Film photography predictions for 2015

Curved Wall

A
Curved Wall

  • 1
  • 0
  • 29
Crossing beams

A
Crossing beams

  • 3
  • 1
  • 30
Shadow 2

A
Shadow 2

  • 2
  • 0
  • 41
Shadow 1

A
Shadow 1

  • 2
  • 0
  • 37
Darkroom c1972

A
Darkroom c1972

  • 3
  • 2
  • 69

Recent Classifieds

Forum statistics

Threads
198,830
Messages
2,781,539
Members
99,718
Latest member
nesunoio
Recent bookmarks
0

Xmas

Member
Joined
Sep 4, 2006
Messages
6,398
Location
UK
Format
35mm RF
They might stay in instant but I'd stock up on Acros...
 
Joined
Jan 14, 2003
Messages
4,924
Location
San Francisco
Format
Multi Format
They might stay in instant but I'd stock up on Acros...

Nah, there's too much B&W market in Japan, I think they'll keep at least one black-and-white emulsion.
 

RattyMouse

Member
Joined
Oct 18, 2011
Messages
6,045
Location
Ann Arbor, Mi
Format
Multi Format
What is the future of my favorite: Fuji Pro 160ns 120 ?
I see it still on Fuji web site but at stores in USA either not available of very expensive ($75) for a 5 roll pack.

I like this because I seem to get consistently good results and it is easier to get onto the spiral than the Kodak ones.

Fujifilm discontinued 160NS earlier this year. Supplies are drying up so costs are going up as well. This film has not been made for quite some time.
 

benjiboy

Subscriber
Joined
Apr 18, 2005
Messages
11,970
Location
U.K.
Format
35mm
I'm not foolish enough to make predictions, because mine are inevitably wrong.
 
Joined
Nov 21, 2005
Messages
7,530
Location
San Clemente, California
Format
Multi Format
Joined
Jan 14, 2003
Messages
4,924
Location
San Francisco
Format
Multi Format
yes but I'd have expected neopan 400 to have had more volume but it went first...

Perhaps. But I think their thinking was Acros can be pushed with better results than Neopan 400 can be pulled? That along with some probable accounting reasons. Come to think of it this reminds me to try pushing some Acros. I still have Neopan 400 so have not tried it. Love them both.
 

Xmas

Member
Joined
Sep 4, 2006
Messages
6,398
Location
UK
Format
35mm RF
Accounts don't think so either

Resellers refused to take Neopan 400 or
fuji finished the last master roll

Take your pick.

You are lucky I did not get to my shop in time. Only got one damaged 120 of 400 left.
 

StoneNYC

Member
Joined
Aug 5, 2012
Messages
8,345
Location
Antarctica
Format
8x10 Format
Perhaps. But I think their thinking was Acros can be pushed with better results than Neopan 400 can be pulled? That along with some probable accounting reasons. Come to think of it this reminds me to try pushing some Acros. I still have Neopan 400 so have not tried it. Love them both.

My guess is that because Neopan400 wasn't available in sheet film sizes, people who shot Tri-X and TMY-2 and HP5+ weren't about to switch and try to balance using two different films depending on format, that combined with TMY-2's popularity chose to drop the lesser selling film, much like E100G was dropped by kodak because of Velvia50/Provia100f

Compete in what you're strongest at, they learned not to try and be EVERYWHERE unlike EFKE who didn't learn that and paid the price.

I miss Neopan400 and I'm beginning to lament EFKE IR820 now that I've had a taste...
 
Joined
Mar 31, 2012
Messages
2,408
Location
London, UK
Format
35mm
unlike EFKE who didn't learn that

You are being unfair there.
The films made by EFKE were all B&W in the low ISO spectre: 25, 50 and 100. Plus the unique 2 IR films and the 100 in 127 format.
These were films that didn't have much competition.
They stopped for other reasons.

Only last year, was a 25 and a 100 ISO B&W films introduced to replace the ones lost.
 

StoneNYC

Member
Joined
Aug 5, 2012
Messages
8,345
Location
Antarctica
Format
8x10 Format
You are being unfair there.
The films made by EFKE were all B&W in the low ISO spectre: 25, 50 and 100. Plus the unique 2 IR films and the 100 in 127 format.
These were films that didn't have much competition.
They stopped for other reasons.

Only last year, was a 25 and a 100 ISO B&W films introduced to replace the ones lost.

My analogy wasn't clear, that's my fault. What I meant was they were competing in markets that didn't have enough demand for their films. The 25 ASA and IR films were AWESOME but there wasn't a market for it (not big enough to sustain) that's why they folded. Neopan400 is a great film, IMO better than HP5+ or Tri-X but fuji knows it's still not selling enough to make it worth continuing. EFKE didn't see that, they were awesome for continuing to make films like the IR and 127 but there's a reason the other people pulled out. That's what I mean, seeing which films are worth selling even if it's hard to cut them loose.

If Kodak has to kill a film, the first film they will kill this year will be Portra800, the next would be TMX because there's too much competition with the other great 100 speed films out there.

Just like ilford killed Delta400 in sheet film. Too much competition with TMY-2, if kodak ever totally folds, you know that Delta400 will IMMEDIATELY be produced in sheet film, guaranteed.
 

miha

Member
Joined
Feb 15, 2007
Messages
2,961
Location
Slovenia
Format
Multi Format
Fotokemika stopped because their ancient coating plant broke down essentially. Not for other reasons.
 

StoneNYC

Member
Joined
Aug 5, 2012
Messages
8,345
Location
Antarctica
Format
8x10 Format
Fotokemika stopped because their ancient coating plant broke down essentially. Not for other reasons.

And WHY did it break down and WHY was it so ancient...? Because the money wasn't there to update/fix it...
 

ME Super

Member
Joined
Apr 17, 2011
Messages
1,479
Location
Central Illinois, USA
Format
Multi Format
I predict that the most accurate predictions about film photography in 2015 will be made in December 2015 or January 2016. :laugh:

I predict that Fuji will discontinue at least one film entirely in 2015. Hopefully it won't be an E-6 film, as they're only making 3 of those now. :sad:
 

miha

Member
Joined
Feb 15, 2007
Messages
2,961
Location
Slovenia
Format
Multi Format
And WHY did it break down and WHY was it so ancient...? Because the money wasn't there to update/fix it...

Sure, but the reason is not because there was not market for their films as you implied in your previous post but because of their total lack of strategy, they didn't even have a web page! Their films and papers were sold under various brands since the 80's and they didn't care, they've just kept making materials and got less and less for them, till they ran out of gas.
 

StoneNYC

Member
Joined
Aug 5, 2012
Messages
8,345
Location
Antarctica
Format
8x10 Format
Sure, but the reason is not because there was not market for their films as you implied in your previous post but because of their total lack of strategy, they didn't even have a web page! Their films and papers were sold under various brands since the 80's and they didn't care, they've just kept making materials and got less and less for them, till they ran out of gas.

*shakes head* strategy and marketing are all part of the market... Ugh, whatever, they are gone.
 

miha

Member
Joined
Feb 15, 2007
Messages
2,961
Location
Slovenia
Format
Multi Format
*shakes head* strategy and marketing are all part of the market... Ugh, whatever, they are gone.

*shakes head* there was a market for their films and papers.
 

StoneNYC

Member
Joined
Aug 5, 2012
Messages
8,345
Location
Antarctica
Format
8x10 Format
*shakes head* there was a market for their films and papers.

BUT NOT A BIG ENOUGH MARKET... For them to repair their machines or facility or even to fix the roof from leaking, cmon man, that's not a market... That's like saying there's a market for my photography... Sure I sell some, but I'm not surviving off of it...
 

NJH

Member
Joined
Dec 30, 2013
Messages
702
Location
Dorset
Format
Multi Format
Its hard to rationalise why a company would ditch a general purpose 400 speed B&W film with great tonality and sharp grain but continue a with a more techy 100 speed B&W film. Sorry but I just smell something a bit fishy in all this with Fujifilm, the announcement came only a handful of months before the use by date on the last batch (August 2014). This means they stopped making or decided to kill it off as much as 4 years ago if the dates on recently bought HP5 are anything to go by (late 2018)! As Xmas says if one likes Acros stock up on it as I just can't trust a company that quietly kills off films in this way. For my own photography I am moving to Ilford films for B&W.
 

StoneNYC

Member
Joined
Aug 5, 2012
Messages
8,345
Location
Antarctica
Format
8x10 Format
Its hard to rationalise why a company would ditch a general purpose 400 speed B&W film with great tonality and sharp grain but continue a with a more techy 100 speed B&W film. Sorry but I just smell something a bit fishy in all this with Fujifilm, the announcement came only a handful of months before the use by date on the last batch (August 2014). This means they stopped making or decided to kill it off as much as 4 years ago if the dates on recently bought HP5 are anything to go by (late 2018)! As Xmas says if one likes Acros stock up on it as I just can't trust a company that quietly kills off films in this way. For my own photography I am moving to Ilford films for B&W.

My boxes of 8x10 Velvia50 and 8x10 Acros100 say 2016.... :wink:
 

RattyMouse

Member
Joined
Oct 18, 2011
Messages
6,045
Location
Ann Arbor, Mi
Format
Multi Format
Its hard to rationalise why a company would ditch a general purpose 400 speed B&W film with great tonality and sharp grain but continue a with a more techy 100 speed B&W film. Sorry but I just smell something a bit fishy in all this with Fujifilm, the announcement came only a handful of months before the use by date on the last batch (August 2014). This means they stopped making or decided to kill it off as much as 4 years ago if the dates on recently bought HP5 are anything to go by (late 2018)! As Xmas says if one likes Acros stock up on it as I just can't trust a company that quietly kills off films in this way. For my own photography I am moving to Ilford films for B&W.

Neopan 400 had a LOT of competition. Tri-X, TMAX 400, HP5+, and Delta 400. Acros really has no competition when you consider the reprocisity charatceristics.

I wish I got a chance to shoot Neopan 400 in 120 size before it disappeared.
 

Photo Engineer

Subscriber
Joined
Apr 19, 2005
Messages
29,018
Location
Rochester, NY
Format
Multi Format
There is quite a story to the implosion of EFKE that is not relevant here except for one point which coincides with that of Ferrania. All of the photo engineers were getting old, and it was difficult to recruit new ones for a field that was perceived as difficult to learn and waning in popularity (analog films). In the face of one fact, the aging of an already elderly staff, EFKE closed its doors.

And, BTW, this has been posted here before and on the EFKE web page.

PE
 

miha

Member
Joined
Feb 15, 2007
Messages
2,961
Location
Slovenia
Format
Multi Format
BUT NOT A BIG ENOUGH MARKET... For them to repair their machines or facility or even to fix the roof from leaking, cmon man, that's not a market... That's like saying there's a market for my photography... Sure I sell some, but I'm not surviving off of it...

You shout a lot lately Stone. They had big enough market* (they were very small) and they were selling all that they could produce but the revenue was small for the reasons mentioned before. PE also enlightened an important aspect often overlooked.

*I had acquaintances that visited their factory store regularly in Samobor and the store was often empty as everything was sold abroad as soon as it was produced. I don't live far from Croatia and speak their language, Yugoslavia, remember :wink:
 
Last edited by a moderator:

Ektagraphic

Member
Joined
Feb 3, 2009
Messages
2,927
Location
Southeastern
Format
Medium Format
I just have a gut feeling that the company making the little yellow boxes is going to see some big changes, whether they decide to call it quits, or decide that they are going to make modifications to continue producing.
 
Joined
Jan 14, 2003
Messages
4,924
Location
San Francisco
Format
Multi Format
*shakes head* strategy and marketing are all part of the market... Ugh, whatever, they are gone.

They live on in my freezer....
 
Photrio.com contains affiliate links to products. We may receive a commission for purchases made through these links.
To read our full affiliate disclosure statement please click Here.

PHOTRIO PARTNERS EQUALLY FUNDING OUR COMMUNITY:



Ilford ADOX Freestyle Photographic Stearman Press Weldon Color Lab Blue Moon Camera & Machine
Top Bottom