Is Fujichrome Effectively Dead Outside of Japan???

[Alan Edward Klein]

Fuji has leveraged its knowledge of photographic film into products as diverse as face shields for medical use and high quality cosmetics.

Kumar

That's like Nikon which makes binoculars, microscopes, and medical imaging equipment.

 

[B.S.Kumar]

That's like Nikon which makes binoculars, microscopes, and medical imaging equipment.

Those are still imaging products. Fuji is much more diverse.

Kumar

 

[Daniël Oosterhuis]

Fuji has not said anything officially about discontinuing the manufacture of Fujichrome. But it is widely believed that the film being sold now is from the last few master rolls. Like every company in Japan Fuji also faces a shortage of skilled technical staff. This is in addition to market forces.

Kumar

They've gotten a LOT of mileage out of it if that were to be the case, given the Fujichrome freezer rumor's been circulating for the better part of a decade now.
I honestly don't buy it, I doubt Velvia 50, 100 and Provia 100 had such a large coating run as to still provide "fresh" film in 2025 (judging by the presence of said films with late 2027 expiry dates in European stores).

 

[B.S.Kumar]

No one has any idea, and Fuji isn't telling.

Earlier, many of my film orders consisted of 100 to 500 rolls each time. Today it is 10 or 20 at the most. These films are now sold only in retail stores.
My distributors no longer carry them and simply say that Fuji has discontinued supplies to them.

Kumar

 

[brian steinberger]

They've gotten a LOT of mileage out of it if that were to be the case, given the Fujichrome freezer rumor's been circulating for the better part of a decade now.
I honestly don't buy it, I doubt Velvia 50, 100 and Provia 100 had such a large coating run as to still provide "fresh" film in 2025 (judging by the presence of said films with late 2027 expiry dates in European stores).

Maybe they’re lying about the expiration dates??

 

[ChrisGalway]

....... (judging by the presence of said films with late 2027 expiry dates in European stores).

My 35mm Provia 100f film that I bought last week had January 2027 as the expiry date. Who has "late 2027" on a recent purchase?

 

[Daniël Oosterhuis]

My 35mm Provia 100f film that I bought last week had January 2027 as the expiry date. Who has "late 2027" on a recent purchase?

I may be misremembering that, could be that it was late 2026 and early 2027.
Either way, that still puts it as manufactured recently (I thought it was 2 years from manufacture, but that might be Kodak's dating with Fuji putting a more conservative 1.5 years on it).

Maybe they’re lying about the expiration dates??

I don't think Fuji is that desperate to sell a niche product, given it's practically a slither of their whole business operation.

 

[brbo]

Maybe they’re lying about the expiration dates??

What's there to lie about? They convert film from master roll / pancakes and stamp +2 years (or whatever) from the date of conversion. Like everybody else does.

If exp. dates would be based on coating dates, it would mean that Fuji coats a ridiculously small amount of E-6 material practically every month. Now, THAT, would be insane.

 

[MattKing]

If a production run of Fujichrome means shutting down production of Instax for the duration of the Fujichrome run, then the "cost" of the slide film run for Fuji may rest mainly in the loss of Instax profit and revenue.

 

[MattKing]

What's there to lie about? They convert film from master roll / pancakes and stamp +2 years (or whatever) from the date of conversion. Like everybody else does.

If exp. dates would be based on coating dates, it would mean that Fuji coats a ridiculously small amount of E-6 material practically every month. Now, THAT, would be insane.

More likely they make one master roll a year, and then "finish" from that periodically.
When the next year comes around, they make another master roll.

 

[Paul Howell]

Fuji did a much better job of moving past film and paper production than Kodak did. Although I have not shot slide in a very long time, it will be sad if Fuji slide film disappears.

 

[mshchem]

It may be simply adjusting output to maximize price. The X100 series of digital camera is always in short supply.

 

[mshchem]

If a production run of Fujichrome means shutting down production of Instax for the duration of the Fujichrome run, then the "cost" of the slide film run for Fuji may rest mainly in the loss of Instax profit and revenue.

Very good point. And nothing can stand in the way of Instax. For good reason.

 

[koraks]

That's like Nikon which makes binoculars, microscopes, and medical imaging equipment.

Nikon has always been oriented quite broadly, with photographic equipment being just one of many areas they're active in. Fuji has historically been much more focused (initially exclusively so) on photographic film. So for Fuji, the diversification they very successfully accomplished 25 years ago was pretty miraculous. There are very few companies this size that have ever pulled off something like this.

 

[Prest_400]

Why would they when they are selling plastic cameras with one inch sensors that simulate the film experience for $800+? I'm so mad about this, sorry.

I get the fun factor but am with you that is relatively insulting to "hey get this toy simulating the real thing we don't make anymore!"

Appreciate your local insights @B.S.Kumar. I have seen that the retail level appears supplied, but as I tend to say, if Fuji are not making C41 which is the volume seller in color film, it is not a very positive outlook. A fellow forumer tiped to contact you from some Velvia 120 supplies; I will see, have a photo acquaintance that travels to Japan often so I thought to ask him.
Have some Fuji Provia frozen from the last time I hunted and purchased the film. That was 2023 Christmas and wrote about it in some post here.
There is also this "2025" Fuji film comeback that IIRC goes on about that they still struggled to produce still film.

 

[AZD]

The question of Fujichrome (and Fujicolor) production comes up regularly but never reaches any solid conclusions. In the absence of meaningful data, especially from Fuji themselves, we are left with two options: 1) Buy everything we can find if/when we can find it, or 2) Accept our future now and find an alternative (Ektachrome, quit photography, etc…).

One thing that’s not clear (again no help from the company) is what’s in it for Fuji. Ektachrome at least has the occasional Hollywood production to help subsidize still photography needs. Fuji does not.

So Fuji must be doing one of several things: 1) Producing new film while making acceptable profits selling it, 2) Producing new film while losing money, doing so for unknown altruistic reasons, or 3) Selling off frozen master rolls because they represent resources already consumed and accounted for, therefore any sales are profit with minimal effort and investment.

I really don’t know what is the case, but I can’t believe #2 is true.

Also, I’m no business major, but it seems like companies today are less interested in niche products or customers unless they are extremely profitable per unit produced. If you have to dedicate people to a project then you put your best, er, “human resources” on the project that will return the greatest “shareholder value”. That kinda suggests #1 isn’t what’s happening. So… frozen master rolls?

Maybe one day Fuji will be kind, or possibly unkind, enough to put an end to our speculation, but don’t wait. Just buy Fujichrome and use it.

$35 per roll today will seem like a deal in a year or two, whether fresh film is available or not. It wouldn’t surprise me to find there are future resellers with home freezers full of the stuff already anticipating the end. Honestly, that’s a no-lose deal if you can afford to wait it out.

 

[Daniël Oosterhuis]

Just for a frame of reference, I got into film photography around 2017, at which time the death of Fujichrome was already being called by various outlets:

Film News: FujiFilm, the end is nigh - Japan Camera Hunter

Film News: FujiFilm, the end is nigh I can hear the haunting wails of Freddie Mercury going "another one bites the dust" as I read the latest news from

www.japancamerahunter.com

It's why I'm personally a bit wary of the rumor, there's just no way they've been slowly consuming left over master rolls since the mid-ish 2010s, if not longer, by the logic of the rumor that the earlier discontinuations of 2016 and before were due to master roll depletion.
I'll just buy some more for my own freezer now and then (a small one, not one the size of Fuji's supposed freezer!), at worst I'm making sure I'll have some to savor once it's gone, at best I'm adding to the demand for the product that seems to keep it around.