Originally posted by dtmateojr I think you should be measuring the value of the keepers instead of counting the selfies you posted in facebook. If a film shooter takes a dozen shots of his rotting toe nail then film becomes an expensive alternative. Digital photography is very good at making cheap shots. Cheap because you can delete the bad photos and "cheap" because those photos precisely don't mean anything.
When you do get a keeper, a film shot is many times more valuable than the digital counterpart because it is unique. A digital shot can have gazillions of exact copies but there would always be just a single instance of the film shot. If you do value your photos, film is not really as expensive as most people think.
Personally I detest FB and am not too keen on the word 'keeper' either, it suggests a rather casual approach to shooting, but that's probably just old world snobbery.
Now I would fully agree that a well exposed negative is an object worthy of veneration in its own right. For a short while I did some LF work and each neg was as precious as diamond to me (if nobody else) but now 95% of my work is on a commercial basis so digital is an absolute no brainer. The FF I have now is kicking out shots with an image quality far exceeding that of a MF and a decent flatbed scanner, I can say that as I use some of my old film shots for one of the mags I contribute to and there is just no comparison, the D3 is far superior.
What it boils down to is that 120 film costs around $2 to produce and scan each frame on a 6X4.5 basis* That's the starting point for cost comparison and it is up to each individual to decide which way they want to go according to their budget and intended use. Shooting film is a different experience to digital and a good exercise in its own right. I am also still firmly of the opinion that digital cannot do decent B&W for that is a separate craft altogether.
*Based on 6x4.5, scanned by the lab (resolution unspecified) and are UK prices converted to dollars, so there is some leeway in there.