#NIKON F6 35MM FILM CAMERA PROFESSIONAL#
So that seems to rule out opposition of automation and professional cameras. Up until just three years ago, the Nikon FM10 was also available new, for about $300 with lens, at it’s peak cost. Maybe it tells us that there no more professional film photographers.īut let’s bring in the autopsy of the second to last 35mm SLR, for context. Maybe it tells us that the average film photographer does not place a high value on automation. The death of the F6 appears to tell us that the average film photographer cannot afford or does not want to pay $2600 for a professional camera. We may be able to glean some wisdom from the death of the Nikon F6, perform an autopsy if you will. Or we can actively progress, maintain and even fortify our and our community’s pool of resources to ensure that film photography doesn’t die as a result of our own lack of foresight and care.īecause it’s not Nikon’s fault that they had to kill the F6. We can coast along with crossed fingers, riding on pure hope that our vintage mechanics and electronics last as long as our ambitions. How many decades will pass before film photography is reduced to hundreds of dusty cameras sitting behind glass as abstract history decorations whose brand names, much less instructions for use, are recalled only by aged nerds?Īnd I for one, will forestall this sad future with every frame I shoot. And I encourage you to think about why you cannot buy a new 35mm camera of reasonable quality construction for anywhere near the cost of antique ones. But I encourage you to think about what condition your camera collection will be in twenty years from now. Today, you may own twenty Nikon 35mm SLR’s that work fine and you might not see one scrap of reason to buy a new F6, or new anything, that costs as much as those cameras combined. Consider that if we cannot contribute money to our cause, we can contribute verbal support or, at the very least, withhold influential counterproductive comments. Please don’t think I’m talking down to anyone when I say that we need to consider the bigger picture when we post discouraging remarks about the few manufacturers who provide our finite resources. I myself do not have enough money in my checking account at this moment to buy a Nikon FM from eBay much less a Nikon F6 from B&H. Manufacturers are watching and listening and basing decisions on what resources they are able and willing to provide for us from what we say and do.Īnd if you think I’m just an elitist blogger who gets kick-backs from retailers and is out of touch with real-world expenses, I just want to share with you that I have made exactly $15.74 in ad revenue from this blog this year. What we say on social media and what we choose to spend our money on makes a difference. Each of us have the potential to be big fish in a little pond.
But look, I don’t think that film photographers get it. But in retrospect, I can’t help but wonder if the arguments against the ideology of buying new film cameras from the film community itself, influenced Nikon’s decision to halt production of our last 35mm SLR.Īdmittedly, I probably come off as a bit of a cheerleader at times encouraging people to buy $2,600 35mm SLR’s and new lenses and accessories from Nikon instead of used versions from eBay.
We heard that our little article may have actually caused a small uptick in new Nikon F6 sales. Thomas and I battled claims and statements throughout the comments sections on Petapixel, WordPress, Facebook and Twitter that the F6 cost was unwarranted and that it was no better than used cameras. Sadly, nearly exactly one year later, Nikon has officially announced that this important camera is being discontinued after a bold 16 year run. This time last year, photographer Thomas Eisl and I set out to dispel myths and to remind the world that we could still buy the world’s last newly made 35mm SLR, the Nikon F6, brand new.