Which colour film do you think will die out first?

[andy bettles]

Tim, I am a London based large format photographer who shoots using tungsten lights with a preference for 8x10 colour neg. Kodak stopped supplying 100T 8x10(tungsten neg) in the UK this year at roughly the same time that Fuji stopped supplying their equivalent tungsten colour neg. I was then faced with the prospect of shooting on slide film or shooting on 4x5 for most of my stuff. Luckily I can bring 8x10 film back from NYC when I work there but it has given me a really sharp wake up call as to the motives and ethics of the film companies. I really don't think that neg. will be around for that much longer in 8x10 form even in the states as it seems to be completely market driven, no sales=no profit =no film!! I feel kind of angry that a new working practice is literally being forced upon me,I know that change is a good and positive force but I(rather than Kodak) would like to dictate the speed of transition. I love using tungsten light ,wrapping light around objects,layering tones and gentle gradations down,I find that harder with strobe and nowhere near as subtle. Sad to see my sinar getting dusty in the corner!! Andy.

[Steve Hamley]

Tim,

I spoke with Keith Canham earlier this year (about 4 months) and he stated that he was having trouble keeping up with 8x10 orders, and that 8x10s were flying off the shelves. This has been substantiated by another large dealer I've spoken with recently.

The reasons for 8x10 camera sales increasing vary or are not known, but they do seem to be rising. I'd like to believe 8x10 film choices will be increasing, but may lag camera sales. Maybe at the worst, increasing 8x10 and larger format camera sales will shore up those film producers who choose to continue large format film.

My 2 cents: We'd all like to believe there is a direct correlation between 8x10 camera sales and the viability of 8x10 film, but as an employee of a large company, I can say that large companies, at least in the short term, respond to many more things than seem logical - like an apparent lag time for every major brand of 8x10 camera indicating increasing demand for film. Examples include misguided marketing departments or other business trend watchers who ignore realistic sales indicators (versus fashionable "trends") until they are behind the curve.

I think we can take some comfort that if the use (as opposed to sales) of 8x10 and larger cameras continues, the film market will eventually follow. But then I'm an optimist with a new 8x10 on order.

Thanks!

Steve

[Ted Harris]

Another point is location. Just because a film is unavailable in the US doesn't mean it is out of production. For example, I believe that Agfa RSX II 100 in 4x5, 5x7 and 8x10 is alive and well in markets outside of North America. Just that the professional market appears to be of little or no interest to Agfa's US distribution network. The same sort of behavior hs been true of Fuji in the past too.

[tim atherton]

ted, have your researches turned up anything new about APX II?

[tim atherton]

> I spoke with Keith Canham earlier this year (about 4 months) and he stated > that he was having trouble keeping up with 8x10 orders, and that 8x10s > were flying off the shelves. This has been substantiated by another large > dealer I've spoken with recently.

I'm afraid I don't think Canham selling a few extra cameras this year will make a difference. (my Phillips 8x10 is ser # 447 and I imagine that's over the whole life of the Compact II - we aren't talking thousands of cameras here).

It's pros in NY or LA shooting models or cars and using a hundred or more sheets of 8x10 a day in a shoot that make a difference - and they are the ones stopping using it in droves.

[Bill_1856]

Autochrome.

[Ted Harris]

Tim,

Assume you mean RSX since APX is Agfa's black & white pro film. As for the RSX, what prompted my last post was that I just came across a UK Technical Data Sheet for all Agfa Professional films. The publication is dated 7/03 and that was what set me thinking.





I will email it to you. Anyone else interested please let me know.





Ted

[tim atherton]

sorry - yes RSX - I was jsut doig google searches...

silverprint still lists it in 4x5 and 8x10 - I'll try emailing them

tim

[Ted Harris]

Silverprint is a new one on me .. do you have the website??

[Manuel Gomes Teixeira]

www.silverprint.co.uk !!!