End of an era...

I once earned my money as a wedding photographer (not much, but it beat working at a 7-11).

According to this, Nikon is largely abandoning film photographers for digital.

It makes commercial sense, of course. Konica-Minolta wouldn't even be around with their digital activities.

But it's the beginning of the end of an era. Film photography will be the realm of technological purists, much like high-end audophiles. Those with the money and the inclination will pursue their chimeric goals of quality and permanance, while those without the money will haunt eBay and used camera shops looking for deals.

But at some point the market dwindles and there really isn't any commercial point in making the raw materails anymore. High-end audio people know this already: non-recycled vinyl and electron tubes are becoming increasingly rare and hard to find and have increased in price significantly. There is also the problem of reduced product availability, where the market can only afford to support one or two manufacturers.

But it really does look like it's time for me to sell my Pentax 67. I've not used it in two years, mostly because I haven't been able to find a decent local lab...