Cosina Voigtlander film future

[Gary E]

I know there was a discussion some time ago about why CV (Mr. K) does not or will not go the way of digital. But...

In the current context that more films have just been discontinued by Fuji (Neopan 400 and Provia 400x) and that CV themselves discontinued the Bessa R3a and R4a, why doesn't CV start producing film to feed their film cameras? I mean, doesn't that make sense? At this rate, CV will only produce lenses for the likes of digitally adapted bodies 🙁

I am only hoping that CV is waiting for FF sensors to become financially viable to be put into the Bessa (Epson RD-X) or something to that effect. I just looked up how much the remaining Provia 400X and even new Provia 100F costs and am thinking I will have to go to bulk loading or even Caffenol to make photography affordable. Has anyone thought of going fully digital? 😱

 

[k__43]

Film is still there and cheap that you actually can almost only fail to enter that market (we see many small companies struggling to survive there). They could re-badge discount harmann films like others do, but whats the point?
reading what you said about NP400 and RXP just killed my mood for this beautiful morning! do you have sources to back that up?

 

[Rangefinderfreak]

Maybe we are spoiled here in Europe with so many suppliers going strong:
Ilford and Harmann/kentmere are the strongest, but also Agfa Belgium is doing fine as well as Filmotec/Orwo. The news is that FERRANIA in Italy is starting to produce film again, maybe just B&W but also C-41 negative emulsion. After the WW II they were relatively strong in the marketplace, maybe someone just figured a market potential there...

 

[erikhaugsby]

reading what you said about NP400 and RXP just killed my mood for this beautiful morning! do you have sources to back that up?

Here you go: http://www.thephoblographer.com/201...film-discontinues-neopan-400-and-provia-400x/

 

[thegman]

At present, film is still widely available, and Provia 400X excluded, cheaper than it used to be.

I don't want to see Cosina make a digital body really, it's a huge investment, which is pretty risky considering the low volumes the market leader in digital RFs (Leica) sell. Even if they were successful, what we get is another digital camera, which is of no interest to me.

I'm fully film at the moment, if I was to go fully digital, it would likely be with a full frame DSLR, or maybe something weather sealed. I love film cameras, how they look and how they work, I'm not sure if putting digital innards in one is for me. The RD-1 is lovely, but a few FF version will easily run into thousands of pounds, which for me would be better spent elsewhere.

 

[k__43]

Here you go: http://www.thephoblographer.com/201...film-discontinues-neopan-400-and-provia-400x/

ok .. I find it weird they just brought back NP400 last year.
Provia400X is a nice film but I rarely shoot it since every time I want put that stuff in the camera there is a voice in my head asking if I really really want to shoot that expensive stuff now. It's almost 12 euros per roll now w/o development.

 

[kiss-o-matic]

ok .. I find it weird they just brought back NP400 last year.
Provia400X is a nice film but I rarely shoot it since every time I want put that stuff in the camera there is a voice in my head asking if I really really want to shoot that expensive stuff now. It's almost 12 euros per roll now w/o development.

Am I stupid for thinking I'm lucky that I can get a 5-pack delivered for $50? $10 a roll, roughly... can sometimes get it down to $9. It seems there's only two options for shooting color at 1600, and pushing Provia 400X is one of them... 🙁

 

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

They don't make film because Cosina is not a chemical company. That is what a film manufacturer is. Kodak, Agfa, and Fuji were major chemical companies that made chemicals for lots of other things besides photography. Agfa was part of Bayer, the big German chemical and pharmaceutical company. Cosina is not and never has been a chemical company. They just don't have the infrastructure or the know-how to make film.

 

[Gary E]

They don't make film because Cosina is not a chemical company. That is what a film manufacturer is. Kodak, Agfa, and Fuji were major chemical companies that made chemicals for lots of other things besides photography. Agfa was part of Bayer, the big German chemical and pharmaceutical company. Cosina is not and never has been a chemical company. They just don't have the infrastructure or the know-how to make film.

They can make film the same way Sony started making cameras. I was imagining a scenario where when Kodak Tri-X is on its very last leg that someone like CV would come in and pickup the pieces to revive it; although it still wouldn't make it cheaper but rather more expensive for recoup reasons.

 

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

They can make film the same way Sony started making cameras. I was imagining a scenario where when Kodak Tri-X is on its very last leg that someone like CV would come in and pickup the pieces to revive it; although it still wouldn't make it cheaper but rather more expensive for recoup reasons.

Sony has made cameras for DECADES. They were and are one of the world's major manufacturers of video and television cameras. Making digital still cameras was easier and more natural for them than for many other camera makers.

 

[CameraQuest]

They can make film the same way Sony started making cameras. I was imagining a scenario where when Kodak Tri-X is on its very last leg that someone like CV would come in and pickup the pieces to revive it; although it still wouldn't make it cheaper but rather more expensive for recoup reasons.

I have not discussed that possibility with Mr. Kobayashi, however I really doubt if Cosina will become a film manufacturer as film manufacturing is completely different from Cosina's manufacturing and optical businesses.

Stephen

 

[hugivza]

Making film is a complex and expensive process - it involves significant investment in petrochemical facilities and bulk manufacturing and packaging techniques, which have very little linkage to camera manufacturing and marketing. Check out Kodak's Longview Texas petrochemical facilities for the scale of investment required. Fifty one percent of being smart is knowing where you are dumb - Cosina has been smart in creating a niche in the camera market, I cannot see it trying to sell Dodo eggs: my view, yours may differ.

 

[furcafe]

True, but expertise in video cameras notwithstanding, I don't think Sony made still cameras w/interchangeable lenses, etc. until they bought/absorbed the camera part of Konica-Minolta (in '06?).

Sony has made cameras for DECADES. They were and are one of the world's major manufacturers of video and television cameras. Making digital still cameras was easier and more natural for them than for many other camera makers.

 

[shadowfox]

Not film manufacturing.
What would that gain?

But I think Cosina need to consider working together with film manufacturers.

Doing global campaigns to bring awareness of their brands.

Here's an idea: Bundle their cameras with film supply for a period of time, and development. This will attract a lot of people who started with digital (pretty much the majority out there today). And they don't even need to keep their price low for this to work. Those Lomography people didn't, Cosina shouldn't either.

 

[Jason Sprenger]

It would make more sense for them to come up with a nice, solid film scanner. Doing so would help feed their existing camera and lens business, moving them more in the direction of photography related electronics.