have to live with plastics spare parts then, since this technique obviously can't be used with brass... Stefan Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CalArts 99 Posted October 19, 2011 Share #19 Posted October 19, 2011 I have an Eclair (the precursor to the Aaton) that was converted to super 16mm by George Zorzoli and has been serviced by him over the years. Unfortunately George shut down his business and the only person left with the skills that George has is across the country in New York. And who knows how long he'll be around. That does concern me somewhat. But as far as single perf 16mm film stock, I can still go directly to Fuji in Burbank or Kodak in Hollywood. It's always in inventory and both Kodak and Fuji came up with a new improved emulsion around 5 years or so ago. There are several smaller and less costly post houses in town that develop and telecine to hard drive or tape for non-linear editing. I'll have an original film archive yet can edit and output in digital form (or even go back to film.) These specialty service bureaus have been catering primarily to the small but active Super 8 crowd. Surprisingly there are a lot of students and younger people who are just now "discovering film." For them it's kind of 'cool' and 'hip' to be using film. Personally, I have no long term worries mainly because I'll just adapt to whatever tools are available to do the job. Things are always changing; paradigms are constantly shifting. It's been like that since day one. But nonetheless, I don't believe film will be gone entirely for quite some time. It may be harder to find both the product and the ancillary services, and it will more expensive since it will be a niche sort of thing (it kind of already is.) It will exist as a smaller market primarily for artists and hobbyists. I believe Bostick-Sullivan and Photographers' Formulary are still around for that reason. (I showed my students the Sally Mann biography film, "What Remains" and they thought it was awesome and now they all want to do wet plate collodion ) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cbretteville Posted October 19, 2011 Share #20 Posted October 19, 2011 Ilford in the UK makes film, Foma i the Czech republic makes film, Forté in Hungary makes film, Adox in Germany makes film. And Kodak still makes film. The sky is not falling. As I've written previouysly I plan to enjoy this as long as I can, when it is no more and I've used up what ever I froze down before it vanished that is it. But until then I'm loading my Ms with black and white film and continue to enjoy it. Carl Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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