While reading a few recent articles on the increasing cost of memory storage devices, it occurred to me to think more about film. Back "in the old days", before the internet, before digital cameras, before social media existed, we only had the option of shooting film. It was either negative film, or slide film. If we wanted to share our images with other people, we would either have show them a physical print, or subject them to a slide show. I still have negatives and slides that I shot back in the early 1980's.
Fast forward to today. In addition to the increasing cost/scarcity of memory thanks to the surge of AI, plus the newfound interest in compact cameras by today's younger generation, is it possible that we might see the rebirth of film? I'm not referring to a rekindled fad, but of an actual rebirth meaning people starting to use film again on a regular basis like we did back in the old film-only days?
I don't want to preach to the choir here (because everyone reading this post on this forum loves film photography), but I'm wondering if the current market and social conditions are gearing up to reintroduce film as a main form of shooting again?
I am fully aware that for film photography to be "viable to the masses" again there need to be more readily available developing labs that charge reasonable prices (unlike the current labs of today that charge an insane amount of money), and readily available (and affordable) film. But my guess is that if the demand is high enough, more labs will open up and start competing with other labs for business. As for sharing images, it's relatively easy to copy negatives and slides in order to share them. Upside is that the negatives/slides themselves replace the need for using tons of digital storage. Also, I'm sure that if there is a high enough demand for film cameras, Pentax and Fujifilm won't be the only camera manufacturers to produce new film cameras. While this won't be an ideal scenario for video shooters, it could definitely work for still shooters.
What are your thoughts? Will we ever see a complete comeback of film like what we had in the old days?
snegron7 wrote:
While reading a few recent articles on the increasing cost of memory storage devices, it occurred to me to think more about film. Back "in the old days", before the internet, before digital cameras, before social media existed, we only had the option of shooting film. It was either negative film, or slide film. If we wanted to share our images with other people, we would either have show them a physical print, or subject them to a slide show. I still have negatives and slides that I shot back in the early 1980's.
Fast forward to today. In addition to the increasing cost/scarcity of memory thanks to the surge of AI, plus the newfound interest in compact cameras by today's younger generation, is it possible that we might see the rebirth of film? I'm not referring to a rekindled fad, but of an actual rebirth meaning people starting to use film again on a regular basis like we did back in the old film-only days?
I don't want to preach to the choir here (because everyone reading this post on this forum loves film photography), but I'm wondering if the current market and social conditions are gearing up to reintroduce film as a main form of shooting again?
I am fully aware that for film photography to be "viable to the masses" again there need to be more readily available developing labs that charge reasonable prices (unlike the current labs of today that charge an insane amount of money), and readily available (and affordable) film. But my guess is that if the demand is high enough, more labs will open up and start competing with other labs for business. As for sharing images, it's relatively easy to copy negatives and slides in order to share them. Upside is that the negatives/slides themselves replace the need for using tons of digital storage. Also, I'm sure that if there is a high enough demand for film cameras, Pentax and Fujifilm won't be the only camera manufacturers to produce new film cameras. While this won't be an ideal scenario for video shooters, it could definitely work for still shooters.
What are your thoughts? Will we ever see a complete comeback of film like what we had in the old days?...Show more →
Film needs to compete with constantly improving smartphone capability, so it is doomed to being a niche segment of the imaging community. I’m with you. I had a darkroom in the 60’s and still listen to records on a system that costs multiples of what my cars would sell for. So, I’m all for film and doing my part, but we are few.. and mostly old. Only the younger generations can keep this going. Maybe we need popular Internet figures pushing this. Who knows, but the future of film is with the young.
I don't think it's possible to have a "complete comeback," for several reasons, especially 1) the cost of film (and processing and scanning if you don't do it yourself), 2) the immediacy of digital.
I spend a lot of time with people in their early 20s; many of them shoot film because that's what people their age do, but they don't shoot a lot of it because they don't have a lot of disposable income. They shoot disposable or half-frame cameras, mostly (based on what I see); a few of the more serious ones have SLRs. Film is for special occasions like vacations or parties; for everything else they use their phones.
A lot of people want to post photos immediately on social media while they're at an event such as a concert or a party, and film obviously doesn't work for that.
bwcolor wrote:
Film needs to compete with constantly improving smartphone capability, so it is doomed to being a niche segment of the imaging community. I’m with you. I had a darkroom in the 60’s and still listen to records on a system that costs multiples of what my cars would sell for. So, I’m all for film and doing my part, but we are few.. and mostly old. Only the younger generations can keep this going. Maybe we need popular Internet figures pushing this. Who knows, but the future of film is with the young.
Sadly, I believe you are 100% correct. I'm wondering if the "saving grace" for film photography is the lack of dependence on cloud storage. Cloud storage is not 100% reliable (power outages, sites being down, possibility of change of user agreements, etc.). While film photography is not 100% reliable either (lab messing up your film, negatives ruined by an infinite number of scenarios, etc), I believe that it is less susceptible to problems faced by digital storage like we are seeing lately. Online image hosting sites come and go, but film lasts (almost) forever (providing it is stored/taken care of properly).
Hopefully this younger generation will someday find a genuine interest in film photography.
bjhurley wrote:
I don't think it's possible to have a "complete comeback," for several reasons, especially 1) the cost of film (and processing and scanning if you don't do it yourself), 2) the immediacy of digital.
I spend a lot of time with people in their early 20s; many of them shoot film because that's what people their age do, but they don't shoot a lot of it because they don't have a lot of disposable income. They shoot disposable or half-frame cameras, mostly (based on what I see); a few of the more serious ones have SLRs. Film is for special occasions like vacations or parties; for everything else they use their phones.
A lot of people want to post photos immediately on social media while they're at an event such as a concert or a party, and film obviously doesn't work for that. ...Show more →
Very valid points! Interestingly enough, I remember paying around $4.00 for just negative film developing (no prints) back in the mid 1980's. Adjusted for inflation, that would be around $13.00 in today's economy. I remember earning way less money back then, but disposable income was nearly as scarce for me back then as it is for younger generations today. I was earning way less than minimum wage back then, way below the standards of that time, so it's not like I was "rolling in money." In fact, it was quite the opposite for me! I was broke but always scraped up enough cash to shoot film and have the negatives developed without it hurting me economically, unlike today's generation. In retrospect, I think today's younger generation is more broke than what we were when we were their age!
I also agree with you regarding the need for immediate results for capturing/sharing images. This has been a way of life for people who have been born in the cellphone era. I wonder though if circumstances change where cellphones become even more unaffordable and online storage prices increase dramatically causing people to look for alternatives (like film)?
snegron7 wrote:
Sadly, I believe you are 100% correct. I'm wondering if the "saving grace" for film photography is the lack of dependence on cloud storage. Cloud storage is not 100% reliable (power outages, sites being down, possibility of change of user agreements, etc.). While film photography is not 100% reliable either (lab messing up your film, negatives ruined by an infinite number of scenarios, etc), I believe that it is less susceptible to problems faced by digital storage like we are seeing lately. Online image hosting sites come and go, but film lasts (almost) forever (providing it is stored/taken care of properly).
Hopefully this younger generation will someday find a genuine interest in film photography. ...Show more →
Good points. I have negatives that I’m currently scanning from the 1960’s. I haven’t lost a single shot since, but I’ve had digital files get lost in terabytes of digital clutter. Not to mention the old days of optical media with a short lifespan. I understand that within the next couple of years we will get 3D optical media that your great great grandchildren will be able to view, but with digital, that begs the question as to if there will be any hardware left to read the media. I say this, because I recently decided to rip my BluRay 4K movies, but there are few external drives still available.
snegron7 wrote:
I wonder though if circumstances change where cellphones become even more unaffordable and online storage prices increase dramatically causing people to look for alternatives (like film)?
It's hard to imagine a post-cellphone era; I think it's more likely that manufacturers will find ways to offer cheaper phones with fewer features, or else carriers will offer longer amortization periods so the monthly costs are kept affordable. I always buy my cellphones outright, from the manufacturer rather than through my carrier (and I buy them refurbished), but I'm in the minority: most people buy them on contract and pay for them over time, and that could be made more affordable.
The physical nature of film is a drawback for many young people: the lab I use for C-41 told me that most of their customers never pick up their negatives, they just keep the scans. I keep my negatives, but I never print because I have no place to keep or display prints.
p.1 #10 · Will Film Ever Make a Complete Comeback?
Complete comeback of film? Not in a world we live in. But in a world where an electromagnetic pulse happened in the atmosphere (hopefully that will never be the case!), this is a possibility. Batteries and all digital devices including smartphones will be defunct, but purely mechanical film cameras equipped with film will work as usual. The only way to take photos to record will be with film, development will also be unaffected by such event. I never heard or read anything about it, but I wouldn't be surprised if the military stacks film cameras with film somewhere sheltered for this reason.
p.1 #11 · Will Film Ever Make a Complete Comeback?
retrofocus wrote:
Complete comeback of film? Not in a world we live in. But in a world where an electromagnetic pulse happened in the atmosphere (hopefully that will never be the case!), this is a possibility. Batteries and all digital devices including smartphones will be defunct, but purely mechanical film cameras equipped with film will work as usual. The only way to take photos to record will be with film, development will also be unaffected by such event. I never heard or read anything about it, but I wouldn't be surprised if the military stacks film cameras with film somewhere sheltered for this reason. ...Show more →
This is absolutely the reason I shoot with a Hasselblad, a 4x5, and the Fujifilm GX617 cameras... they are all EMP-resistant. I knew there was logic to what I was doing...
p.1 #12 · Will Film Ever Make a Complete Comeback?
retrofocus wrote:
Complete comeback of film? Not in a world we live in. But in a world where an electromagnetic pulse happened in the atmosphere (hopefully that will never be the case!), this is a possibility. Batteries and all digital devices including smartphones will be defunct, but purely mechanical film cameras equipped with film will work as usual. The only way to take photos to record will be with film, development will also be unaffected by such event. I never heard or read anything about it, but I wouldn't be surprised if the military stacks film cameras with film somewhere sheltered for this reason. ...Show more →
If we get nailed with an electromagnetic pulse your images will be the least of your worries. Think the bank has all your money stored away in dollar bills?
p.1 #13 · Will Film Ever Make a Complete Comeback?
mjm6 wrote:
This is absolutely the reason I shoot with a Hasselblad, a 4x5, and the Fujifilm GX617 cameras... they are all EMP-resistant. I knew there was logic to what I was doing...
Probability of a Carrington level Event is there, but I think you are just having a great excuse to use film.
p.1 #14 · Will Film Ever Make a Complete Comeback?
bjhurley wrote:
It's hard to imagine a post-cellphone era; I think it's more likely that manufacturers will find ways to offer cheaper phones with fewer features, or else carriers will offer longer amortization periods so the monthly costs are kept affordable. I always buy my cellphones outright, from the manufacturer rather than through my carrier (and I buy them refurbished), but I'm in the minority: most people buy them on contract and pay for them over time, and that could be made more affordable.
The physical nature of film is a drawback for many young people: the lab I use for C-41 told me that most of their customers never pick up their negatives, they just keep the scans. I keep my negatives, but I never print because I have no place to keep or display prints....Show more →
I can imagine it: wearables, neural implants, increased virtual existence.
I just look to sci-fi for what the future has in store. Check out The Machine Stops by E.M. Forster from 1909 if you're interested in a retroactive example.
I hope I don't live that long, but if I do I hope there are still some hipsters keeping film available.
p.1 #15 · Will Film Ever Make a Complete Comeback?
chez wrote:
If we get nailed with an electromagnetic pulse your images will be the least of your worries. Think the bank has all your money stored away in dollar bills?
Not talking about the overall economic and social impact of such pulse - just relating it to the topic photography here. And yes, I believe there will be a number of people trying to document such scenario from official and public side no matter the many other more worrisome things to occur with it.
Apr 01, 2026 at 07:09 AM
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p.1 #16 · Will Film Ever Make a Complete Comeback?
snegron7 wrote:
While reading a few recent articles on the increasing cost of memory storage devices, it occurred to me to think more about film. Back "in the old days", before the internet, before digital cameras, before social media existed, we only had the option of shooting film. It was either negative film, or slide film. If we wanted to share our images with other people, we would either have show them a physical print, or subject them to a slide show. I still have negatives and slides that I shot back in the early 1980's.
Fast forward to today. In addition to the increasing cost/scarcity of memory thanks to the surge of AI, plus the newfound interest in compact cameras by today's younger generation, is it possible that we might see the rebirth of film? I'm not referring to a rekindled fad, but of an actual rebirth meaning people starting to use film again on a regular basis like we did back in the old film-only days?
I don't want to preach to the choir here (because everyone reading this post on this forum loves film photography), but I'm wondering if the current market and social conditions are gearing up to reintroduce film as a main form of shooting again?
I am fully aware that for film photography to be "viable to the masses" again there need to be more readily available developing labs that charge reasonable prices (unlike the current labs of today that charge an insane amount of money), and readily available (and affordable) film. But my guess is that if the demand is high enough, more labs will open up and start competing with other labs for business. As for sharing images, it's relatively easy to copy negatives and slides in order to share them. Upside is that the negatives/slides themselves replace the need for using tons of digital storage. Also, I'm sure that if there is a high enough demand for film cameras, Pentax and Fujifilm won't be the only camera manufacturers to produce new film cameras. While this won't be an ideal scenario for video shooters, it could definitely work for still shooters.
What are your thoughts? Will we ever see a complete comeback of film like what we had in the old days?...Show more →
No, I doubt we'll get back ro 2003 (film's best year.)
If we did prices would probably cone down, though. Maybe not to $1.79 for 36 exp Grey market fujicolor like it used to be, or 4x24 for $6, but less.
If minilabs came back like they used to be, more developing and would presumably cost less. Used to get film developed only about $2 or less IIRC. We apparently missed Carrington event by 9 days in July 2012 solar storm
p.1 #17 · Will Film Ever Make a Complete Comeback?
I posted this on another thread, but it is relevant here. It brings into doubt that film is really more expensive today than in the past. Fewer places to develop film..for sure. Fewer film choices..probably.. Many more alternatives to film..yup. More expensive..well, maybe not.
“Kodacolor seems to be a good value film. For those complaining of current film pricing, The retail cost of 35mm/36exp Kodacolor 100 at B&H is $8.99. This is $1.11 in 1971 dollars. 35mm/36exp Kodacolor X was $2.75 in 1971, right before it was replaced by Kodacolor II in 1972.“
p.1 #18 · Will Film Ever Make a Complete Comeback?
bwcolor wrote:
I posted this on another thread, but it is relevant here. It brings into doubt that film is really more expensive today than in the past. Fewer places to develop film..for sure. Fewer film choices..probably.. Many more alternatives to film..yup. More expensive..well, maybe not.
“Kodacolor seems to be a good value film. For those complaining of current film pricing, The retail cost of 35mm/36exp Kodacolor 100 at B&H is $8.99. This is $1.11 in 1971 dollars. 35mm/36exp Kodacolor X was $2.75 in 1971, right before it was replaced by Kodacolor II in 1972.“
Taking inflation into account, film hasn't gone up in the the great scheme of things. However, one thing this current generation has that we didn't have back in the 70's and 80's is a constant monthly debt. Cellphone services bills are a "must have" for people today. If you add the other little things out there available today that weren't available back in the 70's and 80's (like daily consumption of energy drinks and fancy Starbucks drinks), it's easier for kids nowadays to be more broke than what we were. Discretionary spending today is more limited than it was back in the day.
p.1 #19 · Will Film Ever Make a Complete Comeback?
snegron7 wrote:
Taking inflation into account, film hasn't gone up in the the great scheme of things. However, one thing this current generation has that we didn't have back in the 70's and 80's is a constant monthly debt. Cellphone services bills are a "must have" for people today. If you add the other little things out there available today that weren't available back in the 70's and 80's (like daily consumption of energy drinks and fancy Starbucks drinks), it's easier for kids nowadays to be more broke than what we were. Discretionary spending today is more limited than it was back in the day. ...Show more →
In many places, housing costs take up a huge chunk of young people’s incomes. Today, you need dual incomes in order to purchase housing. Back in the 70’s, that was unheard of.
I think many people have way less disposable income today than in the 70’s.
p.1 #20 · Will Film Ever Make a Complete Comeback?
chez wrote:
In many places, housing costs take up a huge chunk of young people’s incomes. Today, you need dual incomes in order to purchase housing. Back in the 70’s, that was unheard of.
I think many people have way less disposable income today than in the 70’s.
According the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis data (FRED), US real disposable personal income per-capita has more than doubled since the '70s. I imagine it is similar for other advanced economies.
