Fuji dropping some negative films?

ymc226 said:
Jan,

Can you or anyone translate the German forum regarding the replacement for Fuji Neopan?
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No problem:

It is this sentence:
"Was noch nicht so öffentlich ist:
Fuji wird (wohl noch in 2010) einen Nachfolger präsentieren.
"

Translation:
What it is not official yet: Fuji will (probably still in 2010) present a successor.

A friend of mine emailed Mr. Schroeder and asked about the source, and he said this statement is from Fuji in Germany.

Regards,
Jan
 
I'm not sure there IS an official source. These threads start out with a list of films being dropped by a manufacturer and end up with the manufacturer instead adding film, with several people having talked to the company itself and getting completely different answers.
 
I hope that there is a successor. I will miss Neopan 400 for being the only 120 400-speed film that handles as well as it does (nice long tab and hooked spool, flat drying, paper backing that minimizes light leaks, tape with peel-off backing). If Fuji introduces another 400 film with those attributes, I will switch to that.
 
Indeed as source Fuji Germany that there will be a successor of Neopan 400 but normally Fuji is a very closed company about information.

To be sure we ordered extra 200 5 packs Neopan 400 120 roll film to fill the gap. Indeed unbelievable due the fact Neopan 400 is one of our best selling 120 roll film.
 
Pickett Wilson said:
I'm not sure there IS an official source. These threads start out with a list of films being dropped by a manufacturer and end up with the manufacturer instead adding film, with several people having talked to the company itself and getting completely different answers.
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yes, it has been very strange behaviour by Fuji. They have not really issued any clarifying statements regarding these rumours.

I called Fuji's film division in Edson NJ yesterday and asked for the order desk to place an order for Neopan... the rep gave me some diverting answer and said he had to transfer me to someone else. I got dumped into voicemail and 24 hours later still no returned call.

I wrote to Fuji thru their website email form and asked one specific question. "Is Neopan film being discontinued." I added I was in the middle of a project and needed to secure stock before it was gone if production was being stopped.

I still have no reply of any sort.

here's a link to a Neopan flickr group with more in the rumour department due to lack of communication from Fuji.

http://www.flickr.com/groups/neopan/
 
The idea behind dropping films is simple. Film is good business. But selling plastic digitals which are obsolete after a few years is even better business. They know all too well that film shooters are using very old cameras with much better build quailty than today's digital cameras and therefore they want to force everyone to eventually give up film and buy a new plastic digital camera every two or three years.
 
What secret ingredient could possibly be in Neopan 400 that causes "environmental concerns" that other black and white films don't have? If this is true, why cease only 120 production (if I sorted this out correctly) and not 135? Weird.
 
If it's for environmental reasons, there might be a chance that they bring out a replacement. The same can't be said for the color discontinuances.
 
TWoK said:
I must have missed it earlier in the thread, but they full discontinued REALA?
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I think the problem is Fuji's communication on this has been awful, and so rumours have merged with truths and there seems to be conflicting information. E.g., Superia Reala 100 discontinued in 35mm says this Photography Blog site; but according to Fuji:

http://translate.google.co.uk/trans...refox-a&hs=cHV&rls=org.mozilla:en-GB:official

The discontinuation is single packs of Reala 120 (I haven't been able to buy retail single boxes of Reala 120 since 2008, only 5 packs), and 24 exposure rolls of Reala 35mm and 5 packs of 36 exposure, Reala 35mm. This will leave us according to the above link 36 exposure single 35mm Reala, 3 pack 36 exposure 35mm Reala, 5 x 120 packs of Reala, and 220.

Now accurate the above link is I don't know.

So there is a contradiction, Reala 35mm is outright discountinued, or 24exp is.

What Fuji need to do is for each market is to spell out in crystal clear language what's been chopped, what's not been.

Personally I find it hard to believe 35mm Reala's been dropped outright as it's an excellent film and I love it, but maybe Ektar has taken a big chunk of its market?

So, I think we need to press Fuji on communicating more effectively because I'm sorry but they have made a big mess of this reorganisation; because information has dripped out piece by piece, each contradicting each other mostly, and then the rumour mill has been able to bed in to an extent that the truth and rumour are now one and the same.

Vicky
 
I have been reading this thread and first and foremost I agree 100% with Vicky - Fuji's communication in this regard has been confusing at best. I have been using Superia 400 for color prints along with some Ektar and Portra so I personally am not significantly affected by any of this at this point but it sure would be nice to have some clarity from Fuji. Within the next week I will shoot and develop my own B&W for the first time so hopefully I will be able to keep shooting film for awhile yet. Time will tell but I am going to enjoy it as long as I can.
 
the environmental argument is a red herring... tons of BW film is being produced by manufacturers in jurisdictions with environmental law. 

the British Journal of photography has Fuji's issued statement ..
http://www.bjp-online.com/public/showPage.html?page=873759

Some things are clarified others are not. Regarding Neopan they issued this statement:



"As for the Neopan 400, a black-and-white film, Fujifilm was forced to stop production because of "environmental concerns over one of the raw material used in its production." However, the film will continue to be available in the 35mm format."



I guess 120 format is environmentally toxic but 135 isn't. Are these people idiots or liars? All this film is the same. It's just cut differently for the various formats like 8x10, 4x5, 120, 135. It's all the same film sheets that are produced then cut. This is an unbelievably bad press release. Fuji keeps looking worse.

Yikes!
 
Years ago I have seen similar statement about dangerous raw materials used to make some film which caused discontinuation (sorry, can't remenber which exactly). I think referring to issue with raw materials in this industry is common sentence to say "we think it's time to pull trigger" like newspapers write "ambassador X of country Y was recalled from country Z" instead of plain "ambassador X was caught spying in country Z in favour of country Y".

That's called diplomacy, guys :)

I agree those cats with good salaries could make better materials for press. Now I'm just guessing what happens with 35mm Superia Reala. If it's gone, what do we have for crisp slow color, some slide films and Ektar...and digital, hehe?
 
jan normandale said:
All this film is the same. It's just cut differently for the various formats like 8x10, 4x5, 120, 135. It's all the same film sheets that are produced then cut. This is an unbelievably bad press release. Fuji keeps looking worse.

Yikes!
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I had a look at the official data sheet for Neopan Presto 400 (Fuji_N400PR_AF3-706E) and while stated for both, 135 and 120, that the base material is "Grey-tinted Cellulose Triacetate" the thickness is different. 135 has a thickness of 0.122mm while the 120 has a thickness of 0.104mm. According to these data, it may well be that 120 and 125 are cut from different master sheets with a different base material. Also, the characteristic curves of both films (Density vs. Exposure [log H (lux-seconds)] is slightly different, the 120 film has more flat curves.
 
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