Discontinuing the manufacture of film for cameras?

Question

i heard a little rumor that the whole world basically [well, all the film manufacturing companies] are discontinuing making film for cameras. If that happens, i have to trade in my 3 film cameras for a new digital, and if they are discontinuing film, no one will buy them! And so i will be poor and without a job....please tell me if these rumors are true so i can start stocking up in film... I need to keep my job and i love my film cameras...... please help?

Answer 1

film will always be around, at a consumer level it might disappear, for fine art and as a different medium it will always exist just as photography didnt replace the paint brush

a

Answer 2

Every chemical used to make B&W film and develop film can be found at homebrew photographic companies.

If they fold. The chemistry can be found at Fishers, Edmunds, etc.

So don't fret, as long as you are willing to put your nose to the "grindstone" and prepare a few formulas, film will be around a very long time.

j

We are basically dependent on the companies for color film. So let's hope that stays around for a while.

Answer 3

I havent heard anything as disastarous as the complete shutdown of the film making end of it, but there are signs that film is definately on the decline. Polaroid has ceased film making operations. They were popular with the large format crowd. Kodak has ceased the readyload lineup. Fuji tried to end the 50 ISO Velvia but it's back.

Locally, my film developping shop has quit the sale of film. They used to sell to pros, and they would sell the stuff by the case. 120 film at that. But the pros quit buying it, so he quit buying it as well. Now, I have bought some of their last stuff, and it was expired.

Film companies are in the business to make money, thats not a big suprise. But if the pros arent buying film by the case (my lab said they had more than a few clients that bought more than 200 rolls of 120 film a month) then they arent going to make a very big profit. Or if they do make a profit, it wont be a very fast return. It costs money to houseand ship film as it cant be stored in hot areas. All of these costs add up. So now if the pros dont buy it by the pallet, then its less profittable to make it. The less profittable it is, the more likely that more and more manufacturers will pull out of the film making business.

Kodak has more interests than just film. They sell cameras. But their biggest base is casual consumers. They dont make any SLRs anymore and the cameras they do make are for casual shooters more than anything. Small enough to carry in your pocket, yet enough quality to print a 4x6 if you crop the image a bit. Not terrible cameras mind you, just not something that most pros would pick up and use.

Same thing with polaroid. They make digital cameras. And the sales for the polaroid film has dropped significantly due to digital giving an equally quick (if not faster) result without the horrible cost of the film.

Now some companies may decide to fill the niche of the artists. There are many who will argue that film is still a better format than the top of the line digital cameras. And in the right hands they are right. But there needs to be more sales of the film for it to remain profittable for the companies to produce the stuff.

Buy a few rolls and support the companies that your uncertain will continue to produce it. Its about the only thing we can do. If film does go away then you will have to bight the bullet and go digital. Or you can make your own, but I dont know enough about that and it would be a different question.

Answer 4

Film isn't going away anytime soon. Polaroid ended its run on instant film but the people who bought instant cameras, (which were low quality pictures) are the same people who buy low end digital cameras.

Kodak just recently launch Portra 400VC film a couple years ago. They wouldn't be releasing new film if they thought film was dead.

Answer 5

not true..some companies are ending their black and white developing chemicals though.

Answer 6

I tried finding any news stories, and ran across this:

ROCHESTER, N.Y. - Eastman Kodak Co. said Wednesday it will discontinue production of black-and-white photographic paper by the end of the year as continues its transition to digital photography.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8231657/

I'll keep looking for stories on film.

Nope, didn't find any.

Oops, I should've checked the date on the story.  That was from 2005.  You'd think they'd eventually remove old news stories....

Answer 7

Fuji introduced 2 new films this year.  Many are still using films.  As long as there us a demand, they will still be producing.  However, I don't recall any new film slr's being introduced.  Maybe the beginning of the end, but it is still a long way off.  You may have to make the leap or get left behind with an empty canon.