Fuji dropping some negative films?

[thegman]

I've read this with some dismay:

http://www.apug.org/forums/forum172/73536-interesting-news-about-fujicolor-pro.html

Not sure how true it is, but if it is true, what professional negative films will Fujifilm be left with? Dropping the 120 films seems especially odd given their new GF670.

 

[maddoc]

I have seen the official Fuji list of discontinued films today again at Yodobashi camera in Sapporo and yes, some Fuji films are discontinued.
Neopan Presto 400 PR in 120, 160 NC in 120, all T64 films, many color-slide films in sheet film size. Otherwise, mostly the packing size has been changed for the other films to 5 rolls / 3 rolls per package.

The official list is here:

http://fujifilm.jp/information/articlead_0029.html

 

[Pickett Wilson]

They have to get down to only the top selling film to keep making film. That's just the reality. Modern times.

 

[thegman]

That's not so bad I guess, dealers can break up multipacks if they want to, so I suppose not much difference to the end user. The Neopan does not surprise me really, there is are so many B&W films out there, there needs to be some consolidation I think.

 

[sevo]

Right. Neopan 400 120, 160NC 120, all Quickloads, all T64 and all 12 and 15 exposure 135 film are gone. Otherwise it is only a packaging change (from ten to twenty sheet, and standardizing on packs of five while dropping single 120 roll and triple 135 packs).

 

[thegman]

I didn't know they even made 12 and 15 exposure rolls, so no great loss to me! I'm not really sure I see the point in 24 exposures, a false economy for most people I think.

 

[Pickett Wilson]

24 exposure rolls are (were) popular with consumers since it took many of them a year to shoot even that many. I haven't seen 12 exposure rolls on store shelves for years, though.

 

[sevo]

The Neopan does not surprise me really,

It does surprise me, though - while Neopan 400 is hardly unique (neither modern nor truly old-school, reformulated TX and HP5+ fill roughly the same niche, the recent bunch of orthopanchro Gevaert/Maco/Rollei films beat it), these films live by tradition (whether deserved or not), and I'd have expected the tradition on the Japanese market to be too strong to drop such a film.

 

[Lilserenity]

**** 🙁

Well, I suppose 160C's extra contrast is easier to replicate in 160S either by printing minorly longer; or post process when scanning (that'd give the better result I'm sure.) Maybe that's why, maybe most colour 120 printing is done by scanning and then printing the digital file that's been post processed, makes sense I suppose.

Still, so long as Kodak doesn't wield its axe there is still 160VC which is fab stuff, never used 160NC in 120, kinda thinking I need to. Anyway.

Like Pickett says, some rationalisation is needed if colour film stands any chance of surviving.

I guess in the longer term I'll just have to keep an open mind to an M8 or something and using some actions like Florabella's on the digital files but I really don't want to go down that route. I was looking at Calumet's catalogue for spring and the prices for a full set of inks is astronomical (I like prints) compared to the economy I get out of home RA4.

We'll just have to see what happens I guess. So long as 160S and 400H don't also get whacked, and Kodak leaves Portra well alone I'll be happy.

Come to think of it, we do have Reala, and that's always been punchier than 160C in my experience anyway.

So maybe it's not all bad.

Sure don't wanna stop 120 colour work only a few months after I found the joy colour 120 has within it!

Vicky

 

[thegman]

sevo, you probably know much more than me about this, but I just thought that Neopan would be squeezed out by the "easy" C41 B&W films, the "legendary" Kodak films, and like you say, all the smaller players like Rollei taking a slice of the pie. Neopan 400 just does not seem to have a niche to fill.

 

[Jamie123]

I still have some rolls of outdated 160 NPC lying around which I should use one of these days. It is/was a nice film if you like saturated colors. The reds really popped.
Personally, I only buy Portra NC and sometimes Ilford Delta if I'm in the mood for bw so as long as these two films remain I'm happy.

 

[beethamd]

Fed up now...

www.japanexposures.com

I liked Fuji colour print film. I suppose there's still Reala and Kodak to use.

 

[Kristopher]

Kodak having more choice than Fuji pouhahaha!

Who would have told that before... Viva Ektar!

 

[btgc]

I like Neopan for it's uncompromise look. When I want creamy tones, there's APX and I'm glad it will be continued. In most cases I'm fine with ISO400 speed, if it pushes well to 1600 I'm not looking for hi-speed B&W film. For now, maybe that could change.

 

[Pickett Wilson]

Neither Fuji's nor Kodak's business model is film anymore. Their slowly discontinuing various films is perfectly consistent with that, despite promises otherwise.

 

[btgc]

Pickett Wilson, thanks for saying something new 🙂

Following predictions film will be extinct I'm stocking up film to do photo business after 2012 when digital equipment will be whacked.

 

[Pickett Wilson]

I think photography in the post-apocalyptic world will be the least of our concerns. 😉

An M3 or a Nikon F might be useful as a weapon, though!

 

[kully]

I ordered some 120 Neopan 400, I like the fact you don't have to lick the trailing tab and they seem to load better than HP5+.

And, of course, I like it in my developer XTOL.

However, I'm not holding my head in desperate glumness - there's still HP5+.

 

[Pickett Wilson]

I've always preferred HP5+ over other films in 120 (and 4x5), but it seems a lot of folks don't really like it.

 

[40oz]

Neither Fuji's nor Kodak's business model is film anymore. Their slowly discontinuing various films is perfectly consistent with that, despite promises otherwise.

How do you interpret Kodak's introduction of new films?

The sky isn't falling. Companies are always discontinuing products and re-organizing their line-up. This is no different. In fact, it seems like it's mostly changing packaging. Some people call this kind of action "churn," not "the end is nigh."

Kodak and Fuji have discontinued products in the past, yet are still making film today. Fuji has re-introduced a film it once discontinued. Why would Kodak introduce new films every few years if they really were killing off their most profitable enterprise?