Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2000/03/10
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Mark >>I just hope they keep making film and silver paper. I washed some old color prints this week and they were not RC. They were on real paper!<< I, too, have wondered whether conventional film and paper will become more difficult to come by in the future. Then I think, even if digital improves considerably, demand for conventional tools won't fade completely. For instance, the availability of video cameras may have put a dent in still photography, but still photography is still around. (I still kick myself for having bought a video camera 12-years ago. I recall paying around $1,000. I hardly ever used it and it's worthless today. Oh how I wish I'd bought a new Leica instead.) I think it will be similar with digital cameras. It won't replace conventional still photography. Even if digital photography cuts down on demand for conventional products, these products will still be available. The Internet has opened many doors. For instance, it's easier to find things than ever before. Even in an absolute worse case scenario -- where conventional processes lose their luster en mass -- conventional products will still be available somewhere. At least in our lifetimes. I also think it will be years before any digital media will match the quality of a projected slide. I think Kodachrome will be around for a long time. Perhaps the studio running the advertisement does work that lends itself to digital. But I take comfort in the fact that there many things that are still easier to do with conventional film. David