Film, more bad news.

[bcomber2]

There was recently a Konica photo processing machine posted for bidding on our auction site. It was located at a fairly remote seaside village (Whangamata or Waihi - I forget which) in the Pharmacy there. Opening bid $NZD1.50. Was still able to be fully supported - only catch was the winner had to come and take it away. Didn't look too bulky and next time I go to town I will check relative sizes of the machines. Anyway it finally sold for $2.50. Hell, I have that sort of money occasionally.
So here is an option for being independent of the photolabs. Perhaps more of these will be appearing on the open market soon. Just need some space to operate it and could do the neighbour's or fellow film buff's batches of celluloid. I'm sure all sorts of processes could be adapted to these largely C41 process machines too. There are bonuses for processing B&W in the spent hypo solutions too. I put this forward as one method of future proofing against the demise of film.

[Deleted]

Roy:

Sounds like Walmart is taking a practical approach--if film processing makes some money they will continue to do it, if not it's gone. I'm sure I was missed when I pretty much put away my film cameras a couple of years ago. I'm guessing I had the local Walgreen lab do an average of 5 rolls a week for me--usually just negs--not prints. Still, I sure a computer somewhere noted the decrease.

[Andrew]

Sept 19, 2008 20:52:31 GMT -5 nikonbob said:

Andrew

Your timing is all right in that at the time you got rid of your darkroom equipment you likely got some money for it. You are likely getting darkroom equipment given to you now at literally no cost and it is better than what you sold off, just guessing here. Digital has left film behind and worthless from that POV. Perversely this is all to your benefit if you want to keep using film which can still be had even if it is dead as a mass market consumer item and into the foreseeable future. Hope you enjoy your darkroom when you get it setup.

Bob

thanks Bob, the way you put it gives me some kind of solace. still waiting on my enlargers but hopefully this guy will hold true to his word. and i managed to get a wizz bang safe light for a fraction of what they cost new (Durst Labolux LED).

on the down side people dont seem to just sell off an entire darkrooms like they used to though, meaning before ebay one would look in the local paper or not so local if need be and you could make deal for everything, but now with ebay people seem to split it all up so the bargins arnt quite what i used to see. i want some 50x60cm trays (20x24) and havnt seen them anywhere for sale used lately but i will have to keep my eye open as new they are expensive! also i was knocked over by the price of new paper safe draw (to store the photo paper) but i think i will just build my own into my bench to save the cost. same with a sink; because of the large size trays i want, the sink will be need to be large also and the new PVC sinks are around $1000 for 1800x800mm so i think i may have to make one out of plywood but i'm not sure how well it will drain with a flat bottom.

on the good side my darkroom space is available/built now all i have to do is fit it out and build a light trap entry. its rather an odd size (4.1x3.1m) as instead of building my darkroom custom sized to what i wanted/intended (about 5-6mX2.7) i ended up building new bedrooms for my sons instead, and i ended up with one of their rooms and an addtional room next to it for what i will call my light room. it has built in shelfs (i could remove them if i have to) on one end so it seems a little arkward to set up as a darkroom at the moment but i hope some inspiration will come to me.

on film, one thing that i always think is wierd is how 35mm is available easily and seems like it will be for a long time to come but medium format is more difficult to come by (and larger format more so) and i need to make a special trip to the city to get it. and yet to me digital, apart from b&w, pretty much replaces 35mm in my mind, but not the larger formats. it just doesnt make sence to me *shrugs*, i think 35mm should be the first to go (if any has to) .

[nikonbob]

Andrew

Nothing says it has to make sense, all you can do is enjoy your good fortune.

Bob

[Andrew]

Brac, i dont dispute the fact that they do make and sell more 35mm than 120. i just find it a littler bizzar, and also anoying that 120 isnt as easy to get to hold of now. the other week i went to a large seaside town a couple of hours out of Adelaide. I ran out of 120 film so i walked up to the photo lab shop and was amazed that they didnt sell 120 at all, i am not sure the bloke hardly knew what it was (barely any 35mm in there either btw).

i certainly dont intend to give the impression that i am against 35mm film because i am not, although i do prefer 120. but the current situation does make me wonder why and for how long it will continue.

so if i can play devils advocate i kinda see it like this..
35mm is/was for amature and select professional use--less so now as to almost say there are no significant pro's using it.

both now use digital.

i realise 120 once upon a time was amature film but in the past few decades it was used by pro's of varying employment and serious amatures.

as we know, many pro's now use digital in preferance because of the work flow avantages ect, although all i know agree 120 gives much better results--well amost all, there are a couple that insist digital is better than even 8x10 film, but i dont listen to them much because i think their veiw is subjective to other things, (they happen to own camera stores..alar sell digitals).

so if a premise can be made that digital can and is doing all that 35mm film can then surely that makes 35mm resonabaly redundent. leaving a select part of the communty using it, learning intitutions (they also use 120), old 35mm film camera users (like us), some travel journo's that still like a mechanical film camera (if at least for a back up).

but commonplace, just around the city or countryside it seems to me that everyone is using digital and anyone thats 'in the know' and wants the extra quality that film gives (and is better than digital) at least knows that 120 is better so why arnt they using it.

all the second hand 120 gear is cheap enough now. perhaps 35mm folk dont want to step out of their comfort zone or purchase new gear at all, prefering to continue with what they have or know. i dunno.

perhaps what i am eluding to is about to happen (i resurgence in 120 film). as it seems Fuji are realeasing a new 6x6 changable to 6x7 folding camera in the near future. looks to be a nice camera too. amazing really, light meter and all---just when was the last genuine folding camera made?

at any rate if i was Prime Minister i would make a law that every photo shop carry at least a few packets of different film formats at all times---severe penalties if they dont