35mm

[adam m]

Hey I just got a EOS K2 35MM for christmas and was wanting to know if this was

a good product to get. I mean is 35mm going to be around for a while longer or

is it going to be phased out for digital. I am new to photography any feedback

would help. Thanks

[steve_dunn2]

<p>This is my opinion, worth exactly what you paid for it.</p>

 

<p>Film will be around for a while yet. Most people these days start out with digital (and I'm not suggesting that this is or is not the right way to start, just that it's how most people start these days), but some people still start with film. Many people have tried both film and digital, and not everyone picks the same side as the side they prefer; there are both devoted digital shooters and devoted film shooters out there, as well as quite a few who feel that both have their place.</p>

 

<p>However, the ever-increasing market share commanded by digital photography does have some negative implications for film. Film prices have been on a rising trend of late. Stores which used to stock a variety of films have, in many cases, cut back on the selection they stock. The rate at which new products in the film market (both films themselves and other film-related things like film cameras) has plunged; several camera manufacturers have entirely dropped their 35mm product lines, and most other camera or film makers have dropped at least some products in recent years.</p>

 

<p>So I'd say a certain form of writing is on the wall. I don't see 35mm completely going away for a long time, but its prominence in the consumer segment is fading quickly, and it is headed toward being a niche product.</p>

 

<p>Personal anecdote: I'm an amateur; if I had to make a living as a photographer, I'd starve (and very quickly at that). I got my first cheap camera when I was about 10, and my first SLR a couple of years later, around 1980. I switched to a Canon EOS autofocus camera in 1997, when that old manual-everything SLR finally gave up the ghost. When I bought a digital body (Canon EOS 20D) in early 2005, I hung onto my film body. And the film body sat in a drawer for months and months and was never used again, so eventually I got around to selling it, and I gave the rest of my film to friends and relatives who still use film.</p>

[EddieF1]

With all the replies you receive to your question I would say remember you are on a digital forum and most of the people are digital oriented. I still shoot film, as do many others. Film has captured great images for a long time and it still does and it will for some considerable time to come.

With digital the learning curve is probably quicker because of the quick feedback and it is much easier to use your images in electronic form. With digital you have no physical storage of the image such as a film negative or slide. If your PC crashes did you have a backup of your images? Digital may be cheaper in the long run if you can stay away from always getting the new and great camera every time the model changes, but the cost of getting into a DSLR is not cheep.

I will change to digital some day I am sure, but Film is not dead.

[garry_anderson3]

Thats's strange, I thought this was the 'Canon' forum, not the 'Digital' forum!

 

I agree that film will/has become a niche market, but have a go with it and see if you like the result. To some people film looks better than digital, others think that film workflow is too painful.

 

Strange as it may seem, with the current value of film bodies vs the rapid depreciation of digital bodies, the actual running cost is about the same.

 

I still use film for some of my work, they still can't build sensors that fit my X-Pan or Nobelux cameras! That said my X-Pan doesn't have a monitor screen or histograms, like my Canon digitals. I also can't afford a 1Ds, but I love the way my EOS-3 works.

 

If you are just a newbie, it might be handy to beg/borrow/obtain a digi point and shoot to learn the basics of camera operation. That is one way you can save serious money while you learn. You'll also find out the best way for you to get the results you want.

[25asa]

There's nothing wrong with using film these days. To some people it frees them from having to get a computer and do post processing on their shots. Many labs today wont manipulate a digital image like they did with film, so keep that in mind. I like having a hard copy of the image source- meaning the negative. I have both digital and film cameras (way more then I need really), but I still like loading a roll up to go out and shoot. Having so many frames teaches you to be selective in your shots. With digital you shoot until basically your card is full. Its a toss up what you'll find is better for you. Film cameras are cheaper, but you pay for it after with film/ developing costs. Its easier to find film in a store then a Compact Flash card if you should need to shoot more images.

 

As for film I agree it will be around for quite a long time (at least in B&W) before its dropped completely. Which means you'll get plenty of use out of your camera before it becomes unusable.

[yakim_peled1]

1. Nobody knows.

 

2. http://photonotes.org/articles/beginner-faq/cameras.html#dumbquestion

 

3. http://photonotes.org/articles/beginner-faq/general.html#filmdigital

 

 

Happy shooting,

Yakim.

[gary_ferguson1]

"is 35mm going to be around for a while longer or is it going to be phased out

for digital?"

 

Adam, both those statements may be true, film may be around for a while

longer and THEN be phased out for digital. But for what it's worth I doubt

35mm film will be abandoned in the next five years. I've almost completely

moved to digital but I still use film occasionally,

 

-for infra red

 

-for panoramic shots with an XPan, with panoramic work film is still slightly

ahead of the quality I can get from my Canon 1Ds MkII

 

-for fisheye shots using a Zeiss 30mm lens on a Hasselblad, the same thing

will apply for fish eye shots on a digital 35mm camera with less than a full

frame sensor

 

-for the pleasure and satisfaction of making a traditional silver print or using

my 1932 Leica

 

-and most importantly of all, for making a photograph that's an historical

record, where I want the evidence of the untampered negative to show future

generations that the image is genuine and hasn't been modified in Photoshop

[david_oskarsson1]

"Thats's strange, I thought this was the 'Canon' forum, not the 'Digital' forum! "

 

He meant that it is a digital forum since you are reading it on the web ;-)

[w_t1]

Film will be phased out on 7-7-07, the day after the Canon 6D with gps and condom dispenser is introduced.