Fuji Acros 100 (4 x 5) to be discontinued after 2018

[Cholentpot]

+ 1 !

---
Absolutely no reason for panic or exitement.

Here's my prediction. By 2020 the film market will have enough slight growth that Kodak will put out a compact decent quality camera and roll out a new C-41 emulsion that will be targeted as ISO free! Shoot from 50-1600 no problem just mark the ISO on the cassette and send back to Kodak Processing central for development, scans and prints! (Development, scans and prints included in cost of film)

Kodak will be king of the small film market and Illford will still rule the B&W.

 

[David A. Goldfarb]

I just went and read the article. It will be discontinued after 2019.

So two and a half years from now. It hasn't been discontinued yet.

Getting sick of these sky is falling threads. Mods should change the title.

Title updated.

Folks, please be careful about these kinds of notices. Make sure the information is accurate and precise and that the thread title reflects the facts. Posts can easily be ported from APUG, and when misinformation is spread, it can create a self-fulfilling prophecy.

 

[bvy]

Title updated.

Folks, please be careful about these kinds of notices. Make sure the information is accurate and precise and that the thread title reflects the facts. Posts can easily be ported from APUG, and when misinformation is spread, it can create a self-fulfilling prophecy.

You should update it again as current (confirmed) information is telling us 2018.
http://ffis.fujifilm.co.jp/information/articlein_0066.html

 

[David A. Goldfarb]

Reupdated.

 

[Prest_400]

Here's the official announcement (in Japanese):
http://ffis.fujifilm.co.jp/information/articlein_0066.html

Acros 4x5 and Acros 8x10 have "expected shipment completion" dates (as translated by Bing) of May 2018. (Acros 120 and 35mm seem not to be affected.) Natura 1600 (35mm) and some disposable film cameras are also being nixed around that same time. Interestingly, they recommend Superia 800 as a replacement to Natura 1600, conflicting with reports elsewhere that that emulsion was discontinued.

There is a footnote about some of these dates being subject to change depending on sales (?), but it's not clear to me where or how that applies.

I guess sheet film support requires another master roll and they've seen things being a bit slow. Maybe they are doing it as a probe for the response. Seems utopian, but maybe they could pass sheets to a Ulford ULF type run.

As of superia, and as I said in a couple of threads, there was a sort of packaging/formats rationing of the line in the US recently. Basically some blisters were discontinued and replaced with single roll or another blister type. That's from top of my head and I can't for the life of me find the original source of that.
But the case is that it would be curious to do a packaging reorganization to discontinue 6 months later.

OTOH, Natura 1600 was not supposed to be discontinued for a couple years already? We may be seeing regional distribution choices too. Just as 160NS is 120 + Sheets only and EU, Asia distributed. Weird really. So last year Asia had this product (160NS) in 120, 220 and sheets -- US? None at all.

Here's my prediction. By 2020 the film market will have enough slight growth that Kodak will put out a compact decent quality camera and roll out a new C-41 emulsion that will be targeted as ISO free! Shoot from 50-1600 no problem just mark the ISO on the cassette and send back to Kodak Processing central for development, scans and prints! (Development, scans and prints included in cost of film)

Kodak will be king of the small film market and Illford will still rule the B&W.

Oh, that probably is Portra 400! Plenty of happy people shooting the film at low EI's, pushing while doing the former too, just pushing, and shooting at a higher EI than box without push.
I think the independent online labs are doing a good enough job with processing that they seem to be quite sucessful and in the last 4 years have grown quite a bit.

 

[Cholentpot]

I guess sheet film support requires another master roll and they've seen things being a bit slow. Maybe they are doing it as a probe for the response. Seems utopian, but maybe they could pass sheets to a Ulford ULF type run.

As of superia, and as I said in a couple of threads, there was a sort of packaging/formats rationing of the line in the US recently. Basically some blisters were discontinued and replaced with single roll or another blister type. That's from top of my head and I can't for the life of me find the original source of that.
But the case is that it would be curious to do a packaging reorganization to discontinue 6 months later.

OTOH, Natura 1600 was not supposed to be discontinued for a couple years already? We may be seeing regional distribution choices too. Just as 160NS is 120 + Sheets only and EU, Asia distributed. Weird really. So last year Asia had this product (160NS) in 120, 220 and sheets -- US? None at all.


Oh, that probably is Portra 400! Plenty of happy people shooting the film at low EI's, pushing while doing the former too, just pushing, and shooting at a higher EI than box without push.
I think the independent online labs are doing a good enough job with processing that they seem to be quite sucessful and in the last 4 years have grown quite a bit.

They'll tweak it a bit and re-market it. Maybe they'll come to the conclusion that if you're shooting film in 2020 you want people to know its film and the grain is desirable.

 

[RattyMouse]

Then why don't you change the thread title to reflect the reality of that phase-out.

As titled this is just hocum.

- Leigh

Nope. The official word has now been posted by Fujifilm. Acros, in 4 x 5, has been EOL'ed.

 

[pentaxuser]

Nope. The official word has now been posted by Fujifilm. Acros, in 4 x 5, has been EOL'ed.

I had a long search on the Fujifilm site and was unable to find any announcement but I may not be looking in the correct place. Can you provide a link to the actual announcement. I am aware of the link to the Fuji site provided by bvy but this is in Japanese which I cannot read unfortunately. If this is the only announcement available can anyone translate it please?

Thanks

pentaxuser

 

[RattyMouse]

I had a long search on the Fujifilm site and was unable to find any announcement but I may not be looking in the correct place. Can you provide a link to the actual announcement. I am aware of the link to the Fuji site provided by bvy but this is in Japanese which I cannot read unfortunately. If this is the only announcement available can anyone translate it please?

Thanks

pentaxuser

Linked provided in post #25.

 

[RattyMouse]

Title updated.

Folks, please be careful about these kinds of notices. Make sure the information is accurate and precise and that the thread title reflects the facts. Posts can easily be ported from APUG, and when misinformation is spread, it can create a self-fulfilling prophecy.

My understanding of the Japanese text is that Acros 100 in 4 x 5 size is discontinued *today*. Production of this film has ceased. Fujifilm expects supply to last until 2018.

The original title was indeed accurate. Fujifilm never announces when sales are over, they announce when production is over and then give their best guess as to how long current supply will last.

 

[pentaxuser]

My understanding of the Japanese text is that Acros 100 in 4 x 5 size is discontinued *today*. Production of this film has ceased. Fujifilm expects supply to last until 2018.

The original title was indeed accurate. Fujifilm never announces when sales are over, they announce when production is over and then give their best guess as to how long current supply will last.

Thanks for the link to the post where the announcement was translated by Bing. Things are much clearer now as a result of knowing what the official Japanese site says.

I can still see nothing on the Fujifilm website which is written in English but of course it is now Saturday. Presumably this will follow early next week or does Fuji only make such end of production run announcement in Japanese?

pentaxuser

 

[RattyMouse]

Thanks for the link to the post where the announcement was translated by Bing. Things are much clearer now as a result of knowing what the official Japanese site says.

I can still see nothing on the Fujifilm website which is written in English but of course it is now Saturday. Presumably this will follow early next week or does Fuji only make such end of production run announcement in Japanese?

pentaxuser

We should all know by now that Fujifilm's ability to communicate and update their web sites is considerably sub par. See any sign that Acros is even a Fujifilm product?

http://www.fujifilm.com/products/films/index.html

 

[Andrew O'Neill]

"The original title was indeed accurate. Fujifilm never announces when sales are over, they announce when production is over and then give their best guess as to how long current supply will last."

Remember what happened with T55? Polaroid guessed that they would have enough materials to last 5 years and fell way short of the mark. I'm sure Fujifilm hasn't taken into account people hoarding Acros now that its demise has been announced.

 

[bvy]

We should all know by now that Fujifilm's ability to communicate and update their web sites is considerably sub par. See any sign that Acros is even a Fujifilm product?

http://www.fujifilm.com/products/films/index.html

Alternately, FP-100C still shows up in their list of current instant film offerings:
http://www.fujifilm.com/products/instant_photo/

 

[RattyMouse]

Alternately, FP-100C still shows up in their list of current instant film offerings:
http://www.fujifilm.com/products/instant_photo/

Yes, exactly.

 

[RattyMouse]

"The original title was indeed accurate. Fujifilm never announces when sales are over, they announce when production is over and then give their best guess as to how long current supply will last."

Remember what happened with T55? Polaroid guessed that they would have enough materials to last 5 years and fell way short of the mark. I'm sure Fujifilm hasn't taken into account people hoarding Acros now that its demise has been announced.

Very true. Large format people are pretty fanatical with their films.

Clearly, Fujifilm has announced the discontinuation of the film effective *today* and is making a prediction of how long current supplies will last.

 

[Oren Grad]

I can still see nothing on the Fujifilm website which is written in English but of course it is now Saturday. Presumably this will follow early next week or does Fuji only make such end of production run announcement in Japanese?

Pretty much. Fuji's international distribution policy is opaque, and their foreign-market websites tend not to be updated in a timely or reliable way even with respect to availability in those markets, let alone what's going on at the factory.

 

[fdonadio]

Kodak will put out a compact decent quality camera and roll out a new C-41 emulsion that will be targeted as ISO free! Shoot from 50-1600 no problem just mark the ISO on the cassette and send back to Kodak Processing central for development

I used Kodak's Ektapress Multispeed in the 90's and it was pretty much that: shoot from 100-1000 (or something like that), as long as the whole roll is shot on the same speed and develop normally.

It was cheap, came in 5-roll packs and was very contrasty.

 

[Cholentpot]

I used Kodak's Ektapress Multispeed in the 90's and it was pretty much that: shoot from 100-1000 (or something like that), as long as the whole roll is shot on the same speed and develop normally.

It was cheap, came in 5-roll packs and was very contrasty.

Vague cobwebs of my mind remember this stuff? Hale-bopp was shot with this?

 

[Sirius Glass]

Lots of time to stock up.

Buy it now to keep it from the hoarders!

 

[fdonadio]

Vague cobwebs of my mind remember this stuff? Hale-bopp was shot with this?

A quick Google search show that this stock was popular with astrophotographers... I used it to shoot skateboarding sequences with my motor-driven Nikon F3.

 

[Andrew O'Neill]

Buy it now to keep it from the hoarders!

 

[B&Wpositive]

So, Natura 1600 is being discontinued and will be sold for another year or so according to the announcement.

I don't necessarily see the recommendation of Superia Venus 800 as strange, since that film isn't being discontinued now. Regular Superia 800 is being discontinued. So looks like Japan will still have 800 for a while.

And they haven't announced the discontinuation of Superia 200, 800, and 1600 officially as reported? Why do we have to get some of these announcements through third parties? Fuji doesn't think it's important enough to make a press release?!

 

[mehguy]

At this point, seeing how neglectful they are towards their film customers, are they even making film anymore? For all we know, they could have just pulled another polaroid and just manufactured a crap ton of film years ago and just selling off remaining stock.

 

[GarageBoy]

Great, now I'm worried about the other sizes