With Fuji's planned introduction of another 120 camera, it seems they must believe there's a future for them in that format
With Fuji's planned introduction of another 120 camera, it seems they must believe there's a future for them in that format
I quite like the idea of newbies (welcome!) ressurrecting 3 year old threads.
I wonder what/where all the original posters are now.
Here's what happened in the past three years.
A digital back on a Hasselblad which cost $29,000 3 years ago, now costs little under $10,000 and runs at 16MP without the noise problems of tiny full frame sensors. 120 roll film is still here, and we've had a new Velvia re-release, Fuji 400X emulsion too. Agfa Scala still refuses to die and is going strong in France with Arka Laboratoire using Agfa's patented process - and Germans flogging off every remnant of Agfa emulsion ever made under various names. Adox has release CMS 20, ATP ultra-fine grain emulsion in 35mm or 120 roll film. There is still a good selection of different film emulsions, and even developments, when you look at the improved Maco emulsions marketed under Rollei with improvements in grain and emulsion structure such as the Rollei Infrared 400 films. Ilford are definitely still here and smaller companies like Kentmere, since bought out, will be re-releasing Art Classic papers.
The real surprise is in smaller 35mm format, Leica, everyone's favourite handbag maker, is still here despite having several scares and Voigtlander continue to churn out lenses. Polaroid, the company who has refused to die, has had an emulsion lift of its own.
Anyhow....I just thought I'd say that, just in case someone decides to ressurect this thread 3 years from now
" and Voigtlander continue to churn out lenses."
No, you mean Cosina makes cameras and lenses with lots of different names. Voigtlander is one of them.
But the German manufacturer that was lastly part of Rollei before their bankruptcy is long gone. Their factory was lastly used by a division of Zeiss to make projectors, including the Hasselblad projector. But that was also in the past.
Also, specific to C-41 and medium format, Kodak has come out with updated versions of the Portra films utilizing 2-electron sensitization, yielding half the grain at the same speed.
To be fair, I think lab resources can be hinder some film uses. My preferred lab for most of my work does not do C-41 for 4x5 films, though they can send it out for me. While that doesn't make too much difference to me, since I am mostly an E-6 film shooter, it does mean I have no interest in trying C-41 emulsions in 4x5 films.
The Kodak reps once handed me some Portra 800 to try against my pushed E200 (120 rollfilms). While they felt it would be a good alternative, what I found was I still liked the E200 results better. Shame they don't make E200 in Readyloads. Of course, now I have Fujifilm 400X as an alternative too.
Ciao!
Gordon Moat Photography
I've lost, ummm, three E6 labs in the last couple of years. Now I mail film to a lab in Massachusetts.Originally Posted by Dphotography
There's got to be C41 and E6 in your city or within reasonable mailing distance. Keep looking.
C
Unfortunately for Kodak, reducing the grain in half allows them to only equal what Fuji had already done with their Pro 160 series.....grain RMS of 3.
CG, don't know where you are in New Hampshire nd a lab in MA may be closer to you but have you tried Slide Specialists in Lebanon? Any size you shoot they process.
DP, please don't tell me it was Dafoe!
O.K., I can breathe a sigh of relief. Just called Dafoe and they are continuing to process C41. They are located in the Old City near Rue Notre Dame. I've been using them for 7 years now for E6 and C41 and their quality is top drawer. Give them a call at 514-286-9151. Their turnaround times are next day.
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