Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2005/04/20

[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]

Subject: [Leica] Re: Let's Just Say That Leica Survives and....
From: firkin at balhpl01.ncable.net.au (firkin)
Date: Wed Apr 20 21:11:18 2005
References: <426702D0.1080605@comcast.net> <d03e5ecb9317cfc1fa24824fa09e857a@shaw.ca> <20050421032058.25925.qmail@balhpl01.ncable.net.au> <7eaa9f12a6977062cb6e83405885c0cd@earthlink.net>

Feli writes: 

> I think color negative film will be the first to bite the dust. It's too 
> dependent on the average consumer, who is
> going digital. It's also become expensive, nearly $15 per roll (purchase 
> and develop).

I suspect it will survive longer in some ways because of the weight of 
cameras out there but cost will eventually kill it: strange to think how 
life is a circle. As a kid you used b/w because it was cheaper and more 
available. Colour was for the few. By the time I was greying, b/w was rare, 
expensive and almost frowned on, while colour was cheap as chips. I cannot 
see b/w processing coming back to the masses however. 

> 
> Slide film may hang on longer, because there is no means of digital 
> projection this side of $100,000 that is even in the ballpark with it. 
> 

Have to wait and see. As a commercial product I think its almost dead 
outside confined professional uses 

> Black and white will probably survive for a very long time. It's simpler 
> to manufacture than color films, easier to process (at home and at the 
> lab) and it's already a niche product. I would bet that most people who 
> continue to shoot will film, will be black and white shooters. They shoot 
> film because they like to. But I do think prices will go up and the 
> selection will narrow...

b/w may survive almost untouched as the craft market increases and takes up 
the slack. Kodak and Agfa may drop out, but others will fly the flag into 
the future including Ilford by all accounts 

> 
> Give me Tri-X or give me death.

hard but fair ;-) 

Alastair Firkin
www.afirkin.com
www.familyofman2.com 

Replies: Reply from feli2 at earthlink.net (Feli) ([Leica] Re: Let's Just Say That Leica Survives and....)
In reply to: Message from rclark01 at comcast.net (Robert Clark) ([Leica] Let's Just Say That Leica Survives and....)
Message from jbcollier at shaw.ca (John Collier) ([Leica] Let's Just Say That Leica Survives and....)
Message from firkin at balhpl01.ncable.net.au (firkin) ([Leica] Re: Let's Just Say That Leica Survives and....)
Message from feli2 at earthlink.net (Feli) ([Leica] Re: Let's Just Say That Leica Survives and....)