Is Film Dead?

Maybe not. Brian is a film student, from Chicago, who was in Laguna Beach for spring break with a couple of friends. One of his friends, not pictured, was using an instant camera. Fuji still makes the instant film. Brian wasn't using any form of digital. His camera is a real live motion picture film camera. It uses Super 16 format film. Super 16 is 16mm film with the sprockets eliminated on one side enabling wide format versus 16mm's square format.

Brian stated he was going up to LA on Sunday to have his film processed. The problem with film is not it's availability but getting it processed. Still photographers have this problem. Sure you can go to some quickie processor but you DO get what you pay for.

I was spending $12 per 36 exposure roll of Fujichrome. I took the film into an Irvine, CA film processor, who is one of the best around, and could get a 2 hour turnaround if needed. I was dropping off and picking up film almost everyday. The drive was one hour total and gasoline was and still is expensive.

Scanning the film into digital formal was another time consuming chore. Yes it got to be a chore because I really wanted to be out doing photography.

I finally concluded that it was getting to expensive to stay with film and I went with digital. Never looked back.

The process of going to a digital camera was made easier because I had already been using everything else associated with digital photography.

When all is said and done I love the freedom that digital gives you. I can carry my photo-lab, my laptop computer, everywhere I go if need be. Take a time sensitive photo and 10 minutes later it's on the web. That requirement hasn't been needed often but I'm still prepared for emergencies.

There's only one problem I do miss working in the darkroom and making black and white prints. It's still magic for me to see the picture slowly show when the print is in the developer. Magic.

There is no magic to digital.