nomad: April 2006

A few more comments on this subject...
The popularity of digital continues to grow at a rapid pace. As a result, film sales and services are declining. Manufacturers are cutting back or eliminating product lines (eg Kodak, Konica-Minolta, Nikon, etc). However, there will still be a significant presence in this area of photography for years to come. While amateurs are flocking to digital, many serious photographers and pro's continue to use film products extensively, often exclusively or in conjunction with digital. As well as the quality benefit, there is a certain subjective aesthetic appeal to traditional (film) photography. A lot of film related equipment is now available for incredibly low prices both new and used. It's easy to find a nice used 35mm SLR camera/ lens combo for under $100. Older models by Canon, Konica, Minolta, Nikon, Olympus, Pentax, Practica, and others can be had for very little. Most of the '60's-70's cameras are largely mechanical and will work even without batteries, except for meter functions. Many users (particularly pro's) in those days preferred handheld meters anyway. The build quality of most of this old gear was very high so it remains quite serviceable even today, and results can be superb.
To be continued...