The future of 35mm

In the space of one week I hear about two major rumblings in the film
world; Agfa & Ilford. Deeply concerning.

Although I did forecast it would happen, my main concern is that 35mm film
may become difficult to buy, process and have prints made if you are not
in a major centre. Where does that leave us if we want to continue using
this medium?

I'm thinking that maybe it will become a specialist medium and that home
processing is bound to be the future of it.

Will I be forced to buy bulk load film, process and scan it at home (if I
want prints from digital labs)? I already have a bulk loader, so if this
is the road I will be forced to take, the only other investments I will
need to make are in film processing gear and possibly a decent scanner.

The thing is, what chemicals am I going to have to buy if I want to
process E6 and C-41? Will they become as scarce as I fear film might?

As much as I enjoy and embrace digital, I'm not quite ready to lose 35mm
film just yet, thank you very much!

--
Dallas
www.dallasdahms.com

Dallas wrote:
In the space of one week I hear about two major rumblings in the film
world; Agfa & Ilford. Deeply concerning.

I don't know about Ilford, but the Agfa was a false alarm. They are just
reorganizing their film unit. it is not going away. A lot of money is
changing hands to get control of it.

You can still buy sheet film. Don't worry.


--
Joseph E. Meehan

26 + 6 = 1 It's Irish Math

Dallas wrote:
In the space of one week I hear about two major rumblings in the film
world; Agfa & Ilford. Deeply concerning.

I don't know about Ilford, but the Agfa was a false alarm. They are just
reorganizing their film unit. it is not going away. A lot of money is
changing hands to get control of it.

You can still buy sheet film. Don't worry.


--
Joseph E. Meehan

26 + 6 = 1 It's Irish Math

Dallas wrote:

In the space of one week I hear about two major rumblings in the film
world; Agfa & Ilford. Deeply concerning.

Just paranoid?



Although I did forecast it would happen, my main concern is that 35mm film
may become difficult to buy, process and have prints made if you are not
in a major centre. Where does that leave us if we want to continue using
this medium?

Anywhere that still sells a disposable one time use camera will also have a
one hour processing place. Kodak is even developing a kiosk to allow do it
yourself developing, scanning, and printing from one time use cameras. While
few of us would use these things, they are by far the most numerous of all
film sales. If you want C-41 films, you could always buy a few, crack them
open, and stick them into your SLR. ;-)



I'm thinking that maybe it will become a specialist medium and that home
processing is bound to be the future of it.

Really very easy, but unnecessary (except maybe for B/W). I did E6 processing
in the kitchen many times in the past.

When you read about the industry, look for information about Photo Finishing.
That refers to the machines and equipment that make the prints, though also
to processing film. As long as someone makes money off film, it will continue
to be sold, processed, and printed.



Will I be forced to buy bulk load film, process and scan it at home (if I
want prints from digital labs)? I already have a bulk loader, so if this
is the road I will be forced to take, the only other investments I will
need to make are in film processing gear and possibly a decent scanner.

The reality is that there are millions of existing negatives out there.
People will still want the old film turned into a newer printed item, so
there is an existing market for that. I doubt that market will ever
disappear, at least not in the western world.



The thing is, what chemicals am I going to have to buy if I want to
process E6 and C-41? Will they become as scarce as I fear film might?

Check out Lucky Film in China. Kodak now owns a large chunk of that company,
and they make everything you want. Considering that prices in China are low
compared to the west, you might find some bargains. FedEx and DHL are your
friends. ;-)



As much as I enjoy and embrace digital, I'm not quite ready to lose 35mm
film just yet, thank you very much!

Mensch! What a reactionary, knee jerk response . . . I really am surprised
you are saying that. Maybe you should mail that F4 to me, and just get
comfortable with your new D70. ;-)

Ciao!

Gordon Moat
A G Studio
http://www.allgstudio.com

Dallas wrote:

In the space of one week I hear about two major rumblings in the film
world; Agfa & Ilford. Deeply concerning.

Just paranoid?



Although I did forecast it would happen, my main concern is that 35mm film
may become difficult to buy, process and have prints made if you are not
in a major centre. Where does that leave us if we want to continue using
this medium?

Anywhere that still sells a disposable one time use camera will also have a
one hour processing place. Kodak is even developing a kiosk to allow do it
yourself developing, scanning, and printing from one time use cameras. While
few of us would use these things, they are by far the most numerous of all
film sales. If you want C-41 films, you could always buy a few, crack them
open, and stick them into your SLR. ;-)



I'm thinking that maybe it will become a specialist medium and that home
processing is bound to be the future of it.

Really very easy, but unnecessary (except maybe for B/W). I did E6 processing
in the kitchen many times in the past.

When you read about the industry, look for information about Photo Finishing.
That refers to the machines and equipment that make the prints, though also
to processing film. As long as someone makes money off film, it will continue
to be sold, processed, and printed.



Will I be forced to buy bulk load film, process and scan it at home (if I
want prints from digital labs)? I already have a bulk loader, so if this
is the road I will be forced to take, the only other investments I will
need to make are in film processing gear and possibly a decent scanner.

The reality is that there are millions of existing negatives out there.
People will still want the old film turned into a newer printed item, so
there is an existing market for that. I doubt that market will ever
disappear, at least not in the western world.



The thing is, what chemicals am I going to have to buy if I want to
process E6 and C-41? Will they become as scarce as I fear film might?

Check out Lucky Film in China. Kodak now owns a large chunk of that company,
and they make everything you want. Considering that prices in China are low
compared to the west, you might find some bargains. FedEx and DHL are your
friends. ;-)



As much as I enjoy and embrace digital, I'm not quite ready to lose 35mm
film just yet, thank you very much!

Mensch! What a reactionary, knee jerk response . . . I really am surprised
you are saying that. Maybe you should mail that F4 to me, and just get
comfortable with your new D70. ;-)

Ciao!

Gordon Moat
A G Studio
http://www.allgstudio.com

"Dallas" wrote in message
newsan.2004.08.25.18.45.54.255000@southafrican.. .
In the space of one week I hear about two major rumblings in the film
world; Agfa & Ilford. Deeply concerning.

Although I did forecast it would happen, my main concern is that 35mm film
may become difficult to buy, process and have prints made if you are not
in a major centre. Where does that leave us if we want to continue using
this medium?

I'm thinking that maybe it will become a specialist medium and that home
processing is bound to be the future of it.

Will I be forced to buy bulk load film, process and scan it at home (if I
want prints from digital labs)? I already have a bulk loader, so if this
is the road I will be forced to take, the only other investments I will
need to make are in film processing gear and possibly a decent scanner.

The thing is, what chemicals am I going to have to buy if I want to
process E6 and C-41? Will they become as scarce as I fear film might?

As much as I enjoy and embrace digital, I'm not quite ready to lose 35mm
film just yet, thank you very much!

I don't see the demise of film for the next 50 years, at the very least.
And, even then, there will always be digital equipment designed to convert
both film, slides, and prints into digital format for archival purposes,
because the photographs that have been taken during the last 100 years or so
are still hiding in peoples attics waiting for grandchildren and great
grandchildren to discover them and print them.........

"Dallas" wrote in message
newsan.2004.08.25.18.45.54.255000@southafrican.. .
In the space of one week I hear about two major rumblings in the film
world; Agfa & Ilford. Deeply concerning.

Although I did forecast it would happen, my main concern is that 35mm film
may become difficult to buy, process and have prints made if you are not
in a major centre. Where does that leave us if we want to continue using
this medium?

I'm thinking that maybe it will become a specialist medium and that home
processing is bound to be the future of it.

Will I be forced to buy bulk load film, process and scan it at home (if I
want prints from digital labs)? I already have a bulk loader, so if this
is the road I will be forced to take, the only other investments I will
need to make are in film processing gear and possibly a decent scanner.

The thing is, what chemicals am I going to have to buy if I want to
process E6 and C-41? Will they become as scarce as I fear film might?

As much as I enjoy and embrace digital, I'm not quite ready to lose 35mm
film just yet, thank you very much!

I don't see the demise of film for the next 50 years, at the very least.
And, even then, there will always be digital equipment designed to convert
both film, slides, and prints into digital format for archival purposes,
because the photographs that have been taken during the last 100 years or so
are still hiding in peoples attics waiting for grandchildren and great
grandchildren to discover them and print them.........

As long as Kodak and Fugi continue to release 'new' films (35mm and
larger,) the demise of Agfa and Ilford is just that much less market
share to fight over.



APS has died -- no great loss except for the little factories in China
that were making most of the Kodak APS and 'toss-away' APS bodies.
Just remember, some engineering brain thought APS was really neat --
just no one considered what type of slide projector would one need to
show the three formats.



Plus the 'plant' investment, by Fuji anyhow, in fairly new equipment
in the U.S. means Fuji, for one company, plans on making film for the
masses.
= = =
Dallas wrote in message news:pan.2004.08.25.18.45.54.255000@southafrican ...
In the space of one week I hear about two major rumblings in the film
world; Agfa & Ilford. Deeply concerning.

Although I did forecast it would happen, my main concern is that 35mm film
may become difficult to buy, process and have prints made if you are not
in a major centre. Where does that leave us if we want to continue using
this medium?

I'm thinking that maybe it will become a specialist medium and that home
processing is bound to be the future of it.

Will I be forced to buy bulk load film, process and scan it at home (if I
want prints from digital labs)? I already have a bulk loader, so if this
is the road I will be forced to take, the only other investments I will
need to make are in film processing gear and possibly a decent scanner.

The thing is, what chemicals am I going to have to buy if I want to
process E6 and C-41? Will they become as scarce as I fear film might?

As much as I enjoy and embrace digital, I'm not quite ready to lose 35mm
film just yet, thank you very much!

As long as Kodak and Fugi continue to release 'new' films (35mm and
larger,) the demise of Agfa and Ilford is just that much less market
share to fight over.



APS has died -- no great loss except for the little factories in China
that were making most of the Kodak APS and 'toss-away' APS bodies.
Just remember, some engineering brain thought APS was really neat --
just no one considered what type of slide projector would one need to
show the three formats.



Plus the 'plant' investment, by Fuji anyhow, in fairly new equipment
in the U.S. means Fuji, for one company, plans on making film for the
masses.
= = =
Dallas wrote in message news:pan.2004.08.25.18.45.54.255000@southafrican ...
In the space of one week I hear about two major rumblings in the film
world; Agfa & Ilford. Deeply concerning.

Although I did forecast it would happen, my main concern is that 35mm film
may become difficult to buy, process and have prints made if you are not
in a major centre. Where does that leave us if we want to continue using
this medium?

I'm thinking that maybe it will become a specialist medium and that home
processing is bound to be the future of it.

Will I be forced to buy bulk load film, process and scan it at home (if I
want prints from digital labs)? I already have a bulk loader, so if this
is the road I will be forced to take, the only other investments I will
need to make are in film processing gear and possibly a decent scanner.

The thing is, what chemicals am I going to have to buy if I want to
process E6 and C-41? Will they become as scarce as I fear film might?

As much as I enjoy and embrace digital, I'm not quite ready to lose 35mm
film just yet, thank you very much!

Dallas wrote:

In the space of one week I hear about two major rumblings in the film
world; Agfa & Ilford. Deeply concerning.

Although I did forecast it would happen, my main concern is that 35mm film
may become difficult to buy, process and have prints made if you are not
in a major centre. Where does that leave us if we want to continue using
this medium?

I'm thinking that maybe it will become a specialist medium and that home
processing is bound to be the future of it.

Will I be forced to buy bulk load film, process and scan it at home (if I
want prints from digital labs)? I already have a bulk loader, so if this
is the road I will be forced to take, the only other investments I will
need to make are in film processing gear and possibly a decent scanner.

The thing is, what chemicals am I going to have to buy if I want to
process E6 and C-41? Will they become as scarce as I fear film might?

As much as I enjoy and embrace digital, I'm not quite ready to lose 35mm
film just yet, thank you very much!

--
Dallas
www.dallasdahms.com

I processed my own color neg film for some years, Dallas, and my advice
is to leave it alone unless you are *forced* to do it. The specs for
C-41 processing pretty well preclude it being done without automatic
machinery. Development criteria are develop for 3 mins. 15 seconds +/-
5 seconds at 75 deg. F +/- half a degree (if I remember correctly).
Despite using waterbaths to temper the developing tank temperature, and
buying a rapid-fill tank to try to arrest development and get the stop
bath into the tank within 5 seconds, I could never guarantee identical
processing from one film to the next. This is quite apart from the
replenishment regime, which requires keeping track of what films have
been through the developer, how old the solutions are, etc. This aspect
of replenishment is done in commercial labs by processing pre-exposed
films from Kodak or Fuji or whoever, and analyzing the results with a
denstiometer - expensive. The alternative of always using new developer
is prohibitively expensive also.

The reason I had to do my own then was we - my wife and I - specialized
in covering family re-union gatherings, which always happened on
weekends, and no processng labs open at weekends in those days. A
typical re-union would have anything up to two hundred people attending,
and we would photograph them in family groups, mixed groups, like all
cousins together, and a big group of everybody. I had a set of
collapsible benches on a trailer that would allow me to set up 5 tiers
of people at up to 40 in each row, and I shot them on 6x9 or 5x4.

Then, we would drive back to my premises and process the films, dry them
in a quick-drying cabinet, and proof all the shots at 8x10 and the
biggies at 16x20, sometimes up to fifty or sixty prints, then drive back
to the re-union and display the photographs and take orders. The
processing and printing took two to three hours of frantic work, but the
results never failed to impress the attendees.

We usually took $2,000 to $4000 in orders - all this was in the 70's and
80's - which wasn't bad for a day's work, but we still had to do the
orders and mail them out.

Boy, a good digital and a fast inkjet would have been good.

Colin D.