I just saw a press release from FujiFilm that says they have decided to stop making movie film. They state that they will still make film for still photography. For now. I guess it was inevitable. Kodak and Fuji are not charities.
http://www.engadget.com/2012/09/13/fujifilm-ends-cinema-production/
But if you are anxious to jump in and shoot till the very last roll is gone you might be interested in this:
http://www.petapixel.com/2012/09/13/rolleiflex-still-happily-making-analog-tlr-cameras-fx-n-to-debut-at-photokina/
9 comments:
Where is demand, there is market. Tho I would miss Velvia.. But Fuji and Kodak are not only ones making film. :)
Just the only ones making really good film...
Kodak and Fuji are definitely the only ones making really good colour film. Although I shot mostly Fujichrome over the past 20 years or so, I sometimes used Kodak E6 films too. It was disappointing to see that Kodak had given up on producing E6 films several months ago. I was rather impressed with the roll of Elitechrome 200 I shot a little over a year ago, and was hoping to shoot more rolls of the stuff. That won't be happening. I am hoping that at least Ilford will be able to continue producing B&W film if Kodak and Fuji don't. I preferred the Kodak B&W offerings, but thought the Ilford counterparts were quite good too.
One other thing. If it doesn't produce film anymore, should Fujifilm really still be called Fujifilm? Just asking.
FujiFilm? Not much longer...
And you might also be interested in this:
http://plustek.com/usa/products/opticfilm-series/opticfilm-120/introduction.html
Which is not actually "coming soon" but actually available for pre-order:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/890953-REG/Plustek_783064365642_Optic_Film_120_Scanner.html
Seriously, if Kodak and Fuji had any sense they would be helping fund things like this or producing them themselves. This generation will judge film based purely on its digital presentation. Bad scanning is bad for the film market.
Sam
Unfortunately true, cause 6x7 made on Velvia with good scan and good print is simply amazing. Not mentioning 4x5", which when done right is simply incredible, nothing digital is even close. Unfortunately its a bit expensive fun.. :/
Not true, at least for black and white. I've been very happy with the Ilford films I've tried lately and would rate them every bit as good as the Kodak and Fuji B&W offerings.
This does not, of course, help anyone who likes to shoot with color film.
Expensive is not the issue. We've seen this decade that people will pay a lot for what they want. My digital body is still a D80 and I can't even imagine spending what it would cost for, say, a D600 to replace it. That much money buys a mountain of film with which I could make a stack of awesome images with the gear I already have. Conversely, in the film camera market that much money also buys some substantially more impressive gear.
It's not the expense of film that keeps it small, it's ignorance and prejudice. The prejudice of the old guard who knew film well but don't even want to hear about it because they "saw the light" of digital and aren't going back. The ignorance of the newer generation who are often quite intrigued by film but lack a lot of the knowledge that the old guard take for granted. Seriously, there is a whole generation that doesn't know the detail a good scan can pull out of a piece of film, that doesn't know that film can be colour-accurate. We're talking about a generation that doesn't even know that you can get a good shot without the immediate feedback of a screen to look at. There's a huge ready-made audience for a new wave of film shooting that just need the process to be modernised to where it's attractive. Mainly, this falls into two areas:
1. Corner labs are gone or going. There is need for a cheap reliable home automated processor for colour film. Something simple like the three chemical C-41 process but without the manual steps. Something like a mini-Jobo that is built light-duty for cheapness and size and weight but that can take in film, water and chemicals and spit out processed and scan-ready film at the press of a button.
2. Good film scanners for home use. Flatbeds just don't cut it for resolution in the days of the Retina Display unless you are scanning 4x5. Flatbeds typically also don't have the DMAX for a robustly exposed piece of film. After Nikon killed the Coolscan there was essentially nothing beneath the Hasselblad scanners until Plustek launched this new 120 model.
Build it and they will come. Although all the old "post-film" greybeards will grumble, mock and complain. The new generation are eager and ready to take film to its next level.
Sam
Film is not dead. It's still very beautiful and elegant. If you want people to shoot film you have to shoot film and show them what it can do. I'm trying to show film often on this blog. I think it's still a very important art form. Perhaps even a separate one from "digital imaging."
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