Fujifilm promoting film - free film give-away

[css9450]

- we need them for competition and reasonable prices: without Fuji Kodak would have a colour film monopole: sky rocketing prices would be the consequence (just look at the current prices of Kodak CN sheet film)

On a similar vein, I wonder if its the absence of an Ektachrome in the marketplace that has led to Fuji E-6 films climbing so high in price over the last decade? The short-dated stuff B&H has right now being the exception of course.

 

[HHPhoto]

I agree with the desirability of competition but I'm not sure Fuji have been much of a brake on Kodak pricing. If anything, Fujifilm have been dragging Kodak prices up. For example, Fuji raised its prices for 400H up to about £12 per roll some time before Kodak raised its prices for Portra 400. The latter now has a similar RRP (though fortunately can still be obtained for around £8 per roll if you shop around). It will be interesting to see how Kodak price Ektachrome because E6 is of course a market where Fuji dominate and £13+ per roll is the new norm.

Well, you should net forget that the market for photo films (excluding instant film) is now just about only 1-2 % of its level in its record year in 2000.
If you consider that you immediately see that the prices must have been increased to keep production alive!

I find it even very surprising that despite this market crash some films are even cheaper than 20-25 years ago if you consider and calculate inflation.
Therefore we should be very lucky: Film is very affordable today!

Concerning prices of Fujifilms and Kodak films: I see differences among the countries: Here in Germany Kodak is now a bit more expensive than some Fuji films. E.g. Pro 400H and Superia are cheaper than Portra 400 and Ultramax. The prices of most Fuji films have been quite stable here in the last 2-3 years.
Concerning E6: Ektachrome was more expensive than Fujichrome in 2012 before Kodak axed Ektachrome.

Prices are reflecting
- demand / production volume
- production costs.
Therefore we have low prices for amateur colour negative film: Still relatively high demand and production volume.
Similar BW negative film: relatively high demand (but lower than amatuer CN film), but also BW films are less costly in production than colour films because they are more 'simple'.
Colour reversal films:
Absolutely high-tech films in production with highest production costs. Lowest demand of all film types. But as you already have a perfect, finished picture after developing and no prints or scans are needed as with negative films, the cost per frame / shot is often the lowest with reversal / slide film.

Cheers, Jan