When film is really dead, what will film Leicas be worth?

<p>I have been thinking it over since my lab recently lost 7 rolls of my film. I am giving up on it. However I will reconsider if a good quality lab opens nearby. I doubt that will happen. I do have 50 yrs of film that I own and will keep that forever. I will continue to scan some of it from time to time. However I am not going to shoot anymore. My F100 is packed away with the batteries out. It is not worth enough to waste time selling it so I will just leave it packed away. Ten years from now if nothing has changed I will drop it off at the thrift store as they always want old camera's. I will miss film greatly and freely admit that I think it is much nicer then digital capture. But what are you going to do. I figure I will just move along with the future.</p>

<p>I have to admit that once my local processor stops processing E6, I may stop shooting it altogether. Right now they are just hanging on for dear life to stay in business. They are only open Mon-Fri, they stopped being open on Saturdays years ago. I really hope they can make it work for the next few years, as I still like to shoot film when I go on vacation and to really interesting places.</p>

<p>I love digital but I still like shooting film as I don't think any of my digital images, except for the ones which I have made prints from, will be around after I'm gone. If I were to die tomorrow, I am sure my hard drives and computers would be thrown away and my images lost, never to be seen again. But my prints and slides may live on, somehow, be given away or simply stored somewhere.</p>

<p>There are film cameras now that can't be used anymore because the film format they were designed for is no longer available. But they are still "worth something" to collectors. Leica film bodies are way overpriced in my opinion, prices are driven by insane collectors. They are in a bubble at the moment. A second hand Leica M6 in good working condition should not cost a grand. That is nuts. It is the least collectible Leica rangefinder body in any case.</p>

Ross and Dave... I send my film out to the lab of my choice. There are good labs out there if you're

willing to use the mail.

<p>I think Leica is in the best place to assure the future of film. They already have a body of customers who are willing (maybe even eager) to pay $2000 for a 50 Summicron (the same lens which costed <$1000 just few years back). Surely a Tri-X clone @ $50 per roll would not bother these people to pay, for the privilege to shoot their M2/M3/M4/M6 etc. Leica could set a lab in the Leica agency in each region (ex. Allendale NJ in the states) and do processing by mailorder, for merely another $50 per roll (plus shipping, of course). Or they can sell also D76 enough for 1 gallon @ $50.<br>

Surely for those who reject digital and believe film is superior, money should not be an object.</p>

<p>The mass market for black-and-white film has been dead since the 1970s. Black-and-white film didn't disappear, did it?</p>

<p>I'm 56. If I shoot my 30 or so rolls a year till I'm 76, thats 600 rolls - £6000 of Velvia, developed and scanned. I already have the scanner. I guess I'm going to look seriously at some bulk buying and refrigeration. 76? I'll be lucky, so I see a saving there. <br>

I'm neither one thing or the other. I love my camera, the idea of it becoming useless would be painful. I suspect there'll be more important things becoming useless though - such as parts of my body - so I'll try to keep my chin up. I don't know about the technology much, but I know what an iphone can do and its sufficient to suggest a serious reevaluation of why anyone would ever buy a fancy camera for happy snaps. </p>

<blockquote>

<p>Ross and Dave... I send my film out to the lab of my choice. There are good labs out there if you're willing to use the mail.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Overall I've been unimpressed with Dwayne's. I like to take my E6 to a local processor and get it back in an hour. Film back from Dwayne's was stained once (two rolls). I always worry that my film will get lost in the mail. Never experienced it but reading about Ross's experience really makes me hesitate. Losing that many rolls would be a real disappointment.</p>

<p>Photography is my passion.<br>

I hope film will be around for a good many years yet. I shoot Medium Format for most of my film work with some 35mm. Just Love Fuji Velvia and Provia.<br>

My daughter is teaching me the digital side of photography. What the ?<br>

I'm showing her the world of Medium Format Photography. What the ?<br>

Isn't life interesting !!</p>

<p> </p>

<p>When film is finally dead, green things will grow out of our heads, and then the human race will turn into weeds.</p>

Digital cameras will die long before film. No one will use a camera soon unless it is for film as everyone will use phones or watches.

<p>lol</p>