5 ms·

I even use their film still. Granted they are discontinuing most of their film lines this year but still a very relevant company, especially with their mirrorle

I even use their film still. Granted they are discontinuing most of their film lines this year but still a very relevant company, especially with their mirrorless cameras

paulmd 8y ago
Disappointing, but unfortunately not surprising. They have been winding down their film production for a while now. First it was Astia and some of the oddball LF sizes, then it was FP100C in 4x5, then the 3x4, then FP3000B, and it just keeps rolling on. I've been expecting this for a while and have a good stash of film tucked away that will carry me for quite a while. I have about 150 rolls of various slide films in 120 and maybe 200 rolls of B+W in 120 and 35mm. I'll probably still try to tuck away another 100 rolls or so in the deep freezer if I can. Unlike FP-100C, slide+negative films can be stored for a long time (practically indefinitely) if kept cool/frozen. At this point I am getting worried about how long E-6 processing will be around though. There are DIY kits but they are not archival-grade stable. Fuji is also terrible at communicating these discontinuations to their customers. Several times now it's simply been "oops, we're out, this will be the last shipment", and only to their Asia distribution chain at that.
- Aloha 8y ago
  If no one is buying it - or not enough to sustain production, its going to go away.
  - sho 8y ago
    Yeah, I was gonna say. It's sad, but one can't expect a company to keep an entire production line open just for a rapidly dwindling number of enthusiasts. They have better ways to deploy their resources. It would be arguably negligent for them to not do so. They probably shuttered the production facility years ago and are just running out their inventory. It might actually be quite lucrative, if evil, to buy some for later resale.
  - paulmd 8y ago
    Kodak "rightsized" their film production a few years ago, and film sales are actually on an incline since then (both due to enthusiasts and professional cinematographers). They're actually bringing back various classic film stocks as well as introducing new ones based on modern R&D. Ilford has shed their financial legacy (and toxic waste-dump of a site) and is doing better these days too. https://www.dpreview.com/news/9503675822/analog-revival-increase-in-film-sales-spurs-kodak-to-bring-back-ektachrome https://www.dpreview.com/news/9503675822/analog-revival-incr... https://www.dpreview.com/news/1282034127/kodak-alaris-is-bringing-back-t-max-p3200-high-speed-b-w-film https://www.dpreview.com/news/1282034127/kodak-alaris-is-bri... https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/photography/features/great-film-renaissance-2017 https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/photography/features/gr... Fuji just can't get their act together, and to be honest they've never been a very well-run company. Amazing products (best-in-class film, cameras, lenses, etc) but extremely shitty marketing and distribution, particularly outside the Asia market. They're finally sorta getting it together with the digital side of the company (the X-series are great and have a big following in NA/Europe) but the film side has been a mess for 50+ years. Probably a lesson in there for the entrepreneurs of HN - along with the importance of producing the appropriate amount of product. The really aggravating thing is their instant packfilms (peel-apart Polaroid film) - they literally are making the emulsion anyway for their Instax series (which have been selling like crazy for years), they just need to produce different sizes of film, which has traditionally not been A Big Deal for film companies, up until Fuji made it one. They could increase their volume quite a bit if they would just restart production of the standard film sizes that Polaroid, MF, and LF shooters have been using for decades, but they only make the proprietary one that fits their cameras.
    - davidgay 8y ago
      > Fuji just can't get their act together, and to be honest they've never been a very well-run company. This is a more than strange statement to make in a thread mentioning Kodak, where one of those two companies successfully managed the transition from film to digital, and the other went bankrupt. https://leaderonomics.com/business/kodak-vs-fujifilm-success-failure https://leaderonomics.com/business/kodak-vs-fujifilm-success... is the first hit on "fujifilm vs kodak", but there's quite a few there with the same message...
  - ekianjo 8y ago
    If you dont invest in your products what do you expect? Film sales are actually on the rise globally and Fujifilm is just letting everyone down.
- ricardobeat 8y ago
  Make the move to digital. Their cameras and lenses are nothing short of amazing, and the sensors are tuned to replicate all of their film variants.
  - aaronbrethorst 8y ago
    Not the GP, but I shoot with an X-Pro2 when I'm using digital, but I prefer working with film and I'm still pissed that Acros is being discontinued.
    - sho 8y ago
      The X-Pro2 is a beautiful little camera with a great personality, and the whole X series is just so .. classy, both the hardware and the results. I have an older x100 and people used to come up and ask me about it! One of the reasons I love the series so much is that they're so unassuming, almost looking like fashion accessories because compared to other ranges they just look so good. So people don't shy away from them like they do if you walk around with some giant DSLR like a tourist or some wannabe vlogger. And yet they are capable of just gorgeous pictures, so there's this wonderful nexus between aesthetic form and function that I don't see from any other major manufacturer. And the pictures they take... one of the little joys I get as a casual photographer is when I take a photo of someone, and they love it so much that they immediately post it as their profile picture. This happened more often with the x100 than any other camera, by some combination of having the thing present in the first place, people not being scared of it, and the charming pictures it takes. Good feelings. I've been pretty tempted by the X100F and if there's an update this year I may not be able to resist. No-one ever complimented my Sony...
      - inferiorhuman 8y ago
        Based on my experience with an F30 ages ago I'd expect that their sensors are very competitive. Unfortunately for many remaining uses of a DSLR, the X series isn't that competitive for most of the same reasons the other mirrorless systems aren't that competitive. The small size almost positions the X series as a modern day Leica rangefinder. It's perfect for vacation and street photography, even for more intimate things like weddings... but Nikon and Canon have the autofocus thing locked up (probably with a mountain of patents). Unfortunately if you're shooting weddings you'll want that extra low light capability of a full-frame sensor and mature phase detection AF. If you're doing studio stuff, you probably don't care too much but you would miss the ubiquitous Canikon accessories. Me? I shoot concerts (which is probably why I don't wax nostalgic about film too much). I'd love something inconspicuous like an X series, but I'm almost always shooting at high ISO. If I'm using a manual focus lens I'd miss the instant feedback of an optical viewfinder. If I'm using an AF lens I'd miss the performance of the current crop of full frame DSLRs. In general I'd miss the selection of native lenses available to the dominant DSLR lens mounts. If there's any worry about the longevity of Fujifilm it would be interesting to contemplate a Fuji/Sigma or Fuji/Cosina merger IMO. Sigma's got some crazy sensor technology, and Cosina's got a recent history of making some amazing lenses. Or Fuji/Ricoh/Pentax.
- calypso 8y ago
  I made the switch over to film from years of shooting digital. I’ve fallen in love with the colours and contrast that the Fuji films give. The blues and greens really pop but overall it’s a muted colour palette - love it. I can see why they are doing this and Kodak isn’t but it is sad. I’ll probably end up buying up a bunch of Fujifilm and freezing it as well. A lot of the film from Fuji I see in stores is set to expire late 2019.
- jacquesm 8y ago
  You may want to invest in a generator as well in case your power ever goes out (and an auto-start and automatic transfer switch to go with it). That would be a waste to lose and a lot harder to replace than a freezer full of food.
  - toomanybeersies 8y ago
    Unlike food, film will survive being defrosted and refrozen, as long as it's kept dry. Film doesn't even need to be cold-stored unless you're wanting to store it long term. It should last until the expiry date (usually a year or two) at room temperature without any ill effects.
  - paulmd 8y ago
    The other poster is correct that film isn't harmed by a brief defrosting as long as you don't get condensation on it (it's packaged in airtight plastic canisters or foil wrappers). As long as you don't let it get hot like sitting in a car or something... But unrelated note, get an upright/freestanding/chest deep freezer. With a normal fridge/freezer, when you open the door all the cold falls out. The upright freezers form a "well" that keeps the cold in much better. They will hold a freeze for at least 24-48 hours if you don't open the lid, although much longer and you would probably want to be looking for a generator.
ClassyJacket 8y ago
I buy hundreds of dollars of their instant camera film packs per year. I hope nothing happens to that.
- rangibaby 8y ago
  Instax is doing great. They are discontinuing other sizes of film.
lrem 8y ago
Rumor repeated on r/analog is that they have discontinued producing any film about a decade ago. What we're still buying is the stockpile they froze when caught with pants down by demand dropping by two orders of magnitude. The rumor nicely explains why it's the films that gained popularity that get discontinued first.

I even use their film still. Granted they are discontinuing most of their film lines this year but still a very relevant company, especially with their mirrorless cameras

paulmd 8y ago

Disappointing, but unfortunately not surprising. They have been winding down their film production for a while now. First it was Astia and some of the oddball LF sizes, then it was FP100C in 4x5, then the 3x4, then FP3000B, and it just keeps rolling on. I've been expecting this for a while and have a good stash of film tucked away that will carry me for quite a while. I have about 150 rolls of various slide films in 120 and maybe 200 rolls of B+W in 120 and 35mm. I'll probably still try to tuck away another 100 rolls or so in the deep freezer if I can. Unlike FP-100C, slide+negative films can be stored for a long time (practically indefinitely) if kept cool/frozen. At this point I am getting worried about how long E-6 processing will be around though. There are DIY kits but they are not archival-grade stable. Fuji is also terrible at communicating these discontinuations to their customers. Several times now it's simply been "oops, we're out, this will be the last shipment", and only to their Asia distribution chain at that.

Aloha 8y ago
If no one is buying it - or not enough to sustain production, its going to go away.
- sho 8y ago
  Yeah, I was gonna say. It's sad, but one can't expect a company to keep an entire production line open just for a rapidly dwindling number of enthusiasts. They have better ways to deploy their resources. It would be arguably negligent for them to not do so. They probably shuttered the production facility years ago and are just running out their inventory. It might actually be quite lucrative, if evil, to buy some for later resale.
- paulmd 8y ago
  Kodak "rightsized" their film production a few years ago, and film sales are actually on an incline since then (both due to enthusiasts and professional cinematographers). They're actually bringing back various classic film stocks as well as introducing new ones based on modern R&D. Ilford has shed their financial legacy (and toxic waste-dump of a site) and is doing better these days too. https://www.dpreview.com/news/9503675822/analog-revival-increase-in-film-sales-spurs-kodak-to-bring-back-ektachrome https://www.dpreview.com/news/9503675822/analog-revival-incr... https://www.dpreview.com/news/1282034127/kodak-alaris-is-bringing-back-t-max-p3200-high-speed-b-w-film https://www.dpreview.com/news/1282034127/kodak-alaris-is-bri... https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/photography/features/great-film-renaissance-2017 https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/photography/features/gr... Fuji just can't get their act together, and to be honest they've never been a very well-run company. Amazing products (best-in-class film, cameras, lenses, etc) but extremely shitty marketing and distribution, particularly outside the Asia market. They're finally sorta getting it together with the digital side of the company (the X-series are great and have a big following in NA/Europe) but the film side has been a mess for 50+ years. Probably a lesson in there for the entrepreneurs of HN - along with the importance of producing the appropriate amount of product. The really aggravating thing is their instant packfilms (peel-apart Polaroid film) - they literally are making the emulsion anyway for their Instax series (which have been selling like crazy for years), they just need to produce different sizes of film, which has traditionally not been A Big Deal for film companies, up until Fuji made it one. They could increase their volume quite a bit if they would just restart production of the standard film sizes that Polaroid, MF, and LF shooters have been using for decades, but they only make the proprietary one that fits their cameras.
  - davidgay 8y ago
    > Fuji just can't get their act together, and to be honest they've never been a very well-run company. This is a more than strange statement to make in a thread mentioning Kodak, where one of those two companies successfully managed the transition from film to digital, and the other went bankrupt. https://leaderonomics.com/business/kodak-vs-fujifilm-success-failure https://leaderonomics.com/business/kodak-vs-fujifilm-success... is the first hit on "fujifilm vs kodak", but there's quite a few there with the same message...
- ekianjo 8y ago
  If you dont invest in your products what do you expect? Film sales are actually on the rise globally and Fujifilm is just letting everyone down.
ricardobeat 8y ago
Make the move to digital. Their cameras and lenses are nothing short of amazing, and the sensors are tuned to replicate all of their film variants.
- aaronbrethorst 8y ago
  Not the GP, but I shoot with an X-Pro2 when I'm using digital, but I prefer working with film and I'm still pissed that Acros is being discontinued.
  - sho 8y ago
    The X-Pro2 is a beautiful little camera with a great personality, and the whole X series is just so .. classy, both the hardware and the results. I have an older x100 and people used to come up and ask me about it! One of the reasons I love the series so much is that they're so unassuming, almost looking like fashion accessories because compared to other ranges they just look so good. So people don't shy away from them like they do if you walk around with some giant DSLR like a tourist or some wannabe vlogger. And yet they are capable of just gorgeous pictures, so there's this wonderful nexus between aesthetic form and function that I don't see from any other major manufacturer. And the pictures they take... one of the little joys I get as a casual photographer is when I take a photo of someone, and they love it so much that they immediately post it as their profile picture. This happened more often with the x100 than any other camera, by some combination of having the thing present in the first place, people not being scared of it, and the charming pictures it takes. Good feelings. I've been pretty tempted by the X100F and if there's an update this year I may not be able to resist. No-one ever complimented my Sony...
    - inferiorhuman 8y ago
      Based on my experience with an F30 ages ago I'd expect that their sensors are very competitive. Unfortunately for many remaining uses of a DSLR, the X series isn't that competitive for most of the same reasons the other mirrorless systems aren't that competitive. The small size almost positions the X series as a modern day Leica rangefinder. It's perfect for vacation and street photography, even for more intimate things like weddings... but Nikon and Canon have the autofocus thing locked up (probably with a mountain of patents). Unfortunately if you're shooting weddings you'll want that extra low light capability of a full-frame sensor and mature phase detection AF. If you're doing studio stuff, you probably don't care too much but you would miss the ubiquitous Canikon accessories. Me? I shoot concerts (which is probably why I don't wax nostalgic about film too much). I'd love something inconspicuous like an X series, but I'm almost always shooting at high ISO. If I'm using a manual focus lens I'd miss the instant feedback of an optical viewfinder. If I'm using an AF lens I'd miss the performance of the current crop of full frame DSLRs. In general I'd miss the selection of native lenses available to the dominant DSLR lens mounts. If there's any worry about the longevity of Fujifilm it would be interesting to contemplate a Fuji/Sigma or Fuji/Cosina merger IMO. Sigma's got some crazy sensor technology, and Cosina's got a recent history of making some amazing lenses. Or Fuji/Ricoh/Pentax.
calypso 8y ago
I made the switch over to film from years of shooting digital. I’ve fallen in love with the colours and contrast that the Fuji films give. The blues and greens really pop but overall it’s a muted colour palette - love it. I can see why they are doing this and Kodak isn’t but it is sad. I’ll probably end up buying up a bunch of Fujifilm and freezing it as well. A lot of the film from Fuji I see in stores is set to expire late 2019.
jacquesm 8y ago
You may want to invest in a generator as well in case your power ever goes out (and an auto-start and automatic transfer switch to go with it). That would be a waste to lose and a lot harder to replace than a freezer full of food.
- toomanybeersies 8y ago
  Unlike food, film will survive being defrosted and refrozen, as long as it's kept dry. Film doesn't even need to be cold-stored unless you're wanting to store it long term. It should last until the expiry date (usually a year or two) at room temperature without any ill effects.
- paulmd 8y ago
  The other poster is correct that film isn't harmed by a brief defrosting as long as you don't get condensation on it (it's packaged in airtight plastic canisters or foil wrappers). As long as you don't let it get hot like sitting in a car or something... But unrelated note, get an upright/freestanding/chest deep freezer. With a normal fridge/freezer, when you open the door all the cold falls out. The upright freezers form a "well" that keeps the cold in much better. They will hold a freeze for at least 24-48 hours if you don't open the lid, although much longer and you would probably want to be looking for a generator.

ClassyJacket 8y ago

I buy hundreds of dollars of their instant camera film packs per year. I hope nothing happens to that.

rangibaby 8y ago
Instax is doing great. They are discontinuing other sizes of film.

lrem 8y ago

Rumor repeated on r/analog is that they have discontinued producing any film about a decade ago. What we're still buying is the stockpile they froze when caught with pants down by demand dropping by two orders of magnitude. The rumor nicely explains why it's the films that gained popularity that get discontinued first.