Question: What is up with 20-30 year olds who say they have "never used film"?

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Answer #1:

FILM 4 EVER

Answer #2:

Maybe by 'never used film' they mean they never did their own darkroom work. With digital photography everyone is able to edit photos, adjust brightness and contrast, crop, etc. Most people of any age who do this with digital pictures never did it with film.

I have a sister who is now in her 50s. She bought a 35mm P&S camera years ago, in the 70s. I don't think she ever knew even what kind of film it used. She was a cutie in those days (still is, actually) and she would bring the camera to the drug store and ask the person behind the counter to load it for her, then she'd bring it back to be unloaded. Sometimes she'd bring it to me to be loaded or unloaded. To this day if you asked her what kind of film it took she'd shrug and say "I dunno".

I got into photography in high school and learned to develop and print my own photos. It was cool at the time but digital photography just makes it almost trivially easy. So I'm thinking people who 'never used film' don't count disposable cameras, P&S, Instamatics, stuff like that. They took pictures, but they never really did 'photography' until digitals came out. Maybe that's it.

Answer #3:

Well, young fella, I can remember when if it wasn't etched on the cave wall it was alike a fish story, bobby and no bait.

Answer #4:

I am 26 and I definitely remember using film. I didn't have my first digital camera until just a couple years ago. Before that I was using film. I even remember using polaroids when I was really young. Not the ones they have now but the old one.

Answer #5:

Perhaps they just never had a camera before. My kids have both had film cameras since they were very little, starting with a Fisher Price camera when they were toddlers. It was interesting to see what kind of pictures they took. But that was because I was really into photography. They both lost interest in photography when they hit their teens, then picked it up again when digital became popular. So maybe some of those kids have used film, but either don't remember because it was so long ago, or don't think that counts.

Answer #6:

I didn't take pictures when I was kid. I couldn't afford the film and processing. However, I have to agree - someone in their 30s most certainly had a film camera. I bought a 2 mega pixel camera in 2002 and I was one of the first people I knew to have one. I bought it for a cross country road trip. Before that everyone I knew used the disposables.

Answer #7:

Ahh.

I remember using film cameras from the time I was around 10 to 17. So many crappy pictures taken, maybe a few good ones. If I ever get around to scanning I may have to post them to my Flickr account just for comparison...and some damn good laughs.

Awesome question!

Answer #8:

People are lazy, basically. We live in a world where the perpetually lost fall in love with devices like this: Click Here Yes, that is a navigation system, that is also a 3G smart phone. So now, people can find their way around town, while texting people they don't know or have never met. You think these people are going to wait for film to be developed? Uh, no. People are mystified by "instant" gratification. Need a camera that you can see yourself in while you hold it at arms length in front of your face (for the perfect myspace avatar pic)? Here you go: Click Here now you can see how big a bouche you are. Or, what about a 12mp phone-camera? Here you go: Click Here no need in carrying both a phone and a camera, nope - they gave you a twofer. Nope, film is dead to the vast majority of the same type of people 135 film was originally marketed to -- Ironic, ain't it? My Dad's first camera was a digital camera (that I got for him), he uses it for facebook, actually (he's 63) For my part, I'll have to admit it's been 6 months since I shot any film. Doesn't mean I don't miss it though. But digital is easier, sad to say. I can definitely believe there are people in their twenties who never used film. Digital has dominated everything for almost half their lives --- what'd you expect? Kodak will be alright, though. Fuji too, their imager business is booming. When 24 meg (minimum) full frame black silicon sensors hit the scene, it will be the end of film for good.

Btw.....I'm 32. I got my first [film] SLR back in 1999. (I was 22)

Answer #9:

perhaps they are younger than you think they are,

some people have never used a typewriter either..........

Answer #10:

You have to remember that for US photography and film can mean something totally different than it does to many other people. Some of this "never having used film" statement from that age group is much more likely just not really thinking of film as we do. As examples, I have actually met people who do not consider a disposable camera a film camera. Then there was the old 110 cartridge cameras where a person never saw anything with even the slightest resemblence to film. Remember the Kodak DISC cameras? That was hardly a "fit" in most amateur's minds as to what a film camera was / is. So I think much of this just comes down to people actually HAVE used film cameras, but in their mind they see a strip of film with holes in the sides rolling on spools, and they may indeed have never used a 35mm SL:R or even a 35mm point and shoot, and most certainly never a 120 roll film camera and all it's variants.

My Mother was also one of those who had the drug store remove and replace the film in her 35mm point and shoot. camera. Until the day she died, I'm sure she could not pick out what a 35mm canister of film looked like.

Then comes digital. All of a sudden, people who have never had a camera or even the slightest interest in photography all of a sudden think they can buy megapixels and be a "perfusssanul" photographer. The digital camera attracted a completely different pool of people. It then became an electronic device and toy that could be used with no talent or regard for cost of processing film. Just get a digital camera and "a photoshop" and you can have them thar perfusssanul picchures holding the camera up to a mirror with the flash blasting off.

Oh well, I rambling and getting off topic.

steve

Answer #11:

I used film when I was a kid but always in those dinky cameras where you couldn't change a single setting so it didn't really seem like I was shooting with film.

I don't understand why they wouldn't have used it before either, but I pulled out my Moms old Minolta(with manual settings! yay) a couple of months ago and started out on the search for film...I live in a moderately sized town and couldn't find film anywhere! I checked everywhere and ended up driving to a town 40 minutes away in search of film so basicallly if you aren't that interested in it film isn't too easy to find anymore. But you would think that people would've used it back when it was like the only option

Answer #12:

KLynn-try B&H or Adorama for film. They are cheaper than the local camera shops and carry much more.

And having never used a typewriter isn't the same as never having used a film camera. Computers have been around as long as I have been alive even if not widely available. I never had any fascination with a typewriter even though I always loved writing.

But most kids are fascinated by the fact that they can take a picture of something and freeze it in time. My nephews and nieces, not one of whom are older than 10, have all used a film camera.

I agree with the OP that it is strange that people in their 20's and 30's could say they have never used a film camera before. Didn't they ever want to take pictures of their friends? Very strange.

Answer #13:

It's possible they never used film, but certainly had to know there was film photography out there.





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