How long until color film is not available?

In a recent conversation with one of the scientists/archivists at the Getty museum in Los Angeles we discussed the future of color film. We agreed that what keeps color film alive is the motion picture film industry and once that industry moves over largely to digital capture and even more importantly, digital projection there will not be enough demand for color film for anyone to continue to produce it profitably and it will disappear. Regardless of it's attributes or the demand by prominent film makers and photographers no one will any longer be able to afford to produce it.





The still film market is minuscule when compared to the motion picture market and any innovations you are seeing are motivated by motion picture sales and not still film. Unlike B%26amp;W film, there is a huge amount of technology involved in the production of color film and because of this I believe it will likely disappear completely in the next 5 to 10 years.





So...what are your predictions and arguments on how long color film will be available|||If you keep a large inventory in a walk-in freezer it will never disappear. At least for a long time.








I suspect that color film production will all but stop by the end of this decade. Ektar 100 advancements were made in the motion picture lab. If directors continue to go digital for feature films then there will eventually be nothing technically or financially to drive the production of color still film.





I like like the idea that it will become ultra niche. They still make front loading long arms and blimps. Somehow they seem more fun because they are archaic and scarce.|||The US may quite making it but I am fairly sure it will continue to be made overseas. They aren't as anal as we are when it comes to discarding old techniques . Adox film is still being manufactured and produced under the Efke name. Fuji still amkes color 4x5 sheet fil as does Kodak. I don't see them quiting it too soon. Heck, even 127 film is s till made even though nobody has made a camera that uses it for almost 30 years.|||In my totally unscientific opinion I think color print film will remain viable for quite a few more years.





After all, movie film is positive color while print film is reversal. Movies are really very long slide shows and you couldn't project through a color negative. Do the names Ektachrome and Kodachrome ring a bell?





So don't be digging color reversal film's grave just yet.|||I don't think color film is going anywhere anytime soon, and if that's the case, i have to start stocking up on some film :)|||I don't see color film going anywhere anytime soon. Digital is fine, but the quality of even the best digital camera when compared to medium/large format film still leaves a HUGE quality gap. Sure, there are digital options for these formats, but they are so expensive as to make them unattainable by all but the biggest professional studios.





Saying that color film will go by the wayside is the same thing we heard about B%26amp;W film when color became available - but we all know that didn't happen. There will be a decrease in sales, but just as with B%26amp;W/color, some photographers will still choose to use film for its imaging qualities that can't, at least yet, be attained with digital imaging. Not to mention the fact that many publishers still require film submission, and the storage life of processed film. Digital will store - but hope your driv doesn't crash, your home/studio catch fire, or any other of a number of things that could cause you to lose your entire portfolio.