Film is still popular and here to stay. Films and analog cameras, whether they are of the 35mm point-&-shoot or SLR types, are here to stay despite the competition from digital versions. You may have heard or read elsewhere that the days of analog cameras and films are numbered with the onslaught (and popularity) of the digital format. Let me assure you that your investments in analog cameras are secure despite the predictions by these people. This issue is not dealing with films vs. digital format but rather on the popularity of the former and why it won't fade away even a decade or two from now (perhaps never?). Let's face it, those who predicted the demise of both films and analog-type cameras in the near future probably have never ventured far beyond their borders or countries. As such, they made those assumptions based on the high growth rate of digital models as well as the percentage of Internet-savvy crowd against the traditional analog types and users. Various 35mm films to choose from Prints can now be made from CF cards     EOS 88, a best selling entry-level 35mm SLR model EOS-1V - 10 fps AF 35mm pro SLR camera What they haven't told you is that on a yearly basis, more than 3 billion rolls of films are purchased, shot, then sent for developing and printing by 35mm camera owners, whether they are new buyers or existing ones. True, prints on regular postcard-size photographic papers can now be made from the filmless storage media like CD-ROMs, CD-Rs, DVD-ROMs, PCMCIA and Smart Media. CompactFlash cards can also be used for this purpose, particularly those used by digital cameras by those commercial 1-hour color labs who have invested in the latest multi-purpose printing machines that handle both analog and digital sources. But analog cameras still have better features while the films are capable of much higher resolutions than what is possible with any of the digital versions available today. For example, an entry-level model like the EOS 88 (EOS 3000) is cheaper and has more features than many of the 2-megapixel prosumer digital cameras available. And no pro-specs digital SLR version has the flexibility of the 10 fps featured in Canon's top-of-the-line EOS-1V model yet. And for film choice, there are many varieties available in the market, from b/w to color negatives and transparency, slow speed to medium and high-speed versions as well as special purposes such as infrared, tungsten-balanced and high contrast types. << Back to Main . 1 . 2 . 3 .