Fujifilm colour negative

[leica dream]

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Just returning to film after 15 years digital I have been practicing on my Leica R6-2 with B/W and ready to move to colour print.

In the early 2000's I used Fuji Superia 200 but cannot locate a "reputable" outlet with stock. I am never sure about stock freshness from ebay sources.

I wanted 24 exp but that seems to have gone, and I read somewhere else that even the Superia range was closed back in 2017. I see on this forum that Acros has also finished. I really liked results of Fuji in the past so would welcome views about which currently available alternative I might find to match Superia quality, and even a reliable UK source.

I know the World is digital these days so I do hope that my plan to rediscover film is not to be thwarted by lack of viable film. I have also found even that "photographic" societies these days are really "imaging" societies. 

Richard

[mikemgb]

Rumours are abounding that Fuji has stopped making film altogether and are simply selling off old stocks, if this is indeed true it limits what is available today. The only mainstream professional films this would leave would be Kodak Ektar and Portra, Kodak also make ColorPlus and Kodacolor Gold which are lower priced.

 

Other than this though there are some other options, Cinestill produce a range of colour films that can give very nice effects. Lomography also produce several films.

 

My advice would be to buy a few rolls of each and shoot them to see what you prefer. Also remember that these days the film type isn't as important as it used to be, at some point your negatives are more than likely to be scanned, you can then make them look like whatever you want.

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[abrewer]

Agree about Cinestill 50 and 800, and the Kodaks of course

 

Beyond that you are looking at the Lomo films and possibly Agfa Vista if you can find it

 

For film photogs on this side of the Atlantic: Freestyle in LA is closing out its remaining Fuji color negative inventory. It's probably time to load up for good.

[Bobitybob]

Richard

 

I don't think Fuji Superia is available new anymore in 200 ISO only in the 400 ISO version.  You could try Fuji C200 which is still available and is allegedly the same as Agfa Vista Plus 200 which is also now no longer available new.  If it's of any help, you could try some of the following in the UK,

 

http://www.ag-photographic.co.uk/film-514-c.asp

 

http://www.firstcall-photographic.co.uk/picture-making/film/c37-all

 

https://www.jackthehat.co.uk/film-c-77.html

 

https://www.photouk.co.uk/index.php

 

https://www.sharifphotographic.co.uk/1485-camera-film

Edited April 7, 2018 by Bobitybob

[leica dream]

Thank you everyone.

Now I am confused.......Whichever film I use will be scanned ready for printing, and I never print larger than A4 size.

What advantages are there for using negative film rather than going for reversal in these circumstances?

Is it just the slower speeds and lack of latitude?

[mikemgb]

Thank you everyone.

Now I am confused.......Whichever film I use will be scanned ready for printing, and I never print larger than A4 size.

What advantages are there for using negative film rather than going for reversal in these circumstances?

Is it just the slower speeds and lack of latitude?

 

Also cost and availability of developing, more places do C41 than E6. Also, if Fuji really have stopped making film your choices would be very limited, I believe just Rollei and Lomography, until Kodak finally releases Ektachrome.

[rjans]

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Also cost and availability of developing, more places do C41 than E6. Also, if Fuji really have stopped making film your choices would be very limited, I believe just Rollei and Lomography, until Kodak finally releases Ektachrome.

Indeed, Fuji(film?) is discontinuing film rapid. E6 development is much expensive compared to C41. Also exposure of slide film requires more attention. Color negative film has more exposure latitude. Due to the discontinuation of AgfaPhoto Vista Plus and the Fuji Superia films I’m considering Kodakcolor Plus. There is also Lomography color negative film. Some info on the YouTube channel Negative Feedback.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=A6J-kVYsfuo

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=JwyIL-OYmNY

For best quality I prefer Kodak Protra for certain projects and for use in 120 MF.

 

Best

Edited April 15, 2018 by rjans

[adan]

The bottom line with color negative film is that Fuji gave up the huge "subsidy" of producing CN film for the motion picture industry - millions of feet per year that help absorb the costs of production.

 

Kodak now has that all to itself, with an annual "agreement" with Hollywood as to a guaranteed amount of production (good for Kodak, they have a guaranteed market and price - good for the movie industry, they have a guaranteed supply and price). And while Kodak's motion picture film and their still-camera cn films (Portra, Ektar) are not identical, they can be made on the same production line/machines.

 

Kodak's reintroduction of Ektachrome is also connected to motion pictures - to provide direct-to-positive color film for use in their "film student/Indy producers" 8mm movie cameras. https://www.kodak.com/corp/blog/blog_post/?contentid=4295004933

 

A few years ago, Fuji and Kodak more or less informally divided up the color film market, with Kodak pursuing negative films and Fuji focusing on positive film (Velvia) and cutting back on their neg film (Pro400H being their last pro color neg film, and ACROS being their last remaining B&W film of any kind). Saved on beating each other's heads out over shrinking market segments that could only be profitable if the whole volume came out of a single factory.

 

(B&W neg film is simpler, lower-tech and cheaper and may or may not be more popular, but in any event has room for Ilford and Adox and Foma (and Lomo and Arista and the legacy "Agfa" brand-name, who repackage(d) film from the others or buy it out of boutique factories in Asia).)

 

The other "subsidy" for CN film was the huge family-snapshot market, which is where most of the collapse in film sales (99% since 2000) occurred.

 

Now, as someone old enough to have seen the film market ca.1972 - when the only real 35mm choices in the US were Kodacolor-X for prints, Kodachrome 25/64 and Ektachome-X (ISO 64) for slides, and Pan-X/Plus-X/Tri-X for B&W negs (availablity of Fuji, Ilford and Agfa was microscopic), I can take the shrinkage of available marques with a stiff upper lip. Back then, you bought what was on the shelf, and still knew you were using exactly the same stuff as the stars at LIFE, LOOK, Nat. Geo and on the walls of the museums - a level playing field.

[sblitz]

The bottom line with color negative film is that Fuji gave up the huge "subsidy" of producing CN film for the motion picture industry - millions of feet per year that help absorb the costs of production.

 

Kodak now has that all to itself, with an annual "agreement" with Hollywood as to a guaranteed amount of production (good for Kodak, they have a guaranteed market and price - good for the movie industry, they have a guaranteed supply and price). And while Kodak's motion picture film and their still-camera cn films (Portra, Ektar) are not identical, they can be made on the same production line/machines.

 

Kodak's reintroduction of Ektachrome is also connected to motion pictures - to provide direct-to-positive color film for use in their "film student/Indy producers" 8mm movie cameras. https://www.kodak.com/corp/blog/blog_post/?contentid=4295004933

 

A few years ago, Fuji and Kodak more or less informally divided up the color film market, with Kodak pursuing negative films and Fuji focusing on positive film (Velvia) and cutting back on their neg film (Pro400H being their last pro color neg film, and ACROS being their last remaining B&W film of any kind). Saved on beating each other's heads out over shrinking market segments that could only be profitable if the whole volume came out of a single factory.

 

(B&W neg film is simpler, lower-tech and cheaper and may or may not be more popular, but in any event has room for Ilford and Adox and Foma (and Lomo and Arista and the legacy "Agfa" brand-name, who repackage(d) film from the others or buy it out of boutique factories in Asia).)

 

The other "subsidy" for CN film was the huge family-snapshot market, which is where most of the collapse in film sales (99% since 2000) occurred.

 

Now, as someone old enough to have seen the film market ca.1972 - when the only real 35mm choices in the US were Kodacolor-X for prints, Kodachrome 25/64 and Ektachome-X (ISO 64) for slides, and Pan-X/Plus-X/Tri-X for B&W negs (availablity of Fuji, Ilford and Agfa was microscopic), I can take the shrinkage of available marques with a stiff upper lip. Back then, you bought what was on the shelf, and still knew you were using exactly the same stuff as the stars at LIFE, LOOK, Nat. Geo and on the walls of the museums - a level playing field.

I also remember GAF (Ansco?) film on the shelves and there were Kodak films tuned to different light temperatures. Only ever liked the Kodak color palette, still feel the same. It was fun to show up in stores around Herald Sq and see these color films in fridges, as opposed to on the shelf in neighborhood drug stores.. I also remember my friend and I keeping the drugstore open Christmas around that time, selling lots of instamatic film and flash cubes. I think today's cell phones deliver a better product than that.

[pico]

Fuji is a giant, highly diversified company. I don't believe they have any fondness for any of their products. They live on the very edge of profitability metrics. I take their actions pretty much as the mine canary in a cage. IOW, ef 'em.

[sblitz]

Fuji is a giant, highly diversified company. I don't believe they have any fondness for any of their products. They live on the very edge of profitability metrics. I take their actions pretty much as the mine canary in a cage. IOW, ef 'em.

Perhaps a mine canary for firms too big to rationalize a film run

 

 

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