I'm In!

[guitardan]

Hello all!

Well a bit of a turning point week for me.

I started using old 35mm film cameras just over a year ago, specifically Olympus Trip and Pen EE, Couple of Zenits and a couple of Nikons.

I was getting the film developed locally for £3 a roll, then scanning the negs onto my PC.

Worked fine, I got to learn alot about photography.

Then last week the guy I use for developing told me he no longer does it.

So I've decided to take the step into digital.

The trips and pen have been sold, the zenits and lenses are on ebay, I may keep one nikon and the AF lenses, as i've decided to get a D70 to start with.

I reckon about £100 for body and battery etc, or about £170 with an 18 70 lens.

Well thats the plan.

Will let you know how it goes.

Dan

[KateW]

Welcome to the forum, Dan!

[Heather]

welcome to both the forum and the digital age Dan :)

[Kobione]

welcome to both the forum and the digital age Dan

Ditto, Dan!

[Phil]

Glad you finally made it and good luck with the new camera :)

[Barbara]

Hi Dan, Welcome

[annie]

hello dan......

[Guest DaveW]

That's the problem many film users will be up against Dan in future. We need to live in the real world, industry has to pay or go bankrupt, as Kodak nearly did through hanging onto film for too long. Those firms that do not drop unprofitable lines eventually go under. The Business Rates are the same on the premises whether you indulge in something profitable or barely so. Therefore as soon as something like film becomes a minority interest and throughput declines radically so it becomes a niche market, firms either have to get out of it or put the prices up considerably for still producing it. Price increases in turn often hasten the decline even quicker. As film use declines further the cost of film stock, papers and chemicals for processing it must rise far quicker than when it was a mainstream activity.

The only hope to keep costs of it's production reasonable will be for it's production to move to cheaper third world countries, but then quality may suffer. How long Fujifilm will continue film production is open to conjecture, as obviously it's shareholders will complain if it's production is not profitable, or the factory space could be used for something more profitable. Alas money rules everything when it comes to business. Film will probably still be available for years, but at what price including it's processing? I was assured a couple of years ago by a Kodak shareholder that Kodak said it would never drop Kodachrome, only a year later it did. You can never believe statements by firms that something will continue far into the future because they will always claim this to keep up sales until the day they do drop it.

Another production factor for 35mm film is it was originally intended as cine film, hence the perforations along the edges for the movie camera and projectors sprockets, so it's bulk production was supported by the movie industry. Medium format film and other formats originally intended for cameras never had these. The movie industry too is now going digital, so it's support of 35mm film will become less in future therefore pushing up 35mm film prices. Fujifilm recently announced they are stopping producing cine film as well as some still films, so are evidently running down their film production.

http://japancamerahu...-its-customers/

It's interesting to see how quickly some of the film fans comments on manufacturers still continuing to produce film have been proved wrong in only a year in the following link. Kodak has ceased production of film and even printers for amatuer use, and Fuji has dropped some more films:-

http://photo.net/fil...ng-forum/00YGrB

Digital camera models come and go very quickly and most now have far more megapixels than we really need, so you should be able to pick up a good one off EBAY secondhand.

Welcome.

DaveW

Edited November 3, 2012 by DaveW

[jeremy rundle]

Where are you in Devon, I assume Devon UK.

JR Tavistock

[guitardan]

Hi Jeremy, down in Dartmouth.

Thanks for the welcome folks.

I'm pleased that i got used to 35mm before getting a DSLR. And I have to say I'm going to miss the good old satisfying shutter thunk from the zenits :rolleyes:

[jeremy rundle]

Glad to see you.

[jeremy rundle]

Let me know if yu are ever this way