[Kobayashi.K]

Excuse me if this has been asked before. With Pentax proudly recalling their Film era heritage 1], and with quite a number of Pentaxians shooting film indeed, wouldn't it a good idea to create a distinct and prominent film section on Pentaxforums instead of spreading it out thinly into other sections. That would make it easier to find topics, boost the number of visitors, and perhaps also attract people from other fora.

1] What is an SLR meeting?
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[stevebrot]

You might want to take a look at the current Pentax Film SLR Discussion forum. Most of the activity happens there. Included are a several long-running image sharing threads.

Pentax Film SLR Discussion - PentaxForums.com

Processing discussion happens in its own forum:

Film Processing, Scanning, and Darkroom - PentaxForums.com

That does not look particularly scattered to me, unless there is an issue with film images being part of the general mix in photo sharing, critique, and contests.


Steve

[Kobayashi.K]

The point of my question is, when a first time visitor is viewing the Forums index page, he or she doesn't see a main entry to a Film section with links to all the important subjects. One needs to search all along the page to find (only) a few film related entries.

This is a shame because there is an abundant amount of interesting material available, but it is not advertised. It is a missed opportunity to lure new visitors into those threads and potentially keep them interested to visit Pentaxforums more often. And I guess there are quite a few existing Pentaxforums digital shooters who might be interested too.

I think this film stuff is underexposed (pun intended) for historical reasons, because the structure we have now is based on a digitization trend started long ago but never adopted to the revival of film as we see today, which has already been proven to be a steady trend.

Also, because much of the material is tucked away and bundled into threads that are too general it is difficult to find subjects even when you encountered them before.

My idea is to make a main header 'Pentax Film' and list all the important entries below. This list should be the top of a simple flat structure preferably not more than 2 levels deep.

[Header] Pentax Film
Analog equipment discussions
Darkroom and analog workflow
Digital workflow
Hybrid workflow
Scanning and Scanners
Editing software and computer hardware
Repair, maintenance and camera building
Aesthetics and Photography as Art
Post your photos here
Hardware user reviews
SLR camera and lenses database

This is an off the cuff list as an example and not based on a thorough inventory from my side. It should be tweaked and/or rephrased based on the material available. Entries could be extended with sub-items in a small font as is done for some other threads in the index.

I'm aware this is not only about adding a Film header to the index, because one also needs to sort out all the existing film stuff into a new and orderly structure (notably 'Pentax SLR Discussion' is now a hodgepodge). So this would generate some work to get this implemented, but I think a big advantage is that it adds value to the forum with material that is already there.

[Kevin B123]

There are dedicated threads to share film pictures in:

:cool: Lets see those ''film'' shots - PentaxForums.com

Post your B&W Film shots - PentaxForums.com

and yes, it takes a bit of searching sometimes.

[Adam]

[Header] Pentax FilmAnalog equipment discussionsDarkroom and analog workflowDigital workflowHybrid workflowScanning and ScannersEditing software and computer hardwareRepair, maintenance and camera buildingAesthetics and Photography as ArtPost your photos hereHardware user reviewsSLR camera and lenses database

I really like this idea! I'm not sure about adding new sections quite yet, but we could, for example, move all of the existing film forums under one heading, then rename "Pentax Cameras" to "Digital Cameras".

This would look something like:

Digital Cameras

• All existing forums except Pentax Film SLR Discussion
• Add: Non-Pentax: Canon, Nikon, Sony, etc.

Film Cameras and Workflow

• Pentax Film SLR Discussion (rename to Film SLRs and Compact Cameras)
• Film Processing, Scanning, and Darkroom
• Vintage Cameras and Equipment

(delete the Other Cameras category)

Further feedback on the idea above would be greatly appreciated.

[gatorguy]

I don't see a downside to it Adam. The use of film cameras seems to be experiencing a resurgence.

[Kobayashi.K]

I really like this idea! I'm not sure about adding new sections quite yet, but we could, for example, move all of the existing film forums under one heading, then rename "Pentax Cameras" to "Digital Cameras".
...

I'm pleasantly surprised you guys like the idea. Surely it will boost interest in film (and traffic), look at the recent threads from @BigMackCam in Film Processing, Scanning, and Darkroom, aren't that great discussions. I leave it to you how to implement it.

[stevebrot]

I really like this idea! I'm not sure about adding new sections quite yet, but we could, for example, move all of the existing film forums under one heading, then rename "Pentax Cameras" to "Digital Cameras".

This would look something like:

Digital Cameras

• All existing forums except Pentax Film SLR Discussion
• Add: Non-Pentax: Canon, Nikon, Sony, etc.

Film Cameras and Workflow

• Pentax Film SLR Discussion (rename to Pentax Film SLRs and Compact Cameras)
• Film Processing, Scanning, and Darkroom
• Vintage Cameras and Equipment

(delete the Other Cameras category)

Further feedback on the idea above would be greatly appreciated.

So...Basically existing content and structure grouped under a different umbrella. Sounds good.


Steve

[ChrisPlatt]

As a (nearly) exclusive film camera user I'm all for it.
It would make navigating Pentax Forums simpler for me.
I seldom see anything in the digital forums of interest to me.

As I do not use Pentax exclusively I hope there would still be a place for non-Pentax film cameras and lenses.

Chris

[Adam]

As I do not use Pentax exclusively I hope there would still be a place for non-Pentax film cameras and lenses.

Great callout. I don't see a reason why they couldn't be included in the film SLR forum, as we already allow non-Pentax K-mount cameras in there.

[joelbolden]

I have a number of Pentax film slr's and shoot them constantly. I like the idea a lot. Even DP review added a dedicated film forum a while back.

[Adam]

I have a number of Pentax film slr's and shoot them constantly. I like the idea a lot. Even DP review added a dedicated film forum a while back.

To be clear, we have had a dedicated film forum since PF was started in 2006

The suggestions in this thread relate primarily to visibility.

[Kobayashi.K]

... As I do not use Pentax exclusively I hope there would still be a place for non-Pentax film cameras and lenses. Chris

In the Digital section there is also plenty of room for non-Pentax, so it is logical to allow that for film too. I think it is an enrichment of the environment to have discussions about all sorts of gear.

I'm also a supporter for freely mixing digital techniques with film, because many (most?) film shooters have no darkroom and their post-process is digital. And there are hybrid techniques that are intentionally used to combine the features of film and digital. However, there should also be some clear entries for film shooters who don't want to be bothered by digital at all because they want to preserve a traditional process. I even think these entries should be monitored by the mods to ensure they are kept clean.

[Kobayashi.K]

Please may I expand a bit on this proposal to make the Film category more visible. As said before, until now Film has been some sidecar, and its structure is underdeveloped compared to Digital.

By bringing up the Film section to the same level as Digital, it should also have sufficient detailed categories to steer visitors into the right direction. So I think some current film categories are now too general and need to be split up. The 'Pentax Film SLR discussion' might be a good candidate to start with, it now hides a few obvious categories:

Darkroom and analog workflow
Analog equipment discussions
Post your photos here
Repair and maintenance (a lot)

I have only visited the last few pages so there will also be threads that fall into a General category (as it is now), and that option should be conserved too.

How does this work in practice.

Assume there is a user with a Pentax ME that has developed a deficiency and he wants help to remedy this. So when visiting the index page the first discovery is that there is a Film section, and then one of the categories appears to be 'Repair and maintenance'. So, in no time the visitor is directed to the right section where he discovers that there are already half a dozen threads about Pentax's ME with issues (...), and he can start reading what they have to say.

This is a big improvement to the current situation where it is not clear where to go because there is only a vague 'Pentax Film SLR discussion' entry somewhere on the page.

With a sufficent number of detailed categories, with the right titles, you can dramatically improve the user experience. It is a basic principle - when a product is advertised in the right way it will sell more.

[Adam]

The changes listed in post #5 have now been implemented. A more detailed announcement will follow soon. Hope you all enjoy the more tidy film section!