The fate of 35mm

[jdubya]

I've heard that 35mm film will not be processed in the near future. I still own a very nice Canon SLR, and was curious to know if I should convert it into a doorstop! Please educate me.

Thanks, Jeff

 

[MGriff240]

Well it's pretty much a dying artform...I know my high school photography class has stopped using the darkroom, which is sad because I was really looking forward to learning the film process. :x

 

[KmH]

But the 135 format lives on in the digital world, and film is still used in medium and large format cameras.

 

[ann]

and then my darkroom classes continue to grow including lots of teenage and college age students.

I don't think film will ever be king again, but it is not dead and in fact lots of people still use film, it is becoming an alternative process along with cyanotypes and vandyke brown etc.

 

[skieur]

But the 135 format lives on in the digital world, and film is still used in medium and large format cameras.

True, but medium format has been "invaded" by digital and Canon, Nikon, and Sony are about to enter medium format to compete with Leica, Hasselblad, and the rest.

Red One Digital is now in large format and competing with the film cameras.

skieur

 

[Battou]

and then my darkroom classes continue to grow including lots of teenage and college age students.

I don't think film will ever be king again, but it is not dead and in fact lots of people still use film, it is becoming an alternative process along with cyanotypes and vandyke brown etc.

Actually, this is likely a large part of why your darkroom classes are growing. Commercial processors don't care anymore because all they see are the profit margins in in that little statistic digital prints are bringing in more than one hour or even send out film processing. So Stores like rite-aid, Wal-Wart, Walgreens, CVS and whatnot are dropping the program. With them dropping the program the film shooters have to go somewhere..and right now, home is the closest place for processing, but they have to learn it somewhere. That is where you are reaping the reward I guess.

 

[BKMOOD]

Until they can find a means for reliable digital storage and archiving, film isn't going anywhere. Properly stored film can be stored for hundreds of years. Digital storage hasn't been tested for the long haul. Who knows if we'll even be reading JPEGs 100 years from now. According to Kokak, "the best digital storage media have a short life span even under optimum conditions." But we can always shine light through a negative. Film will never completely go away.

 

[ann]

the young people have the options of digital and all have digital cameras, but love the hands on approach to the darkroom.

several high schools in town have very large traditional programs as well and these have been going on for years.

One of the best camera stores in town, still processes black and white film and keep very busy, and yes the cv's of the world don't , but there is an interest in black and white and people are busy making images not talking about equipment.

 

[Early]

What concerns me about film is that no one will manufacture it if demand doesn't draw a reasonable profit.

 

[Overread16 4]

I suspect long term film will be picked up by one or two companies which will keep the manufacture of films going on - chances are they will also have to handle processing as well since shops will no longer process the results.

It won't return to its days of being the dominant medium - infact those days are already lost to digital. Large and medium format might hold out a little while longer until their areas are opened to the commercial market more - at present the prices are prohibative for many to move to digital (even in the pro line of work) however as those prices lower and digital improves in its ability to meet the features of film (like dynamic range.) the film markets will lessen in those areas as well.


Also whilst a digital negative might be lost through time nothing stops one from printing off the results. Interestingly this never gets suggested when people discuss archiving their works when working in a digital medium.

 

[gsgary]

I've heard that 35mm film will not be processed in the near future. I still own a very nice Canon SLR, and was curious to know if I should convert it into a doorstop! Please educate me.

Thanks, Jeff

It will be here in the UK

 

[kkamin]

Until they can find a means for reliable digital storage and archiving, film isn't going anywhere. Properly stored film can be stored for hundreds of years. Digital storage hasn't been tested for the long haul. Who knows if we'll even be reading JPEGs 100 years from now. According to Kokak, "the best digital storage media have a short life span even under optimum conditions." But we can always shine light through a negative. Film will never completely go away.

Whaaaat? The thing with film is that it is slowly degrading over those 100's of years, in even the most optimum conditions-- and there can be only 1 master copy. We all know this, but with digital, there is no degradation from making copies, and time has no impact over how 1's and 0's will behave. Unless you go into a coma for 100 years and miss out on industry wide transitions, I think you'll be able to keep up with changing file formats. And yes, CD-ROM's, DVDs and hard drives are not archival, so you should periodically copy your files to new and multiple sources.

I learned on film and have spent countless hours in b&w and color darkrooms. But I don't have any illusion that film will eventually die from the mainstream and be an alternative process like another poster said, like a cyanotype or a deguerrotype. Film chemistry is pure pollution anyways.

If your a film person, sorry, you're gonna need to learn Photoshop and color management.

 

[Overread16 4]

As risen in another thread (from a while ago now) production of electrical components is also not without its chemical pollutants. Our operation of them is also not pollution free (something has to make the elecricity) though that can be modified to being renewable/less damaging sources (though in all honesty unless human populations crash nuclear appears to be the current, only method of meeting the demand for power requirements)

 

[Dwig]

I've heard that 35mm film will not be processed in the near future. I still own a very nice Canon SLR, and was curious to know if I should convert it into a doorstop! Please educate me.

Thanks, Jeff

Rumors spread and mutate...

The only film for which all processing will end "in the near future" is Kodachrome. Processing for other types of slide films, for color print films, and for B&W will continue as long as there is adequate demand.

Many small "drug store" labs are closing down their film processing but most will replace it by sending film out to some wholesale lab lab service. If they retain any in-house services they will be digital only.

It is true, though, that film is dying. Fewer and fewer places offer processing and this decline will only continue as fewer people shoot film and those shooting film shoot less and less. Personally, I think easily available commercial processing will be extinct within less than a decade. If film lasts any longer, it will only be in the hands of the artist/craftsman who does all of his own processing.

 

[RyanLilly]

Plus, there is no guarantee that film will archive well, Sometimes certain brands, or even the same brand but different production runs of film, degrade differently over time. Movie companies keep their archives in salt mines, because of the enormous space and climate control required to keep the film from degrading(more quickly).

With digital, its as easy as making multiple copies on archival media, than storing them in different locations. Repeat every few years.

I think "real" labs will continue to process film for some time, but prices will probably increase steadily. When you consider the time line, Digital took over film very quickly, companies like Kodak and Polaroid were left in the dust. Camera manufactures made the the transition easily, while a huge market dried up to almost nothing for the film manufactures.