Discontinuation of FP100C

RattyMouse · Apr 14, 2016

richyd said:
Fuji is a large industrial company with many divisions. If you look at their PR announcements you will see diverse statements from cancer drug developments to the latest Fuji digital lens.

As far as their imaging division is concerned the photographic industry is digital. Fujifiilm is a digital camera maker.

Incorrect. Fujifilm makes far more money from film and photo finishing than digital cameras. Lots more.

Here are the numbers (I looked them up since I posted to Sal).

Total Imaging Solution division numbers (which includes ALL imaging businesses) 272.5 billion yen (3rd quarter, YTD)

A break down of these numbers is as follows:

Film and Photo finishing: 75 billion yen
Electronic Imaging (digital cameras): 15.3 billion yen
Opitical Devices (camera lenses): 9.1 billion yen
Optical devices (medical) 24.4 billion yen

Fujifilm's total revenue up to 3rd quarter YTD 1,841.5 billion yen.

Thus film and photo finishing represents 4% of Fujifilm's business.
Digital cameras represents 0.8% of Fujifilm's business.

vdonovan · Apr 14, 2016

RattyMouse said:
Incorrect. Fujifilm makes far more money from film and photo finishing than digital cameras. Lots more.

Here are the numbers (I looked them up since I posted to Sal).

Total Imaging Solution division numbers (which includes ALL imaging businesses) 272.5 billion yen (3rd quarter, YTD)

A break down of these numbers is as follows:

Film and Photo finishing: 75 billion yen
Electronic Imaging (digital cameras): 15.3 billion yen
Opitical Devices (camera lenses): 9.1 billion yen
Optical devices (medical) 24.4 billion yen

Fujifilm's total revenue up to 3rd quarter YTD 1,841.5 billion yen.

Thus film and photo finishing represents 4% of Fujifilm's business.
Digital cameras represents 0.8% of Fujifilm's business.

The "Film and photo finishing" refers to Instax and their photo printing business. Instax is doing very well for them:
http://www.dpreview.com/articles/27...x-products-shrinking-sales-of-digital-cameras

EdSawyer · Apr 14, 2016

Just due to their insolence and stupidity with FP100C I will never buy into instax even if I wanted to. It will be my form of protest. ;-)

RattyMouse · Apr 14, 2016

vdonovan said:
The "Film and photo finishing" refers to Instax and their photo printing business. Instax is doing very well for them:
http://www.dpreview.com/articles/27...x-products-shrinking-sales-of-digital-cameras

INSTAX is but one part of photo finishing.

vdonovan · Apr 14, 2016

RattyMouse said:
INSTAX is but one part of photo finishing.

The other part is their commercial high-end printing business:
https://www.fujifilmholdings.com/en/investors/annual_reports/2015/pack/pdf/RO_Imaging-Solutions.pdf

Theo Sulphate · Apr 14, 2016

EdSawyer said:
Just due to their insolence and stupidity with FP100C I will never buy into instax even if I wanted to. It will be my form of protest. ;-)

If Fuji were to make an Instax camera with some token amount of control over shutter speed, aperture, and focus, I would buy it.

RattyMouse · Apr 14, 2016

Yes, like I said.

vdonovan said:
The other part is their commercial high-end printing business:
https://www.fujifilmholdings.com/en/investors/annual_reports/2015/pack/pdf/RO_Imaging-Solutions.pdf

Prest_400 · Apr 15, 2016

I was pondering about Dr Kaps mentioning the reply from Fuji attributing the discontinuation to some uncontrollable factor. Perhaps it could be a certain component in the chemistry. AKA the issue with original Velvia back in 2005-2007

Travelogue n17 said:
We received a very polite and kind reply to our letter, informing us that the FUJI management tried its very best to keep FP 100C alive as long as possible, and that they are now finally forced to end the production by "circumstances beyond their control".

skorpiius · Apr 15, 2016

vdonovan said:
The "Film and photo finishing" refers to Instax and their photo printing business. Instax is doing very well for them:
http://www.dpreview.com/articles/27...x-products-shrinking-sales-of-digital-cameras

RattyMouse said:
INSTAX is but one part of photo finishing.

vdonovan said:
The other part is their commercial high-end printing business:
https://www.fujifilmholdings.com/en/investors/annual_reports/2015/pack/pdf/RO_Imaging-Solutions.pdf

Although the FP-100C might not be a big part of this, the fact this category is their main money maker should indicate to them that physical printed material is something which should be explored and expanded via every one of their offerings.

AgX · Apr 15, 2016

Roger Cole said:
They may say not to freeze [FP-100C], but people have tried it and found no issues. I'm not yet aware of anyone who froze it and DID have issues, provided they stored it horizontally in the freezer.

I do not see the effect of positioning the film would have.

skorpiius · Apr 19, 2016

For those waiting on backordered BHphotovideo orders, this was on the product page Q&A:

BEST ANSWER: As of today, we do not have stock on this item. It is expected to arrive approximately at the end of April of 2016. However, you may place an order for the film for shipment to the UK.

So it looks like stock is indeed on it's way. Fingers crossed that it didn't cost too much to sell at the price ordered.

EdSawyer · Apr 19, 2016

Possibly. Though I can't imagine what it could be. Chances are that was a probably pretty environmentally-friendly formula to begin with, given how long they've been making it.

Also, remember, this is Japan... they put big importance on "saving face". Saying something like it's outside their control allows them to pretend it's not their responsibility and out of their hands, thus saving face on the issue, from outward appearances.

Prest_400 said:
I was pondering about Dr Kaps mentioning the reply from Fuji attributing the discontinuation to some uncontrollable factor. Perhaps it could be a certain component in the chemistry. AKA the issue with original Velvia back in 2005-2007

vdonovan · Apr 19, 2016

skorpiius said:
For those waiting on backordered BHphotovideo orders, this was on the product page Q&A:

BEST ANSWER: As of today, we do not have stock on this item. It is expected to arrive approximately at the end of April of 2016. However, you may place an order for the film for shipment to the UK.

So it looks like stock is indeed on it's way. Fingers crossed that it didn't cost too much to sell at the price ordered.

A similar pattern occurred when they discontinued FP-3000b. There was an initial run that emptied out all of the suppliers. Eventually warehouse shipments from Japan caught up and the film remained in stock (although at a much higher price) at the main retailers for several years after it was discontinued. My local camera store only recently could not longer source FP-3000b, even though it was discontinued over two years ago.

Christiaan Phleger · Apr 19, 2016

Fuji had a similar pattern with the best film they ever made Neopan 400; a component in the emulsion coating was declared a high environmental hazard for the 120 size but despite the fact that the 120 was coated differently than the 35mm they still stopped production of the 35mm Neopan 400. There was no reason that a slight reformulation of the Neopan 400 couldn't have gotten around it for 35mm size or as I've long said a 400 speed ACROS would be a "popular" product.

cmacd123 · Apr 20, 2016

RidingWaves said:
they still stopped production of the 35mm Neopan 400. There was no reason that a slight reformulation of the Neopan 400 couldn't have gotten around it

there may be more to it than that however. I found Neopan 400 when it was sold as "Legacy Pro 400" at freestyle. Freestyle sold out and then got some more with a different emulsion number. out of curiosity I started throwing an order of ten rolls at a time of the neopan 400 whenever I ordered from B&H, Freestyle or adorama. ALL was em 285 with numbers after the dash between 001 to 008. I still have some in the freezer although it is all out of date by now. I wonder if they ended up having to scrap a bunch of batch 285 and so decided not to make any more. (the Legacy pro was in the 270 range)

Roger Cole · Apr 21, 2016

vdonovan said:
A similar pattern occurred when they discontinued FP-3000b. There was an initial run that emptied out all of the suppliers. Eventually warehouse shipments from Japan caught up and the film remained in stock (although at a much higher price) at the main retailers for several years after it was discontinued. My local camera store only recently could not longer source FP-3000b, even though it was discontinued over two years ago.

B&H actually still has it right now, if you want some for $41.95 a box. I have seen it available elsewhere for (slightly) less though, in the 30s:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/843361-REG/Fujifilm_15200772_Instant_Black_White.html

Christiaan Phleger · Apr 21, 2016

That was most likely the end of the run at that high of emulsion numbers. Freestyle was a known landing spot for excess Fuji product under the house brand several times going back to the late 80's. When Fuji branded 100ft rolls of Neopan 400 far outdated was discounted to 18.95 a roll I bought it by the cases several times a year for weddings; good times. The Legacy Pro 100 was excess Acros I still have a 100ft bulk of that in the deep freeze.

Younglion · Apr 21, 2016

B&H got some stock in. I ordered 20 packs on feb 29th and received it a couple days ago.

amellice · Apr 21, 2016

Younglion said:
B&H get some stock in. I ordered 20 packs on feb 29th and received it a couple days ago.

backordered again

skorpiius · Apr 21, 2016

So they're still just fulfilling Feb 29 orders.. wow.

amellice · Apr 21, 2016

skorpiius said:
So they're still just fulfilling Feb 29 orders.. wow.

maybe, my order was placed on March 1st and I still didn't get it yet, I contacted them yesterday and they said they expect it by mid May

skorpiius · Apr 21, 2016

I did an order on the 29th and the 1st, got the 29th one about a month and a half ago, but Mar 1st one is still backordered

cmacd123 · Apr 21, 2016

RidingWaves said:
That was most likely the end of the run at that high of emulsion numbers. Freestyle was a known landing spot for excess Fuji product under the house brand several times going back to the late 80's. When Fuji branded 100ft rolls of Neopan 400 far outdated was discounted to 18.95 a roll I bought it by the cases several times a year for weddings; good times. The Legacy Pro 100 was excess Acros I still have a 100ft bulk of that in the deep freeze.

Most of the legacy pro 400 I bought was dated a year or more in the future when I bought it, (some was cleared out as short dated) but of course the standards for dating private label film may have been more generous than for the fuji Brand. I did chuckle every time I finished spooling down a roll of Bulk when I removed a nice 100ft spool stamped "Fuji Film" from my Bulk loader.. (the empty spools ended up with a friend with a small 35mm Movie camera)

CMoore · Apr 21, 2016

mweintraub said:
Expletive Deleted

The Richard Nixon version.....

skorpiius · Apr 22, 2016

Ooof...

http://the.supersense.com/blogs/news/120507459-save-packfilm-travelog-no-18-up-and-down

"... we cannot now change our decision. Thus, we respectfully decline your proposals. "
-Fuji Management

Discontinuation of FP100C

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