Film cameras dead?

[Mark]

Re: Film cameras dead?

Film is DEAD.

Just like Paper (we all live in the paperless office world now you know.)
Vinyl LPs (yes I know they sold more last year then in along time and more and more artist are releasing Vinyl Album,.)
Cash (we all live in a cashless society now .)

[MX5]

Re: Film cameras dead?

Just like Paper (we all live in the paperless office world now you know.)

Only they call it the Less Paper Office now ... as many people still like the tactile feel of paper (be it books, manuals, printouts ...).

Cash (we all live in a cashless society now .)

I'm in Clitheroe tomorrow ... I'll put that to the test

Mind in 10 years' time we will be wondering what CF/SD cards and Hard Disks are ... when all new kit uses pervasive storage.

[colin C]

Re: Film cameras dead?

I've even stopped reading books now. Everything is downloaded to my Kindle.

Colin

[Glenn]

Re: Film cameras dead?

Film isn't DEAD, it's just that we're not interested in using it any more. I know a few people who use both film and digital and as long as there's a demand, film will always be available. TBH I find people who think film is old hat and out dated amusing

[Trevoreast]

Re: Film cameras dead?

Someone sat in my house on Sunday night and informed me that unlike with film, virtually anyone with a digital SLR and photoshop skills, would by default, be able to produce great pics.

I find this is a widely held view.

Trev

[djguk47]

Re: Film cameras dead?

and continuing this "belief".....
I find that when you do get a great image straight from the camera the comment is usually "oh that is really nice, which software did you use to produce such a good image??" Never do they say...."oh what a great photo"

The perception is not helped by the fact that the Collins English Dictionary now contains this....

Photoshop (ˈfəʊtəʊˌʃɒp) — vb , -shops , -shopping , -shopped
( tr ) to alter (a digital photograph or other image), using an image editing application.

now part of the English language a bit like "Google"

David

[colin C]

Re: Film cameras dead?

An interesting point Trevor and there is a lot of truth in what you say, but I feel that "great" in produce great pics may be innaccurate, even though it is a widely held view.

I am involved with a camera club and also see a lot of work from other clubs over the years. It is fair to say that digital has improved the overall quality. The two biggest problems with film were poor exposure and not sharp. Focussing is largely taken care of by autofocus within the camera and similarly with exposure. There is still the opportunity to fine tune both with photoshop and even more lattitude to "play" with the final result if you shot RAW in the first place. That will get you some technically competent pictures. Years ago, blow those results up to 10" x 8" and friends, colleagues and family would be telling you that you are a genuis, a born photographer and you should turn professional. By the by, those were the very same people that also believed the camera never lied!

With the improvements in cameras and post capture processing, that level of quality only gets you an entry ticket today. In club and interclub competitions, they would have been awarded 9's and 10's in the days of film, but with the quality improvements of digital, those same shots now get 7's.

So who gets the 9's and 10's then? The same people that always did .................... those with an eye for a picture, those who can always take that WOW shot, those that fully understand the technical attributes of their equipment and know when and how to override it to get the best results. Those who understand the conventions of composition and the colour wheel and are confident enough to deviate. Those that aren't afraid to experiment. Those that are true to themselves and whilst prepared to take advice, are not swayed by judges, or peer pressure.


Colin

[MX5]

Re: Film cameras dead?

Wise words as usual from MrC ... I’m often told how “good” my snaps are (honest!) ... but I know they are only average. Having zero artistic capability I tend to miss that wow composition [to be honest I just don’t perceive it] etc. My snaps may be technically okay 80% of the time, but compositionally I suspect not. These days my photographs are an ‘accurate’ record of what I did.

Film, if you had to pay for it, slowed you down. Made you think. Made you take care. Does digital do that for you automagically? ... a philosophical thought.

[F.S.P.]

Re: Film cameras dead?

Someone sat in my house on Sunday night and informed me that unlike with film, virtually anyone with a digital SLR and photoshop skills, would by default, be able to produce great pics.

I find this is a widely held view.

Trev

The thing is Trev some people think that they can with photoshop, but put them in a darkroom with real developing to do then see how good they are.

[colin C]

Re: Film cameras dead?

I’m often told how “good” my snaps are (honest!) ... but I know they are only average. Having zero artistic capability I tend to miss that wow composition

I think you are being far too modest.

I have seem Wow work from most on here, including you, but the contributors don't see the Wow in their own work, because they are so familiar with it. They saw the original scene, composed and pressed the shutter, processed it in RAW, tweaked it in photoshop, resized and posted it here .................... that's a lot of familiarisation!

When you post that shot, we see it for the first time and think ............. Wow!

Colin

[Trevoreast]

Re: Film cameras dead?

I see a devaluation of the skill of photography and over-expectation of what anyone can do in PS.

In the last two weeks I’ve been told things like,” I’m only hiring a photographer because I haven’t got a wide angle lens, otherwise I’d do it myself”
Day before yesterday, I was told “I could just photoshop in two more sign written vans”.
I’m not even going to mention, what people expect you to do to make them younger looking and perfect.

In many cases, people honestly believe the main difference between a newbie with P+S camera and a DSLR is the camera and lens costing more £££s

FSP I know what could be achieved in the darkroom, even though my actual skills are limited. I often suspect it’s people who don’t, who talk about "the good old the days of film" were what you captured with the camera, was what was printed.
For many people that was the case, I'd say the majority of people just used a film slr and dropped their rolls of film off at a budget high street film processor.

Sadly Darkroom skills are irrelevant in the digital age, it’s all about PS, unless your images are exactly how you’d like them to be straight out of the camera.

The thing is Trev some people think that they can with photoshop, but put them in a darkroom with real developing to do then see how good they are.

I see where you are coming from, however your point may be strictly academic?
You might as well say, arm a modern soldier with an antique musket, put them in today’s battlefield – then see how good they are.

Just my casual ramblings, no more than that.
Trev

[Trevoreast]

Re: Film cameras dead?

You might as well say, arm a modern soldier with an antique musket, put them in today’s battlefield – then see how good they are. :-)

I didn’t have time to think of a suitable analogy, this one seems a bit extreme. Do you get my point, even if I make it in a clumsy way. :-)

Trev

[colin C]

Re: Film cameras dead?

I see where you are coming from, however your point may be strictly academic?
You might as well say, arm a modern soldier with an antique musket, put them in today’s battlefield – then see how good they are.

I think that summarises it well Trev.

Whether we mourn the past, decry the dilution of skills, we are where we are. The only think that is judged is the final result, which is the picture. How we arrived at it, how long our apprenticeship was, how much our investment in the tools of our trade, is inconsequential.

Is the picture any good .................... or not?

Colin

[Trevoreast]

Re: Film cameras dead?

I think that summarises it well Trev.

Oh good, then perhaps my analogy isn't clumsy after all, I'm just being over sensitive about causing offence as usual :-)

Trev

[briansquibb]

Re: Film cameras dead?

I thinkthat film and digital cameras are not the same.

In some circumstances each will be the best. What has happened is that now the film camera is a niche tool, a bit like how the CNC lathe has superceded the manually operated lathe - just now and again there is a need for the manual lathe.

I think Trev's analogy would apply to say a 10d vs a 7d