New Fuji Neopan ?

IzzyCat · Mar 10, 2019

Hi there !

I've read some news, some months ago about a new Neopan B&W film from Fuji.
And I've seen some places selling some freshly packaged Acros 100...

So, what can we believe ? Is Acros really dead ? Are we getting a "new" B&W fil from Fuji any time soon or not ?

PS : This topic is not here to stir the all too common "Fuji dislikes film" debate that we all seen so many time. Let's keep a good Signal to Noise ratio here

NortheastPhotographic · Mar 10, 2019

A lot of rumors and speculation, but no-one knows for sure. I tend to believe the simplest explanations and ignore the conspiracy theories. I.E. Fuji did not cease their film production years ago, and is relying on master rolls kept in some theoretical massive freezer.

I will say if they were going to bring out a new B&W film, or announce the continued production of Acros, I think they would have done it to sweeten their price hike announcement.

Also for me, now that Ektachrome is out, they don't make a single film product that I prefer over an Ilford or Kodak version. Acros sheet film would be great but you haven't been able to find that in the US for years.

runswithsizzers · Mar 10, 2019

IzzyCat said:
Hi there !

I've read some news, some months ago about a new Neopan B&W film from Fuji.
And I've seen some places selling some freshly packaged Acros 100...

So, what can we believe ? Is Acros really dead ? Are we getting a "new" B&W fil from Fuji any time soon or not ?

PS : This topic is not here to stir the all too common "Fuji dislikes film" debate that we all seen so many time. Let's keep a good Signal to Noise ratio here

If your intention is to maintain a high signal-to-noise ratio, you should probably document the source of your "news" and name a source where freshly packaged Acros can be purchased.

1kgcoffee · Mar 10, 2019

I doubt it, with so many fantastic fine grained b&w films what for? As long as they continue to produce transparencies I will be happy

Colin Corneau · Mar 10, 2019

Where did you read this? Source? Online links?

There's nothing to say without that.

IzzyCat said:
Hi there !

I've read some news, some months ago about a new Neopan B&W film from Fuji.
And I've seen some places selling some freshly packaged Acros 100...

So, what can we believe ? Is Acros really dead ? Are we getting a "new" B&W fil from Fuji any time soon or not ?

PS : This topic is not here to stir the all too common "Fuji dislikes film" debate that we all seen so many time. Let's keep a good Signal to Noise ratio here [/QUOTE

bernard_L · Mar 10, 2019

runswithsizzers said:
If your intention is to maintain a high signal-to-noise ratio, you should probably document the source of your "news" and name a source where freshly packaged Arcos can be purchased.

+1
Tired of these long threads based on unfounded rumors.

IzzyCat · Mar 10, 2019

-> https://www.itmedia.co.jp/news/articles/1807/25/news078.html
-> https://www.diyphotography.net/fujifilm-may-bring-back-black-white-films-yes-really/
-> Can be bought here :

-> https://www.macodirect.de/film/schwarzweissfilm/fuji-neopan-acros-100-135-36-3er-pack
A friend bought some in Osaka some days ago too. Clerk told him it was a recent arrival.

Here's some signal to process.

bernard_L said:
Tired of these long threads based on unfounded rumors.

If your intention is to maintain a high signal-to-noise ratio, you should probably document the source of your "news" and name a source where freshly packaged Acros can be purchased.

The meaning of my post was to -ask- a question. Not to feed any rumors at all.
I haven't posted a lot (yet ?) but I feel like this is not a very kind place.

Thank you.

AgX · Mar 10, 2019

IzzyCat said:
-> https://www.macodirect.de/film/schwarzweissfilm/fuji-neopan-acros-100-135-36-3er-pack

Maco even themselves call their offer "one of the last available Acro 100 type 135 films (die so ziemlich letzten, verfügbaren Acros 100 KB - Filme)"

Which should end this discussion....

IzzyCat · Mar 10, 2019

Okay, so that's a definitive answer
Sorry for the stir...

Lachlan Young · Mar 10, 2019

IzzyCat said:
-> https://www.itmedia.co.jp/news/articles/1807/25/news078.html

Those articles match what I've heard too - but to the effect that it might be a different Neopan than Acros that's brought back. The question that's not clear to me is whether it's a component question or a scale question or both. It may involve potentially significant reformulation to the extent that essentially a new film would need to be designed. Kodak and Ilford have learnt to scale their products - and it will have been increasingly obvious to Fuji that they're going to have to follow suit - what the end product will be & how long it'll be before it comes to market is anyone's guess. Fuji are still much more opaque about such things than the other two have become. Maybe we'll get a Neopan 200.

MattKing · Mar 10, 2019

IzzyCat said:
Okay, so that's a definitive answer
Sorry for the stir...

Sorry for the tenor of the reaction. It isn't immediately obvious, but rumours make a lot of us unhappy.
It would probably be helpful to realize though that many of us here have had their hopes alternately raised and then dashed by rumours about various films, so we tend to be a bit "resistant" to them.
In fact, this site actually has a policy which attempts to limit/prevent the sharing of rumours, and an almost impossible to find "Product Availability Speculation or Gloom and Doom" sub-forum where threads about them tend to be "incarcerated" - you can find it here, but you may have to sign into the dreaded "Soap Box" group to access it: https://www.photrio.com/forum/forums/product-availability-speculation-or-gloom-and-doom.334/

mshchem · Mar 10, 2019

Maybe Neopan Instax .

destroya · Mar 10, 2019

thankfully rat man cant go on one of his long rants now

removedacct3 · Mar 11, 2019

Not too long ago Fuji launched the https://www.ishootfujifilm.com/ website which, prominently, features black and white film. Just saying, make of it what you want ...

Anon Ymous · Mar 11, 2019

MrclSchprs said:
Not too long ago Fuji launched the https://www.ishootfujifilm.com/ website which, prominently, features black and white film. Just saying, make of it what you want ...

It does what? Well, IIRC it did, but not any more. The "products" section only has negative and slide colour film.

bernard_L · Mar 11, 2019

IzzyCat said:
I haven't posted a lot (yet ?) but I feel like this is not a very kind place.

Regret giving that impression. Otherwise, as Matt King wrote above.
The root issue, as far as I'm concerned, is that the Internet forums are potentially a wonderful source of information. That is spoiled by:
- rumors
- clueless people giving plain wrong information off the top of their head
- "experts" who will occasionally give a false answer and then take any rebuttal as a personal attack
- etc

AgX · Mar 11, 2019

Izzy, I is a pity that you got that feeling. In re-reading all replies, from my point of view, there is not even any reason. And I appreciated your wording in your first post about not opening a basic discussion plus the questioning of those reports from the start.

I myself have not even heard of such resurrection reports until you started this thread. Thus again from my point of view, questions about the origins/substance of these rumours seem obvious.

Agulliver · Mar 16, 2019

The problem is the nature of internet forums today means that someone posts a question.....and it becomes a rampant rumour within hours. OP did nothing wrong, perhaps some of the subsequent discussion came across as unwelcoming....but we have all seen these unhelpful rumours start from innocent questions.

There have been rumblings about a new Fuji B&W film but I for one haven't seen anything with any specific credibility.

Ste_S · Mar 18, 2019

MrclSchprs said:
Not too long ago Fuji launched the https://www.ishootfujifilm.com/ website which, prominently, features black and white film. Just saying, make of it what you want ...

There's still XP2, sorry, Neopan 400CN which you can still pick up. I don't remember any announcements about killing that off ?
So technically Fuji do have a B&W film in their non instax line up

foc · Mar 18, 2019

Ste_S said:
There's still XP2, sorry, Neopan 400CN which you can still pick up. I don't remember any announcements about killing that off ?
So technically Fuji do have a B&W film in their non instax line up

If I remember correctly, Fuji Neopan400CN was discontinued, in 2018 I think.

bvy · Mar 19, 2019

foc said:
If I remember correctly, Fuji Neopan400CN was discontinued, in 2018 I think.

Even before that. XP2 is still around and quite versatile and lovely.

Poisson Du Jour · Mar 19, 2019

You are not seeing newly-produced stock of Neopan/ACROS 100.
What is there is legacy inventory being released onto the market from distributors around the world. Eventually, this legacy stock will be exhausted, and that is when Neopan/ACROS 100 will have reached the point of commodification -- a collector's item, if you will.
I do not believe the talk that Fujifilm has any plans short- to medium-term regarding reintroducing ACROS 100, especially in light of recent developments with a steep price increase that relates to the difficulty in procurement of raw materials for all of their products. So, that situation won't exactly be improved by introducing a product that is heavy on e.g. silver in the manufacturing process when there are already cost pressures in production across the board. Besides that, ACROS 100 was in sales freefall from 2013. Why did photographers turn away from it for something else? No good crying for it now when you couldn't show love to it when it was abundantly available.

1kgcoffee · Mar 19, 2019

There was plenty of time to stock up. Acros is gone and never coming back, but there are equally wonderful high resolution films still offered from tmax to pan f to adox.

Let this be a warning to anyone who shoots fuji to stock up now. Last call for 160CN, 400h, provia and velvia. Fuji is leaving film behind.

Kodachromeguy · Mar 19, 2019

As usual, just as I was getting familiar with Acros, it is on its way out. I did recently buy another 3-pack from a Japanese vendor. The package arrived in central USA (Mississippi) in only a week. Here are two examples from Romania (Leica M2, Aros at EI=80, developed in Xtol).

Poisson Du Jour · Mar 20, 2019

Kodachromeguy said:
As usual, just as I was getting familiar with Acros, it is on its way out. I did recently buy another 3-pack from a Japanese vendor. The package arrived in central USA (Mississippi) in only a week. Here are two examples from Romania (Leica M2, Aros at EI=80, developed in Xtol)

ACROS?? But reproduced like this, on the web, could be from any film.
These two photographs do not tell me anything about the qualities of ACROS 100 as a film with outstanding latitude and reciprocity characteristics for long exposures (e.g. it was, and for its remaining availability, still is ideal for pinhole photography). I cannot imagine why it was given EI80 exposure with such a vast and entirely forgiving latitude. What is being shown is two photographs overexposed and with evidence of flare.

New Fuji Neopan ?

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