Provia 400X really discontinued in 35mm ?

Roger Cole

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With they hyper saturation of Velvia.

On the more realistic side they had what I think was possibly the best slide film ever in Astia. But the loud crowd (Velvia) won over the realistic crowd.
 

destroya

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Roger Cole said:
With they hyper saturation of Velvia.

On the more realistic side they had what I think was possibly the best slide film ever in Astia. But the loud crowd (Velvia) won over the realistic crowd.
Click to expand...

I think the reason velvia "won" was because of the times, how and what people are shooting. in the last 10 years or so, the average person who was mainly shooting quick snap shots, or more likely, people shots, went to digital. I would assume had they not went to digital or it was never an aoption, they would be using the lower contrast lower saturation films everyone has mentioned. that left more of the landscape shooters, who have preferred (not always) the more velvia like films. most of the serious landscape/ thing shooters stuck with film or use it alongside digital. so those type of films outsold over the last few years, the more people type films. I would assume if you looked a film sales spreadsheet for say kodak over the last 10 or so years, you would see a trend showing that. hence the reason they left slides all together. same for fuji. they continued to show strong sales of velvia styles and less so with astia and 400x. hence the reason they let them go alongside their neg films.

Also, more people when they did shoot film, shot c41 for people sales. hence kodak dropped all reversal films and focused on neg films wioth Portra being their main film and trying to keep the saturation people happy with Ektar. fuji dropped their neg films except one and their mellower slide films and kept the saturation over the top films. unfortunatly its marketing 101. keep making whats selling and drop whats not.

if sales of provia 100 went up substantially maybe fuji would take notice and bring back 400x. i see no reason they would bring back astia though. and forget kodak. its now being run as a business as a stand alone. at least fuji is a much larger more diversified company and could continue to carry less volume films in their catalog. At least they still make new med format cameras.
 

Roger Cole

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Well I shoot landscapes and can't resist one when I see it and have slide film in the camera (though more often if setting out to shoot them I'll take my view camera or a medium format camera, and if I plan color Ektar or sometimes Portra.) But if it's sunny most lanscapes just exceed the range of Velvia significantly. Also I suspect those landscape shooters you mention are working in hybrid mode - have to be these days if they are going to present their work as anything other than a transparency on a light box. (Well I suppose they might be making internegatives but I doubt that's very common.) And that means digital post processing for things like contrast and squeezing the most detail from near-blown or near-blank areas. If people were still printing on Type R or, even more so, Ilfochrome I think you'd see more preference for lower contrast.

I can't get along with Velvia at all. I've tried. It's just too darned contrasty. I liked E100VS better but that was problematic. It's fine for controlled studio light if you need the saturation (still lifes, saturated product shots?) but I don't really do that. It's fine for overcast days to add some contrast and saturation and when I've gotten good results that's been the case, but it's too darned slow for best use on those days. The 100 is workable. But dim overcast really wants a tripod for 50 or even 100 and for me that usually means I have my medium format or 4x5 gear along and that means I won't be projecting the results and that means black and white or C41...
 

Nuff

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It was the most advanced iso 400 colour film with the finest grain. Finer than Portra etc... It also pushes nicely to iso 1600.
I'm in Japan and it's still on the shelves, but who knows for how long? While it's still here, I will keep buying it and stuffing my fridge full of it.


Newtown by Jarek Miszkinis, on Flickr


Newtown by Jarek Miszkinis, on Flickr
 

benjiboy

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It sure is
http://www.bjp-online.com/2013/07/fujifilm-confirms-film-discontinuations/
That's why I spent a small fortune recently buying the last stocks of 135 and 120 I could find here in my city in the U.K and deep freezing it.
 
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spatz

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Ratty, is there still a load of e100vs floating around China? I finished my last roll recently in Japan and loved it so much that I want to get more. Ebay prices are a bit crazy...
 

Ektagraphic

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So has 400x officially been discontinued in Japan as well?
 

mooseontheloose

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There's plenty in the shops and online here in Japan - both formats.
 

spatz

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Im not sure how I will manage getting it to Australia. Perhaps theres an Australian agent that can help me.

On the other hand since this is a thread about discontinued transparency films we love I also feel compelled to put the money i would spend on more e100vs to currently manufactured films like rvp50 and rdpiii.

I so wish kodaks e6 last offerings were still around thogh. And dont even get me started on astia... I have 10 rolls left and i dont know what ill do after that is gone.
 

Ektagraphic

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AgX said:
Still listed there in types 135 and 120.
Click to expand...

Thanks. Does anyone have a recommendation of a place to buy film from in Japan? One of the only places that I have looked so far is Japan Exposures.
 

mooseontheloose

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Yodobashi ships to the US (only). The site is all in Japanese but Google Translate (or whatever) does a decent job of translating. However, I think it's pretty easy since film is a language we all understand. You can also search in English, although the returns will be in Japanese. 120 film is referred to as "brownie" film in Japan.

I've never ordered from them internationally, but here in Japan I get my stuff in 24 hours or less after ordering.
 

Nuff

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I have tried yodobashi last year before I have moved to Japan. They have stopped the shipping service to USA a while ago. Quick email sorted it out.
 

ksa66

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Have some rolls of that film in deep freeze Fujicrome 400x. Did some rolls lately. Like velvia it takes time to get used to it and love it. Its more like sensia oversaturated. Never liked sensia anyway. Kodak Elite crome 100 is the most natural slidefilm invented,
 

mooseontheloose

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Just thought I'd mention that I have a (there was a url link here which no longer exists) post currently on in the classifieds - in theory Provia 400x (120/135) for Tri-X (120/135), although any film sold in Japan is up for grabs. I can't afford to trade with everyone, but if you want to take a chance (I'll be drawing from those interested) let me know.
 
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