Slashdot Mirror
Digital Cameras Force Film Off Dixons' Shelves
ngibbons writes "BBC News story regarding digital camera sales: 'High Street retailer Dixons, which started by selling 35mm cameras, is to stop stocking the items because of the popularity of digital cameras.' Digital cameras will out-sell 35mm cameras in the UK by a ratio of 15:1 this year."
I do not see a problem with this. If I want a TV set, I am not going to Walmart, but to a specialized dealer. I won't buy a PC anywhere else than my local PC shop. And I'd had the money (or the combination to the shopkeepers safe) certainly would not buy my ship at "Honest Stans used Ships", but at a dedicated dealer, if not even at the manufacturer himself.
Yes, this often is more expensive than discount or online shopping. However, I like the luxury of a nice chat with the shopkeepers (as long as I do not have the combination to their safe, that is), and the way they tread a returning customer, e.g. replacing that defective AMD chip without quarrels or pointing at the manufacturers warranty. Let behind that a dedicated shop knows what it is speaking of.
Screw the FSM - Real geeks believe in the Invisible Pink Unicorn
Its a British thing. If someone is talking to you we can't walk away. We just smile politely whilst plotting to kill (or hoping a that someone/thing will do it for us) them in our heads. Same with telephone calls. My girlfriend thought I was mad when I just hung up on someone trying to sell me double glazing. Its so bad, that we have radio shows (Radio 1) with bits dedicated to seeing how long people will put up with people talking to them on the phone. Try it! Phone a Brit and, provided you stay polite, see how long they will stay on the phone even if you don't say anything at all.
Scared of flying, pointy things snce 1979!
The significance is that in the UK, I would guess that Dixons sell more cameras than almost anyone. Not to enthusiasts, but to Joe Public. Those who don't buy at Dixons probably go to Argos, or if they're really adventurous perhaps Jessops. This means that film cameras are no longer mainstream; this will have a knock on effect on prices and availability in all UK camera shops, as Dixons probably drove the market especially for point and shoot (although Dixons also sold plenty of entry to mid level SLRs).
Sigs are so 1990s. No way would I be seen dead with one.
It's going to be everywhere except in your hands. Vinyls aren't dead, at all, skratch artists almost can't do without them, I own Final Skratch from Stanton and despite all the phoney claims it doesn't hold its own against a real vinyl, even if it comes really really close, and until some technology comes along that truly make the vinyl obsolete we'll see tons of them under dj's hands.
;) ) probably until digital has more resolution than 35mm films (around 22megapixels it seems).
35mm pictures will be everywhere, in magazine, large displays and so on but all the while consummers won't be able to procure the films and material to themselves easily.
Lets face it, for consummers digital is way more convenient, not better, convenient. If digital was better marketing wouldn't compare it to analog they would simply show it. Digital technologies have never been strong because they were good, they always caught up because they were convenient but professionnal will drop convenience really fast if it can produce better results. Think high end studio recording, we stuck to analog reels for very long until digital finally became so good that we could embrace its convenience but not at the expense of quality, not even 5 years ago spliccing was still common in studio. Therefore I don't think 35mm is dying, as much as vinyls aren't dead, they're just hidden from "normal people"(
I recently purchased a very nice film SLR for 150 bucks new, because I wanted an SLR but was unwilling to pony up the equivelant of my monthly mortgage for one.
:-)
I own a decent digital, as well, so I have come to know both breeds.
I hate the digital. I hate its crappy, battery-sucking LCD viewfinder that is useless in bright sunlight. I hate its shutter lag that assures I always miss the shot. I hate its habit of saving power by shutting off every two minutes , assuring that I am still rebooting my camera whenever the next photo op occurs. I hate the fact that I need to carry twice my weight in batteries to every major event. I hate burrowing through menus using only two tiny buttons whose functions change at the whim of the camera's software developer in order to change simple camera settings.
I LIKE my film camera. I like that it only cost me 150 bucks, so if I lose or break it, I won't be suicidal. I like that it has a clearly marked button or dial for everything I want to do, so that I can change settings with ease. I like that I can change film stocks when I want different results. I like that when I depress the shutter, it takes a picture RIGHT NOW, instead of later. I like that I can forget and leave it on, and my battery will still be good for weeks.
I even kind've like waiting for my film to be developed (even if it's as long as a whole hour). Until that moment, EVERY picture I take is a potential pulizter prize winner
To bring them into the digital realm, I just have them dropped on Kodak CD's, which are high-res, cheaper than prints and look much better
than scans of prints. I figure it is a small price to pay for actually getting the shots I want, and it's handy to have the stuff already archived on CD.
Above all, I like being secure in the knowledge that ten years from now, my camera will still be working. I don't feel that secure with my digital, which will probably be a doorstop in a few years.
The only benefits I see to digitals are increased picture capacity, the ability to review your photos on the spot and the means to make your own porn (the internet gets all the credit for the porn explosion in this country, but I think that people forget that a lot of porn sites owe their existence to a bunch of horny people who didn't have to sneak into a photo lab at night to build their websites).
My take, anyway. Your mileage may vary. But I see a lot of money being spent these days on stuff that is more promises of a better world than a truly better one. Ten years ago, a 17 inch CRT monitor cost me 500 bucks. However, thanks to the magic of modern technology, I can now purchase a far less durable 17 inch monitor that can only be viewed from one angle for....drumroll...500 bucks! But, hey, they're lighter, right?
Somewhere along the way, people stopped selling BETTER ideas, and just starting selling NEW ones. There is a difference...