FWIW: Film at PMA

Interesting observation from Michael of Luminous-Landscape at PMA:

"I looked mightily for non-digital products of note, but really couldn't find any. The digital steamroller has seemingly flattened everything in its path. Anecdotally, I overheard one industry insider tell another that due to reduced film sales a major U.S. camera store chain currently has 10,000 rolls of film a day going out of stock on its shelves nationwide. No wonder non-digital camera sales are tanked."

That's interesting. Though I don't usually put much weight into M.R.'s often biased opinions, it's obvious that digital was the word at PMA. I have read recently, though, that Fuji has made a solid commitment to film, and will continue to develop new emulsions. Local pro labs still are going strong with film processing, though the Ritz Camera shops' memory card printers seem to be extremely popular. My own personal opinion is that the "digital steamroller" will eventually run out of gas, at least for the consumer p&s models. Great times we live in, eh? :-)

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Originally Posted by Charles Hess

That's interesting. Though I don't usually put much weight into M.R.'s often biased opinions, it's obvious that digital was the word at PMA. I have read recently, though, that Fuji has made a solid commitment to film, and will continue to develop new emulsions. Local pro labs still are going strong with film processing, though the Ritz Camera shops' memory card printers seem to be extremely popular. My own personal opinion is that the "digital steamroller" will eventually run out of gas, at least for the consumer p&s models. Great times we live in, eh? :-)

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Well, Michael has always made it clear that he expresses his opinions with hands-on field experience. That is what I like so much. Once you get past the dry test data, what is the camera really like? Sometimes I agree with him, sometimes I don't. But he always backs up his opinions with solid information leaving you to analyze whether they agree with your own needs and modes of usage.

I do think that if the hearsay about 10,000 rolls of film going out of date each day is true, that means a lot more than announced product directions. Minilabs around here have either shut down or have put in digital printing services to survive. The manager at Walgreens down the street says that the digital business has skyrocketed while the film work is steadily declining.

The price of digital cameras that can produce 4x6 (by far, the most printed size) has dropped so much that even an occasional "holiday" snapshooter will find it cheaper than film. Add the convenience factor and the vastly increased use digital cameras get, it becomes that steamroller. I just don't see it slowing down any time soon.