Is analog photography dead?

[AcadieLibre]

A friend mentioned he read this today, so I found the online article at NOW a weekly free Toronto magazine. So it is worth a read and may be an interesting discussion for anyone interested. I have just scanned it quickly and will read in thoroughly later. Just posting it while I am thinking about it.

Is analog photography dead? (http://www.nowtoronto.com/art/story.cfm?content=162859)

[Marko]

I also scanned the article (the flashing black ads were too annoying to concentrate)

Personally I don't think it's dead but it is dying. I also don't think it will be totally dead in 10 years.

I suspect that as long as 1 company makes film, a small niche group of fine art photographers worldwide will still choose to shoot film and print by hand.
I also suspect that handprinted photography will go way up in value as it becomes more and more rare. :twocents:

[AcadieLibre]

I don't think it is dead either, I also disagree with the person who said Digital lacks authenticity (One of the most naive comments I have heard in a while and comes across as very elitist). I still listen to Vinyl, I just like it, I plan on doing Film SLR and I think it is not even close to dead. It is not a better or worse format it is a different format and I think it will always be in use but at a far lower number.

Since I went to DSLR there is definitely a difference between the two but I am starting to really enjoy DSLR but miss aspects of SLR but think DSLR has things the SLR could not match and vise-versa. I listen to albums not because they are better but they do sound slightly different and I think DSLR and SLR are similar to MP3's and Vinyl both have their places and both give you the same thing in the end but there are just enough differences to like both and enjoy each for their slight but noticeable differences in the mediums.

[tegan]

Analogue is definitely dying and a reduced market for film will bump up the price and reduce the supply. More to the point is that digital is approaching that magic number of 30,000 lines of resolution. Dual camera processors will improve resolution and dynamic range and will surpass film in quality probably within the next 5 years or less.

Serious black and white is also dead. I have seen very little black and white of any quality anywhere on the net in any photographic forum. Beginners do not seem to realize that black and white requires considerably more work behind the camera and in postprocessing than colour and produce really poor quality work. Bottom line is if you do not do the detailed work necessary for a quality black and white shot, then you are just producing garbage.

Tegan

[AcadieLibre]

I agree, I think B&W is almost a lost art form. When I shot B&W film it took a very long time to be able to see what you would end up with before you took the photo. I have started adding more B&W to my photo work. I don't do the convert the colour photo to B&W route because it is not I how I believe you shoot B&W. I also learned that even though DSLR does have the B&W mode it is a lot of work in the post processing, far more than I needed in a dark room to get a good resemblance to what film produced. It is part of the reason why I am giving some serious consideration to getting a film Camera just to shoot B&W again. Just trying to find a place in my busy house to set up a Dark room, could sell one of the kids, hmmmmm.

That said if you put the effort in you can do very good B&W with a DSLR, just takes time to learn, but that goes with any aspect of photography. And you need to look through the view finder with a different out look. I still listen to and own vinyl records so they may be fringe but you will always have those who will shoot film, they still press vinyl records and it was supposed to have died a several decades ago. Film may be on the fringe but it will always be here.

[tegan]

Whether film will always be there, really depends on whether the market for film warrants its production. Without the economies of scale (large amounts), the cost will go up and as the cost goes up, more photographers will ditch film for digital, causing further price increases. So because of the way the market and business works, film will not always be there.

Tegan

[AcadieLibre]

Whether film will always be there, really depends on whether the market for film warrants its production. Without the economies of scale (large amounts), the cost will go up and as the cost goes up, more photographers will ditch film for digital, causing further price increases. So because of the way the market and business works, film will not always be there.

Tegan

I will just have to agree to disagree. You will just end up with a niche market. You will more than likely end up with two or three small companies that will manufacture the items and once the market stabilizes I think so will the prices. I think the Market will always have enough film buffs to sustain it.

[Travis]

Film is dead... or dying with it's age demographic... young people don't have any exposure to film just like they don't have exposure to 8 Track or Beta....

[Marko]

Acadielibre is correct. There will likely be enough of a niche market for film for many many years. It will be tiny though - no arguments there.

Through the Internet the world is much smaller and even a tiny percentage of people makes for a nice niche market who will STILL want to buy film, developer, fixer, stop bath and silver based photographic paper.

I predict that in 20 years film, developer, fixer, stop bath and silver based photographic paper will still exist but that only a teeny percentage of fine art photographers will be using it. :twocents:

[tegan]

If film becomes extremely expensive as the market for it dwindles and digital surpasses film in image quality, the only ones left in film will be the usual diehards: mostly old ones and I doubt that there would be enough of them to sustain a market.

Even though Beta was better quality than VHS, it died because of market forces. The Amiga computer died, despite being the best graphics,animation, and television related computer available at the time and for a decade later.
Again marketting was the reason.

Tegan

[Alex Wilson]

A few years ago, I would have been inclined to agree that film would always stay around in some form in its niche market, but now I'm not so sure. The last few years have seen a way more dramatic shift to digital than most predicted.

"Film Cameras Officialy Dead In Japan"
http://blog.wired.com/gadgets/2008/05/film-cameras-of.html

Choices in paper and developer may become very limited very quickly. And I expect that new film gear (not just cameras, but enlargers, etc.) will also become rare, or at least much more expensive.

I'm not sure how the medium format crowd will be affected over time, as I'm not sure what the split is between commercial (who I would think are going/gone digital) versus art/hobby film folks.

Then again, large format film has been a very niche market for art photography long time, and it's managed to persist. That bodes well for medium and small format film users.

As for B&W film vs. digital, I don't want to hijack this thread, I think I'll start another... :)

[cdanddvdpublisher]

A few years ago, I would have been inclined to agree that film would always stay around in some form in its niche market, but now I'm not so sure. The last few years have seen a way more dramatic shift to digital than most predicted.

"Film Cameras Officialy Dead In Japan"
http://blog.wired.com/gadgets/2008/05/film-cameras-of.html

Choices in paper and developer may become very limited very quickly. And I expect that new film gear (not just cameras, but enlargers, etc.) will also become rare, or at least much more expensive.

I'm not sure how the medium format crowd will be affected over time, as I'm not sure what the split is between commercial (who I would think are going/gone digital) versus art/hobby film folks.

Then again, large format film has been a very niche market for art photography long time, and it's managed to persist. That bodes well for medium and small format film users.

As for B&W film vs. digital, I don't want to hijack this thread, I think I'll start another... :)

I miss shooting film, personally. While there are days that I still grab the camera and go out with it, digital is more convenient for me. However, I suspect that I'll never give film up completely, unless I have to...