Dump Your Digital Cameras for Something Called "35mm Film"

[Jason Dunn]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.vivitar35mm.com/' target='_blank'>http://www.vivitar35mm.com/</a><br /><br /></div><p><em>"Start snapping away with the Vivitar 35 millimeter film camera! Who needs complicated digital Camera when you can rely on the classic camera you know and love? The Vivitar 35 millimeter film camera gives you everything you need to capture precious moments with friends and family! Don't bother with expensive, complicated computer software and wires. Simply point and click! It's just like the good old day... and with built-in flash and focus free, taking pictures has never been this simple!"</em></p><p><span><img src="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com/resizer/thumbs/size/600/dht/auto/1283373953.usr1.jpg" style="border: 1px solid #d2d2bb;" /></span></p><p><span>I got quite a chuckle going over to the Vivitar site and checking out the video - but the reality is that companies like this wouldn't have a business selling film cameras if digital cameras were easier to use. For anyone reading this site, using a digital camera and getting your images printed (or shared) is second nature. But I firmly believe that the overall ecosystem for digital cameras still isn't as easy as it should be. The flow from snapping the picture to getting a print is still confusing for some people; the simplicity of taking the pictures, then taking out the roll of film and giving it to someone, then getting back a bunch of pictures, hasn't quite been duplicated in the digital world yet. <MORE /></span></p><p><span>Yes, you can take your memory card to a store and put it in a machine and select the images you want printed - but given the low cost of memory cards today, I wonder if we shouldn't try to step back into that old way of doing things? As in, people buy a two or three pack of small-ish (2 GB to 4 GB) memory cards, and when they want to get their pictures printed, they take out the memory card and put it in the envelope at the photo printing store. They use their other memory card in the meantime, and when they go and pick up their photos, they get their old memory card back, freshly formatted and ready for more pictures. That's so crazy that it just might work!</span></p><p><span><span>It's tempting to look at this problem and think it's purely a generational one, but I know more than a few people in their 20's and 30's that are intimidated by the process of taking a digital picture, moving it onto their computer, editing it, then getting the images printed somewhere via an online upload. It's easy for us to think that photos stay digital because the user wants them to remain that way, but I think if the flow of taking and printing digital photos were easier, we'd see more people getting physical prints.</span></span></p>

[ptyork]

It's tempting to look at this problem and think it's purely a generational one, but I know more than a few people in their 20's and 30's that are intimidated by the process...

'Course it's those same Joe and Sue Dumbarse's that never could figure out how to load a canister of film properly into the camera. Never pulled the film out just right so that it covered the little orange outline of the film edge. Or worse, reloaded a blank cartridge. Always took fifty "pictures" before NOT realizing their mistake and putting a completely blank canister of film into the envelope for processing. Or opened the back with 10 pictures left on the roll because they had no clue about winding the film back into the cartridge. :)

I agree that things might be made easier, but I honestly think that the kiosks in the stores actually represent a step forward in simplicity from the "old days". And certainly a big step ahead in terms of waste ("I got double prints of everything and there are two pictures from the roll that don't include a close-up of my thumb or a VERY dark shot of the contents of my purse...I'm only paying for these two").

As for the 3-pack of cards idea, that IS crazy, but you're right in that it just might work. And it is actually better than the film/disposable camera world in that the cards are basically 100% reusable. Interesting thought. And even short of mailing them, perhaps also just a simple process where a camera store HUMAN took the card, printed out an "(idiot-)proof sheet" of images with checkboxes and a quantity line, and handed it back to the customer with a pen. And perhaps include up to 30 prints in the cost of the card. Heck, you could even sell them in 12, 24, and 36-print options so that Bubba Sue wouldn't get confused about the whole memory card size thing.

PS - can you tell I used to work at a place that processed film. ;)

[Reid Kistler]

The desire for "instant prints" would seem to be behind the resurgence in popularity of "self developing" (e.g., Polaroid) film. Who wants to WAIT for either digital OR film based prints to come back from a store!?!

Understand that someone is even attempting to resurrect an older factory / equipment to begin the manufacturing of new Instant Film.

......

Also like the "exchange the cards" idea, although have seen something similar advertised (CostCo? Local photo store?) where you bring in your memory card & the store returns Prints AND a Photo CD of your pictures. Don't know about Quality of the prints, but the darn stores sell 4 x 6" prints (at least in quantity) for a lower cost than most home ink jet printers print them for!

[Lee Yuan Sheng]

Ugh, yea, there's this surge in popularity over cheapo Fuji Instax cameras here among the youth. Personally I just think it's another fad.

ptyork: APS would've solved a lot of problems, unfortunately for Kodak, it came just as digital arrived. Oh well.