Fujichrome RP Print

[AlexG]

Hello everybody! I've been hanging around APUG for a while now and haven't had the guts to post anything yet. This is a fantastic community and I would like to thank everyone here for keeping film alive!

Ok, on to the point.

Recently, after cleaning my Dad's closet out I came across a big box filled with prints presumably made from slides. My dad was a photographer in Japan and shot Kodachrome until the early 90's when he made the switch to Fujichrome because it was much more convenient to get developed. Anyways, the prints have markings on the back saying FUJICHROME PROFESSIONAL PRINT. Many of these pictures look surprisingly grainy, lack contrast and usually look nothing like the original slide. Many of them look quite shitty IMHO. I asked my dad if he knew anything about these prints and told me that he forgot all about them!

So my question is: A) Does fuji still make a color reversal paper?, and if it has been discontinued, when was it taken off the market? B) Is the Fujichrome RP process similar to the ciba/ilfochrome process and does it have similar archival qualities?

More information about this stuff would be great.

Alex

 

[Kirk Keyes]

As far as I know, Fuji quit making Type-R (reversal) paper several years ago... I was personally very sad to hear about that, as I loved Fujichrome Type-35 Superglossy paper.

I've seen a comparison between a photo made on Ciba/Ilfochrome and one on Type-35, both were left in a window with direct exposure to sunlight for about a year. Half of each print was covered during the exposure. The Fuji print was much less faded than the Ilfochrome print.

 

[David A. Goldfarb]

I have a few Fuji R prints. One that I have had on display for about six years now is turning noticeably yellow, but I liked it when it was new. I think I have another copy in the files somewhere from the same transparency. I'll have to compare. I have Cibachromes from the early 1990s that have mostly been in dark storage, and they look great, but I don't know how they would have fared on continuous display.

 

[Photo Engineer]

Both the Fuji and Kodak reversal papers were subject to fade and were less stable AFAIK than the negative-positive papers and to Cibachrome. Due to the lower demand, less R&D went into the reversal products.

PE

 

[PHOTOTONE]

Over the years, both Kodak and Fuji made reversal papers for direct prints from color slides. In my opinion they were never up to the professional standards required for "pro" work. We always had a 4x5 color internegative made if color prints were required from slides or transparencies. This produced a better print.

 

[Photo Engineer]

I've said before that Pos-Pos systems are very lossy and it is difficult to make prints from slides.

Even Ilfochrome has serious faults. It is the bright colors that fool you. Look for detail in reds in an Ilfochrome.

PE

 

[AlexG]

I've said before that Pos-Pos systems are very lossy and it is difficult to make prints from slides.

Even Ilfochrome has serious faults. It is the bright colors that fool you. Look for detail in reds in an Ilfochrome.

PE

I must agree with you there. There's a reason why color neg is preferred for printing!

 

[2F/2F]

Both the Fuji and Kodak reversal papers were subject to fade and were less stable AFAIK than the negative-positive papers and to Cibachrome. Due to the lower demand, less R&D went into the reversal products.

PE

This is exactly what the guy at the Lab Ciba told me when I had some Ilfochromes printed there. He said they may be "more archival", but they can fade and shift in color extremely quickly; even after only a very short period (minutes) in bright sun. He also mentioned the red issue stated by PE, and said that the only way to get the utmost in accurate color, contrast, and density on all three colors was by printing each color separately and making a carbro or dye transfer print. He was talking about in-camera color separation via multiple exposures or a one-shot camera. Ilfochromes are how he makes his living. Interesting guy. Makes me think that this might be an interesting method for photographing still lifes: in-camera color separation followed by scanning and assigning an RGB primary color to each scan.

 

[Photo Engineer]

There is a very active Dye Transfer group moderated by our own Jim Browning.

This method gives the best in both reversal and neg-pos prints with very high quality. The image stability, if you use the right dyes, is better than anything else. A new run of Matrix film may be made, but the Pan Matrix film is almost gone.

Ctein, along with Jim are two of our most prominent Dye Transfer printers.

PE