tripwest Loc: Rochester, NY (Kodakland)

The Princess Bride's Miracle Max : "Whoo-hoo-hoo, look who knows so much. It just so happens that your friend (Kodak) here is only MOSTLY dead. There's a big difference between mostly dead and all dead. Mostly dead is slightly alive."

When I shoot important events, like a wedding (when I have no choice, and can't say no), I shoot digital color AND black and white film. Some of the people get very confused and ask a lot of questions.
But when I hand the clients a DVD of digital image files, and a stack of 5x8 B&W photos, they are always more excited about the prints! And even after they go through the DVD, they still tell me how much they appreciate the prints and love the black & white.

They often ask me, "why B&W prints?", I tell them that after the nuclear armageddon, the zombie apocalypse, and the entire planet has been turned into North Korea, you will still have your prints and I will still have your negatives.

Final thought, I have always imagined that Kodak should have spun off film into a separate boutique company and kept all of their film lines alive

You can still buy those super wide white wall tires for antique cars, kerosene lamps for power outages, and leather saddles for horses, right?

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

If it is prints you want, they're still available in an archival form via high end Epson or Canon inkjet printers, and the labs who use them. Pigment inks last five times longer than the dyes in color negatives or chromogenic color prints from conventional photo labs. Pigment blacks last about as long as traditional silver halide B&W prints, when made on archival papers.

As an ex-lab guy, I haven't found much to justify continued use of film or optical printing processes. Use what you like, though, for whatever reasons you consider valid. We don't need another Ford vs. Chevy argument.

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What about button hooks and whalebone corsets ? No need to hunt whales ... the few that beach and die would serve such a micromarket, same as with film.

anotherview Loc: California

Ditto.

anotherview Loc: California

Thanks for your informed opinion.

topcat Loc: Alameda, CA

I still have film in my freezer...

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I tossed it to make room for ice cream.

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Every time gwilliam6 posts his trollish "news clips" he ALWAYS closes with "What do you think ?" .... but then he reacts like a toadall jerk if you actually address his "What do you think ?" IOW, its just a troll query.

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therwol Loc: USA

Back in the 80s and early 90s (approximate), I used to get double 5x7 prints of all of my color negatives from a camera store. They were made on Fuji paper that was guarantied not to fade for 50 years. The prints haven't faded yet. I don't know if you encountered this paper in your past work. The supermarket prints are a problem.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

The Crystal Archive paper WAS pretty good. But what really affects longevity of chromogenic papers is processing. Lots of labs shortcut the chemistry and leave out the stabilizer at the end of the process, or use an insufficient wash, or let their process get out of control before dumping tanks and mixing fresh solutions.

Especially during the mini-lab craze, one hour labs didn't care much about process quality control or using quality chemistry. Pro labs generally do it right.

I have copied hundreds of prints for retrospective video slide shows (for wakes and funerals and college reunions). The general tendency of fading is toward the red (cyan dye layer goes first). B&W silver halide prints don't fade, as they are silver metal-based images. Prints on Agfa papers were the first to fade. I have Kodachromes that haven't faded noticeably in 50 years.

gwilliams6

We got many reasoned and thoughtful opinions and comments. Yours are the only ones that are routinely childish and without more than comic interest.

Grow up ,stop trolling, and try to join the other adults here.

Cheers and best to you.

anotherview Loc: California

Good morning. Thanks for your technical view from experience.