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here's what Kodak have to say in the subject of archive-ability

 

What about archivability?

 

A: "Turn on your own television set and scan through the available channels. Chances are you will see memorable motion pictures and television programs that were produced 40 years ago and more. A film record is a "human readable" optical image reproduction of the original scene, and as such, it does not rely on a specific image recording encoding algorithm and hardware to "read" back those images. If you are venturing on a project that you believe deserves to be seen by future generations, we recommend that you record it on film and then archive the negative properly."

 

What is the status of digital archiving formats? Does film still offer the best archival alternative?

 

A: "Film is the ultimate storage medium for moving images. Properly archived films will last for hundreds of years. Digital files are much more volatile. I believe that all of the major Hollywood studios are now making black-and-white protection masters of their films for posterity, and I imagine they will ultimately decide to convert titles originated in digital format to film for archiving. One problem is, what do you do with the outtakes you might want in the future?

 

Film is currently the only true archival medium that will ensure future dividends as the HD household population expands and evolves. Conversely, the best digital storage media have a short life span even under optimum conditions, and digital formats are constantly changing.

 

Film is by far the most reliable way to archive images. Black-and- white separations will last for up to 500 years, and color negative and intermediate stocks will last for hundreds of years. Digital video is an improvement over analog video signals, but the storage medium is still either a magnetic tape or disk, which is comparatively volatile. According to the Library of Congress, the best magnetic storage media – the media usually used for digital video and HD images – can be depended on for a decade. Once a digital signal is gone, it's gone forever. More than 75 video formats have been introduced since 1956, and even if the media survived, in many or most cases, there is no equipment for playback."

 

KODAK: Technical File

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Thanks Kenneth, I think longevity is a serious concern and therefore a very good reason to stick with film. Hard drives are certainly no safer than "optical" storage media like CDs and DVDs. And what if websites crash and lose data? Don't say it could never happen! Also, beware of those flash or pen drive thingies -- a colleague's failed today.

 

OTOH, a friend has Kodachromes dating from the late '40s in perfect condition, ditto my parents' Kodachromes from the '50s and '60s and mine from the '80s. (Agfa slide film seems not to have worn so well.) And I saw original B+W prints in a historic hotel dating from the late C19 -- still unfaded.

 

I have just spent some time sorting and indexing my slide collection. I'm certainly glad I have preserved these pics for the future.

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Thanks Kenneth, I think longevity is a serious concern and therefore a very good reason to stick with film. Hard drives are certainly no safer than "optical" storage media like CDs and DVDs. And what if websites crash and lose data? Don't say it could never happen! Also, beware of those flash or pen drive thingies -- a colleague's failed today.

 

OTOH, a friend has Kodachromes dating from the late '40s in perfect condition, ditto my parents' Kodachromes from the '50s and '60s and mine from the '80s. (Agfa slide film seems not to have worn so well.) And I saw original B+W prints in a historic hotel dating from the late C19 -- still unfaded.

 

I have just spent some time sorting and indexing my slide collection. I'm certainly glad I have preserved these pics for the future.

 

David- I understand where you are coming from. My 60's and 70's Kodachrome II and Agfa CT18 slides are a real delight and projected through a Leitz Pradovit Projector are simply wonderful. My only sadness is that because of ill health my climbing days are over but at least I can re visit the Alps, Scotland and The Lakes again by loading a magazine into my projector. I only wish I could have afforded a Leica camera in those days to get the whole Leitz experience but my Rollei 35, Olympus OM2n and Nikon F were my tools of choice back then. Anyway I am thrilled with the results from my newly acquired 2 M6 Classic bodies and the Summicron optics astound me everytime I receive a new batch of film back from the processors.

 

I don't know about you but, in this now society which we live, I love the wait for film coming back from the labs. The anticipation is so much better than the instant gratification offered to those will the latest technology

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Absolutely -- its the enjoyment level that matters. Oh, and all those other things including longevity, as discussed, convenience, etc. Purging slides or computer files can be equally gruelling, as tsnami says.

 

Rollei and Olympus OM are excellent cameras, but yes, the M6 and 50 'cron is a brillaint combination.

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