Digital or Analogue: that is the question.

Now this blog is called "Digital Media" (in case you hadn't noticed!). However, over time it has evolved somewhat from my original vision. If you have read any earlier posts you will have noticed that I have, from time to time, made a passing reference to 35mm film. I haven't, as far as I recall (and a quick search of over 350 posts seems to confirm this) posted solely about analogue film (35mm and larger formats).

Well, that is not to say that I have totally abandoned analogue, it's just that I haven't used film for a few years. I do own several film cameras including a Minolta or two, a 6 x9 cm camera and even a copy of my very first 'proper' camera, the Halina Paulette Electric. I also have (to my shame) a carrier bag full of undeveloped rolls of film that somehow got forgotten about! I fully intend to get them developed once I can find the time and the money to do so.

So, it would seem that digital has killed off film, if you were only to look at things like camera sales and what proportion of images are uploaded to web which were taken on film. However, hard facts are difficult to obtain for several reasons:

1. Digital means you can shoot thousands of images over and over on the same memory card, compared to the average roll of film gives 26 images or less for medium format);
2. No-one is making film cameras in large numbers these days, certainly when compared to worldwide sales of digital cameras.
3. Even Digital Stills Cameras sales are in decline - the main reason being smartphones are fast becoming the 'camera' that most folk take images with. You can read the latest statistics on this here.

However, film is not quite extinct, not yet. Earlier this year, Eastman Kodak and Kodak Alaris announced they will be bringing back a different film stock: Ektachrome, which was discontinued in 2012.

Here in the UK, Ilford Photo confirmed that film was gaining in popularity, at least compared to recent years, after a survey found that 30 percent of film users were under 35 years old, and 60 percent had only started using film in the last five years.

So, it seems that analogue film stock is undergoing a renaissance of sorts but what about film cameras? Well, we all know that we can go on eBay and buy almost any film camera that has ever existed. I just checked on eBay UK and a search for '35mm camera' came up with 6,915 for sale. Add to that the many thousands of lenses for film cameras and you can see why no-one is manufacturing film cameras in any numbers. 

At the moment Fujifilm still make two for the Japanese market, Leica make two as well, but being Leica they don't come cheap! Nikon don't actually make any but they do have two camera bodies manufactured by Cosina that bear the Nikon badge.

Also, Fujifilm have their Intax range of instant film cameras and the Impossible Project revived the Polaroid. In addition Lomography have a range of cameras and film stock, as well a bewildering range of instant film cameras.

The latest news on this front is that Reflex have launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund the production of a new 35mm SLR. Proclaiming it to be

"the first update on a manual 35mm SLR camera system in over 25 years..."

As of today, they have already exceeded their target of £100,000 and are planning to start shipping by the end of 2017. The camera will be modular with the intention that users will be able to customize their camera. Their stretch target of £150,000 will allow them to include BLE technology so that the camera can communicate with your smartphone and allow you to makes notes and transfer across log details.

The modular design makes it easier to use a variety of lenses from different mounts and Reflex comes with a choice of universal M42 mount, Nikon F, Olympus OM. Canon FD and Pentax PK.

They are planning to launch the camera in Aug 2018 and you can pledge various amounts. The more you pledge, as with all such campaigns, the more you get and the more you will save on the eventual retail price, in theory. Be sure to read the small print before pledging.

To check out their campaign and maybe make a pledge (at your own risk) visit their page on Kickstarter here.
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