Previously written: What I find really interesting and hard to predict is how film will continue at this point. I agree that R&D money will be cut severely and that the number of available emulsions will plummet. In the end though, I think it will be profitable to produce film for quite a while, although the [rice may rise as it becomes a "niche" item mainly for specialized professionals and hobbyists. In the end, the availability and price of processing may be the limiting factor. This latter point may actually mean that B&W film may have a longer life then color since the latter can be home processed.
The interesting question is will we notice big changes in 5, 10 or 25 years? I think you are starting to see the changes already. You can't go into a drugstore chain etc. without seeing a mini lab with digital capabilities. The real question is whether they can get enough people to print their digicam images for it to remain profitable for them. If not, you will find in 5-10 years, just when they have driven most of the independent labs out of business, that they will severely scale down what they offer. I agree that B&W will likely do better then color as it is relatively easy to do at home. The scanner manufacturers do need to work on the traditional B&W scanning capabilities of their scanners. Butch Each man had only one genuine vocation - to find the way to himself. Hermann Hesse (Demian)
