The last few weeks I’ve seen a great deal of moaning about two new film photography products that have been launched on the crowdfunding platforms. Those product being Silberra films and the new Reflex camera. Here’s my thoughts – not so much on the products themselves – but instead around a disappointing attitude I have witnessed toward them.
That’s right folks, I’m not angry, I’m just disappointed!
Readers of this website will be aware that the primary topic of discussion is 35mm film cameras – specifically rangefinder and compact cameras. Those who especially close attention will know that I don’t really like SLR cameras, and the very regular readers of this site will know that I only really shoot two films, Portra 400 and HP5+.
Knowing this, you might then wonder why I’ve just committed to spend £350 on an SLR camera and a bunch of random B&W film. This is a camera that a I probably won’t shoot that much, likely could have blagged a review copy of when it was launched anyway; and a bunch of film that will probably either sit in a draw until I give it away or only get shot when I forget to buy some more HP5+
I’ve bought these things – committed my hard-earned cash (cash that I actually can’t afford to spend at the moment) – because I want the film photography industry to thrive and grow. Now, arguably I must be in a financially positive enough position to be able to make these decisions without too much concern. I’m not on the breadline, I will find a way to pay.
If I couldn’t find a way to pay, I would consider the next best thing to chuck £10, £5, perhaps even just a quid. If I was really skint, I might not chuck any cash at either. That would be sad for me and sad for the products, but it would be understandable – not everyone has spare cash.
But even given the unfortunate position of being so broke as to not be able to chuck even a quid at each of these crowdfunding projects I would still maybe ‘like’, share and wish them my best on the posts on social media etc. And that is all bearing in mind that these are products that don’t really apply to me and my personal tastes! Why? Because…
I want the film photography community and industry to thrive!
… I want the film photography industry to thrive! Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not for one minute suggesting that people shouldn’t be entitled to share their opinions. But there is having an opinion about something, and then there is unnecessarily and strongly disparaging a product just because it doesn’t sit within your specific sphere of interest.
Take Silberra films
These guys are trying to bring new films to market. To start with they are working on reformulation of – as I understand it – Agfa stocks. These might be reformulation, but they are still new. Beyond this they intend to start producing new films using their own kit, from scratch. This is extremely impressive, and it should be encouraged wholeheartedly!
Yet people are moaning – to paraphrase “not more film”, “more rebranded Agfa”, etc. Seriously? What kind of reaction to tangible growth in the film industry is this? This is what we want in our community, growth; more actual film products to feed the growing market. Yet we as a community are finding ways to complain…?
Personally, I might not shoot it. I don’t shoot Fuji superior, but it still annoys me that Fuji are killing it off. I don’t shoot FP4, but I’m not going to deny its right to exist just because it’s more black & white film that doesn’t specifically appeal to me!
Then take the Reflex camera
With all of the massive amount of used cameras out there, it would be impossible for a new SLR to appeal perfectly to everyone. As I say, it doesn’t entirely appeal to me – it’s an SLR for a start, but it also has a LED light that I don’t get, a flash that I will never use, and I’m not sure I like the look of the shutter button on the front either.
But, these are opinions, they are simply based on my experiences and preferences – they don’t mean the camera is a complete write off for me, and they certainly don’t mean that this camera is a complete write off for everyone else. More specifically, they don’t mean – to paraphrase one of the comments I read – “this camera is destined to fail”.
More importantly, this is a new film camera to market! A new 35mm film camera at that! Designed from scratch, by a start-up. This is something we in the film photography community have been waiting for. A new brand, making a new camera.
It also has some new and innovative design features. Interchangeable film backs and interchangeable lens mounts are brilliant ideas in combination – the latter allows this one camera to potentially be used with any SLR based lens of yore. This gives it such wide appeal, and straight away provides a level of compatibility and potential upgradability not seen in this type of camera before.
So why is the community picking holes in it? What mentality is driving these snide comments I have seen on social media and in the comments on other blogs? Why are some people writing this new camera off before it’s had even the slightest chance to prove itself? I honestly cannot fathom any of this!
My point
What makes me feel the most disappointment is that I genuinely felt a part of a community that was supportive of itself and that wanted itself to grow. What I am seeing is a community with a lot of moaning people who seem hell-bent in cutting their own noses off to spite their faces. I really would like to urge the community to think about all this from a slightly broader perspective!
If these products succeed, more will follow!
Let me just say that again. If these products succeed, more will follow! And what follows might actually be a bit of kit that will appeal to your specific requirements. It might even come at a price that suits you too. If these new companies succeed, they will help prove the market, they will provide building blocks for themselves to innovate further, but moreover will also provide impetus for more individuals and companies to follow in their wake.
The big boys might even start getting wind. Cosina night bring the Voigtlander cameras back, even the likes of Olympus, Nikon … probably not Fuji… … … ok, it’s quite possible that none of the big boys will come back to the market… but without these new smaller companies proving there is strength in our community – and strength in the marketplace it provides – nothing is gonna happen! No new film, and no new cameras – we we’ll be left with an ever decreasing pool of second-hand cameras and a floundering film photography industry as a whole!
We aren’t even talking faux film stuff like that recent Yashica shite. We are talking bona fide, real, legitimate film products.
So come on, please, for the love of film photography, stop the bloody moaning, and start backing these new-to-market film photography companies!
Let’s help build the industry around our community, not try to kill it before it’s even had a chance!
Here’s some links:
Silberra’s film Indiegogo – needs more support!
Reflex’s camera Kickstarter
Chuck a quid, more if you can, if you can’t afford money, bury those personal opinions, and share these campaigns far and wide for the greater good – as long term, it will pay off for all of us in the community!
More similar thoughts from Mike from shoot film co can be found here
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Cool Film on Stop bloody moaning and support the Film Photography industry!
Comment posted: 08/11/2017
Michael Rennie on Stop bloody moaning and support the Film Photography industry!
Comment posted: 08/11/2017
Tim Sewell on Stop bloody moaning and support the Film Photography industry!
Comment posted: 08/11/2017
Comment posted: 08/11/2017
Frank Lehnen on Stop bloody moaning and support the Film Photography industry!
Comment posted: 08/11/2017
Here's a spanking new SLR (hopefully solid) that really does it all! Though not metering with open aperture as I heard! There's a button to open the aperture instead.
As for film, I think we better not buy expired stuff only. OK if you want to try, but we better support the still existing and new producers by buying new stuff!
Julian on Stop bloody moaning and support the Film Photography industry!
Comment posted: 08/11/2017
Tom Perry on Stop bloody moaning and support the Film Photography industry!
Comment posted: 08/11/2017
On a personal level, I think it is more environmentally sound to repair old camera stock than to create from new materials, but I won't begrudge anyone the dream of creating something new and beautiful from scratch. It takes a lot of guts to put your prototype out there, and I hope in the future they can develop an entry level model at an entry level price for students.
Neil Woodman on Stop bloody moaning and support the Film Photography industry!
Comment posted: 08/11/2017
Alex Bacon on Stop bloody moaning and support the Film Photography industry!
Comment posted: 08/11/2017
Harry on Stop bloody moaning and support the Film Photography industry!
Comment posted: 08/11/2017
Wayne on Stop bloody moaning and support the Film Photography industry!
Comment posted: 08/11/2017
Pentermezzo on Stop bloody moaning and support the Film Photography industry!
Comment posted: 08/11/2017
Why do people do it? The internet, and it's (illusionary) anonymity, gives people licence to spout off without any responsibility for their words, or the consequences of their words. It's effortless to have big brass balls when hiding behind a monitor. Everyone is an expert when they're online, especially within a specialized group setting like film cameras. Also, a lot of people just suck.
Thanks for another insightful and informative article: I enjoy your site very much!
Aivaras on Stop bloody moaning and support the Film Photography industry!
Comment posted: 08/11/2017
Steve Wales on Stop bloody moaning and support the Film Photography industry!
Comment posted: 08/11/2017
I'm eager to try as many new brands of film and WILL support these enterprises.
Paulo Moreira on Stop bloody moaning and support the Film Photography industry!
Comment posted: 08/11/2017
Now, I would like to prove that Tim Sewell is wrong in his profiling concerning people that are not interested in this camera. You see Tim, I am 46 years old an not planning to die during the life expectancy of my film cameras. Yes, I am a Leica user, also a Canon L39 user, but an avid user of Praktica cameras and the Fed/Zorki cameras. Yes, my snobbish side allows me to switch from a VLC to a F4, from my G2 to my 139 Q. You see Tim, all my cameras have one thing in common and it's not the brand or the snobbery, it's personality. There is no spec sheet that can translate the tactile joy of using a M or Canon L39 camera. Nothing can convey the joy of focusing through a Contax SLR viewfinder and I could go on and on. So sorry for the anti-hipster sermon, but I am (also) a film user because of the cameras, not the mean, the look of the pictures, because sharpness, color rendition, bokeh are all bourgeois concepts, like HCB probably would have written and so are cameras.
Chris on Stop bloody moaning and support the Film Photography industry!
Comment posted: 08/11/2017
Blinx on Stop bloody moaning and support the Film Photography industry!
Comment posted: 08/11/2017
Unless the Reflex can offer something more than newness - like the technological developments of autofocus and auto-exposure in the last fifteen years - I don't understand why someone would buy one as a practical proposition for regular shooting. Sentiment and novelty are another matter. I just wish the company had put their ingenuity into something more tempting than a 35mm SLR.
Film is a different matter. Long term film will survive by supporting Ilford, Kodak, Foma and (though they barely deserve it), Fuji, with regular purchases. If third parties can "reimagine" a defunct line from one of those manufacturers and make a buck in the process, I won't criticise.
Ijon Tichy on Stop bloody moaning and support the Film Photography industry!
Comment posted: 08/11/2017
the6millionpman on Stop bloody moaning and support the Film Photography industry!
Comment posted: 08/11/2017
D on Stop bloody moaning and support the Film Photography industry!
Comment posted: 08/11/2017
Joey on Stop bloody moaning and support the Film Photography industry!
Comment posted: 08/11/2017
Theo on Stop bloody moaning and support the Film Photography industry!
Comment posted: 08/11/2017
Thomas Eisl on Stop bloody moaning and support the Film Photography industry!
Comment posted: 08/11/2017
Clinton Ausmus on Stop bloody moaning and support the Film Photography industry!
Comment posted: 08/11/2017
I will however shoot every roll of the Silberra I'm buying, but I'm only able to throw 20 US at the Reflex project at the moment. Hopefully I can up my pledge before the end of the campaign though.
Olli Thomson on Stop bloody moaning and support the Film Photography industry!
Comment posted: 08/11/2017
Eric Manten on Stop bloody moaning and support the Film Photography industry!
Comment posted: 08/11/2017
Terry B on Stop bloody moaning and support the Film Photography industry!
Comment posted: 08/11/2017
So this new film must be applauded, but I must also ask, in the short to medium term can these new films seriously fill the gap left by Fuji? Is this what some are expecting? Providing film manufacturers can supply the demand, it is still never going to be a major factor as competition for digital. The recent groundswell for film will peak. The question is where?
I do wonder just how many use film exclusively, rather than it being an adjunct to digital? And if the latter, what percentage is actual film use?
Gotcha! Yes, I've been playing Devi's Advocate. Even Hamish, whilst applauding a new entrant into the market, admits he is unlikely to use it. So no real support here. But he has a valid reason: film users get very attached to specific films because they like the result. Same with me when I regularly did my own D&P. Despite the numerous films then available, I stuck with Ilford's FP3 to FP4 and Kodak Tri-X. I'd spent ages getting to learn there specifics, and developing technique. They gave me what I wanted.
So, taken altogether, if users like this film all very good. It will give genuine choice. And when it comes being generally available, and I can safely pay using PayPal (thanks for the comment, Harry) I may very well give a test.
Now for the camera. I'm a sucker for the traditional chrome/black leatherette decor of old school cameras. And this one, whilst giving a little nod to modernity, looks the part. Possessing an interchangeable film back is not unique, the Zeiss Contarex Supers come to mind, but I can't think of one at this price point. Of course, changing films mid-roll isn't exactly new. Cameras with removable backs and which permit cassette to cassette loading can do this, and the Exakta Varex range even has an in-built cutting knife.
The facility of the face plate to permit use of lenses from so many different manufacturers I rather suspect is unique. A sort of reversal of Tamron Adaptall lenses being used on different bodies; here the same body is used for different makes of lenses. The closest I can get to this feature is my Fujica AX-3 which in standard guise is a bayonet mount, but this can be replaced by a mount for M42 lenses.
If one buys it after the launch price when it goes up to £399, one could be looking at an overall cost of around £500 with a decent standard lens. And this is the problem, IMHO. The main brands, Canon, Minolta, Olympus, Nikon and Pentax had a wealth of expertise in design and development, such that the vast majority of their slr designs are likely to go on forever (at a pinch). Newbies to film will, IMO, be better served going for a main brand and which in nearly every instance will be a better specified camera all round. For those that have some legacy lenses, I'd argue the same point, unless they had a good need for the interchangeable film back.
Naved Ansari on Stop bloody moaning and support the Film Photography industry!
Comment posted: 08/11/2017
cheers.
Victor Reynolds on Stop bloody moaning and support the Film Photography industry!
Comment posted: 08/11/2017
It was this love for film, that allowed Polaroid Originals to be sold in stores other than camera stores here in the US; you only found Impossible in camera stores. It was the love for film that made Kodak resurrect Ektachrome (and others if not already).
My two cents.
jeremy north on Stop bloody moaning and support the Film Photography industry!
Comment posted: 08/11/2017
Having said that I'm pretty sure that the projects you mention are above board, especially the Silberra as they already have products to show. They Reflex concept with changeable lens mounts is a great idea though flawed. However with more development they can produce a good product.
Regarding those who have been sniping at these projects, I don't know why Leica owners would be behind it. Why would they? Most Leica owners probably are not aware of such goings on. I prefer to think that it is more likely to be the seasoned keyboard warriors who do it because they can.
David Mantripp on Stop bloody moaning and support the Film Photography industry!
Comment posted: 09/11/2017
On the Reflex thing in particular, personally I'm a little skeptical about their ability to produce the fine tuned mechanical and optical components required for an SLR I'm not saying they can't, but the details are very hazy. Things like the LED seem rather gratuitous.
As for backing the industry, well personally I've been doing that for some 30 years, and will carry on doing so. But I don't think that this entails throwing money at every single film Kickstarter that pops up, regardlesd of the kudos this would undoubtedly give me in the "community".
Sorry for not joining the choir, but it seems pretty well filled out anyway :-)
Kevin Parratt on Stop bloody moaning and support the Film Photography industry!
Comment posted: 09/11/2017
Ruediger Hartung on Stop bloody moaning and support the Film Photography industry!
Comment posted: 09/11/2017
I am very much in favour of such projects but at such a price I want service and warranty.
350 bugs isn't something I just pick up from the living room's floor.
Ken Hindle-May on Stop bloody moaning and support the Film Photography industry!
Comment posted: 09/11/2017
I find it hard to know where to go with all the new films coming to market, to the extent that I've only actually tried a couple. I'm a relatively low-volume shooter, which limits my potential to experiment straight away, but the main problem is that I like to shoot colour most of the time and nearly all of these new films are black and white. I'm not too fussy about what B W I shoot, though. FP4's probably my favourite, and I'll turn to HP5 for grain and pushing when I want it, but the Silberra guys seem to have a very realistic and grounded plans so I might try out their stuff. It would be nice to have more alternatives to Portra for colour, but at the end of the day it's still in our interest to support Kodak Alaris.
Chris Pattison on Stop bloody moaning and support the Film Photography industry!
Comment posted: 10/11/2017
One area I'd be concerned about is the use of the phrases 'I-Plate', 'I-Mount' and 'I-Back'.
I've seen Apple pursue businesses for less.
Comment posted: 10/11/2017
Is crowdfunding the best friend or worst enemy of the re-burgeoning film photography industry? - DIY Photography on Stop bloody moaning and support the Film Photography industry!
Comment posted: 13/11/2017
JR Smith on Stop bloody moaning and support the Film Photography industry!
Comment posted: 14/11/2017
Andrzej Sliwa-Gonzalez on Stop bloody moaning and support the Film Photography industry!
Comment posted: 15/11/2017
My two cents are the following: It's just the nature of the photography community. Go on any forum or comments section of a photography oriented website and look at all the written dysentery spouted by frustrated middle aged men with way too much money and time on their hands (my imagination sometimes gets the best of me). These are people who are convinced that their ideas about what a camera or lens should be like is the only option and that anyone in disagreement with their opinions is "out of touch". And even if the product or idea seem solid, they will be the first ones to find something wrong with some irrelevant detail such as the name of the product, the color of the distance scale, etc... It has nothing to do with the actual products/ideas/market. You find this on both analog ("I used to shoot kodachrome professionally back in the day...") and digital ( where do I begin...) forums.
I'm not worried though. I know that the film community is "thriving". Just the mere fact that websites like this exist is proof. I'm 27 years old and I see more and more of my friends who are around my age starting to shoot more film. Will they completely ditch their Nikon d3400/D800 or iPhones for a Pentax Spotomatic? I doubt it. But some have started saving money to buy that Mamiya 645 they've dreamed of having. Some are discovering the joys of shooting 'legacy' lenses on their mirrorless cameras. Others are waiting for their labBoxes to arrive (big ups to Ars Imago!) while others have just discovered their parents XA2 in the basement. And you know what the best part of it is? These are people who have never even visited many of these aforementioned websites/forums, let alone glanced at the comments section.
Hope to read more articles from 35MMC and keep doing what you're doing Hamish!
Comment posted: 15/11/2017
Jordan on Stop bloody moaning and support the Film Photography industry!
Comment posted: 15/11/2017