5x7 films availability

[AgX]

For those I just looked at listings of Fuji Japan, which should be the most accurate concerning principle product availability. I did not check for European sources.

 

[Fredrik Sandstrom]

For those I just looked at listings of Fuji Japan, which should be the most accurate concerning principle product availability.

Where did you find those listings? On www.fujifilm.com only Velvia 100F is mentioned as being available in 13x18 cm; none in 5x7. (Among the reversal films.)

 

[AgX]

At their homemarket (Japanese) site.

 

[Sal Santamaura]

...you've been at APUG too long, join another forum and get back to reality. I do wildlife art, and a lot of people are shooting film and digital, and color only. You choose what is appropriate for the situation. BW is a small segment in the art world...

Van, I've been participating in a number of photography forums for around a dozen years and am firmly grounded in reality. Your frame of reference for this ("wildlife art" and "the art world") is a very small group of color film consumers. Nothing like the sales volume that existed when snapshooters and commercial users were buying by the truckload.

...the big stuff like closing labs...is done...

There are new threads started here, at the large format forum and elsewhere about labs around the US closing all the time. It's nowhere near done. Labs are where almost every color film user goes for processing. Black and white users mainly develop film at home. There are exceptions to both cases, but that's the general situation.

...It is not over for large format...Kodak made a 10 year guarantee to supply film....You don't get rid of something until you have something of equal quality that is affordable...Alternative processes- nothing in digital to match contact print quality up to 20x24..film has a "proven" long life, a important criteria for fine artists...film is the best choice in extreme conditions (snow/rain/heat/cold/sandy/underwater/hiking)...film satisfies needs of poorer countries...If your still not sure, why did FUji introduce the new Folder 6x7 FILM camera? Why introduce Ektar 100 in large format up to 8x10?...

I don't know where you got the idea that Kodak has or could guarantee to supply film for 10 years. In the first place, that would require Kodak's continued existence for 10 years, something that's by no means certain. Even if the company survives, doing so might require that it abandon film.

Your statement that "you" don't get rid of something until "you" have something of equal quality that is affordable falls down on multiple counts. Both manufacturers (Kodak and Fuji) will get rid of color film when it no longer makes their shareholders what they deem an adequate profit. Neither company has, nor should it have, any concern whether something exists to replace color film that is of equal quality or affordable or, for that matter, exists at all. Contact print quality, long life and tolerance for extreme conditions are irrelevant to most users. Your personal interest in quality is not shared by the vast majority of color image makers. If it were, digital wouldn't have taken off like it has. Fast, "easy" and less expensive rule. All three apply to snapshooters as well as the commercial/wedding photographers who amortize high-priced equipment over large image volumes.

Poorer countries are leapfrogging film as well as landlines and going straight to cell phones with cameras. Fuji introduced the RF670 and Kodak Ektar 100 in sheets because film promoters within each company convinced management that "sufficient" profit could be made in the short term by doing so. Whether they succeed remains to be seen. Neither has any bearing on the long term viability of color film.

...Some people just like traditional ways, that is enough reason...loading film, under the cloth, big groundglass, not spray and pray...Digital is now reaching maturity, and still it has not killed film. Instead how many times do you hear of a digital shooter wanting more quality then his 5DII provides, and large format suits his needs for further quality while adding tilt/swing and perspective control.

I'm among those who like traditional, film-based large format photography. Digital is nowhere near maturity, thus has not killed film. However, the 5DII shooter wanting more quality can try a 1DSMKIII with T/S lenses and/or a MF view camera with digital back. I'm not interested in that, but those digital shooters aren't here on APUG and are much more numerous than even today's APUG membership.

Van, your posts make the case why color film should continue in production from your point of view. However, no matter how much you wish it, I just don't see color film surviving too far into the future. For the duration of HARMAN's site lease I think black and white will be available, especially since the volume of students (which drives Ilford sales) far exceeds "fine art color film" shooters. Let's check back into this thread in 5 and 10 years to see what happens. I hope you're right and I'm wrong, but wouldn't count on it.

 

[Schlapp]

There's also the Shanghai 5x7 which is nice - especially for alt when developed in print developer