bence8810
Well-known
LunoLuno - do you know if Fujifilm has guided tours to the factory? I'd love to visit a film factory one day...
Thanks,
Ben
newfilm
Well-known
Fuji in Tilburg, the Netherlands stopped already a long time ago with film manufacturing. Last years they did some RA-4 papers and ..... pharmacy.
I just took a full box of OEM Fuji Superia 100 135 films from their "old" Tilburg factory. 256 pcs in one box left in one of the freezers.
About F&H, DHW - Rollei (Germany) it is a pity they could not makes things profitable.
A too small niche market with too high costs.
Aw.... wish i'm in Tilburg now, could use some colour film for practice
Ranchu
Veteran
Taipei-metro
Veteran
If you're in Tokyo right now, Ashigara (足柄) is not too far away from you,
maybe 50 miles...call the Fujifilm Ashigara Site to find out,
I'm more interested in the train ride from Fujifilm Mae Station to Isu (伊豆), you know, 'Dancer of Isu', 伊豆の踊子, novel by Kawabada Yasunari 川端康成...There were a couple of movies too, 63', 74' and 93'
Last year of my film shooting is 2003, I used Fuji's Xtra 400 or Konica Centuria 200, Centuria was selling a 2 roll pack for 60 Taiwan Yuan (US$2) in Watsons, a beauty supply store everywhere in Taiwan.
Few days ago, I went into Rite Aid in Arcadia, California, the Fuji Xtra 400, 24ex single roll is $9.99, with a 9% sales tax, total, $10.89...
Taipei-metro
Veteran
Thank you for posting these photos, very interesting...I live very close from the Fuji's Ashigara site. I occasionally visit there because I can enjoy beautiful cherry blossom in early spring along the river flowing next to it. And every time I visit there, I am asaulted by some intangible feelings like,
"Are they really producing films in here?"
or
"How much price inclease am I going to suffer this year?"
Fujifilm Ashigara Site - Minamiashigara, Japan
Fujifilm-mae Station - Minamiashigara, Japan
bence8810
Well-known
Hi there,
Yes, I live in Tokyo and would love to visit that factory.
Tell me about prices - here in Tokyo Kodak just raised their prices and on some items as much as 300%... A 100ft roll of TriX is 300USD now...
Thank god Kodak sells the Motion DoubleX film 5222 - otherwise I'd perhaps be shooting myself rather than film!
Ben
HHPhoto
Well-known
Hi,
The insolvency of DHW Fototechnik is caused by some managements mistakes in the last three years.
The demand for their cameras and slide projectors have been there.
So this insolvency was not caused by a general lack of demand for their products.
Very old story and not related at all to the current situation in the film industry.
The Fuji factory in Tilburg already stopped production of film in that factory in 2006.
They are now producing RA-4 silver-halide photo paper there and some other products like membrans.
In general the situation is improving.
Most important facts:
- instant film (Instax and Impossible) is increasing by 20-30% p.a.. Fuji had to increase their production capacities to fulfill the rising demand.
They are producing more Instax cameras than digital cameras of their X-line
- professional film sales are stabilising, partly even increasing
- silver-halide RA-4 paper sales are significantly increasing; Fuji recently announced new R&D efforts and investments in this field; both Fuji and Kodak Alaris have introduced new papers in the last two years
- Ilford, Adox and Foma reported stabilised sales of BW silver-halide photo paper;
and all three have introduced new BW papers in the last 1,5 years
- new films introduced by Adox, Maco / Rollei-Film, Bergger, Lomography and CineStill in the last 18 months
- Film Ferrania is currently hard working on re-starting film production; first film will be a E6 colour reversal (slide) film
- InovisCoat in Germany is expanding their production of film products: They are currently producing colour and BW film and photo paper products for four other manufacturers (OEM production)
- Eastman Kodak made a deal with the leading Hollywood studios delivering film for the next years.
Summary:
We currently see the starting phase, the first steps of a film revival in the next years.
We will see new film products (including new cameras: at last Photokina there has already been first information about that) in the next years.
Don't worry, be happy, shoot and enjoy film.
Cheers, Jan
The insolvency of DHW Fototechnik is caused by some managements mistakes in the last three years.
The demand for their cameras and slide projectors have been there.
So this insolvency was not caused by a general lack of demand for their products.
Very old story and not related at all to the current situation in the film industry.
The Fuji factory in Tilburg already stopped production of film in that factory in 2006.
They are now producing RA-4 silver-halide photo paper there and some other products like membrans.
In general the situation is improving.
Most important facts:
- instant film (Instax and Impossible) is increasing by 20-30% p.a.. Fuji had to increase their production capacities to fulfill the rising demand.
They are producing more Instax cameras than digital cameras of their X-line
- professional film sales are stabilising, partly even increasing
- silver-halide RA-4 paper sales are significantly increasing; Fuji recently announced new R&D efforts and investments in this field; both Fuji and Kodak Alaris have introduced new papers in the last two years
- Ilford, Adox and Foma reported stabilised sales of BW silver-halide photo paper;
and all three have introduced new BW papers in the last 1,5 years
- new films introduced by Adox, Maco / Rollei-Film, Bergger, Lomography and CineStill in the last 18 months
- Film Ferrania is currently hard working on re-starting film production; first film will be a E6 colour reversal (slide) film
- InovisCoat in Germany is expanding their production of film products: They are currently producing colour and BW film and photo paper products for four other manufacturers (OEM production)
- Eastman Kodak made a deal with the leading Hollywood studios delivering film for the next years.
Summary:
We currently see the starting phase, the first steps of a film revival in the next years.
We will see new film products (including new cameras: at last Photokina there has already been first information about that) in the next years.
Don't worry, be happy, shoot and enjoy film
.Cheers, Jan
sevo
Fokutorendaburando
Are they? I only know figures from Kodak and Fuji - their rise might also be explicable by the many smaller makers leaving the field. There is little to no development where RA-4 machinery is concerned - arguably Fuji recently reintroduced the Frontier 5700 (a more than a decade old minilab that had already been retired) so we need not fear the immediate death of RA-4 printers for lack of machines, but all new minilabs developed in the Frontier series for almost ten years have been inkjet...
HHPhoto
Well-known
Yes, they are increasing.
Both Fuji, Kodak Alaris and PhotoStar / Tura explained that last Photokina.
Fuji already introduced new RA-4 papers for photo books at Photokina 2012.
Some months ago Fuji made a statement that they increase their R&D for RA-4 papers:
http://www.ephotozine.com/article/fujifilm-hails-golden-era-for-silver-halide-paper-26280
Kodak Alaris introduced a new RA-4 paper at Photokina last year.
Higher value RA-4 lab products like photo-calendars and photo books have significantly increasing demand.
And the big German mass volume (industrial scale) photo labs like the CEWE labs, the Fuji Eurocolor labs, OrWo Net, allcop, dplab, White Wall etc. are all part of this increasing business.
For color prints, RA-4 offers by far the best price-performance ratio, the best value for money (better than inkjet):
And that for both film and digital photographers.
Cheers, Jan
Dante_Stella
Rex canum cattorumque
The factory ruins porn thing is fascinating and often inaccurate; the iconic image of Detroit's postwar decline is a Packard Motor Company plant that closed in the early 1950s.
I don't know if the glass is half empty or half full, but some flat storage boxes under the divan are stuffed with hundreds of rolls of TMY 120. I don't see the new film offerings as being particularly compelling, and the "last 100 rolls" of 120 seem to have stretched to 300 or more, as more get shot and more seem to be added onto my other Amazon orders. I love the Fuji 6x9s and my Silvestri, though I think the next iteration of the Monochrom may curtail that.
But the thing that is hard to ignore is the "new normal" (increased workloads and severely reduced leisure time) and the time required to develop film. I'm sure this plays no small role in inhibiting film use. I for one end up waiting and developing 20 rolls at a time because I can't devote a Saturday morning to doing 5 rolls or fewer. Even where I have here and there sent an odd quantity of film to labs, it has been a disaster with scratched 120 negs coming back (how do you even do that?!).
Dante
HHPhoto
Well-known
If you have a quality problem with the work of your car mechanic, is your solution than to stop using a car?
No, of course not.
You just go to a different company, different car mechanic who is doing proper work.
Same with photo labs. There are enough excellent labs doing mail order business.
Just use (one of) them.
E.g. here you find a list with recommended labs:
http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=137289
Cheers, Jan
oftheherd
Veteran
Fortunately, in the Northern Virginia, Washington, DC and Maryland area, there are still places that sell film. I like Dominion Camera (recently bought by Ace Photo) in Falls Church for film and development. They will receive by mail and send back developed film, by mail as well.
sevo
Fokutorendaburando
The fact that few shops still sell film tells us more about the decline of the brick-and-mortar trade than about film. Outside metropolitan regions digital cameras are as hard to come by as film, unless you shop online.
oftheherd
Veteran
A good point.
But in the USA, that is only partially true. Costco, and I think Walmart, sell SLR cameras as well. Not top of the line, but they do sell Nikon and Canon if not other brands as well as P&S.
VertovSvilova
Well-known
Browse the images here, from just a few days ago: http://www.democratandchronicle.com/story/money/2015/03/14/kodak-makes-film-rochester/70299168/
Film is quite alive (it never 'died') in places like LA where several highly ranked art schools and university programs are located. In the contemporary art world, film is simply another medium to use. imho, this 'film is dead' thinking relates primarily to the commercial world (although the high end agencies here do offer film production alternatives for big clients), and particularly those hobbyists who 'don't have the time' or patience, who don't want to find or mail order to a lab and/or form a relationship with them, or probably don't even have a sincere enough desire to use film anymore (they just want pictures, which is totally understandable.)
As the images from the link above reveal, film users owe a lot of debt to the filmmakers in 'Hollywood' who have the time, patience, and desire to use film in their productions. And to the studios and production companies who understand that increased production costs are worth it for motion pictures to be made on film.
If one truly wants to use film, then use it. And make the effort to do something good with it. Talking about it disappearing or that it's too much effort, or it costs too much, or whatever excuse one might have is not very productive. The status of film today is what it is, but it's very much available, there are many excellent labs out there (fwiw, even before digital Walgreens and Costco never could process my 4x5 sheets and still can't
.) And one has plenty of cameras to choose from and use (and in all sizes of film formats.) There's no excuse but laziness. And if you don't have the time or want to spend the money, then choose digital and make it work for you. But this digital versus film or 'film is dead/dying' dialogue is useless, imho. It's the same thing over and over and over again.....kiemchacsu
Well-known
Thank you for very fruitful information from an insider.
In fact, I am already a die-hard film shooter and enjoying every moment moment shooting with film.
Here in Vietnam, the revival of film photography has been being stronger than ever. We hope that more products will come then people will have more choices with competitive quality and price.
In fact, I am already a die-hard film shooter and enjoying every moment moment shooting with film.
Here in Vietnam, the revival of film photography has been being stronger than ever. We hope that more products will come then people will have more choices with competitive quality and price.
Hi,
The insolvency of DHW Fototechnik is caused by some managements mistakes in the last three years.
The demand for their cameras and slide projectors have been there.
So this insolvency was not caused by a general lack of demand for their products.
Very old story and not related at all to the current situation in the film industry.
The Fuji factory in Tilburg already stopped production of film in that factory in 2006.
They are now producing RA-4 silver-halide photo paper there and some other products like membrans.
In general the situation is improving.
Most important facts:
- instant film (Instax and Impossible) is increasing by 20-30% p.a.. Fuji had to increase their production capacities to fulfill the rising demand.
They are producing more Instax cameras than digital cameras of their X-line
- professional film sales are stabilising, partly even increasing
- silver-halide RA-4 paper sales are significantly increasing; Fuji recently announced new R&D efforts and investments in this field; both Fuji and Kodak Alaris have introduced new papers in the last two years
- Ilford, Adox and Foma reported stabilised sales of BW silver-halide photo paper;
and all three have introduced new BW papers in the last 1,5 years
- new films introduced by Adox, Maco / Rollei-Film, Bergger, Lomography and CineStill in the last 18 months
- Film Ferrania is currently hard working on re-starting film production; first film will be a E6 colour reversal (slide) film
- InovisCoat in Germany is expanding their production of film products: They are currently producing colour and BW film and photo paper products for four other manufacturers (OEM production)
- Eastman Kodak made a deal with the leading Hollywood studios delivering film for the next years.
Summary:
We currently see the starting phase, the first steps of a film revival in the next years.
We will see new film products (including new cameras: at last Photokina there has already been first information about that) in the next years.
Don't worry, be happy, shoot and enjoy film
Cheers, Jan
thegman
Veteran
I think there *might* be truth there, but also I think it's a factor to bear in mind that profits are not the only thing which companies must aim for. Publicly listed companies are more about promising growth than dividends, as they need a constantly rising stock price to encourage stock purchase. So to enter a business which will deliver constant profit, but not growth will not please whatever market they're listed on.
Companies listed on a stock market need to be able to provide promise a rising stock price more than they need to promise profit. Stock price for many companies is more about speculation than it is about making money.
If I buy stock in Google, the only way of making money (as they don't pay a dividend) is for that stock to rise in value, and for me to sell, so whether Google makes money or not is not of interest to me, but their ability to promise snake oil to investors and further push up the price, certainly is.
Solid, profitable, stable incomes don't excite most stockbrokers, but THE NEXT BIG THING! probably does.
LunoLuno
Member
Regarging the factory tours, I don't have any information about it. I'm sorry. A bit of google search tells me that they once conducted guided tours for public on a regular basis, but it seems it had ended years ago (around 2006). However, I also found some reports on the internet about the factory tours which were conducted later than that time. So, I assume although they are not open to the public there's a great possibility that they still accept factory tours on a group tour basis.