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Those that still use some film ....


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<p>Just outta interest how much film do you guess you have used for 2016? Like to know how much this has changed from the 100% film days.</p>

<p>Like for like. So including casuals and those you are asked to take for others like it was in the film days. Not including very casual stuff or you photograph your pot plant to ask the garden centre etc .. but again including meaningful casuals selfies I mean in the film days people sat together got their photo taken around meal times or anywhere else.</p>

<p>I scan my film into Lightroom and all my digital RAW images goes into a single folder, the casual stuff like testing and auction photographs are moved to a "adhoc folder". <br /> <br />2016 for me: <br /> Digital RAW 2187 (of this 160 were for other people re: social events and big days etc). <br /> B/W film 397<br /> Color slide film 111</p>

<p>18% was film or around 21% if you exclude photography done for others. At home I usually shoot 1 roll a month kinda thing. Admittedly slide film is expensive and restrictive in use. Being in New Zealand I also have to import from the USA and export for processing. B/W I develop myself but the chemistry do cost 2x to B&H.<br /><br />Edit - for 2016 apart from a single 3 day weekend that I used digital, I only had a~10 day trip to Asia which I used slide film and b/w film; and digital but obviously I only took a single camera out with me. The 38 degrees Celsius weather also didn't help. </p>

<p>Cheers.</p>

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<p>Just outta interest how much film do you guess you have used for 2016?</p>

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<p>I don't have to guess, I know the answer precisely. Given the title of this thread, I don't think I should provide that answer though ;-) Just that my 100% film days are a dozen years in the past by now.</p>

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<p>I shoot B/W film for a hobby but I do not shoot a great deal of film. Probably 200 feet a year (40 rolls). I look for photos that will actually work given the light and so on. I make prints at home from every photo that passes muster. Digital photos are with the cell phone these days. I do not have a regular digital camera any longer as they seem irrelevant for my needs. </p>
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<p>I didn't use much last year but I did little photography at all last year. I burned maybe a dozen rolls of B&W in a couple of formats. No color. On the other hand I did spend a good bit of money buying everything I need for a darkroom. This year I expect to shoot at least 50 rolls as I discovered I am bored with using digital in a number of places. I'll keep using it but less often. The conundrum right now? I booked a wedding for June for a long time friend. I've sworn off of wedding photography generally but will do them on such an occasion. I'm doing it for no cost but here is the question. Film or digital. I realize that is a no brainer for most here and honestly it will likely be done digitally. But maybe not....<br>

<br />Rick H.</p>

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<p>I shoot anything that records an image and prefer film for most non-snapshot stuff. Overall, film probably accounted for around 20% of the shutter clicks for the year, but a higher percentage of shots to be printed. Most of what I shoot on digital never leaves the computer, while a decent number of film shots get printed. Most of my film use is B&W and I do my own. If I didn't have a darkroom and enjoy that part of it, my percentages would likely be different. <br>

I think I shot about 3 rolls of 35mm B&W, 2 rolls 35mm color; 8 or 9 rolls of 120 B&W, 2 or 3 rolls of 120 color; at least 30 sheets of B&W 4x5 and 4 sheets of color 4x5. Most of the color hasn't been developed, yet, because I have to send it off. </p>

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<p>I shot only 3 rolls of 120 and two 36 exp rolls of 35mm B&W film in 2016.</p>

<p>That is the very lowest in recent years but mainly because I shot 95% digital, in large part for a theme exhibition.</p>

<p>My B&W film work has invariably been printed in my darkroom which I didn't enter in 2016. I do no film scanning, prefering to use digital for color and B&W to RAW or JPEG files.</p>

<p>2017 will be different (A New Year resolution). I will go back to my darkroom pleasure for 10 or 20% of my photography and my film use will therefore increase.</p>

<p>I am curious about the lack of film, chemical and paper supplies in New Zealand. Ilford has usually been fairly well connected with the Commonwealth countries as well as the USA, so I would think that they would have a rep and distribution in NZ or Australasia, which would be closer to you. It is difficult to import chemicals owing to trans border issues of dangerous products transfer. Otherwise you may be able to access chemical components locally and make up the solutions yourself.</p>

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<p>@Aurther. We can get chemistry without a hitch here but they are more expensive than B&H, 2x the price. A roll of Ilford film 120 format cost $10US here equiv. I don't think we can import liquids well the USA may delivery but might get stopped by NZ Customs. Powder maybe OK or taken back on person.</p>

<p>I import my film cos each roll and 35mm bulk rolls are quite compact. Powder chemistry is quite weighty and bulky for its value when you factor in international post though.</p>

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<p>Arthur - I'm also in New Zealand. I bought 10 rolls of Kentmere 100 from B&H last year, and even with the postage, the price per roll was quite economical.</p>

 

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<p>I just bought 2 rolls of Kentmere 100 from BHPhoto also. Price is very economical and I hope I like the film. I do like HP5 and plan to stay with that for a 400 speed film. I am trying to find a 100 speed film that I also like but I want it to be economical as possible otherwise I will just shoot HP5 all the time. </p>

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<p>@Peter re: prints. Film or digital. Unless it was before digital fully came into people's possession. Back in the day with 6MP cameras to about 10MP days or if I deliberately shot film in the digital era, I went away and printed some prints out on 6x4, ie 12 shots of the best ones at the general stores that sell TVs and toasters. However over time I just haven't. Most people view images on social media when I share them, if I had prints in the day - those 12x - no other people actually came over and see them. These days even with my own household they prefer the TV.</p>

<p>If I took a portrait for someone they just want it online. I gave one away as a present. In the last 3 or 4yrs with the big days and events, including birthdays etc 100.00% no one has ever asked for a print. 100% no one has ever asked for a print so they can get prints done. They were happy with a websize image.</p>

<p>I got a old A3 printer, doesn't clog after a few runs surprisingly. I don't use it often either. Once in a blue moon I fire it up for a enlargement but after it gets stored in archival box.</p>

<p>Went overseas with the family back to their home country and they didn't ask for one print. </p>

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<p><strong>Dieter Schaefer</strong> wrote:</p>

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<p><em>I don't have to guess, I know the answer precisely. Given the title of this thread, I don't think I should provide that answer though ;-) Just that my 100% film days are a dozen years in the past by now.</em></p>

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<p>Interesting you still felt compelled to comment even though having nothing of value to contribute.<br /> <br /> Back on topic, I am not sure of the real metrics as I don't really feel the need to keep track but here goes...<br /> Digital RAW about 70,000<br />B/W film in 35mm, 120 and 4x5 is about 440 rolls and 300 sheets, down from last year by about 20% due to other projects and what not.<br /><br />I dont shoot color because I wet print and since I am about to buy a home with 500 square feet of basement darkroom space, I suspect film will go up a bit but printing, mounting & framing a lot. I steadily see my trend as being away from digital and much more to black and white film and silver printing. <br /> I'd say on the whole, black and white with silver printing is the strongest it has been in 20 years, evidence of this is popping up near daily. For example, some fine new work from this photographer:<br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.hasselblad.com/our-world/feature/rafael-rojas-timeless">Rafael Rojas</a><br /><br /></p>

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<p>"I'd say on the whole, black and white with silver printing is the strongest it has been in 20 years, evidence of this is popping up near daily." Any facts and figures from the film and chemical companies to back that up or is that what you are seeing anecdotally in your experience?</p>
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<p>I understand "strongest" I think by the impact (rather than market volume) that high quality wet process B&W prints seem to be having on viewers accustomed to many digital prints they are seeing. A little anecdotal evidence of similar nature was obtained in comments from some viewers to my summer show who saw both my digital and silver base images. The wet process image seems to have more depth to the emulsion or something that I can only guess at (Some uncertainty may be due to the fact that glossy digital and semi-matte silver prints were being compared). </p>
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<p>There have been a few articles here and there regarding a steady uptick in B&W film / silver gel use but most of what I am seeing is first hand among peers, galleries, etc. <br>

A lot more people talk about it too, I see more film cameras out and about than I did ten years ago for example. A number of my peers shoot high end weddings and more than half of them now employ some kind of color neg film use in medium format. <br>

Ten to fifteen years ago on this site was a pretty miserable time to be taking about film, calls of for it's "death" were rampant and unending. Now things have mellowed out and film is still here presenting photographers and photo enthusiasts with a great option. It's all good in my opinion.</p>

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<p>The news about Ektachrome is pretty amazing. I used to shoot Elitechrome back in the day and thought it had the nicest most natural colors and skin tone. Who knows maybe we will see a new 35mm camera on the market someday. </p>
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<p>I just received 100 ft of HP5 today. So I will remember it was January and see how long it will last me. I figure 6 months but I also shoot a little roll film in the 100 speed also. Currently I have some Delta 100 and Kentmere 100 in roll film and I will shoot it next month at Yosemite as my wife and I make our yearly Yosemite outing in the snow. We go once in the winter and once in the spring. </p>
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<p>I shot about 10 rolls of Provia F last year. 6 of them are still in the freezer, waiting for me to expose another 4 before sending them off to Dwayne's in Kansas for processing. Compare that to roughly 7000 digital images last year (between two DSLR bodies).</p>

<p>I think I still shoot film partly because of a sense of nostalgia, and there is that feeling of anticipation when the processed slides come back, and I see the images for the first time on the light box. I almost always shoot slides in tandem with digital, so I can do some test exposures with the digital if the lighting is tricky. The film camera is almost always on a tripod too, which probably helps with the composition and overall sharpness.</p>

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