Is 35mm Film Dead?

[Frodo]

Dixons today announced it will no longer stock 35mm film camera's once present stock is gone.Along wlth VHS is film dead?

 

[Ian]

I had this very discussion with my Grandad last week, as he bought a camera he was after 8 years ago (£180 at the time) for £1 at a 2nd hand stall that day.

I think its got a few more years left in it yet, but getting films processed will no doubt rise soon.

 

[Quadophile]

I'd say 3-4 years before it completely dies away

 

[ChristopherP]

Its a shame really... i always liked disposable cameras that cost you what... £2.99 - good quality, guaranteed not to be blurry (within reason) and theres more fun about waiting for your film to be developed...

 

[TECHGUNS]

I dont think it will totally go away cause to many photographers still like to use film and a digital SLR is very expensive, you can get a very nice film scanner for about 300 US. I take the film to a one hour lab and tell them I dont want prints it cost less than 2 US. The demand for film will go down cause most people dont use SLR's. What will I do with all the lenses if I cant get film. I like to turn off the auto stuff Sear SK1000 and manually adjust it.

Spend about $5,000 to replace it mabe.

 

[floppybootstomp]

Fact is, at last a good SLR digital camera can give just as good results as a good old top of the range 35mm camera.

Couple that with all the advantages of digital media and 35mm is on the way out.

True, a quality digi SLR will cost more than it's 35mm counterpart but as I said, advantages gained justify cost.

There comes a time when one must embrace new technology and acknowledge it's just as good, if not better, as it's predecessor. That time is now.

In my opinion

But.

I still convinced vinyl sounds better than CD

 

[TECHGUNS]

If there was an adapter to fit a digital SLR with all my lenses I would have trown the film cameras in the trash. I like to have 2 SLR's with me in case one doesnt work. To replace all that and my lenses would likely cost over $10,000. I would have to wait awhile to do that cause Im now a pour starvin student and tryin to finish buildin a street rod. If I need a quicky Ill just use the digital camera that I have and when real lenses are needed use the SLR film.
A one hour lab isnt that long to wait. I get it uncut with no prints.

 

[Quadophile]

I still convinced vinyl sounds better than CD

Amen!

 

[Raje]

Well I'm going to say that VHS may very well be on its way out.... don't see any advantages or reasons to still use them. Besides the ease of recordong off your tv, DVD are just better.

As far as film cameras.....well I guess its a toss in the air. I mean it all really depnds on us, I think we need a poll, WHO USES FILM AND WHO USES DIGI.

I agree with an earlier post, those disposable camera are perfect, especially those water proof ones.... I mean I was just at Warp Tour (punk/rock/metal festival) and it must have been in the high 90's. While Offspring was playing they decided to surprise us with a fireshose, soaking the entire crowd. Say by-by to all those poor fans who still had thier digis out. I do hope film sticks around....

 

[TECHGUNS]

I think when I get a nice digital SLR Ill still use film for some stuff also like color infared cause I dont think digitals will do it. I havent seen the digital infared in color. gray and green
Very few people do color infared, demand wouldnt be worth the manufacuring and enginerring cost to add that to a digital.
A digital would be perfect for wildlife photo cause the deer with those big ears hear the old camera clicks from half a mile.
Really I use both it depends on what works best for what Im doing.

I mostly film more

The radio station down the street has two editing room one is fully digital the other is reel to reel tape.

 

[Raje]

Something different

Though I do support digital imagery and all that, their are just certain things that just cannot be done with a digi camera, infact some thing have nothing to do with a camera at all, sometimes its all dark room.

Here is a picture I took in highschool in the year 2001. Now I have to admit that I did do some digital "touch up" the picture was badly marred from being in an old shoe box. I do appologise to all those photographers who are offended at how poorly I've taken car of this pic, but hey.

I took this picture with a home made camera whic I made out of an oatmeal container, NO FILM, ONLY I SHEET OF PHOTO PAPER. So this pic had no focusing, no lenses, no filters, no film. This was a cardboard container painted black with a piece of photconductive paper inside and a pin hole. Then I developed the paper and voila.......

 

[TECHGUNS]

Thats cool
I think that Ill do a reversal on it to take a better look.

Some of the best photos in history was done with a homemade pinhole.

I do think that the photo paper is gone, but not the 35mm. why would Kodack spend so much on ICE technology for film scanners. I think ya can still find film for the antique brownie cameras if ya search hard enough.

 

[michael 118]

I know a couple of people who struggle so badly with digital camera's that it has reduced them to tears. Namely my dad. So what do you think digital or film?

 

[TECHGUNS]

I think because of the law of supply and demand that film sales will go down because of the digi, but some demand for 35mm film will continue untill Im to old too care anymore. There are to many old timers that will demand it, and if it is demanded it will be sold. I will most likely use both digital and film.

 

[michael 118]

True, true.
Me on the other hand, well.......
Have to say digital. Who can be arsed to go all the way to develpmont shop, anyway?. I mean comparing film and digi prices, the film can actually be surprisingly expensive.

 

[TECHGUNS]

When ever I get a nice digiSLR mabe they will have more lens components to add to it. And I use it to keep the cost down, but if they dont make any extension rings for the macros I would have to make my own.
The color infared film is cool and the digi is black and white.
Im using a toy microsope Intell play to do the micoscopic stuff and extension rings on the 35mm.

 

[floppybootstomp]

I know a couple of people who struggle so badly with digital camera's that it has reduced them to tears. Namely my dad. So what do you think digital or film?

Your Dad probably wouldn't get on with a decent SLR then would he? I mean, come on, just set most any digicam to auto and you can't go far wrong.

I'm probably older than your Dad, and I don't have a prob. Some people just can't embrace technology. Any technology. That's Ok, we all made different after all, but it ain't no reason to diss digital photography.

The sixties- what a shrill pointless decade.

Were you there? I doubt it. So who are you to comment?

I thought they were great, my first motor-bike, first car, mini-skirts, Hendrix, Pink Floyd, Tamla Motown, Stax, a complete sense that something new was happening, they were truly, mostly, good times, and I ain't viewing that with some kind of old fart's nostalgia, either. The sixties set the mould for now, believe it or not.

A decade can mostly be summed up by it's music.

The Sixties were superb.
The Seventies were embarrassing.
The Eighties were rubbish.
The Nineties were great.
Jury's still out on the noughties

 

[michael 118]

yes, the music was great in the sixties, but what i mean was some of the things people did, primarily in this example was Vietnam- the worlds most embarrising war. all that is there is just frustration, and the yanks having a craving for war. Still today this is true, the iraq war. i dont know what your views are on it but i think it's just all about the oil in the long run.

Back to topic of photography.

 

[HaspWinder]

I still use 35mm film in my camera for shoooting stills but I have hear from numerious other places that it won't be in stock for much longer by any company, I say it will be gone very soon.

 

[Tango_and_Saucepans]

OFCOURSE they arn't dead...and they will keep stocking them... we have billions in 'Boots'... go get some... get loads... millions.

I work on the photo counter and we need MORE people with 35mm cameras there the quickest to develop that you can get and there good!

Unless you have instant cameras, but there just naff... and there's no excitement in waiting for polariods anyway, and you get artheritus shaking them and they are just SO square.

By MORE 35mm cameras, they are like buy one get one free anyway!

Go on, you know you want to!