Heydays of film

[superadio]

Some days ago I was in Amsterdam airport Schiphol, and walking around all the electronic and gadgets shops. Cameras was well represented in both video and still. I start to wonder how it looked like back in the 70`s. Was it as huge as it is today? It looks like we drowning in it now.

[mattias]

just a reflection: in my small home town in the 80's there were three camera shops, now there are zero. of course there are hifi, hardware, cellphone, computer, convenient and grocery stores that sell cameras, so it's bigger in the mainstream, but as a hobby/enthusiast thing photography is dead. it's hard even in stockholm to find a place where you can buy a prosumer video camera or a lens for your slr.

[beamascope]

As a kid I could ride my bike to a store and buy 8mm or super 8 film. Those days are certainly gone, at least here. There was also a dedicated movie camera store that sold all kinds of high end Super 8 and 16 millimeter cameras/gear. Even at the time I thought it was an odd store. It wasn't around for long.

[Angus]

In the 80's when I started filming I could go to a couple of stores in town and guarantee to pick up super 8 film. The branch of Boots was the best, But even then I was told that they were beginning to wind down...they'd stopped selling sound film and reg 8 film. From what I can remember, though I was only involved in still photography as a young child, in the 70's all types of 8mm film were quite easy to come by.

I am fortunate that where I currently live there is still one proper old style camera shop which stocks super 8 and 16mm film. But that is not the norm.

[8mm]

Up until the end of Super 8 Kodachrome about 2005, I could by them at one of the supermarkets electronic department in my home town and one of the photo shops also gladly ordered Super 8 films for me on request. In the last years several photo shops have also closed their doors for good here and the photo shops that are still around only have a limited selections of films, 135 and sometimes 120, no Super 8 film is available here any more I have to order them through internet.

[grainy]

I've gotta say, on one hand film is not the norm, on the other hand, thanks to the internet and folks like Lomography, film seems to have taken on the status of vinyl records - it is in remission from what seemed to be a terminal obsolecence. Unless Kodak AND Fuji give up the ghost, it seems like this low-but-intense interest will sustain things for the indefinate future, because through the web you can get your supplies from anywhere in the world, you don't have to rely on the local guy. I remember biking to the photomat to buy regular 8 film too, but it's a hell of a lot better now, where forums like this exist and you can actually ask questions, get gear you need, and share results rather than work in a vacuum in an indifferent burg in the middle of zerosville USA (at least, that was my experience).

[beamascope]

True enough. The internet is what reignited my interest in small film and also how I bought some cool old Bolex cameras. I do miss dropping the film off and spending about $12 total for film and processing. Now it's about $30 and that may or may not include shipping.

[Muckymuck]

In the UK, until about 2000, Kodachrome 40 was very easy to find in just about any town.

Boots the Chemist stocked it in just about every branch, then inexplicably stopped around 2002.

You could still get it in any Jessops (chain camera store) until the end of Kodachrome 40. Also, most independent photographic specialists had a cartridge or two on hand until about 2000.

Jessops kept on stocking 64T for a little while, then from about 2007-2009 only in the larger stores, and now I haven't found a single one that's bothering to stock 100D.

If it wasn't for the internet, Super 8 would probably be dead by now.