griz Posted January 17, 2006 Share Posted January 17, 2006 The future is getting more and more grim for us hold outs... goddammit!!!! I wonder how long it will be til I can't buy Fuji Velvia or Tri-X ,too? Story: Thursday, January 12, 2006 · Last updated 2:57 p.m. PT Nikon to concentrate on digital cameras By PETER SVENSSON AP TECHNOLOGY WRITER NEW YORK -- Nikon Corp., which helped popularize the 35mm camera five decades ago, will stop making most of its film cameras to concentrate on digital models. The Japanese company said it wanted to focus on "business categories that continue to demonstrate the strongest growth" as film cameras sales keep shrinking. Nikon will discontinue seven film-camera models, leaving in production only the current top-line model, the F6, and a low-end manual-focus model, the FM10. It will also stop making most of its manual-focus lenses. Most of the company's autofocus lenses work with manual-focus bodies, however. Also, German optical company Carl Zeiss AG is widely reported to be planning a line of manual-focus lenses for Nikon bodies. Nikon did not give firm dates for the discontinuation of its products, but said Wednesday that sales will cease as supplies are depleted. Major competitor Canon Inc. still makes five models of single-lens reflex film cameras. At the lower end of the market, Eastman Kodak Co. announced in 2004 that it would stop selling film cameras in the United States and Europe. Nikon ranks fifth in digital-camera shipments in the United States, behind Kodak, Canon, Sony Corp. and Fuji Photo Film Co. Nikon was a major force in establishing the dominance of the 35mm single-lens reflex camera, the workhorse of professionals and sophisticated amateurs until the arrival of digital cameras. Its breakthrough model was the F, released in 1959. It set a standard for ruggedness and reliability and became a must-have for photojournalists. Unusually, Nikon has maintained the same lens mount over the years, meaning most lenses from 1959 will fit today's digital models and vice versa, albeit with functional restrictions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foraker Posted January 17, 2006 Share Posted January 17, 2006 This also came up on my large format photography bulletin board but no one is really worried. Most of the point being that the Nikon guys were talking to tech people in a tech rag so of course they're going to tout their digital stuff. Notice they're keeping their top of the line cameras. Film isn't going away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cj001f Posted January 17, 2006 Share Posted January 17, 2006 The only film camera Nikon is still making is the F6 - they farmed out production of the FM10 to Cosina. Since nobody was buying new film bodies (who in their right mind would with used film stuff some damn cheap now), and nikon wasn't making any even if they were considered "in production" no bfd. Film will still be available for a long, long time. Shit 120 format is 105 years old! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
griz Posted January 18, 2006 Author Share Posted January 18, 2006 (who in their right mind would with used film stuff some damn cheap now), yeah, no joke. i recently discovered ebay and slr's. good god, i picked up 3 6006's for $25-45 each. Now with this news I'm gonna really start stockpiling fm2's and f4's too. I love the digital darkroom these days,uploading to a good lab and not soaking in chemicals but I've gotta have an original neg or slide to start with. Life without film would be very depressing indeed. I hope you guys are right and they have to pry that roll of film out of my cold,dead hand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cj001f Posted January 18, 2006 Share Posted January 18, 2006 My digiSlr "encouraged" me to buy a Hasselblad - i've now dug out the developing kit again and am thinking of buying an enlarger. I never would have dreamed of getting one with prices the way they were 5 years ago. Oh, and Zeiss is now making MF lenses with Nikon F mount http://www.zeiss.de/C12567A8003B58B9/?Open Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foraker Posted January 18, 2006 Share Posted January 18, 2006 Who needs electronics when you have ebony wood and titanium? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cj001f Posted January 18, 2006 Share Posted January 18, 2006 Who needs electronics when you have ebony wood and titanium? Because I'm an easy old school shooter (tangentially/ overheard in a vintage (<1890) photo exhibit this weekend: "oh look how he used a long shutterspeed to capture motion" ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
griz Posted January 18, 2006 Author Share Posted January 18, 2006 I do miss a B&W darkroom and getting lost in there til dawn! CJ have you seen any price lists for the nikon/zeiss lens? Foraker, I used to shoot 4x5 a long time ago. I wish my knees could still carry that kind of load! The prints are almost worth the suffering though. I found this on the zeiss site about film's future... hopeful.. Issue No. 23 January 2006 How about the Future of Film? Since Carl Zeiss introduced the Zeiss Ikon rangefinder camera system - a 35 mm film camera - we keep receiving questions about our belief in the future of film. In an era of digital hype, many people interested in high quality photo equipment question an investment in film-based gear. Even those who very well understand and appreciate the aspects in which film is clearly superior to digital imagery keep asking us: "Will film be available for me to operate my Zeiss Ikon camera in the future?" We know that a variety of documentation applications of extreme importance rely heavily on silver halide film - if not for image origination, then at least for image archiving. Military aerial reconnaissance (often with Carl Zeiss aerial cameras and lenses) today relies on digital technology for immediate availability, but continues to use film for reliable long-term storage. And so does "Hollywood". Carl Zeiss, as a leading supplier of lenses for the motion picture industry, can see day-in day-out, that the vast majority of feature films is still originated on silver halide film. Film is the medium of choice for long-term archiving, and is expected to remain so for the foreseeable future. This is why we are so confident about the future of film And how about Fujifilm and Kodak? During a recent industry association meeting, we had the opportunity to speak about the future of film with Helmut Rupsch, Business General Manager, Fujifilm-Düsseldorf and Rainer Dick, Business General Manager, Kodak Digital & Film Imaging Systems. Though both companies have been experiencing declining film sales over the last two years, as the amateur and professional photography markets transition from analog to digital, both gentlemen report still very healthy business with film. These two industry representatives, who are in a position to know the facts, confirm that neither company is considering stopping film manufacture. Both gentlemen are confident that their companies will continue to supply film – usable in the ZI camera and others – for decades to come. back subscribe Newsletter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foraker Posted January 18, 2006 Share Posted January 18, 2006 Griz, I should be spending more time in my darkroom myself,but I keep getting distracted. Quite sad really except I started working on this science thingy after work and then started training for Denali and I seem to lack as many hours in the day as I need. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EWolfe Posted January 18, 2006 Share Posted January 18, 2006 Who needs electronics when you have ebony wood and titanium? Neo-Luddites Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EWolfe Posted January 18, 2006 Share Posted January 18, 2006 except for the film chemicals.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cj001f Posted January 18, 2006 Share Posted January 18, 2006 don't know about the prices on ZF glass other than "competitive" I love the smell of stop bath. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tivoli_mike Posted January 18, 2006 Share Posted January 18, 2006 He he. I always enjoyed my time in the darkroom. or getting my roll onto the spool so I can develop the negatives. Making the contact sheet. Of course walking into a full darkroom and discharing my Nikon SB-15 flash was always fun Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
griz Posted January 18, 2006 Author Share Posted January 18, 2006 I love the smell of stop bath in the morning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cj001f Posted January 18, 2006 Share Posted January 18, 2006 Now back to porn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quicker_than_ewe Posted January 18, 2006 Share Posted January 18, 2006 Kodak stopped making ektagraphic slide projectors, and also parts and accessories. That was a good system, why stop just because digital is popular? Can't both systems co-exist? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foraker Posted January 19, 2006 Share Posted January 19, 2006 January 19, 2006 Since our foundation in 1934, we have been developing our business in photosensitive materials on a global scale, thanks to the support and patronage of general consumers, retailers, photograph wholesalers, and various others. The unexpectedly rapid shift toward digitalization has greatly reduced demand for films and photographic products. The entire photography industry, including our company, has been put in a difficult market situation. In order to respond these difficult market changes, we are currently proceeding with comprehensive structural reforms. Despite the current challenges, we believe that photography is indispensable to humankind because of its ability to express such precious things as joy, sadness, love and the full spectrum of emotions. Our mission is to preserve and nurture the culture of photography to meet the needs of our longtime customers. Silver halide photography, which is fundamental to photography, has advantages over digital in such areas as power of expression, long term storage capability, reasonable prices, easy handling and a highly established and convenient photo development and print infrastructure. We intend to continue our silver halide photography business and to further cultivate the culture of photography, and in so doing, continue to support our customers and retailers and all those who enjoy photography. Media Contact: Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd. Corporate Communications Division, Public Relations Division Tel: 81-3-3406-2490 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lI1|1! Posted January 20, 2006 Share Posted January 20, 2006 minolta is dropping photography alltogether Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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