rick_n_wv Loc: Charleston WV

I have several old Mamiya 645 and lens sitting in a gun safe. Not sure why I kept them but couldn't bear to get rid of them.

boberic Loc: Quiet Corner, Connecticut. Ex long Islander

Makes me sad that I sold my Canon F-1 and all my Fd glass

Architect1776 Loc: In my mind

Grab it again while it is still cheap on ebay.
With the RF mount the FD, FL and R mount lenses will be making a comeback in popularity.
Also so will the old F-1, FTb and similar bodies with the nostalgic desire for real mechanical cameras at a reasonable price but still of premium quality.
PS, still have the F-1 (First version) with Servo EE finder and MF motor drive and Booster T finder.

Canisdirus

Focus stacking with film is doable.
Take several images with various focus points ...
Get out a pair of scissors once your prints are done ...
Start cutting ...
Get out some Elmer's glue ...

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Don't knock vinyl. It's making a big comeback.

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/vinyl-cds-revenue-growth-riaa-880959/

Architect1776 Loc: In my mind

BebuLamar

you should put them in other places rather than gun safe. Make them more accessible.

nadelewitz Loc: Ithaca NY

"Has anyone else heard of this small movement of interest in film?"

Well, only about everybody! There are films available from a lot of names...Kodak, Ilford, Fujifilm among them. Look for films at any of the online photo dealers...B&H, Adorama, Roberts, lot more.
Polaroid film and cameras too, for 600-series cameras, Spectras, SX-70, see "Polaroid Originals".
Fuji instant film for their instant cameras.

Architect1776 Loc: In my mind

Guess the understatement blew totally over your head.

Inglese

I have had this new film on pre-order for several months and understand delivery is now not far off. As for a cheap film camera you can pick up great condition a Nikon FM for a give away price and these are, as you probably know, totally manual. Another seriously good camera is the Nikon F90X (not sure about the US designation. These were marketed as just sub-pro cameras at the time and they have auto focus and lots of other stuff not on the FM. 50mmD lenses are also excellent and at very reasonable prices

RLSprouse Loc: Encinitas CA (near Sandy Eggo)

I'm beginning to get interested in film again. I have a nice Mamiya RB67 system that I'd love to use again. I don't know if I will break out the 4x5 setup too, but maybe one day, if I live long enough.

Architect1776 Loc: In my mind

Soul Dr. Loc: Beautiful Shenandoah Valley

I have close to a 1000 LPs and about 200 cassette tapes, that I have been collecting for the last 10-15 years.
I also have older audio gear to play them on. At one time I had 18 turntables and about 20 pairs of speakers. Sold most of them as collection was taking up too much space.
Most of my music collection is rock from the mid 60s to the mid 80s. I also have classical and big band music.

will

cigar dude Loc: South Central MA

Film has never disappeared. It was just catching its breath.
It was kicked to the side of the road by many for the new digital wave. But for those of us who were introduced to photography in the (ahem) old days, the magic of watching your work slowly appearing in a soupy mix was, well, magical.
I may be old and sometimes I feel like I have been kicked to the curb, but when I pick up my film cameras, I can still feel the magic in me. Probably gas!!!!!!!!!

AndyH Loc: Massachusetts and New Hampshire

From what I've read, the lowest year for film sales was 2009, and the figure has ticked up incrementally ever since. I personally ascribe the increase to the growing interest of GenX and Millennials. The younger generations seem to be more interested in the hand made, the non-computerized, and the artisanal than their predecessors.

The interest in vinyl records, craft beers, and artisanal everything are all part of this trend, I think. I first noticed the change in the photographic world when I attended the film photo shows in Boston in the early 2010s. Younger people have formed an increasing share of the attendees ever since - they now outnumber us geezers, and line up three deep around folks selling the really old stuff and vintage printing processes. Search "film photography" on YouTube, Instagram, and Twitter and you'll find that the average age of the hundreds of content contributors is below the age to legally become POTUS, considerably below, in fact. Watching a 19 year old discover the joys of shooting a Leica or Hassy and explain it to you is refreshing.

As to the cost - I've mostly gone to a hybrid workflow. A roll of 35mm or 120 film costs about eight bucks with careful shopping. Black and white or expired film is much cheaper. B/W chemistry is cheap, and with good replenishment practices, is good for several dozen rolls. C-41 chemistry is not much more expensive. A sixty dollar C-41 kit will do 30 rolls. That's about 5.5 cents per shot for 35mm film and less than 17 cents for 6x6 exposures. Add in the cost of film - about $.66 for 6x6 and $.22 per frame for 35mm, and each shutter click of my Hassy costs me about 85 cents for consumables, my Leica III under 28 cents. I'm going to use all my old tanks, reels, and equipment for C-41 work, and I already have a sous vide heater for cooking that will heat the chemistry up accurately. Of course I will have to amortize the cost of the $179 Epson scanner, but that should be good for hundreds of rolls at least. Not bad, IMHO.

When it comes to printing, the costs are the same if you go hybrid - each print or enlargement is the same whether the original image is a digital native or scan. The only real difference is that the scans from 6x6 images take up a lot of storage, but storage is pretty cheap.

The difference, to me, is in the more mindful approach to shooting that film demands. Yes, it results in fewer images but requires complete abandonment of the "spray and pray" approach. Even though my subject matter generally doesn't lend itself to spray and pray, I find that my keeper rate for film shots is considerably higher than for digital. And the concentration and "mindfulness" I get shooting film more than makes up for the medium's inability to do certain things.

Digital stil takes up a large portion of my shooting, especially for work "documentary" shots, family photos, sports, low-light, and wildlife. But I get more pleasure per shot from film. Always have and always will.

It pleases me no end to see that so many folks in their twenties seem to have the same feeling. Just my opinion, but I hope film never dies - it won't in my world, as long as there is film and chemistry available. In a few years, you might see that the only "serious" photographers shooting digital are geezers like me.

Andy