I agree with 'anyone'.
With the continued rise in the interest in film, so too with large format. Film (colour and B&W) will always be around. Indeed, I know one chap who has started up professionally developing and scanning film again, and of course you have film manufacturers starting up defunct film lines, e.g., Acros II (although not in LF, not yet).
Yes, some large format manufacturers (e.g., Ebony) have chucked the towel in, as it were, but that means more potential customers have moved to the likes of Chamonix and Shen Hao, thereby keeping those companies afloat.
New cameras will still have a price (it costs money to make them), but the second-hand market could be good as long as there are photographers dumping their LF gear for the latest medium format digital thingy. However, I think that peak has passed as I have seen a rise in the price of second-hand cameras over the last few years. Exceptonal deals are drying up. For example, you could get a good condition (but old) MPP 4x5 for £100, but now they seem to be pushing £300. Things like the newer Arca Swiss and no-longer-made Ebony cameras are going for very good money (four figures, almost for the same price as when sold new), an example of quality holding its price (unless it's digital, which doesn't). Same with lenses. Good lenses are holding their price with some increasing.
One of the reasons why I've stuck with large format (professionally) is that the image quality is still exactly the same as it was - very high. Large format equipment also allows you to do things that no other format (digital or film) can do. I had no reason (or funds) to dish out on a high end digital set-up that would replace it, and it made little business sense to do so. More convenient to go digital but not necessarily better in quality. Also quite a few customers value a film sheet exposed in an impressive large format camera more highly than a myriad of digital images produced by a pokey digital camera (edit: just realised, this could be regarded as heresy on DPI :bugeyes
, the same as they value a silver print over an inkjet print. They're not 'better'
per se, but it's a good selling point for some.
Also, large format cameras are very simple - no electronics that will eventually die, no batteries required (other than for light meter), easy and very simple interface, more 'zen' way of working. I can guarantee that a LF camera will still function 100 years after it was made. A digital camera will not. The Achille's Heal of digital is the ever-changing/evolving electronics and software, pushed by market pressure (company A has to come up with something new to stay ahead of company B and
vice versa, which may result in both companies going up their own bottoms), and the long term cost of 'keeping up' with it.
Also, you can make your own LF camera if really pushed.
Large format is going to be around for a very long time and the prices of good ones will go up as supply begins to dwindle with many attracting a collector's premium as time goes on. Well, at least until we become extinct :grin:.
Cheers,
Duff.