The Future of E-6

[Sirius Glass]

+1

Macs don't add enough value to justify the price.

Yes, they do. I replace Macs every 12 to 15 years. I have to replace PCs much more often. The mathematics is not challenging to work out. That is not even getting into the ease of adding devises on a Mac versus the Micro$oft Plug and Delay. But you can find tons of discussion on this subject on both Photrio and the internet.

 

[flavio81]

Yes, they do. I replace Macs every 12 to 15 years. I have to replace PCs much more often. The mathematics is not challenging to work out. That is not even getting into the ease of adding devises on a Mac versus the Micro$oft Plug and Delay. But you can find tons of discussion on this subject on both Photrio and the internet.

If you replace your computers every 12 to 15 years, your computing needs are very different to mine.

 

[RattyMouse]

If you replace your computers every 12 to 15 years, your computing needs are very different to mine.

Last year I replaced my MacBook Pro. Still going strong from 2008, but I wanted something smaller. 10 years giving who knows how many thousands of hours of service.

 

[Minoltafan2904]

Just my 2 cents.
If Kodak manages to bring back Ektachrome, which they will even if it's already quite late, there will be a huge new wave of interest for slide film, it could really invigorate the E6 market and MAYBE just MAYBE make Fuji rethink their direction, i don't see Fuji running away from E6 for now.
The availability of chemicals is not going to be a problem, various companies are making E6 chemicals.
Even if FUji were to hypothetically exit the E6 market, if Fuji ahs been capable of keeping E6 alive single handedly for 6 years, i think Kodak can too.

 

[RattyMouse]

Just my 2 cents.
If Kodak manages to bring back Ektachrome, which they will even if it's already quite late, there will be a huge new wave of interest for slide film, it could really invigorate the E6 market and MAYBE just MAYBE make Fuji rethink their direction, i don't see Fuji running away from E6 for now.
The availability of chemicals is not going to be a problem, various companies are making E6 chemicals.
Even if FUji were to hypothetically exit the E6 market, if Fuji ahs been capable of keeping E6 alive single handedly for 6 years, i think Kodak can too.

Huge wave of interest? I don't see that at all. Do you have any facts to support this or is it just your opinion/speculation? The cost of E6 film with processing is only going to go up. That and the near total lack of local labs processing the film for most people means that this film is going to be a niche film at best.

Further, there are many alarming signs that Fujifilm has already ceased production of E6 films. Tracking the expiration dates is not showing any new production for quite some time.

I'm a Ferrania supporter, with 4 rolls of their E6 film due to me if they ever get it up and running. But those will be the last E6 films that I shoot should I choose to open them.

 

[removed account4]

Just my 2 cents.
If Kodak manages to bring back Ektachrome, which they will even if it's already quite late, there will be a huge new wave of interest for slide film, it could really invigorate the E6 market and MAYBE just MAYBE make Fuji rethink their direction, i don't see Fuji running away from E6 for now.
The availability of chemicals is not going to be a problem, various companies are making E6 chemicals.
Even if FUji were to hypothetically exit the E6 market, if Fuji ahs been capable of keeping E6 alive single handedly for 6 years, i think Kodak can too.

hi minolta fan
i agree but the gap is the potential UNavailability of places to
get e6 processed. my local mini lab sends out to the last place around
last places around that process e6, you drop off at a drug store it takes
2 weeks turn around ( fuji >dwaynes ) and who knows maybe at this point
they don't return e6 anymore too, i know everyone but rite aid didn't return c41 negatives
just dye sub +files beamed in from the mothership ..
while i have been processing b/w for IDK close to 40 years, i won't do color
because of chemical disposal issues and even though it is said to be "easier than b/w" ( like c41 )
the only way i will ever use ektachrome of fujichrome again is if it can be processed
AND not cost a kings ransom to get it processed... not everyone wants or cares to process themselves
which is something some folks refuse to take into consideration, i used to take cromes to my local
pro lab back in the day when i was shooting jobs that required trannies, and it cost a fortune then
( 135, 120 and 4x5 ) and that was 20+ years ago ... yep slides are nice to look at but id rather
expose and look at things that don't impact my financial well being .. all my slide film and c41 film
i currently expose ( which i do often ) gets processed inblack and white chemistry to become black and white negatives
with ( at times ) a heinous base tone ( yellow or orange ) that is stomached only by the fact that the coffee stains it a different color.
e6 and c41 faux grain dye clouds looks beautiful ... ( YMMV )
i've got probably 200 sheets+ ( 4x5 ) of velvia and provia that i plan on using soon too ..
just shot a few rolls of sensia too

 

[faberryman]

I'm a Ferrania supporter, with 4 rolls of their E6 film due to me if they ever get it up and running. But those will be the last E6 films that I shoot should I choose to open them.

Why wouldn't you shoot them?

 

[RattyMouse]

Why wouldn't you shoot them?

Too expensive. I don't project so there's no reason to incur such costs.

 

[Sirius Glass]

Why wouldn't you shoot them?

Too expensive. I don't project so there's no reason to incur such costs.

I have a roll of 135-36 Velvia and one 120 Ektachome roll that I have not shot because even though I have a projector, slide trays and a screen I have not used for over thirty years. Not worth the effort for me.

 

[RattyMouse]

I have a roll of 135-36 Velvia and one 120 Ektachome roll that I have not shot because even though I have a projector, slide trays and a screen I have not used for over thirty years. Not worth the effort for me.

I have a half dozen or more rolls of Astia 100F (220 size) in the freezer. Not going to shoot that any time soon, if ever. Plus a lot of Provia 400X.

 

[dscottjorgenson]

Further, there are many alarming signs that Fujifilm has already ceased production of E6 films. Tracking the expiration dates is not showing any new production for quite some time.

This is not my experience. I just received a 5-pack box of Velvia 50 in 120 format expiration-dated January 2020, and a 5-pack box of Velvia 100 in 120 expiration-dated May 2020. That's 1.5 to close to 2 years out, which is about as far out as I would ever receive this film since I started shooting Velvia in the late 1990's. Before receiving this recent shipment, I earlier this year received boxes dated late 2019; and before that, mid 2019; and before that (now we're talking orders I placed in the second half of 2017) early 2019, and etc ad nauseum going on back - always dated about 1.5 years out, give or take a few months.

Nothing has changed in the pattern of expiration dates, as far as I can tell. FYI, I exclusively shoot Velvia in 120 format and have for the past couple of decades. I go through 50-80 rolls a year, ordered a few times throughout the year each year, so I believe I know what I'm talking about.