2024 will always be the year I finally felt confident enough to try film beyond instant and disposable – and the rising trend for everything retro from film to vinyl suggests that I’m not alone. But, while 2024 brought some great news for film photographers from Pentax’s first new film camera in 20 years to a boom in film cameras for Leica, 2025 could be the year that proves whether or not film is just a fad – or will continue with a large following long term.
Film never fully fizzled out after the digital boom, with some dedicated artists continuing to use the traditional analog format for nostalgia, colors, or that real film grain. But the last few years have brought an uptick in film users that could be large enough to support new advancements in the genre.
