I am all digital and there is no going back.
Please comment on your predictions and thoughts on the future of film as a recording medium.
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I prefer black and white film rather than digital, I just like the depth of the photograph better. The contrast, tones, etc, just seem to jump out at me better! I still go to the darkroom with friends on Sunday afternoons at the local university darkroom. I do shoot color with my digital though!
In the big picture, digital photos are realitvely new. And who knows how long this format will be around. Technology is refreshing at an alarming rate. I would hate to think images being captured today won't be available in 20, 30 or 50 years. There will be a time when digital photograpy will be viewed as "old school" just like 35mm and Kodachrome. There may not be a vehicle available to view even RAW files. I can imagine a time when you hear "What's an SD card?" Scary, isn't it?
If some nice company will replace my Canon F1, 50mm 1.4, 50mm macro, 24mm, 135mm, 100mm macro, 200mm macro, 300mm telephoto, 80-200mm zoom, bellows, and all the other accessories with a camera and lens of equal, then I will go to digital.
When I look at my old film pictures (produced from C41 color negs), they again remind me how much better they look than anything produced digitally. Richer colors, sharper, more beautiful to view overall. I would go back to film in a second if my old labs were still available to process it, enlarge it via light projection, and soup it in real developer, producing a gorgeous, long-lasting print.
I do not find digital to be very appealing you are basically holding a computer in your hands with all the inherent problems of a computer. Also, they seem to pass from one model to the next before the box is unwrapped. Then there is the issue of image degradation over time. I believe the Smithsonian found this out the hard way. I'll stick with film until there is none available, than I'll find another hobby.
The fear that film-making companies will stop production of their emulsions one-by-one as profits from them dwindle. Meanwhile, stocks dwindle, costs of remaining films will increase, which will turn more people toward digital. Shutterbug and other mags are hastening the demise of film by largely ignoring it as a medium for capturing images. Although I am not a big fan of the cult that the lomography movement seems to be trying to develop, I can wholeheartedly applaud their championing of the use of film and film cameras. I wish Shutterbug would likewise champion film.
It is sad to realize that since few casual shooters print out or archive their digital pix there may be no family snaps for future generations to treasure. I have BW pix and negs of my family from the 30s. Given reasonable care they will endure a century longer. Can that be said of the vast majority of pictures made today?
I love shooting Kodachrome, but my output is digital and the hassle, expense and time it takes to process and digitize are push me towards using a DSLR instead of my film cameras. Technology has improved and digital photography is here to stay. RIP Kodachrome.