How much longer for 4x5 color film?

[BrianShaw]

Well, I'll speculate a bit: with every second, and every minute, hour, and day we get closer and closer to the end.

[Tin Can]

Old digital, yes. First digital, http://imaging.nikon.com/lineup/coolpix/others/100/ Then Coolpix 900 and 990. Big time with D70, then D700, D7000 and D800. Sold D800, not for me. The best was D700, lost. Now I use D7000 and P7000. I lose my point, but I am tired of the digital race. Printers @%$%@#

I had to shoot video for the last 3 days, yuk!

I think I may just give it all up and resort to Tintype. I'm retired.

Are you sure? I still have my Coolpix 995 I bought in 1993, and use it occasionally. Not often, granted, because for much digital snapshooting my iPhone is good enough and if I take a camera I take a film camera, but I do use it some. Pixel count notwithstanding, the lower noise and better lens mean it spanks the iPhone. Just because something better is available for way less money (I paid over $900 for that camera with a 1GB microdrive, remember those? - it still works too and is still in the camera) doesn't mean you can't and maybe should continue using what you have.

Now for commercial use, yes of course, you'll have to upgrade sooner - maybe. Even that is getting to the point that the clients aren't likely to be able to tell the difference anyway. When is good enough good enough and any better useless?

[paulr]

Well, I'll speculate a bit: with every second, and every minute, hour, and day we get closer and closer to the end.

Repent!

[Roger Cole]

Old digital, yes. First digital, http://imaging.nikon.com/lineup/coolpix/others/100/ Then Coolpix 900 and 990. Big time with D70, then D700, D7000 and D800. Sold D800, not for me. The best was D700, lost. Now I use D7000 and P7000. I lose my point, but I am tired of the digital race. Printers @%$%@#

I had to shoot video for the last 3 days, yuk!

I think I may just give it all up and resort to Tintype. I'm retired.

Ack, did I actually say 1993? I meant, of course, 2003. TYPO!

[Roger Cole]

Are you sure? I still have my Coolpix 995 I bought in 1993, and use it occasionally. Not often, granted, because for much digital snapshooting my iPhone is good enough and if I take a camera I take a film camera, but I do use it some. Pixel count notwithstanding, the lower noise and better lens mean it spanks the iPhone. Just because something better is available for way less money (I paid over $900 for that camera with a 1GB microdrive, remember those? - it still works too and is still in the camera) doesn't mean you can't and maybe should continue using what you have.

Now for commercial use, yes of course, you'll have to upgrade sooner - maybe. Even that is getting to the point that the clients aren't likely to be able to tell the difference anyway. When is good enough good enough and any better useless?

Too late to edit so I'll just reply to myself - that should say I bought the 995 in 2003.

[ramon]

Your best bet is to stock up on film and freeze it.

That's sound advice, even for black and white shooters.

I would say "only for black and white shooters".

BW chemicals and developers are cheap, well documented and easily accesible to buy. Not the same for C41 or E6.

Have you ever tried to make your own E6 chemicals? There is some expensive active component (CD-3) that only Fuji, Kodak and Tetenal knows (and that some people may have guessed, there is some information on APUG about this).

When the time comes that Fuji and Kodak announce they will stop selling film, for how long they will continue to make chemicals for C41 or E6? Will they maintain the price?

You can have a full fridge with film, but do you also have space for chemicals? And how long is the expiration date for C41 and E6 chemicals?

[Drew Wiley]

Guess we better panic and do nothing while we still have time....

[BrianShaw]

Ya, why procrastinate... all that does is delay the inevitable.

[Drew Wiley]

So if the few remaining sources for amidol or glycin dry up, will all the black and white printers roll up, cry, and die too? As
long as I've been involved in photography some favorite product or another has disappeared from time to time, usually just
as soon as I really got comfortable with it. Murphy's Law will still be around if you give up on film and go digital. That
won't change. You'll still have bad days. Equipment will still fail. Manufacturers and their tech or warranty support will still
go out of business or be bought out by someone who could care less about your problems. Someone's dog just pooped on my
showroom floor. Should I shut the doors and call it quits?

[biedron]

Hey, that's a quotable quote

Guess we better panic and do nothing while we still have time....