E6/Positive LF film?

[6x6TLL]

I went to buy some film today and figured I'd stock up on Provia and Velvia, having shot the stack of boxes I bought at the beginning of the year.

It was quite a surprise to hear that Velvia had increased to $99/box (20 sheets) and Provia wasn't far behind at around $85. When I bought these last earlier this year it was around $50 for the Provia and $60 for Velvia, as far as I can remember. On the recommendation of a colleague, I bought a few boxes of Ektar instead and will try it out.

Fuji seems to have really increased their prices. I asked, and went online to check, it looks like Kodak only has Ektachrome in 35mm, everything else is negative/C41 or black and white.

Just curious if anyone else had noticed the pretty significant price bump? Business strategy from Fuji, raise prices within the backdrop of there not being any other options to choose from! Kodak has no slide film whatsoever in 120 rollfilm or 4x5 sheets.

Cheers!

[Pere Casals]

Yes...

A 120 Provia roll is now $8.5, if Fuji was selling sheets at same "per surface" price a 20 sheets box woud cost $42, in sheets we have a 200% overprice, very sadly.

So a good choice is using a roll film back for the view camera and shooting 6x12cm, nominally it is not LF but quite close, as 9x12cm is nominal LF yet.

6x12cm is a very wide format but it nails the HD TV/Monitor aspect ratio, also it's good for landscape.


Personally I feel this is as an agression from Fuji to the LF world, they are free to do what they want, but many are discouraged by this 200% punishment that adds to a 200% price increase for the kit chem after eliminating some 5L kits, now 2.5L has the same price that the 5L kits had. We feel vampirized by many.

I know several LF slide shooters that moved to roll film backs for the view cameras, if many do that it can happen that they place more atractive prices for the sheet or they even can discontinue the sheets.


:) we'll have to learn to make Lumiere Autochromes !!!

This is a nice 1917 shot, made with potatoes a century ago, note the well depicted volumes in the propeller:

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3b/Nieuport_23_C.1.jpg

We should as Denise to write a book about that!

https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C1AOHY_esES708ES708&biw=2133&bih=1103&tbm=isch&sa=1&ei=IU3iXcPPLYqyaoHXjpgB&q=Lumiere+Autochromes&oq=Lumiere+Autochromes&gs_l=img.12...0.0..73096...0.0..0.0.0.......0......gws-wiz-img.fzsp7b9tcck&ved=0ahUKEwiD5MCr5ZHmAhUKmRoKHYGrAxMQ4dUDCAc

[Jeroen]

Fuji announced a 30% price increase 9 months ago - and not only for slide film if that gives you any solace.
https://www.dpreview.com/news/0601953051/no-joke-fujifilm-paper-and-film-products-to-get-massive-price-increase-on-april-1

[Tin Can]

Autochromes recipe

https://www.photrio.com/forum/threads/autochrome-recipe-from-metropolitan-museum-of-art.57136/

[Pere Casals]

Autochromes recipe

https://www.photrio.com/forum/threads/autochrome-recipe-from-metropolitan-museum-of-art.57136/

Thanks, I tagged it !

[6x6TLL]

Well that sucks. As much as I love Velvia, I hope Kodak releases Ektachrome for 120 and 4x5 soon. A little competition is a good thing. It seems like now that Fuji is the only game in town for MF/LF E6 emulsions, they can charge whatever they want.

[Drew Wiley]

Scales of economy. Less demand means less buying power in critical materials. Inflation catches up too. Sheet film base is different than for rolls films, and no doubt more costly. "Competition" probably isn't a factor at all any more. One raises prices, so will the other. It's called survival in a diminishing market, and the more commonality they can find in certain materials, or cumulative buying power, the better. They probably think they're doing us a favor offering chrome film at all. I can hardly imagine how expensive 8x10 Ektachrome might be, if they even eventually cut it that size. Fuji's best quality E6 sheet films are long gone. Let's hope this new Kodak 4x5 Ektachrome sticks around awhile. The predecessor E100G was their best Ektachrome ever in terms of versatility, dimensional stability, etc. No sense whining; it won't accomplish a thing. You either have to shell out the money for sheets, or shoot cheaper roll film.

[sperdynamite]

4x5 E100 is coming soon. It'll be in 10 sheet boxes some time next year I think. E100 is IMO better than E100G, and much better than Provia. I have an unopened box of Provia in 8x10 that I'm waiting to shoot. Hopefully that lasts until I can get E100 in that size.

[Pere Casals]

Others think the counter, YMMV. Technically Provia is a bit better, aesthetically, it depends on taste.

[Drew Wiley]

I shot a lot of 8x10 Provia of different generations. It was hell to work with - unstable triacetate base that shrank and failed to maintain mask registration. But that's all one could get for quite awhile until Astia 100F and Kodak E100 G came out. Even E100S was acetate. I'm presuming the new E100, if it ever finally arrives in 4X5 sheets, will be superior polyester stock, if for no other reason, slightly textured for "improved scanning" like their current color neg sheet films.

[6x6TLL]

I contacted an acquaintance who is a rising landscape photographic star and shoots LF. He helped put it in perspective for me - at least there's still film to be had, and what's out there is great quality. The cost is just part of the hobby/expense of doing business.

I agree, just preferred it when it was a bit more affordable, at least for those like me who are just starting out in LF and still need to make a lot of mistakes before hitting their stride.

[Drew Wiley]

I preferred it when it was a LOT more affordable than now. Even the stockpile in my freezer was bought at about a third the going rate. But quality-wise, films are better than ever.

[braxus]

Latest rumour I heard is 120 E100 is coming soon, but 4x5 is still another year away. No mention of 8x10, which I don't think is on Kodaks want list at the moment. They'll decide that after they see how the 4x5 stuff sells.

[fotopfw]

Today Kodak Alaris announced release within 10 days for 120 and 4x5".
4x5" shooters are not all shooting on 8x10", and vice versa.
So looking at 4x5" sales could not be telling the whole truth about the marketing chances of 8x10".

[Drew Wiley]

Once the correct base for sheet film is coated, it can be cut to whatever size is needed. If there's even a single large enough order down the line to meet the minimum for an 8x10 cut, they'll probably do it. But it's probable this entire first batch will go to pent-up 4x5 demand. Time will tell.

[MikeH]

FWIW, Badger Graphic is showing 4x5 E100, $49, availability in 7-10 days...

[Drew Wiley]

I'm waiting to see how the 35mm shots come out, still have a full box of E100G Readyloads, and never order things coinciding with the Christmas rush - too many temp delivery drivers out there for the season. Ektar fills most of my color sheet film needs these days; but there are certain kinds of lighting it just doesn't handle well. I'm getting some of my best RA4 prints from internegs made from older chromes; but that means at least two extra sheets of film, one for the interneg itself, and one or more for the contrast masking. So I can prep only so many of them for printing, or it gets expensive, esp with 8x10. Color 4x5 printing takes a back seat; but I do accommodate a few of them each season. The nicest thing about a chrome is that you know what you've got the moment you slap it onto a light box.