Konica Minolta Film - News

[bmattock]

Of course everyone here knows that K-M decided to exit the photographic equipment business last month, selling their DSLR line to Sony, who will be producing the cameras in the future.

However, the question had been asked what was to become of the K-M film? I don't recall the question actually being answered in this forum, or an announcement of anything related to Konica-Minolta's film being made by K-M.

K-M was never the size of Kodak or Fuji (or even Agfa) when it came to producing film - at least in the USA, their film was little-known. But it was an alternative, and some people found it to be quite good and preferred to use it.

So I found this buried in a Forbes news story, please forgive it is has already been posted. I searched and did not find it:

http://www.forbes.com/technology/feeds/afx/2006/05/11/afx2738075.html

Earlier this year, Konica Minolta announced a plan to sell most of assets for making single-lens reflex (SLR) digital cameras to Sony Corp, while deciding to stop making photographic film in the second half of the year to March 2007.

So it appears that color film manufacturers remaining are: Kodak, Fuji, and Ferrania. I can't think of any other color film manufacturers. I once thought Mitsubishi was a manufacturer, but I now think that their line of color film is relabed Konica-Minolta.

http://www.mitsubishiimaging.com/pm/index_pm.asp

If I'm wrong about Mitsubishi, I'm ready to be corrected. But in any case, it appears that K-M is off the table as a manufacturer of color film.

Best Regards,

Bill Mattocks

 

[hth]

Yes, I have seen this before, though maybe not on this forum. We have one more year of K-M film.

Pity, since I recently tried the K-M ISO 400 film and liked it a lot! I plan to buy a big pile and put it in my freezer. I also plan to try their ISO 100 film. That way I can use it until 2008-2009, by then there is hopefully a decent (price and feature wise) digital RF camera on the market.

I do not like that Kodak, Ilford and Fuji are jacking up the prices of film. Hopefully K-M is not inclined to do so as they just want out of it...

One could think that some of the film makers would try to steal market share by competing more on price, but for some reason it does not appear to work that way.

/Håkan

 

[bmattock]

Yes, I have seen this before, though maybe not on this forum. We have one more year of K-M film.

Pity, since I recently tried the K-M ISO 400 film and liked it a lot! I plan to buy a big pile and put it in my freezer. I also plan to try their ISO 100 film. That way I can use it until 2008-2009, by then there is hopefully a decent (price and feature wise) digital RF camera on the market.

I do not like that Kodak, Ilford and Fuji are jacking up the prices of film. Hopefully K-M is not inclined to do so as they just want out of it...

One could think that some of the film makers would try to steal market share by competing more on price, but for some reason it does not appear to work that way.

/Håkan

The various remaining manufacturers are claiming that higher energy costs as well as the rising price of silver is behind the price increases. Could be true, one never knows. I know that my household energy bill has gone from an average of $300 per month to well over $600 in the last year. The money has to come from somewhere, and the public financial statements that these companies are compelled to file seems to indicate that they are losing money on film already - so there isn't really a big pile of profit margin they can choose to eat instead of passing costs on to consumers. Wish it was different, but there you go.

Best Regards,

Bill Mattocks

 

[amateriat]

I'm actually surprised (happily) that K-M's still in the game, if only for the moment. Guess I'll be hunting down a sizeable batch of Impresa 50 after all (and probably soon...if they start killing off emulsions one-by-one, Impresa's likely the very first to take a bullet).

Once again, Bill, thanks for the heads-up.


- Barrett

 

[Pherdinand]

$600 per month? Where do you live, Bill, in the White House??

 

[Fedzilla_Bob]

$600 a month is high but not unusual. Part of it is based on what your local power suppliers are using for energy. If its coal, oil or natural gas your prices are kind of high these days. If you are fortunate enough to have nuclear energy in your community, energy costs are better.

Must be those Intel processors Bill is running. 😉

I fully expect that film is just going to cost more. I don't expect oil costs to give us any relief. The silver part of the cost is what I question. I don't follow the costs for precious metals so I am only speaking based on my vague knowledge of costs and history. But, it seems that silver prices don't fluctuate or increase as rapidly or as often as oil does.

Film has become a niche market. Like certain autos in the US. You will pay for the privilage to enjoy it.

Which of the Konic films are prefered? Any have an opinion? (of course they have opinions... silly.)

 

[Pherdinand]

ok, i might have a different reference here, but we pay just below 160 euro per month, for the energy.
And we don't like cold in the winter, the whole house was at around 22 deg. (C)
Sorry for hijacking the thread!

I hope Fuji will keep making the nice films they have. No problem if they don't make further developments, i like the stuff they have right now!
However, less competition IS worrying.

 

[fgianni]

So it appears that color film manufacturers remaining are: Kodak, Fuji, and Ferrania.

Also I dare to say that ferrania film is more suited to lomography than to traditional photography, I mean I will happily load Ferrania film in my Holga, and I actually bought som for that purpose, but I struggle to cosider Ferrania a serious player in the film market.
Of course everything may change in the future.

 

[fgianni]

I'm actually surprised (happily) that K-M's still in the game, if only for the moment. Guess I'll be hunting down a sizeable batch of Impresa 50 after all (and probably soon...if they start killing off emulsions one-by-one, Impresa's likely the very first to take a bullet).

Once again, Bill, thanks for the heads-up.


- Barrett

I thought Impresa 50 was already out of production, please feel free to correct me, and if possible, to provide information on how to source some.

 

[kully]

I once thought Mitsubishi was a manufacturer, but I now think that their line of color film is relabed Konica-Minolta.

http://www.mitsubishiimaging.com/pm/index_pm.asp

If I'm wrong about Mitsubishi, I'm ready to be corrected.

Yup, you're right - looked at my Mitsubishi negs from 1998 and they say Konica-Minolta on the edging.

 

[KoNickon]

I was never thrilled with the Konica Centuria print film, so in truth this is the one thing of K-M I'm not sorry to see go. I do get wistful, though, when I open the back of some of my Konica SLRs and see the "Sakura Film" sticker inside -- I think this is what the Konica film used to be called. A lot of photographic history disappearing with K-M, alas.

 

[Fedzilla_Bob]

Yeah, I have a 9 rolls of Centuria 100 in 120 format. it's grainy and mushy grain at that.

But, I know I've seen example of their other films and was impressed. Not that I'm an expert.

 

[Nikon Bob]

I'm actually surprised (happily) that K-M's still in the game, if only for the moment. Guess I'll be hunting down a sizeable batch of Impresa 50 after all (and probably soon...if they start killing off emulsions one-by-one, Impresa's likely the very first to take a bullet).

Once again, Bill, thanks for the heads-up.


- Barrett

Unfortunately they beat you to it by a couple of years. As far as I know Impressa 50 was killed off awhile back. Yeah, Impressa 50 was very good film. Good luck with the hunt though.

Nikon Bob

 

[bmattock]

$600 per month? Where do you live, Bill, in the White House??

Nope, a simple 2800 square foot bungalow in a small town in North Carolina. The bill I refer to is for electricity, gas, waste removal, and water - all provided by the city of Wilson and billed under one invoice monthly.

Our house was built in 1923 and has old single-pane glass that should honestly be retro-fitted with double-pane, but the rest of the house has had foam insulation retro-installed, and the windows are hard to do because we are in a historic district and not allowed to make 'modern' changes that can be seen from the curbside. They do make such double-pane windows that resemble the old wavy glass, but they cost the world, and we haven't got it.

Just the same, our overall utility bill has doubled in the past year, with no increase in usage; our neighbors tell us the same thing.

And all but one of my PC's is turned off when we're not home...so it isn't that...

Best Regards,

Bill Mattocks

 

[amateriat]

Hmm...Impresa 50 has sort of come-and-gone from time to time in the Konica catalog (when you could find the damn catalog!), and maybe it's already been 86'd for good (I have one roll left...might put it in one of the Hexars and use the 28). Impresa is wonderful if you rate it carefully (I typically rate it at EI 25). It goes out of whack easily on account of tight latitude, which likely explains why more than a few photographers have sworn at it more than by it.

As I recall, the Centuria film line really wasn't happening at ISO 100/200; the good stuff was 400 and higher (I can vouch for Centuria 800 and 1600, especially the series II versions). I used Konica 160 for a little while, found it a bit too grainy, then went back to Portra NC.


- Barrett

 

[CZeni]

Nope, a simple 2800 square foot bungalow in a small town in North Carolina. The bill I refer to is for electricity, gas, waste removal, and water - all provided by the city of Wilson and billed under one invoice monthly.

Life's expensive in Wiltson 🙂

I'm guessing this means the end of the Konica plant between Hillsborough and Durham NC.... 🙁

 

[bmattock]

Life's expensive in Wiltson 🙂

I'm guessing this means the end of the Konica plant between Hillsborough and Durham NC.... 🙁

Yup...

http://www.news-record.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060412/NEWSREC0103/60411014

Konica plans to close or sell its film paper production plant just east of Greensboro.

And yes, it *is* pronounced "Wiltson" by natives! And they say 'liberry' instead of 'library' here, which drives me up the wall.

Best Regards,

Bill Mattocks

 

[KoNickon]

Wiltson? Huh. Good local tip, should I be passing through.

Up my way, you can always tell someone who's not a native (including the TV reporters) when they say NEW Haven instead of New HAven.

 

[hth]

Yup, you're right - looked at my Mitsubishi negs from 1998 and they say Konica-Minolta on the edging.

1998? By that time they were separate companies.

/Håkan

 

[hth]

So you mean Centuria 100 in 120 is no good? I found a batch dated late 2006 that I am considering to buy. Mostly for my pinhole camera, but some may end up in the Mamiya 7.

/Håkan

Yeah, I have a 9 rolls of Centuria 100 in 120 format. it's grainy and mushy grain at that.

But, I know I've seen example of their other films and was impressed. Not that I'm an expert.