Worried about 120 film being discontinued?

picmec · Dec 30, 2015

I'm not worried about 120 film being discontinued. I think there will still be a market for it in the future. You can easily buy oil paints or charcoal sticks today, so perhaps 120 film will be sold in art stores in the future? Perhaps bundled with developer and fixer in nice gift packages? -- What I'm more worried about, are for instance problems like air travel with films. Some years ago one would just take a camera, could buy film everywhere and could also get it developed at the destination. How do you do it today? (But then it also would be virtually impossible to take your oil paints and stuff like turpentine on the plane today... crazy!)

DREW WILEY · Dec 30, 2015

If anything, 120 film has been boosted by all kinds of pro 120 camera gear suddenly flooding the used market at extremely tempting prices.
This has encouraged new users. The inevitable counter-revolution to the digi revolution, and in this case, gear that's likely to be a very durable and lasting investment, which most digi gear comparably priced certainly isn't.

Poisson Du Jour · Dec 31, 2015

It is the "quirky cousin", 220-format film, that will be the first across the "finished" line. But I get no pleasure at all learning of manufacturers culling 120 film (Fujifilm is a prime example!).

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PS: Noted earlier in the thread, I purchase my Velvia 50 / 120 pro-packs from cameraphotofilm.com and, being a Honkers outfit, like everything and everybody else there, it is posted in a timely and very efficient manner to me here in Australia (5 days). The AUD$59 per box is even better than local online eBay sellers.

Drew Wiley:

The next model will have an automated faux photographer program installed as well - then you will also become obsolete!

I have a Fooji X-30 with the same simulation sets as Alan Gales -- excellent for proofing difficult scenes to more than one film roll type. And Fauxtoshop is on my Android (with all my wrinkles I need all the fauxtoshopping I can find before I go on display!!). And I'm not obsolete (because I diversified a long time ago!).

IloveTLRs · Dec 31, 2015

picmec said:
... What I'm more worried about, are for instance problems like air travel with films. Some years ago one would just take a camera, could buy film everywhere and could also get it developed at the destination. How do you do it today? (But then it also would be virtually impossible to take your oil paints and stuff like turpentine on the plane today... crazy!)

I just recently travelled between Europe & the U.S. with 120 film in an x-ray bag (and 2 cameras including a Hasselblad), and had no trouble at all, which was pleasantly surprising. No one asked to see the cameras, no one opened the film safe bag - it was surprising as it's happened to me every single time in the past.

I am more worried about the price of 120 film ..

RattyMouse · Dec 31, 2015

picmec said:
I'm not worried about 120 film being discontinued. I think there will still be a market for it in the future. You can easily buy oil paints or charcoal sticks today, so perhaps 120 film will be sold in art stores in the future? Perhaps bundled with developer and fixer in nice gift packages? -- What I'm more worried about, are for instance problems like air travel with films. Some years ago one would just take a camera, could buy film everywhere and could also get it developed at the destination. How do you do it today? (But then it also would be virtually impossible to take your oil paints and stuff like turpentine on the plane today... crazy!)

I had my film X-rayed (with no bag) about 12 times during my last international travel trip. None of the rolls showed any fogging at all.

Why are you so concerned about X Rays?

RattyMouse · Dec 31, 2015

Alan Gales said:
I own a Fujifilm X100s. It has film simulation settings. I can set it for Provia, Velvia and Astia. The new X100t has a setting that is supposed to look like Kodachrome.

The settings are nice and all but digital does not look like film.

Fuji's film simulations are a sad joke of an experience.

Neil Poulsen · Dec 31, 2015

DWThomas said:
The Ilford films (Delta 400 and HP5 Plus) that I received today from B&H have expiration dates in 2018. To me that's far enough ahead to suggest they are still being produced. We can either sit here and electronically wring our hands, or shoot what we have and buy some more. The latter is more likely to keep them available -- yes? :munch:

I'm not perceiving why there should be any relationship between the expiration date and whether or not we can expect continued production?

Definitely true though: the more we shoot, the longer we can expect 120 to be available. Hopefully, it'll be around for a while.

Perhaps more to the point, will color 120 stay in production?

1kgcoffee · Feb 21, 2019

120 film is now more than or as popular as 35mm film. I can maybe see colour film going away but never 120.

David Brown · Feb 22, 2019

This is anecdotal, (and a resurrected 4 yr old thread) but where I teach beginners and intermediate darkroom, 40-50% of the students bring 120 film. This surprised the owner, who assumed all beginners would have been using 35mm. It took several workshops before he finally got enough reels, negative carriers and lenses for 120.

Andrew O'Neill · Feb 22, 2019

Nope. Not for black and white anyways...

Tom Kershaw · Feb 22, 2019

David Brown said:
This is anecdotal, (and a resurrected 4 yr old thread) but where I teach beginners and intermediate darkroom, 40-50% of the students bring 120 film. This surprised the owner, who assumed all beginners would have been using 35mm. It took several workshops before he finally got enough reels, negative carriers and lenses for 120.

I've recently printed a few of my negatives from 2004 / 2005 which are 6x6 '120' format (Bronica SQ series). This was only a year or two after I started photography so I was using medium format pretty much as a beginner. Glad to see I've improved in consistency over time though...

Tom

pentaxuser · Feb 22, 2019

I wonder what the OP decided in the end about the future of 120? He hasn't been around since Aug 2017 so he either decided that it has a future and has had no further need of us or he has decided against it having a future and therefore has moved on .

pentaxuser

Peter Schrager · Feb 23, 2019

pentaxuser said:
I wonder what the OP decided in the end about the future of 120? He hasn't been around since Aug 2017 so he either decided that it has a future and has had no further need of us or he has decided against it having a future and therefore has moved on .

pentaxuser

120 film obviously outlived the OP!!

Deleted member 88956 · Feb 23, 2019

wiltw said:
How many new film stocks, vs. the dozens of emulsions retired by Kodak and Fuji, etc.?!

Heard of demand / supply? No need to insert another nay say into this. Film so far is doing OK and young are slowly getting into it, although not at a level that would support significant increase in commitment to film production. Let's be happy with what we have and support it as best we can.

dynachrome · Feb 23, 2019

I read recently that Kodak/Alaris is about to sell Ektachrome in 120 size again. I also read that they are working on TMZ in 120 size. I suspect that keeping the edges light tight will be the most difficult part of the job. Ilford has managed this with Delta 3200 film for some time. I prefer TMZ so I'm waiting to do some RB67 and GS-1 available light shooting.

Raghu Kuvempunagar · Feb 24, 2019

pentaxuser said:
so he either decided that it has a future and has had no further need of us or he has decided against it having a future and therefore has moved on .

Peter Schrager said:
120 film obviously outlived the OP!!

OP is quite active doing photography: https://www.digitalandfilm.com/bw-street-2019

And at the end of the day, probably that's the only thing that matters.

Worried about 120 film being discontinued?

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