Bruno Gracia
Well-known
Here in EU is just crazy, 14€ for a roll of slide and 10 for develop.. no more for me, I will go to digital for colour, and maybe in the future for b&w with the MM.
another fuji film price increase coming
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semi-ambivalent
Little to say
Isn't Abe trying to generate 2% inflation to get people to start buying stuff? So maybe Fuji increases prices charged by its manufacturing division to its wholesale division to satisfy that government edict. Then Wholesale is forced to pass it along, in part to international customers. Nobody there (Japan) wants a third Lost Decade, but I've always thought the Japanese were tremendous savers and that's bad for an economy in their situation.
Rayt
Nonplayer Character
Acros 100 in 120 used to cost US$2 a roll here in Hong Kong maybe 4 years ago but now is US$5 and up. Acros is really amazing for me in Rodinal so will stock pile like it is doomsday if necessary.
tsiklonaut
Well-known
Good luck Bruno, ironically I just came from the same route - the digital color that I went for the same reasons as you some few years back, but dissatisfied both CCD and CMOS colors through various processing engines offered by different camera manufacturers, Fuji X-trans was 'almost' but ultimately only Foveon X3 offered semi-decent colors for my taste, still nowhere 'perfect' in color-depth or overall color 'character' though - still too 'sterile'-looking.
I came back to E6+drum scanner for colors and won't look back soon unless more camera manufacturers start to use multi-layered film-like sensors that would fine tune their internal processing engines (i.e. it's not the Sigma's fault they have no competition in the multi-layer sensor field thus not motivated to fine-tune their TRUE engine). No digital, X3 included, gives me the 'emotional' color depth as E6 slide films give me. Could be a taste thing but even if Fuji asked 15 EUR per roll of Provia or Velvia I'd STILL buy it. I do my own E6 development (around 2-3EUR per roll).
Thus for me this price is still perfectly acceptable and less than expected, considering the unique features of analog and the possibility still to use 'high-tec' films such as advanced E6 chromes IMHO.
This:
and this:
Sums it up perfectltly.
So please STOP complaining. I'd rather have Fuji earning profit than give us rock bottom prices and go out of business soon.
With 120 film my keeper rate is ranging somewhere between 60-90% (6 to 9 shots out of 10 per roll on my 6x7), so shooting some two to three dozen rolls per year is more than enough for my needs - comes in MUCH cheaper than to buy the latest digital cameras every year or two like most semi-pros or serious enthusiasts do, let alone the difference skillfully done analog work helps to make in the digital-dominated boredom of todays photography world.
Priority for me is the continuation of E6 and C41 films (b&w shouldn't be a problem) thus I will NOT buy craploads in advance to take this little price saving advantage since I do like fresh color film that is more sensitive to abuse and not risk bad film in time of need years later. With this I hope I ongoingly support the manufacturer as well.
All IMHO and just me 2c,
Margus
Bruno Gracia
Well-known
The problem is if I need to develop and scan to make digital prints? What's the point? No more ilfachrome for colour. And Ive never print a single wet copy in my life, feel lazy and without space to start now. Good printers and good cameras such a leicas or MFD do excellent color prints. Black and white is another story.
A M9 now is 2500€ Max, same as my MP, so I will be saving scanner, rolls and developing, which I will invest in a good Epson and paper.
A M9 now is 2500€ Max, same as my MP, so I will be saving scanner, rolls and developing, which I will invest in a good Epson and paper.
tsiklonaut
Well-known
I much prefer the E6 drumscanned file printed than any tweaked digital shot color-wise. The caracter, tonality and small nuances that create "3D" like image for me, a feature that most if not all digitally-shot prints never have even with a very smart Photoshoping. One's sterile looking print, the other is full of life. For me it's like a acoustic (with natural room reverb) grand piano digitally recorded or digital (simulating-) piano digitally recorded (with digital reverbs etc) - you still hear the difference even if you record and play it from the domain of digital. One is pure soul and dynamics with all the nuances making you focus on sound, the other is flat, sterile (unrealistically clean-) sounding when both played with the same skill. Most of edititing and re-play is in digital domain today anyway so the same can be applyed with photography, IMHO anyway.
Yes, Ciba/Ilfochrome is sadly gone, but I never was good at wet color printing (different story with wet B&W works though). 😱
KM-25
Well-known
More than enough for your needs is what is killing Fuji film, period. You can not possibly expect them to keep making film when scant few are using it think they are helping the cause by shooting a few dozen rolls a year….that is delusional.
There is going to be a break over point here with Fuji that prices will reach a point that even people like me who use it professionally and can just write it off as a tax deduction will stop buying it and go elsewhere because it makes more sense to go with a company and material that is far more stable and committed. This is one of the reasons that many professional fine art shooters use black and white and wet print, it is stable with ilford and could be with Kodak-alaris if things go right.
And I am sorry to tell you, but several fine art shooters I know who are very famous for their color work have indeed bought crap loads of the film because they know better, can not risk their careers in waiting to see what Fuji does next, so you are truly setting your self up for disappointment it would seem.
When Acros was $2.64 a roll at Adorama a few years ago and a price increase was announced, I bought over 300 rolls of it and then another couple hundred when it hit $3.20. I am set, I am not buying anymore Fuji product. I am focusing on black and white because it will be around for a long time and the fact I don’t have to go near digital anything to get my desired result makes it a no brainer.
It always blows my mind when someone takes the time to write paragraphs of some poetic insight about film only to conclude it proudly by saying they shoot…….drum roll please……24-36 rolls A YEAR!!
Sorry, but it is not the dollar/yen or the increasing costs of materials that is killing films from Fuji, it is the fact that not enough people use it, so you might want to prepare for the worst...
tsiklonaut
Well-known
You seem to be a sorry person, don't feel so down, don't blow your mind either. 🙂
I wouldn't risk buying color film crap loads into freezer. B&W probably yes, but with color film, especially high-ASA films I'd be more concerned in long-term storage.
First of all I'm not a pro photographer. Make those numbers E6 and year without travel holidays. 🙄 It's probably around the same amount of C41s and probably three or four times the B&W rolls. So well over 100-120 rolls a year, okay it's not all Fuji, but most of my color film is Fuji, a minority made by Kodak Portra. I'd probably average some 40-60 120 (E6 & CN-) rolls bought from them and consumed per year, add some 4x5, add a dozen or few b&w rolls as well (Acros). Do you really think if there were many thousands like me ultra-low (from your perspective at least) film shooters, Fuji would go out of business? Maybe I'm too optimistic, but I think not.
I actually think when people buy crap loads of film into freezer for 10 years and re-stock some 5-10 years intervals has a higher probablility putting a company out business than a steady consumption.
The days when pros shot 100X rolls a day are long over, either film manufacturers adjust or go out of business. Cine film that used to be their main bread in film production is also down with 3D cinemas coming along. With your large consumption talk you simply can't expect to have a huge factory with couple of thousand workers for film segment these days like the "old-days" of massive production and consumption going hand in hand. And wasting 100X rolls a day wouldn't help my simple personal creative work even if I'm 'poetic' about film, if that's what you're hoping people to do NOT dissapoint you, as you've said yourself.
JMHO of course.
I wouldn't risk buying color film crap loads into freezer. B&W probably yes, but with color film, especially high-ASA films I'd be more concerned in long-term storage.
First of all I'm not a pro photographer. Make those numbers E6 and year without travel holidays. 🙄 It's probably around the same amount of C41s and probably three or four times the B&W rolls. So well over 100-120 rolls a year, okay it's not all Fuji, but most of my color film is Fuji, a minority made by Kodak Portra. I'd probably average some 40-60 120 (E6 & CN-) rolls bought from them and consumed per year, add some 4x5, add a dozen or few b&w rolls as well (Acros). Do you really think if there were many thousands like me ultra-low (from your perspective at least) film shooters, Fuji would go out of business? Maybe I'm too optimistic, but I think not.
I actually think when people buy crap loads of film into freezer for 10 years and re-stock some 5-10 years intervals has a higher probablility putting a company out business than a steady consumption.
The days when pros shot 100X rolls a day are long over, either film manufacturers adjust or go out of business. Cine film that used to be their main bread in film production is also down with 3D cinemas coming along. With your large consumption talk you simply can't expect to have a huge factory with couple of thousand workers for film segment these days like the "old-days" of massive production and consumption going hand in hand. And wasting 100X rolls a day wouldn't help my simple personal creative work even if I'm 'poetic' about film, if that's what you're hoping people to do NOT dissapoint you, as you've said yourself.
JMHO of course.
brbo
Well-known
I'm not concerned about price (yet), I am concerned about availability of C-41 and E-6. Kodak and Fuji are discontinuing colour films at a rate that I'm really not comfortable with. It actually seems like they are only maximising profits selling from their existing inventory and when this is gone, colour film is gone for good.
Photography is only a hobby for me but I still bought enough colour film this year to last me at least 5 years.
Photography is only a hobby for me but I still bought enough colour film this year to last me at least 5 years.
Photo_Smith
Well-known
I think delusional is unkind. All anyone can do is buy enough film for their needs, if that amount multiplied by the number of film shooters is not adequate to keep the production going then you can't blame the few that are using it.
Every film bought counts and if enough buy a product to keep it alive a niche market will form.
If someone shoots <50 rolls a year and waxes lyrical–good on them!! WONDERFUL!!
Keep going– possibly their 'waxing' will introduce others into trying it and they'll buy 20-50 rolls per annum.
So rather than label people because they don't shoot all their disposable income on film is unreasonable IMO not all people have tens of thousands to spend on film, to some it is a hobby and those people although not single handedly keeping film alive (no even you can do that KM25) in a large enough group DO make a difference.
Keep on shooting film guys! every film counts!
Moto-Uno
Moto-Uno
If Kodak has taught us anything,it's a simple case of corporate greed. When the pigs at the trough ( we'll call ém CEO's ) only concern is to have a bigger trough than anyone
elses' and could really care less how they come about it, that's the death knell of film,not lack of public interest! That's my rant.....Peter
elses' and could really care less how they come about it, that's the death knell of film,not lack of public interest! That's my rant.....Peter
Mark Wood
Well-known
Complaints about increasing processing costs are intriguing too as it's another case, certainly in the UK, where prices remained almost stationary for a long time but are they currently any more expensive now in real terms than they were almost 20 years ago?
In July 1994, Peak Imaging were charging £2.75 to process a 36 exp roll of E6 film (without mounts) which, using the inflation calculator I mentioned in my previous message, gives an estimated price of £4.63 today. For the same service, they're currently charging £4.90, so not far off the same price as in 1994.
There is a catch though, in 1994, the price included return postage whereas today, a single roll costs £1.75. The increases in postal charges in the UK over the last 20 years far exceed the increases in film and processing costs!
In July 1994, Peak Imaging were charging £2.75 to process a 36 exp roll of E6 film (without mounts) which, using the inflation calculator I mentioned in my previous message, gives an estimated price of £4.63 today. For the same service, they're currently charging £4.90, so not far off the same price as in 1994.
There is a catch though, in 1994, the price included return postage whereas today, a single roll costs £1.75. The increases in postal charges in the UK over the last 20 years far exceed the increases in film and processing costs!
Mystyler
Established
I bought as much Provia 400X as I could pack into my hand luggage while in Tokyo recently. Worked out at about $8.60AUD per roll of 120 and $12AUD per roll of 135. A far cry from $28.50 and $40 a roll respectively, here.
I only wish I could have packed more into my carry on...and that maybe I should have squeezed in the 4x5 sheets of in date Astia 100F.
Managed to shoot 10 rolls of the stuff while in Japan with my mju II, and 4 rolls with my 6x7 in the last couple of days with the family. I might be sporadic, but:
I only wish I could have packed more into my carry on...and that maybe I should have squeezed in the 4x5 sheets of in date Astia 100F.
Managed to shoot 10 rolls of the stuff while in Japan with my mju II, and 4 rolls with my 6x7 in the last couple of days with the family. I might be sporadic, but:
kiss-o-matic
Well-known
Fuji is weird. They're one of the few companies that have based their prices on yen and kind of stuck it to the rest of the world. I was big on Canon when the yen tanked, and paid the price. They priced their products competitively for all regions, which meant if you were smart (and lived in Japan), you'd order Canon (and Nikon) stuff from B&H and save a bundle.
I live in Tokyo but get paid in USD for the record. I'm finally at the light of a very long and dark tunnel.
The only Fujifilm I like is Provia 400X, and I guess Provia 100 b/c it's still in production. I'll buy E100VS if it's relatively close to it's expiration date for the same price any day though. So, not too bothered if their B&W prices go up.
Fujifilm hasn't announced a price rise in Japan, so with the USD getting stronger against the YEN, prices will effectively go down for you. Lucky you!
kiss-o-matic
Well-known
Yes, this is 100% truth. BUT, I'm hardly doing backflips. I've lived here since 1998. (Well, study abroad in late 1996, then another trip in summer of 1997). $1 = 110 yen is always going to be the norm in my head, as that's what it was (almost statically) for most of 1998 - 2008. Then... the wheels came off... then the roof caved in... then the tsunami came in for good measure. :bang:
It was a rough ride, and it looks like it will be smooth sailing for the rest of my tenure. (Finally packing up sometime around Q3 2014). The real trick will be keeping my friends here happy enough to mail me stuff. 😀
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