Where is the future of 35mm taking us?

[TylerTarris]

Well, I will always love shooting digital, but what I truly enjoy from photography, is the shear thought that you have to put into a photo when shooting film, and the amount of time its worth to you, and then the genuine suprise, and anticipation of waiting to get it devloped, or in some instances when fortunate running the process yourself. Now where im going with this is, what companies as of now are currently selling cheaper 35mm SLR's and rangefinders, and why have the bigger brands stopped making them almost entirely?

 

[dxqcanada]

Very few companies venture into 35mm film cameras ... except for some almost novelty items.
Nikon is still one of the few that have SLR's (FM2 + F6).

There is no market for them ... all professional photographers are going digital. Even the old Hasselbladers.
It is more profitable using Digital.

Leica still has their M series film cameras.

The investment in photofinishing equipment for film is more than digital.

Camera manufacturers go where the sales/profit is.
Those of us that shoot film will most likely buy a used camera instead of new as the price is so attractive ... so there is no reason for the manufacturer to continue making new ones (especially when the used market is full).

 

[dxqcanada]

The future of 35mm photography is in recycling.

Those of you "Digital" shooters that have suddenly "seen the light" and want to shoot film ... keep 35mm film production alive.

Film developing/printing is a hard guess for the future.
I see 35mm film becoming a B+W only area for those wanting to get their hands wet (literally).

For us old timers ... we will continue to live with both worlds and dread the day we cannot get chemicals and paper.

 

[Josh66]

what companies as of now are currently selling cheaper 35mm SLR's and rangefinders, and why have the bigger brands stopped making them almost entirely?

None that I know of. I think Canon & Nikon still have one body each in production, but I wouldn't exactly call them cheap.

Why did they stop? I can only assume it's because the market isn't there anymore. Of course, people will still want them - but not enough people to make it profitably for them.

Companies don't stay in business long if they don't stay profitable... That's just the way it is.

I think current designs are just now starting to move away from the way it way with film too... IS/VR for example - people are always asking why Canon & Nikon have it in the lens instead of the body like Sony. Film is why.
Canon & Nikon had IS/VR before there was a such thing as digital cameras. You can't just move a single frame of film around to do it in body...


I still pretty much only shoot film. I probably will be for a while too.

I don't think it will go away for a very long time. Sure, the selection will get smaller and more expensive though, and that's already happening.

My favorite films keep getting discontinued. Fuji cut a bunch from it's line in the last couple years. Kodak is cutting them too.

What pisses me off though, is that it's only the pro films getting cut. They don't seem to be touching the cheap drug store ones. I think the future is - you will only have one 'pro' film to pick from per brand. Maybe two - a 400 speed and an 800 speed.

I can walk into any drug store and get a 3 pack of Kodak Gold, but try finding a roll of Portra 160NC...

I think I'm going to be shooting a lot more B&W soon since it's getting harder to find my favorite color films. Even ordering on-line there isn't much to choose from. I used to use Fuji Pro 160S almost exclusively, and now I can't even find it. B&H used to sell it in 100' bulk rolls, now they don't even have a single 36 exposure roll.

I just ordered 100 feet of Arista Premium 100 (which is Kodak Plus-X, from what I've read) and a few rolls of Fuji Neopan SS 100 from Freestyle (should be in tomorrow). There's still a pretty wide selection of B&W films, and they last (a lot) longer anyway - so I think I'm going to start stocking up and hoarding.


So... The future is - fewer, more expensive choices. It will still be around for a long time though.

 

[Sbuxo]

hopefully after getting the hang of 35mm it will take you to 120

 

[thingsIsee]

you can't buy a 57 Chevy or a 68 Camaro anymore ether. they will go the way of the used, and restored.

 

[skieur]

hopefully after getting the hang of 35mm it will take you to 120

and then the Kodak Brownie.

skieur

 

[dxqcanada]

Where is the future of 35mm taking us?

Towards digital imaging products.

Beyond that ... ?

 

[Sbuxo]

hopefully after getting the hang of 35mm it will take you to 120

and then the Kodak Brownie.

skieur

 

[Jakefreese]

I am afraid the epa will be the end of film. When they catch up with the chemicals used for it I think it be it. I still shoot some film, the digital is just soo convenient and I am hardly even an amateur so it is nice for me to be able to see my picture and reshoot if needed. One thing I do like is you can get film bodies CHEAP I paid $200 for my EOS 1 they were like $2000 new. I hope it is a very long time before film is something that was remembered. There is still a different look and feel that digital just does not have. Plus medium and large format can get you awesome looking pictures enlarged that I could not afford a digital even close to the quality that the medium format could get me.

 

[Derrel]

Well, I will always love shooting digital, but what I truly enjoy from photography, is the shear thought that you have to put into a photo when shooting film, and the amount of time its worth to you, and then the genuine suprise, and anticipation of waiting to get it devloped, or in some instances when fortunate running the process yourself. Now where im going with this is, what companies as of now are currently selling cheaper 35mm SLR's and rangefinders, and why have the bigger brands stopped making them almost entirely?

Because 35mm film SLR's are dead as a profit center, and dead as a sales staple. The demand for them is easily met by the remaining millions of used bodies and lenses still on the market. 35mm rangefinders have been a niche market for many decades now, and Leica and Cosina are easily able to the tiny amount of demand for 35mm rangefinder cameras and lenses. Old, used Leicas work well as shooters, and new Cosina-made Bessa rangefinders function well as low-priced shooters. Canon and Nikon used to be rather high-volume rangefinder camera makers, back during the period when rangefinders had yet to be ovrtaken by the advancing Japanese 35mm SLR "system" cameras, but both Canon and Nikon abandoned 35mm rangefinder production decades ago.

Cosina's "Voigtlander Bessa" cameras and lenses are a good example of a product produced by a company headed by a single man, a man who actually has a passionate love for the 35mm rangefinder camera. COrporations, where multiple levels of leadership have to justify costs and profit margins and so on, have for the most part, abandoned both 35mm SLR production and 35mm rangefinder production simply because the profit potential is so slim in both of those product categories.

 

[usayit]

Leica still has their M series film cameras.

btw.. Leica too has stopped production of the M7 and MP. I think they basically have a large stockpile of parts from which they can assemble film bodies if necessary.

Small company with limited resources refocused on the three lines: M-body, S-body, and X1.

 

[dxqcanada]

... but I am still saving up for the gold MP3 !!!

 

[usayit]

... but I am still saving up for the gold MP3 !!!

Gold Spray Paint? lol

Might work... there's a bunch of people painting their Chrome M3 bodies black for some odd reason.

 

[dxqcanada]

Not the same