For example, there is still a niche market for manual focus 35mm cameras despite the popularity of consumer point-&-shoot and AF 35mm SLR types. Add to this the millions of die-hard users of discontinued models such as Canon's A-series and T-series 35mm SLR cameras as well as those from the other manufacturers, and we indeed do have a very large base of 35mm film users globally. Take for example, the Canon AE-1, made in 1976, any working unit of this model will still be able to make images fitted with any original FD-type lenses and loaded with the latest 35mm film utilizing the latest emulsion technology. Or any working units of those 35mm rangefinder Canons made in the 1950s and '60s. Okay, the dyes used in color films may fade or change in time but with the advanced technology available, you can scan the best images from your color negatives or 35mm slides and store them in CDs or other digital archival system. If you don't have a 35mm film scanner, there are now shops that provide such services for the photographer. There are a few more factors where film is assured of its popularity despite the advent of digital photography - stock photo libraries and consumer magazines. Yes, photo agencies have been providing their clients with a choice of traditional analog or digital images (on CD-ROMs) but even those that are available in digitized formats are high quality scans from films, and not shot digitally. Magazines will still use images shot in transparencies and printed photos for their publications even though those in digital format are now being accepted as well. Architectural and nature photography are among those subjects where films can render them much better than any other storage format. Photographers specializing in these categories are usually not on tight deadlines, unlike their news and photojournalist counterparts, and still prefer to shoot with films in the digital format. A commercial complex Interior shooting via available light     Tight view of coconut trees Close-up of a leaf Text and photos by Philip Chong. Copyright 2000 by Canon Marketing (M) Sdn Bhd << Back to Main . 1 . 2 . 3 .