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Where's Provia ?

miha

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Feb 15, 2007
Messages
3,124
Location
Slovenia
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Multi Format
Seems it's out of stock anywhere I look. I'm only left with a couple of propacks in 120 and need to stock up. I did my last purchase in April 2023 when the price was half of what Kodak asks for the Ektachrome. Now I fear for the worst...
 
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At Fotoimpex they periodically charge, but in limited quantities. A month ago I was able to get 10 pieces, but when I last saw availability a week ago, the limit was already 5 pieces per order. Follow regularly - they release, but with a limit on the number of films.
 
At the moment none of the EU retailers have it in stock. I really hope it's temporary.
 
I got two packs of 5 (120 size) Provia 100f last week from Fotoimpex. My local Fujifilm Rep said I should get it in Ireland in November, then December, then January, February ... no sight of it yet. For most EU dealers you can enter your email and get an alert when it comes in, and then act fast. A few dealers (e.g. Foto Ehrhardt will accept your order (and charge you!) and last time I did that I waited around 3 months ... but I did eventually get my film. By the way, the German online shops are still charging around €53 to €65 (incl VAT) plus shipping if outside Germany for a 5 pack of 120. I shoot around 25-30 rolls a year and aim to keep around 50-60 rolls in the freezer.
 
If you're open to the second-hand market:

Picked up 4 2014-expired 135-36 rolls of Provia 100F on eBay last month. It shot like new, rated it at 80. Just under $10 per roll. I've also had great results with expired Sensia 100 from 1996 to 2010, tried like 4 separate batches of it and there was no significant loss in film speed in any of them, just a slight red-purple color shift in the oldest, which was actually surprisingly pleasant. These are sleeper expired E-6 films in my opinion, they either store well or I've gotten lucky. Expired Velvia never fared well for me unless it was frozen. Old Ektachrome results were okay-ish.

All these expired E-6 films were actually going for less money than their C-41 counterparts so I really found them to be a steal for the current market. I was also under the impression that home development of E-6 is hard to get right, but it really isn't. Perhaps many people have that impression and that's why there's less demand?
 
One local retailer removed Provia from their inventory. I hope that’s a business decision and not a reflection of something bigger. Fortunately I found a small stash that should get me through 2024. If there’s no more coming I’ll have to seriously consider moving back to E100, which just hasn’t won me over.

I know there are challenges in making such a complex product for a niche market, but Fuji just doesn’t seem interested anymore. That’s disappointing because when I look back through many years of prints and more recent transparencies, I find I often prefer Fuji’s colors to Kodak.

In the meantime, if I find more Provia I’m hoarding it.
 
I also prefer Provia 100f over Ektachrome, which to me seems to have a slight blue tint, with the added bonus that Provia is less expensive, at least in Europe. I also tend to buy it when I can and store in the freezer.
 
There was a long thread about Fuji which I contributed at the very start of the year. As I usually say, their stance on roll film is quite ambiguous. Both as if uninterested yet also as if the supply chain is bottlenecked... Instax takes protagonism however.

In that thread Henning reported fresh Provia 35mm.

Someone wrote about Fotocasión in Madrid, I was back in Spain during the Xmas holidays and inquired them. Turns out they had Provia 120 dated 8-2025, a few pro packs worth, so I bought a couple of them.
I still have 2020 Provia that I froze, still held as I took a pause off color film during the Pandemic.
As a bonus, it seems some backorder price was held, as it turned out to be 10,80€ a roll. Just below anything Kodak really.

They confirmed that it was available but with very limited distribution and unknown restocking timeline.

Now, Velvia (50) on the other hand appears to be in a similar situation but I didn't find any in stock at all.
 
I, for one, prefer Ektachrome colours, always have, but the price difference is just (or was?) too big to be picky. Also, E100 in 120 is coated on a 3.94 mil Kodak ESTAR support, whereas Fuji uses acetate.
 
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Not Provia I know but I recently managed to get a couple of fresh 5XVelvia 50 in 120 format with a june 2025 expery date.

Provia has been in backorder everywhere in Europe in both format, I wasn't really looking for velvia but figured it would be better than nothing... I really wish Fuji was more candid about their plans with film.
 
As far as I know, in China there're Provia and Velvia available in fresh date, but at high price. Same for Ektachrome E100. Many photographers choose sub-packaged 5294, at about half the price.
 
hoomuzzz said:
As far as I know, in China there're Provia and Velvia available in fresh date, but at high price. Same for Ektachrome E100. Many photographers choose sub-packaged 5294, at about half the price.
Click to expand...

What is "sub-packaged 5294" and where do I get it?
 
ChrisGalway said:
What is "sub-packaged 5294" and where do I get it?
Click to expand...

It's the Ektachrome E100D used in film industry, bought and re-packaged in 135 format. It's available in China via taobao.com, but I'm not sure about EU market. Have you heard of any of these in EU?
 
hoomuzzz said:
It's the Ektachrome E100D used in film industry, bought and re-packaged in 135 format. It's available in China via taobao.com, but I'm not sure about EU market. Have you heard of any of these in EU?
Click to expand...

Thanks for this information ... I was actually looking for 120 size mainly. But good to know.
 
Periodically some stores in Europe have small batches of Provia and Velvia in stock. Yesterday there was Velvia 50 120 in Maco. 10 days ago there was Provia in Fotoimpex. Stocks disappear very quickly...
 
hoomuzzz said:
It's the Ektachrome E100D used in film industry, bought and re-packaged in 135 format. It's available in China via taobao.com, but I'm not sure about EU market. Have you heard of any of these in EU?
Click to expand...

Quite common in Europe, too. Like this or that...
 
lamerko said:
Periodically some stores in Europe have small batches of Provia and Velvia in stock. Yesterday there was Velvia 50 120 in Maco. 10 days ago there was Provia in Fotoimpex. Stocks disappear very quickly...
Click to expand...

Yes, I got 10 rolls of Provia 120 from FotoImpex 2-3 weeks ago, it went out of stock again quickly. Both Maco and FotoImpex have a facility whereby you can be alerted when an item is back in stock. With others (e.g. Foto Erhardt) you can place the order ... and pay! ... a they will deliver when it gets back in stock, in my case that took 4-5 months.
 
Eugen Mezei said:
You have to tell us how you use these expired films. If you just scan, I am not surprised. Projecting is entirely different. Rating at 80 instead of 100 makes me think you just scan.
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True, I have a projector, but my main viewing is by digitizing it with a DSLR and macro lens. I am judging the film speed by how it looks compared to known-fresh E6 film when I hold it up to a light. In other words, a nice bright image without burned highlights. Since E6 doesn't have much latitude, it isn't so hard to determine the effects of expiration.
 
It is easy to tell the degree of expiration/age fog by looking at the black edge of the transparency.
 
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