NBC Left Field: Why We Stiil Love Film

[cgw]

Nice little shout out for us diehards:

 

[Derrel]

A whole new generation of people who are getting into film!

 

[cgw]

Funny but I see the newly-wed/nearly-dead and everyone in-between at the labs in Toronto. I do find offensive how camera stores peddling second-hand gear profitably blur the line between vintage and used equipment. Whip in cult inflation(e.g., Contax T series p&s cameras)and film photography starts looking very spendy before anyone exposes and processes their first roll. Sadly, they're 10-15 years too late when film equipment prices first cratered.

 

[Derrel]

I think 2008 was the low point on film gear prices, but that might have been influenced by a particularly great deal I got in 2008 , which was a Bronica SQ Ai,two finders, and three lenses,(50 PS ,80, 150 PS) and two backs ,for $300.

 

[Derrel]

I was shocked to hear $3,000 as the price quoted for a little Contax...

 

[compur]

$3k for a Contax T3 is not too far out of the norm. A lot of them sell for over $2k and a special edition might go for around $3k.

 

[TWX]

Funny but I see the newly-wed/nearly-dead and everyone in-between at the labs in Toronto. I do find offensive how camera stores peddling second-hand gear profitably blur the line between vintage and used equipment. Whip in cult inflation(e.g., Contax T series p&s cameras)and film photography starts looking very spendy before anyone exposes and processes their first roll. Sadly, they're 10-15 years too late when film equipment prices first cratered.

The mistake is buying from stores.

When I search various online classifieds for Canon equipment I don't usually set exclusions to remove pre-digital equipment from matching, so I end up with a lot of FL/FD and pre-digital EOS showing up. Routinely I see a full setup with FD-mount camera, a plethora of lenses, strap, bag, tripod, and sometimes even collections of filters and unused film for less than $200, and it's not uncommon to see such ready-to-shoot kits for less than $100. EOS typically go for a little more if they're not Rebel-line, but film EOS Rebel cameras with a lens or two are also usually around $100 depending on the bundled lenses and can occasionally go for far cheaper. I picked up my K2 for $20, just for its lens.

I should probably try running a roll of film through it, even if only to remind myself what shooting film was like.

 

[Grandpa Ron]

To some degree film is like the forbidden fruit. The folks want it, because they do not have it, so it is tempting.

There is also mystery and adventure,

• There is no guarantee or instant gratification that you got the shot right.
• It costs money and/or time to get your results.
• You have to chose ISO, color or black and white, etc. before you shoot.
• There is little if any post processing.

Such drawback seem daunting to many. To others, these are some of the reasons for doing it.

Personally, I am simply a hopeless diddler, always one more thing to try.

 

[TWX]

Great. Now I'm thinking about taking that K2, getting a pair of batteries and a couple rolls of film, and taking the Tokina lens (technically APS-C, but apparently will provide full-frame coverage from about 18mm), the kit lens, and the Tamron telephoto zoom lens out for an afternoon. As if I have a spare afternoon.

I don't even know where to buy film locally. "Urban Outfitters" has it but I don't want to go buy trendy film from the trendy place and pay trendy prices.

 

[webestang64]

Our film roll numbers continue to rise here at the lab I work at, mainly cause we are last lab in St. Louis that processes film (C-41 and BW...no E-6).

And we can't keep used film cameras in stock as we get more and more "new to film" people. Prices aren't too bad.....good working K1000's with 50mm lens sell for around $125.
We also have a mix of ages from young high school to old farts like me.

 

[vintagesnaps]

Urban Outfitters has sales... go to Lifestyle, Cameras + Film (and there's Vinyl + Cassettes too!). At least they're selling film, geared to people somewhat younger than me! (but hey, a sale is a sale).

And I guess film prices are coming down... 3 rolls at $6 each? Not quite as good as the 4 packs of Kodak I used to get for $10! lol but still.

 

[dennyr]

A whole new generation of people who are getting into film!

What is "odd" about all of this is.........there is not a new generation "Getting Into Film"....it is the first generation.
I was born in 1959. For most of the history of photography, young people "Got Into Photography".
This is the first generation of photographers that are part of a "Film Renaissance".
For you and me, film was simply the way it was done.
These Guys/Gals are the first to see it as some kind of Niche/Avant-Garde process.

My post is not an argument.
I 100% understand your comment and the point you are making.

 

[vintagesnaps]

Interesting point, some of us grew up with it.

Looks like the reason the Contax is commanding such a high price is that one of the Kardashians was on late night TV with one. Well, at least one of them is doing something worthwhile! lol shooting film!

 

[TWX]

I just pulled the K2 out to inspect it. Good news, there aren't batteries in it, so there's no leaky batteries in it, and after cleaning the mirror and eyepiece part of the viewfinder, and very carefully cleaning the underside of the prism and confirming that the interior chamber is clean, it's basically ready to be used.

Bad news, I think the K2 was an extraordinarly cheap offering. On a lark I put my Tokina 12-24mm lens on just to see where it starts vignetting (in the viewfinder around 16mm, so considering 90% coverage probably more like 17-18mm) and the weight balance (admittedly no batteries or film) was very lens-heavy. It only weighs 340 grams apparently, which is 200 grams or just under half a pound less than my 77D.

It also lacks a diopter adjustment to the viewfinder. That actually caught me a bit off guard, but if it was a budget/entry-level offering then it's not really so surprising.

We'll see if I pick up any film or batteries. It lacks good manual controls so it may not be all that fun to shoot unfortunately.