It seems harder and harder to find developers which will develop film from film cameras, and from a merchant perspective, you can see why. Developing film camera requires a dedicated section in the store for which people are trained well which obviously requires significant expense and attention. Also consider the seasonal changes, during Christmas and the summer months, there will be increased demand for the service however during the other months demand is low.
Another reason for the downfall of the film camera is the lack of computer functionality. More and more people are online these days and are more trusting in their PCs and the world wide web (after all you are reading this article on the internet) and as such they like to have cross functions between their camera and their PC.
Finally consider trends and convenience. The trend is indeed digital within this world and obviously convenience in todays world is ideal. In our busy lifes we do not have time to go to a developer and then pass the film on to professionals to edit the photos in a fashion you desire. Digital cameras give more freedom and are the way of the future.
Unlike film cameras, digital cameras require no developer to become involved and this therefore puts you in complete control. Also digital cameras are not very complicated and are therefore a win win situation from a consumers and merchants perspective. From the merchants perspective, they need to advertise the digital cameras in their stores and train staff on their features which will be very similar with a few key differences which salespeople should know. The bottom line is, the convenience factor and cost factor of the digital camera far outweigh the film camera, and eventually you will find it very hard to come by a film camera in your town.
Digital cameras also have computer functionality ability in spades. Not only can you upload your photos and email them to your friends etc, you can also download editing software for a few dollars or you can indeed download free software to edit your pictures in every imaginable fashion. You can obviously adjust light settings and play around with the colours in the picture, but you can also add items into the frame and tamper with the background. All these functions result in a significant ability to change the mood of your pictures from romantic, to comic, to serious.
Finally bear in mind the present state of the art technology in digital cameras and the future technology which will be utilised. Presently digital cameras offer red eye reduction, image stabilization (for unsteady hands) and face detection technology. With regards to the future, who knows what will happen, expect there to be supplemental features such as GPS and MP3 players built in, and expect a dramatic increase in picture quality and editing ability.
If you do not own a digital camera, go and buy one now!