Film Photography in 2016 vs. 2026

Last week, I visited an old friend; it was early January. As I was about to leave, I misspoke, “Happy 2016!”

It was a simple mistake, but I thought about it on the way home, and it took me back. A different time.

And since all I think about these days is cameras, I wondered what changed in the world of film photography between 2016 and 2026.

Community responds.

2016 was the early days of my analogue journey; the picture is a little fuzzy. I do my best, but it’s better to reminisce with friends, so I posted a question:

To my delight, lots of folks responded. Many replies mentioned how cheap things used to be (I’ll talk about that next), but I also loved hearing how people’s lives genuinely changed in this cosmologically short time period.

— @michaelvanevenhoven.

Shooting film was cheaper in 2016, but not always better.

Film was cheaper, but I was also earning just $8K/year as an English/CompSci teacher in Thailand. This was plenty by local standards, though even the cheapest colour film, Agfa Vista 200, could cost as much as a nice dinner, so I made it last.

Happy to hear others remember this wonderful stock, too:

“In England, Agfa Vista (repackaged C200) was available in Poundland.” — @analognorbi .

“Shot Agfa Vista for €2.50 a roll in my €1000 Black Leica M4 + 35mm Summicron.” — @daniel_fjall.

2016 was near the tail of the film market collapse, which began in the 2010s as most photographers — professional and otherwise — started switching to digital cameras.

“Prices have changed significantly. I remember buying my M6 for 950 Euro and my M3 for 450 Euro or so.” — @analog_insights.

“I got my 500c for $800 in 2016. That is not exactly easy to find anymore LOL.” — @shootswiftly_.

— @Ralph Brandi.

Indeed, shortly after I started tracking film prices in 2018, costs rose steadily year over year.

And yet, 2026 is not all bad. In the following article, “How to Find Deals on Film in 2026,” I share my optimism about the passionate, competitive manufacturer community that continues to find ways to make affordable film and cameras today. Despite the rumours, the film prices have not risen for the past six months, and many films, including colour-negative films and Tri-X, have been costing less at the counter every few months since 2023.

In my memory, 2016 was actually a difficult year for film photography. Peel-apart film was discontinued, along with many other products, but we still didn’t have some of the novel conveniences, such as home-scanning setups and software to process the negatives.

— @Richard Lawson‬.

Availability.

It was a strange time. On the one hand, companies were going out of business. On the other, it wasn’t so long ago that film was the only way to take a photo; some of that enormous infrastructure remained. You could buy Fujifilm Fujicolor Natura 1600 fresh — at a regular price — something we may not see again for years or ever.

— @tokyo_impressions.

This was also when Polaroid, then The Impossible Project, was on its way to revamp the last instant film factory and eventually rewrite the company’s history.

Of course, not every effort to save film succeeded.

“In 2016 I had high hopes for New55, a recreation (of sorts) of Polaroid Type 55. Even taught a workshop on using it. That‘s gone. In ‘15 or ‘16 my local lab shut down their E6 line so I started shooting less slide film and more B/W.” ‪@Neil aka xnedski.

Though some films and ideas from 2016 are now lost to time, the last decade has been marked by much smaller manufacturers, such as ORWO, reformulating and inventing chemistries to bring new colour films that aren’t manufactured by Kodak or Fujifilm. And it’s only in the recent few years that we began to see successful, large-scale attempts to replicate some of the mechanical and technological greatness of the latest film cameras.

Undoubtedly, none of this would have happened without the support and enthusiasm of the film photography community.

#BelieveInFilm.

A simple hashtag, #BelieveInFilm, has guided my photography, friendships, and professional development for over a decade. I use it at least once a week to find like-minded folks who are just as obsessed with analogue photography.

I don’t think it’s an overstatement to say that the internet, a digital technology, was what saved film photography. But not because it added features or modernized the process. It simply gave voice and a way to connect to the thousands of artists wishing to shoot film.

“I didn’t know anyone else (irl or online) who was still shooting film.” @Chad Hill‬.

The demise of the medium didn’t have to feel lonely when we gathered online to commiserate, organize photowalks, swap parties, and contests.

 ☝︎ Further reading: The history of the #BelieveInFilm hashtag and an interview with its founder.

That, too, has changed. Twitter is no more, forums aren’t as active, blogs are abandoned, and podcasts disappeared. New spaces appeared, but they aren’t the same.

“social media made it a fun community but then politics happened.” — ‪@Sandeep.

There is no doubt that more changes are to come. I’m happy that I still love shooting film. I’m happy there’s still film. I’m happy that I can still chat with folks I met in 2016 about the same topic every day and never get tired of it.

2026 is gonna be a great year. Why? This year we’re celebrating 200 years of photography!