35mm Velvia 50 is back and very expensive!

[Sirius Glass]

I buy film every month, try to keep buying what I want to see now and in the future. Consistent consumption, even if I don't use it.

 

[sruddy]

Thanks, we'll appreciate that.

Folks can just search ebay for Velvia 50 -expired (you have to weed out most of the sellers of expired crap) and you'll see several 100% sellers with similar prices. Provia expiry 2024, velvia 2023 -- so new enough and about the price it was locally when it was available. Velvia was over $20 here at the beginning of the year, the japanese sellers seem to have it for $22-25 a roll.

Recieved my order today. The seller said the order would include a free roll but then messaged later and apologized that they forgot. However said next order Ill get a discount and free roll. This was free shipping and travel time was 2 days! So I paid $24 a roll. Very nice an polite seller.

 

[Moose22]

Recieved my order today. The seller said the order would include a free roll but then messaged later and apologized that they forgot. However said next order Ill get a discount and free roll. This was free shipping and travel time was 2 days! So I paid $24 a roll. Very nice an polite seller.

Cool. I tried it too and got mine this afternoon. Found some for $22 shipped, and also got some Provia for a little less. The expiration on the RPV50 is 2024.03 and 2024.07 for the Provia. Not cheap, but I don't expect we'll be seeing cheap slide film any time before I burn off this stock.

 

[sruddy]

Cool. I tried it too and got mine this afternoon. Found some for $22 shipped, and also got some Provia for a little less. The expiration on the RPV50 is 2023.03 and 2024.07 for the Provia. Not cheap, but I don't expect we'll be seeing cheap slide film any time before I burn off this stock.

Right on, glad you scored.

 

[AnselMortensen]

The price for 4x5 Velvia 50 from Japan is obscene!

 

[Moose22]

4x5 has been discontinued. They announced the last shipping date would be at the beginning of 2023, so I'm guessing resellers bought as much as they could and are going to sit on the auctions and wait for the market to catch up to their price points.

They are, theoretically, still making it in 135 and 120. Not getting much to the US, but obviously people can still buy it fresh in Japan.

 

[Minolta93]

That would be ironic. It was Velvia that killed Kodachrome when pros switched over to it when it originally came out. I can't imagine Kodak would take the chance of Velvia now killing their new Ektachrome or Ektar.

They just need to make it and call it the "New" Kodachrome.

 

[Alan Edward Klein]

The price for 4x5 Velvia 50 from Japan is obscene!

I've got two boxes in my freezer bought from Japan. If I don't use them they'll probably triple in value in a year.

 

[Alan Edward Klein]

4x5 has been discontinued. They announced the last shipping date would be at the beginning of 2023, so I'm guessing resellers bought as much as they could and are going to sit on the auctions and wait for the market to catch up to their price points.

They are, theoretically, still making it in 135 and 120. Not getting much to the US, but obviously people can still buy it fresh in Japan.

Are they continuing to make 120 and 35mm. Or will that stop like 4x5?

 

[Moose22]

120 and 135 are not on the chopping block right now. Their announcement said... and i just looked it up, that the large format sheets are expected to stop shipping by March 2023, and that 120 and 135 will continue to be supported.

That was the news as of the beginning of this summer.

 

[Alan Edward Klein]

120 and 135 are not on the chopping block right now. Their announcement said... and i just looked it up, that the large format sheets are expected to stop shipping by March 2023, and that 120 and 135 will continue to be supported.

That was the news as of the beginning of this summer.

I;ll have to just shoot Velvia on my 120 then and save my 4x5 for????

 

[AnselMortensen]

I have a box of 4x5 in my freezer that I'm saving for when Christie Brinkley stops by...or for when somebody offers to trade me a Lamborghini for it.....
Whichever comes first.

 

[destroya]

im glad I bought a lot of 4x5 Velvia 50 from a retired photographer a few years ago. you can get fresh velvia 50 from Fotoimpex but at twice the cost of provia. Im guessing they stopped making it a few years ago and are selling of what the have in deep freeze.

john

 

[Alan Edward Klein]

I have a box of 4x5 in my freezer that I'm saving for when Christie Brinkley stops by...or for when somebody offers to trade me a Lamborghini for it.....
Whichever comes first.

You better keep paying your electric bill. I think you'll be waiting a long time.

 

[DREW WILEY]

Portraits of models and movie stars were often airbrushed even in days of soft color neg films. Very few, especially those now older, are going to be flattered with Velvia results! You might get run over by their Lamborghini.

 

[1kgcoffee]

Is anyone surprised?

Theyve shuttered their non-instax coating facilities. Discontinued (non-ilford) Acros, 160ns, 400h, etc. Ive been saying for years, Fuji is leaving the film game while saying otherwise. This has been the writing on the wall for many years now. Slide film is the only thing left to discontinue.

If theyve discontinued 400h, their most popular film. It's only a matter of time for the rest. What we're seeing now are the last shipments. No new non-instax film is being coated by Fuji. If you want some, buy it now!! Feel sorry for the new shooters who haven't a chance to build up a stock.

 

[koraks]

No new non-instax film is being coated by Fuji.

Is this confirmed information? Because it does not match up with the recent reappearance of apparently Japanese manufactured Superia 200, which was briefly rebadged Kodak 200, but the current product seems to be genuine Fuji again.

Theyve shuttered their non-instax coating facilities.

I wonder what the commonality is between the manufacturing facilities for Instax and regular camera film. I imagine that key components like coaters are shared between them.

It's notoriously difficult (impossible) to get reliable information on the internal workings of firms like Fuji, especially their Japanese facilities.

 

[Moose22]

Is this confirmed information? Because it does not match up with the recent reappearance of apparently Japanese manufactured Superia 200, which was briefly rebadged Kodak 200, but the current product seems to be genuine Fuji again.

Yeah. And Superia X-tra 400 fresh dated.

Fuji had issues with 400H getting a raw material, and said so in their press release when they stopped production. And, when they stopped production, they announced it. Same with previous stoppages, including when they cancelled some and brought them back later.

When they stop for good they'll say so. Anything else I consider conjecture and doom and gloom until someone shows me proof of it.

 

[Bill Burk]

I should have clarified that it killed it for pros who shot for magazines like Outdoor Photographer and other publications

Anyone who worshipped Galen Rowell switched from Kodachrome to Velvia 50.

I added a roll to my B&H cart. Not sure if I will commit the purchase.

I may not remember “how” to shoot slides, it’s been so long. I take a different approach to the subject than when I shoot black and white.

 

[Alan Edward Klein]

Bill: Underexpose 1/3 of a stop with Velvia until you can check your results. I also bracket my landscapes when using 6x7 120 film but not with 4x5 (too expensive).

I find chromes easier to scan over color negative. Plus you can see beforehand whether you missed the exposure, unlike negative film. Good luck using it.

4x5 Velvia really pops.
Velvia 50 4x5

 

[DREW WILEY]

Anyone who worshipped Galen had a miserable role model. I knew the people who printed his work, right down the street from my office, and he was sure no expert with exposure. His statistical success rate was rather low. He lived just up the hill next door to a backpacking pal of mine. Much of his later stuff was grossly Fauxtoshopped per color enhancement, especially after he relocated to Bishop. He had a deserved reputation as a climber and travel guru, but was really just another dime a dozen photographer, except for the fact he went exotic places. His workshops were sponsored by Fuji, and his mantra was to shoot as much film as possible and hope to get lucky - machine gunning, in other words. More film sales for Fuji; that was the whole point. Velvia worked against him in terms of usability in published images - too much contrast; complaints from those tasked with the scanning. But his timing per content was fortuitous, with high demand at the time for SUV ads, ski resort posters etc - he made most or his income as an outdoor sports stock image agency, prior to the airplane crash tragedy. Interesting guy, somewhat different in person from his marketing persona.

 

[Alan Edward Klein]

Anyone who worshipped Galen had a miserable role model. I knew the people who printed his work, right down the street from my office, and he was sure no expert with exposure. His statistical success rate was rather low. He lived just up the hill next door to a backpacking pal of mine. Much of his later stuff was grossly Fauxtoshopped per color enhancement, especially after he relocated to Bishop. He had a deserved reputation as a climber and travel guru, but was really just another dime a dozen photographer, except for the fact he went exotic places. His workshops were sponsored by Fuji, and his mantra was to shoot as much film as possible and hope to get lucky - machine gunning, in other words. More film sales for Fuji; that was the whole point. Velvia worked against him in terms of usability in published images - too much contrast; complaints from those tasked with the scanning. But his timing per content was fortuitous, with high demand at the time for SUV ads, ski resort posters etc - he made most or his income as an outdoor sports stock image agency, prior to the airplane crash tragedy. Interesting guy, somewhat different in person from his marketing persona.

In what way was he different in person than his marketing persona?

 

[benjiboy]

I paid slightly more than 34 dollars in the U.K equivalent cost for an outdated roll of Velvia 100 about a month ago.

 

[Minolta93]

If theyve discontinued 400h, their most popular film

You think that an expensive pro film was their most popular film compared to the boxes of superia in walmarts and pharmacies?

 

[Bill Burk]

Bill: Underexpose 1/3 of a stop with Velvia until you can check your results.

I know I edited the Wikipedia article to add the reference to Galen Rowell.

What I mean about forgetting… is that I shifted how I see things. I think of making black and white prints instead of making slide shows.