Is film photography dead? Will digital cameras replace SLR film cameras?

Answer 1

Film photography as a means of just recording events -- snapshots, newspapers, magazines -- is probably dying, or at least will never be as popular as it used to be. But, film photography as an art form will probably never die. After all, it is just another medium in which an artist can express themselves if they so choose. Painting did not die with the invention of the camera, despite what some people believed!

All of the major manufacturers have already discontinued most of their film product lines. So, it's pretty clear that the mainstream of photographers have moved to digital, and digital has already replaced 35mm format film. Of course, it'll take a while before the billions of film cameras out there completely disappear, and in the mean time you can always learn to develop your film by yourself.

Answer 2

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Answer 3

It's not dead, but I think it's dying, for a couple of reasons. Digital photography is becoming so much more affordable; cameras that used to be out of most people's ranges are now getting to be downright cheap. You get the "instant gratification" of seeing your photo RIGHT NOW.

Digital prints are also way cheaper than "real" film. Plus, you have the added benefit of developing and printing only those pictures that you want.

I had real film developed a few months ago and was able to get it put onto a CD, which I could then download to my photo software and edit as if it was digital. That was nice. However, the disk was around $6, which is an expense you don't have if you can go directly from the camera to the computer.

Answer 4

It is without a doubt that digital photography has revolutionized the commercial photography industry as well as the consumer photo market but this suggest the end of film photography. At the heart of the question that you are posing is the question is film is better than digital, and to answer this question this all depends upon your particular niche within the photo industry as well as your final output. In the commercial photography industry it is without a doubt that digital is king. Tight deadlines, clients that demand instant gratification all seem to make sense in this field. However it is not to say that clients don't on occasion demand film for final output for their particular needs. As both a fine art and commercial photographer my needs are split between the demands and interest of my clients. In terms of fine art I have gained an appreciation for the fine detail that only film can give. To clarify I make mural prints generally of a size over 8 feet wide. To do this I use an 8x10 Toyo view camera using 50 iso film. In order to get the sharpness, tonality and depth that this combination provides to me I would need a digital camera that could produce at least a minimum of 600 megapixels.
However, this is not to say that I wouldn't go digital for my fine art prints if I had the option, but if you consider that a 39 megapixel Hasselblad costs over $30,000 this is simply not worth it when I can scan the film from my Hasselblad 503 with a good film scanner and get the same results. This method is very nice because I have the archivalness of the negative and the flexibility of the digital format and if I choose so, I can print onto silver based paper or inkjet for that matter.
Anyway, each format has its benefits based on what your needs and demands are and I embrace both. And regardless of what people say there will always be a market for silver halide film and supplies, especially in the fine art field, just consider the myriad of people who practice alternative photo processes that were suppose to have died 150 years ago. Just because of diminished sales doesnt mean that there isnt still a sustainable niche filed. True Agfa has gone out of busines but photographers formulary is now producing the famed Rodinal developer. As for Kodaks B&W photo paper, well to be honest it wasn't all that great compared to other fine art papers on the market. It was a paper that was fueled by amateurs and now that the amateur hobbiest have been drawn into digital, the remaining papers that are out there are of better quality. As for film, again Kodak isn't the best and only choice. As with other film manufacturers Kodak will most likely stop production of their amateur films, but will continue to produce in limited quantities speciality professional films.

Answer 5

Film is the technological equivalent of a dead man walking.

Nikon has discontinued all of its film SLRs except for the F6 and the FM10, the top and bottom of the line, respectively. Nikon has already announced that there will be no new film SLRs.

Numerous film types have already been discontinued, more will soon follow. Kodak has quit selling B&W papers and chemistry. The German film maker Agfa is essentially out of business. Film sales have been diminishing at an accelerating annual pace.

You'll probably be able to buy film for a good many years yet, but your selection will be way down and the cost will rise with the loss of the economies of scale that once characterized an industry that cranked out tens of millions of rolls of film per year.

Your grandchildren will regard film the way we regard whale oil lamps.

Answer 6

All of the above, plus...

Even with film photography, it seems a lot of the published work shows that a film negative or slide has been scanned and editted or altered in Photoshop, so the worlds are merging.

Nikon announced that they are going to discontinue all of their film cameras except for the $1,500 F6 pro model and the FM10, an entry level "student" model. This means that they are dropping 4 film cameras from the middle of their line-up. I'd call that some pretty seerious "Handwriting on the Wall."

Answer 7

Is Film Photography Dead

Answer 8

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Answer 9

I don't think film photography is dead. Old-fashioned, maybe, but it's still the best kind of photography out there. It's an art.

Answer 10

I use both, learning to like my digital more and more, however the tech guys tell me that I had better hurry up and get all my film developed because it's going away