Speaking from a committed amateur perspective, the general perception (not shared by everybody) that digital will inevitably gain on film due to improving technology is premised on an assumption that film processing technology has ended. But has it? That assumption could well be overturned if, in addition to new film emulsions, manufacturers came up with much improved small scanners, which is surely not unfeasible technically (maybe financially).

Even with what is available, for modest sized prints, say up to 8x10, the results from a Leica 35mm neg scanned on the old Minolta 5400II producing up to 100MB files and printed on a capable inkjet are superb, and it makes me really happy to know I can keep using my old mechanical film gear with great results, scanned or wet processed! Likewise, 200Mb files from my Pentax 67 negatives are pin sharp to 16x20, the biggest I've printed, and probably beyond. I'm just starting in LF, and I look forward to very satisfactory results going hybrid and scanning on my V750. Just imagine if there was a V1750, or a Nikon 12000? Who knows what will happen? But the 'given' that film is at the end of the line may become untrue.

I have to admit that underlying this post is my innate unease with going wholly digital, and working with cameras which have become computers, and placing my entire photographic estate at the mercy of changing technology. For pros making their living out of it, they have no choice. I do.