Fujifilm price increases

[dave lackey]

No worries .... when all their cheap nasty little digital cameras fail in the market the tech department will be beating at the door of the film division, begging to be let back in! 😀

All in all, digital sucks. Future generations will be drinking the Kool-Aid with no nutritional substance. IMHO... don't start the debate again, please.!

After shooting digital professionally for a decade I started mixing film back in before the 2008 recession. Only now am I beginning to develop my own film.

Thanks to Lynn and others, I am now 99% shooting film and developing my own has given me an epiphany which I shared with Lynn:

"With my own life like a hooker's drawers, up down up down up down... I wish the world around us was more stable.

Developing my own film also has me looking at the significance of film photography as well. After a decade of all digital work, and I learned a lot, I now see film photography as good for the soul as it is more like a marriage. Every time I shoot digitally, I feel there is a lot missing. Film photography must be like sharing life with one's loved one in total commitment and bonding. Digital photography is a bit like having an affair with a hooker, I suppose, with very little commitment and constant searching for the next level of gratification."😛

Just my own opinion...

I have started to stock up on film and truly hope Acros is around a very long time.

 

[Vobluda]

Next day when there is no demand for RTG film materials FOMA will be closed.

Sucks that Fuji seems to be pricing themselves out of the market, but hopefully smaller companies like Foma, Ilford and Ferrania that are more committed to film will benefit from the extra customers. Bit sad about the Acros though, I think I'll be switching to Foma (which is half the price as it is).

 

[JP Owens]

Film, of some kind, will survive as long as there are folks not price sensitive to ever rising film costs. Far more of a danger to film shooting, in my mind, is the eventual lack of working film cameras. We might have another generation or so before there are neither parts to repair them or people with the skill (or desire) to repair them.

Hope I'm wrong; but, I don't see a new generation of people coming up learning to repair these old cameras. Most of the ones I know about are not spring chickens.

 

[Calzone]

Film, of some kind, will survive as long as there are folks not price sensitive to ever rising film costs. Far more of a danger to film shooting, in my mind, is the eventual lack of working film cameras. We might have another generation or so before there are neither parts to repair them or people with the skill (or desire) to repair them.

Hope I'm wrong; but, I don't see a new generation of people coming up learning to repair these old cameras. Most of the ones I know about are not spring chickens.

JP,

I'm with you. I have a stockpile of cameras that will get me through my lifetime (57 now). Also know that all my cameras have been overhauled and are fresh.

The cost of film has gone up a lot from when I could buy rebranded Acros from Freestyle that was short dated for $1.89 a roll. I'm still shooting the last of that batch of film. My plan "B" is to shoot Pan F at 80 ISO in Microphen and save a dollar a roll when I can. For night shooting using bulb exposures there is no replacement for Acros.

Really glad I had the wisdom to shoot as much film as possible when it was cheap and inexpensive. Film is still affordable, but just not so inexpensive. I'll save more to spend more on continuing to shoot as much film as I can...

Cal

 

[jonmanjiro]

No worries .... when all their cheap nasty little digital cameras fail in the market the tech department will be beating at the door of the film division, begging to be let back in! 😀

I heard that Fujifim's "film division" consists of two old guys sitting near the window waiting for retirement. I just made that up 😀

Wait, no I didn't... ok I embellished somewhat with the "sitting near the window waiting for retirement" bit, but I really did hear from a certain well connected someone who shall remain nameless that the film division consists of just two older employees.

 

[Lauffray]

It's purely a business decision from Fuji, they're a profitable company and could choose to subsidize the film division. Kodak was close to dying yet they still made color film, Fuji is a far healthier company. I don't think it's entirely about numbers

While I'm glad to pay the price of film if it means supporting companies like Ilford, Fuji's prices do seem abusive. But I'm not an economist

 

[btgc]

While I'm glad to pay the price of film if it means supporting companies like Ilford, Fuji's prices do seem abusive. But I'm not an economist

How I see it, money one pays to Ilford goes into film production, money one pays for Fuji film may go into other areas they are working in so it's hard to see return. Sounds silly oversimplified, I admit. If Fuji will end raising film prices and making more new cameras, I'd rather buy film from someone for who film is main business.

That said, Fuji makes excellent films but at this point changes are approaching.

 

[Calzone]

It's purely a business decision from Fuji, they're a profitable company and could choose to subsidize the film division. Kodak was close to dying yet they still made color film, Fuji is a far healthier company. I don't think it's entirely about numbers

While I'm glad to pay the price of film if it means supporting companies like Ilford, Fuji's prices do seem abusive. But I'm not an economist

Jerome,

As an American the strong U.S. dollar benefits my purchasing power, and remember commodities like silver are priced in U.S. dollars. Although silver is only about $15.00 an ounce, understand that the Yen exchange rate presently is at a record low.

Similarly I'm thinking of speculating on buying Canadian "Loonies" if oil drops below $50.00 a barrel again. I will spend those "Loonies" eventually when oil recovers and the Loonie again hits parity with the U.S. Dollar. I figure I will visit Montreal again when this happens. For me my position is a really big gain and no taxes on my gains, and for me it is a game of just sit and wait.

Since you live in Montreal and often visit NYC you should consider this ploy when the Canadian Dollar gains strength due to commodities exports. Use these long term swings to your benefit in a converse manner.

Cal

 

[Skiff]

Fujifilm Europe said that the price increase is Japan only, at least Europe will not be affected.

 

[Spanik]

Last I paid 15 euro for a 135 roll of Provia 100F, that was a good increase. And the 120 roll of Provia 100 at 8.8 euro makes it that I think twice about putting a roll into a 6x9 camera. As I have no interest in b&w this means that if Ferrania doesn't take over at a more affordable pricepoint it stops for me when the freezer is empty.

They clearly want to get out and wring the last drop out of their customers. Wouldn't surprise me if they closed the production and just continue to sell the stock in the freezers. So the rumour of 2 old guys running the film division might be closer to the truth than I want it to be.

 

[Dante_Stella]

I heard that Fujifim's "film division" consists of two old guys sitting near the window waiting for retirement. I just made that up 😀

Wait, no I didn't... ok I embellished somewhat with the "sitting near the window waiting for retirement" bit, but I really did hear from a certain well connected someone who shall remain nameless that the film division consists of just two older employees.

Don't discount that. I was looking up the published filter factors for TMY and TX and saw that the TMY data sheet still says something like "preliminary indications are that the old factors should still be valid" (for a "new" version of the film that is now 6 years old).

The silver-based industry is largely on autopilot, mostly running on products and technologies that haven't changed since the mid-1990s (and in far fewer products than existed back then). And in some cases, media is being manufactured on rickety old equipment that should it suffer significant failure, is not likely to be replaced. No one is going to build a new billion-dollar coating plant like Kodak did in the early 2000s.

Film won't fade away for quite some time, or maybe ever, but I'd predict that where FX digital owns 35mm color film in terms of resolution and dynamic range, the future is in medium format - where the return on the user's time investment is much greater.

Dante

 

[Spanik]

Film won't fade away for quite some time, or maybe ever, but I'd predict that where FX digital owns 35mm color film in terms of resolution and dynamic range, the future is in medium format - where the return on the user's time investment is much greater.

Dante

1/125th is 1/125th, be it 135 or 120 or 4x5. And the time to develp is just as long.

 

[Dante_Stella]

1/125th is 1/125th, be it 135 or 120 or 4x5. And the time to develp is just as long.

If am a going to devote a Saturday afternoon to developing 20 rolls of film, I'd much rather spend it on 160 frames of 6x9, with far less grain, far more tonality, and with modern lenses, far more resolving power per frame.

Dante

 

[Aristophanes]

Fuji, just like Kodak, has to downsize their film manufacturing facility *if* they chose to continue making it. Because Fuji is different than Kodak, I hope they already make some adjustments to this effect.

I imagine downsizing at that scale would be a costly venture that would only pass through shareholder meetings if they perceive that Fuji -- film division -- can still make a small but sustainable profit in the years to come. Not only that, there has to be also a common enough "For the love of film" persuasion (or vibe) within the company for this to happen at all.

It's heartbreaking for those of us who appreciate film photography. I just hope that we don't rob future generations from this wonderful part of photography history.

Fuji's roll film manufacturing is so tiny now as to an infinitesimal part of their bottom line. The issue is not keeping it going but any upgrades or repairs necessary to keep their Thailand plant operational without losing $$$. Not an issue for shareholders; much too small for that. The vast majority of share owners are institutional. No sentiments or nostalgia there.

 

[sevo]

There are other types of coated film besides photographic film. Some former film production facilities now make bioscience detectors or display components. It is possible to operate a plant that can make photographic as well as technical films (Inoviscoat does exactly that), so there are other options besides downsizing...

 

[shadowfox]

Fuji's roll film manufacturing is so tiny now as to an infinitesimal part of their bottom line. The issue is not keeping it going but any upgrades or repairs necessary to keep their Thailand plant operational without losing $$$. Not an issue for shareholders; much too small for that. The vast majority of share owners are institutional. No sentiments or nostalgia there.

It does not compute. If there is zero nostalgia and the profits are insignificant, why keep the plants alive then?

 

[Dante_Stella]

It does not compute. If there is zero nostalgia and the profits are insignificant, why keep the plants alive then?

Ego. Film is in Fuji's corporate name. They can probably get away with even a small loss. But not a big one.

D

 

[Spanik]

Because likely the same plant also makes Instax and that is doing very well right now. Fuji still makes other special films like X-ray film. Again likely the same plant. As long as the photo films don't go under 0 it just adds to the total so no reason to close down. Once it becomes a liability they will go.

 

[zauhar]

Ferrania has hit roadblocks, but they are an inspiring bunch. I don't use much slide film, but I will make a point of using their products once available:

http://www.filmferrania.it/news/2015/the-domino-effect

 

[Aristophanes]

It does not compute. If there is zero nostalgia and the profits are insignificant, why keep the plants alive then?

It's a sunk cost.

Film revenues are now so small they don't even make the annual financial statements.

Roll film is inconsequential to the company's bottom line. They have a very small sideline bi with he Instax.