Eric Nakamura
Bryce Kanights
Matt Irving
Andy Jenkins
Mark Whiteley
Sean Cliver
The official death of film?
POSTED August 18, 2010 BY Bob Kronbauer
French Fred, you’re going to hate me for this.
I recently inherited an amazing Dacora from my late grandfather. Immediately after receiving it I shot a photo of it (below) on my smartphone with the Retro Camera app I installed on it, then mused over the fact that I might never put actual film into this heirloom. I also thought about the fact that most people who are using this app have never loaded a roll of 120 film in their life… and never will. Thoughts?
Tweet
August 18th, 2010 at 1:02 pm
nothing wrong with documenting the old with the new, but an iphone? oh Bob.
August 18th, 2010 at 1:47 pm
Oh man.. does it take 120? Get a roll of slide film and cross process it… 1 roll will get you hooked again and then every retro iphone pic you take from there on will inspire you to actually shoot film.
But you’re right, most people who use those apps probably WILL NEVER load a roll of 120 in their life… its a shame. Slide film is going away too… Bay Photo Lab stopped doing black and white and slide film… use it while you can.
August 18th, 2010 at 1:52 pm
Like anything creative, a camera, ANY camera, is just a tool and I believe some good can be found in any of it. Even an iPhone…Now, you should make a painting of that photo and write a song about it.
Oh, I just dropped off some color Fuji Pro 400 film to be developed, exposed using my 1979 Nikon EM…c’est la vie…
August 18th, 2010 at 2:27 pm
I agree, Tony. I really only shoot with my phone for straight-to-facebook type photos, but I do use it as I would have used a film camera in the past. I’ve been shooting not-right-to-facebook photos with the latest Olympus EPL1 ( http://www.photo.net/equipment/olympus/epl1/preview ) which is supposed to be the answer to Olympus’s classic PEN… the very same camera that I shot my Beach Glass series on (and a second chapter of it, which I’m currently editing), updated for a digital age.
August 19th, 2010 at 12:29 pm
Nice camera, load a roll and shoot man.
Yes, film is in decline but people still want and use it so i don’t think it is going anywhere anytime soon.
And just to let you know i got 2 rolls of 12o film sitting at home waiting to be developed.
- james
August 19th, 2010 at 3:39 pm
Wow, that camera looks pretty neat-o, Bob…Have fun!
August 20th, 2010 at 1:28 pm
sell out
August 20th, 2010 at 1:34 pm
Hahahaha! YES!!!
August 21st, 2010 at 11:58 am
Put a roll in it and shoot 12 photos that Grandpa would enjoy.
I have a WWII Zeiss Ikon folding 6 x 9 that is still sharp and accurate. It’s super portable, and great for special occasions. I also just got a 1979 Contax 139 35mm, and I’m not sure why. Nostalgia, I guess, and the fact that I have a 45mm pancake lens that, together, makes it super small and compact.
Don’t know what my thing about small and compact is all about. But every time I relapse and buy a film camera, I’m amazed how much more of a hassle film is than using my 5D. I guess I’m a digital convert. But the Zeiss Ikon is unique, as I’m sure the Dacora is. And once you get to know it, you’ll know when to load it.
I’m a big iPhone camera fan. There’s an app called The Best Camera Is The One You Have With You. It’s a great sentiment. So I play with all the photo apps, and tend to go with Camera Bag’s Helga filter most of the time. It may not be serious photography, but it’s there when I need it, and the images get out there on facebook, twitpic, etc. a lot faster and to a lot more people than my Zeiss Ikon 6 x 9 images do.
So for unique private photography, the Zeiss Ikon wins out. For quick stuff to share with everyone, nothing beats the iPhone. And it’s great practice. My daughter (4 and a half) is learning to shoot on my phone, rather than the Fisher Price digi cam I bought her. Mainly because the iPhone is always with me, and when I see an opportunity to have her shoot a dog or something that interests her, there it is.
So congrats, Bob. Welcome to the past. It’s great to have that tool in your creative arsenal, particularly because it came from your grandfather and not a flea market in Moscow.
But I think it’s important to have a weapon for every occasion, and for daily training missions, the iPhone camera is perfect.
July 12th, 2012 at 10:05 pm
Hej Jag är så glad jag hittade din blogg sida, jag hittade dig av en slump, medan jag söker på Yahoo efter något annat, Iaf jag är här nu och vill bara säga tack för en fantastisk tjänst och en allround trevlig blogg (jag älskar temat / design), jag har inte tid att läsa igenom allt just nu men jag har bok-märkt det och även lagt till din RSS-flöden, så när jag har tid kommer jag att vara tillbaka läsa mycket mer ska du hålla uppe det fantastiska arbete.