Some Good News

RattyMouse · Jan 20, 2013

It's been awhile since Fuji has made a statement like this. I found this in an article linked below.

"With smartphones eating into digital camera sales, Fujifilm has been focusing on the higher end of the consumer market with cameras such as the pricey but popular x100. The company announced it will stop production of movie film from this March but insists it wont abandon camera film. No matter how small a part of the business it forms today, ceo Shigetaka Komori says that film will continue, coexisting alongside the Astalift, the x-ray machines and all the other Fujifilm businesses."

http://monocle.com/magazine/issues/60/renewal-process/

AgX · Jan 20, 2013

Why not pack a roll of film to every to each tin of cosmetic, or a sample of cosmetic to each roll of film...
Don't we all want to lok good in a photo?

markbarendt · Jan 20, 2013

It is good news.

Shooting Nikons I have "played with" Canon shooters about their preference for buying cameras from a copier company. Now I can self deprecate myself when shooting Fuji saying that I get my film from a cosmetics company.

zsas · Jan 20, 2013

Nice affirmation from Komori! Thanks Ratty for the news, happy new year

AgX · Jan 20, 2013

That quotation from Fuji CEO is taken out of context. Reading other statements by him on this matter, I understand something as Fuji manufacturing consumer film as long as this being profitible. But nothing of the kind of putting any efforts in product development and such.

fotch · Jan 20, 2013

That is what they say today. New circumstances, new boss, well hopefully, none of that will happen.

Jeff Kubach · Jan 20, 2013

At least it is good to hear.

Jeff

RattyMouse · Jan 20, 2013

AgX said:
That quotation from Fuji CEO is taken out of context. Reading other statements by him on this matter, I understand something as Fuji manufacturing consumer film as long as this being profitible. But nothing of the kind of putting any efforts in product development and such.

Can you direct us towards these quotes?

Brian C. Miller · Jan 20, 2013

IIRC, Komori said in another interview, "As long as just one photographer is still using film, we will keep producing it."

Ken Nadvornick · Jan 20, 2013

Now he's really gone and painted himself into a corner. I've already decided that I'm never going to die...

Ken

semi-ambivalent · Jan 20, 2013

Ken Nadvornick said:
Now he's really gone and painted himself into a corner. I've already decided that I'm never going to die...

Ken

If anybody can make money on something like film it's the Asians. The Japanese took the West's lunch once already in Photography, it might be a point of national pride to keep that industry from going to the Chinese or disappearing altogether. The Japanese need all the pride they can muster right now, it's been a hard twenty years for them.

I'm convinced there is now, and will continue to be, sufficient demand for B&W emulsions for at least two very efficient, properly scaled producers. If it's a last man standing war of attrition then one, maybe producing a very simple emulsion, like pre-2009 Tri-X. It has to be scaled right; there's no margin for error there. Chromes will eeck out a niche somehow.

s-a

PS - Do continue not dying. It's extra insurance.

RattyMouse · Jan 20, 2013

Brian C. Miller said:
IIRC, Komori said in another interview, "As long as just one photographer is still using film, we will keep producing it."

I remember that too. I wish I had that interview in full.

AgX · Jan 20, 2013

Seemingly that did not apply for cinematographers.

newcan1 · Jan 20, 2013

I once worked for a mega corporation where the management was affirmatively declaring to anyone who would listen that "we will never divest of Division X" at the same time that active discussions were underway to divest of Division X. They ultimately divested of Division X. I think Fuji's ceasing production of movie film is telling. Words are cheap.

RattyMouse · Jan 21, 2013

newcan1 said:
I once worked for a mega corporation where the management was affirmatively declaring to anyone who would listen that "we will never divest of Division X" at the same time that active discussions were underway to divest of Division X. They ultimately divested of Division X. I think Fuji's ceasing production of movie film is telling. Words are cheap.

Fujifilm is a bit player in the motion picture world. I have NEVER seen a credit to FUJIFILM during the ending credits in any film that I have watched and I'm 45 and have watched a lot of films. I'm also one of those geeks who sits through the ending credits.

GeorgK · Jan 21, 2013

RattyMouse said:
Fujifilm is a bit player in the motion picture world. I have NEVER seen a credit to FUJIFILM during the ending credits in any film that I have watched and I'm 45 and have watched a lot of films. I'm also one of those geeks who sits through the ending credits.

Attack the Block
Black Swan
Hereafter
Knight and Day
Slumdog Millionaire
The Fighter
The Hurt Locker
The King's Speech
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy

But you are right, mainstream Hollywood stuck with Kodak. Fuji was quite popular in Bollywood, and for European films (lower budgets - Fuji was cheaper).
This was not minor business, regarding how much film is used to finish a complex production (compared to a few holiday films for a 35mm snapshooter).

Georg

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