FP-100C45 - Discontinued?

[Baigent]

Hi

After a long night searching for a definitive answer i am here! Has FP-100C45 been Discontinued? It seems very hard to find & there seems to be no mention of it on Fuji's site? In a few other threads there are links to were it should be but the 'C45' version of FP-10 doesn't seem to be there??

While im here :) can someone say for sure that Kodak and Fuji have definitely not discontinued 4X5 sheet film? Because I'm just about to build a LF set up for the first time!

Help! & Thanks..

[mdm]

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/278327-REG/Fujifilm_15435638_FP_100C_Professional_Instant_Color.html

[Oren Grad]

Has FP-100C45 been Discontinued?

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/278327-REG/Fujifilm_15435638_FP_100C_Professional_Instant_Color.html


It seems very hard to find & there seems to be no mention of it on Fuji's site?

http://fujifilm.jp/personal/film/instant/peelapart.html


While im here :) can someone say for sure that Kodak and Fuji have definitely not discontinued 4X5 sheet film?

They have discontinued some 4x5 sheet films, but they have not discontinued all 4x5 sheet films.

[Tim Povlick]

The 4x5 version would seem it's still available, on the Fuji site:

http://www.fujifilmusa.com/products/professional_photography/film/fujifilm_instant_films/fp_100c/index.html

Badger and Freestyle show stock.

Best,

Tim

[Daniel Stone]

If you're planning on shooting black and white, there's always Ilford, Foma, and other brands of film to use if you can't source Kodak or Fuji.

for color, they're pretty much the only two games in town. At least in a professional manner of film production. Professional = consistent product from run to run.

but as many(including myself) are doing currently, we're stocking up on our favorite emulsions(color and b/w), and putting them in the freezer/fridge, allowing us to have what we need, when we need it. If you can afford too, buy as much as you can afford, or believe you'll need for the forseeable future, at least with b/w. Color is a little more sketchy.

but frankly, I'm just buying double my "normal" amount than I normally would, and putting those extra boxes in the freezer for those "rainy days" when my favorite emulsions aren't available or have been discontinued.

I just bought 20 boxes of FP-100C45, and since its the only game in town, I don't think they'll stop, but you never know. FP-100B45 (black and white 100 speed instant film) HAS been discontinued, but the color stuff is still a current product as far as I know. And I hope it stays around a good while longer, its nice stuff! I decided to take on a 2nd job, just to fund my habit, that's how serious I am about making sure my materials I like/need are ready, at hand when I need them. Color and b/w.

-Dan

[Baigent]

Thanks for your replies..

Basically i have just paid for a Sinar F1 - i'm yet to buy lenses, film holders etc. I was planning to start with a 120 roll back & PA45 to learn on but know i'm thinking this might be a bad investment and i'm considering re-selling the F1!

I'm only really interested in color & would be processing and scanning at home. Do you think 4X5 will be a medium that will continue into the future?

Thanks again..

[Baigent]

Could anyone recommend a cheap supplier in the UK?

[Daniel Stone]

well Baigent,

the hole(aka LF) can go deep, VERY deep :). Its easy to get sucked into gear-o-mania, chasing pipe-dreams to think that having that special lens will make you a better photographer,etc.... Not true. There's plenty of 4x5 capable lenses out there, and using rollfilm in a back can help you get up and running quickly, w/o having to purchase film holders, etc... Film holders can be had on the cheap, just watch ebay regularly, as well as craigslist(I believe that's in the UK).

just keep a vigilant eye, and go slow. Its a slippery slope, and if you don't plan your steps carefully, its easy to go crazy buying equipment you probably will never need.

just my $.02

-Dan

[rdenney]

I'm only really interested in color & would be processing and scanning at home. Do you think 4X5 will be a medium that will continue into the future?

Kodak just introduced Ektar in 2008, and I suspect they'll produce it for as long as they produce any film. It will be the last to go from Kodak.

Fuji will also consolidate, but I suspect they'll hang on to Velvia, at least, for as long as they make film at all.

I have enough Fuji Quickloads in my freezer to keep me making color photos (at my current snail's pace) for a goodly long time. I will be adding some Ektar to that capability, probably this year--I've just been hearing too many good things about it.

Buy film and use it--that's the only way to enjoy now and in the future.

Rick "120 film seems no more stable in the long term than 4x5" Denney

[Barry Wilkinson]

It's available from Silverprint and AG Photograhic in the UK to name but two.

Barry

[jp]

I think it might be good to store the instant film in a fridge rather than a freezer. There are liquid chemicals in the peel aparts and they should probably stay liquid.
I like the fp-100c45 too and am sad to see the prices creeping up for it. Perhaps that what I get for sharing how to reuse the negative in it? Even at $3/shot, it's cheaper than shooting color film and paying to get it processed. If it were $1-2/shot, I'd use a lot more of it and have fun doing it. That's how the economic theory works where if you make it cheap enough to waste, people will buy crazy amounts of it.

Baigent; if you're looking for something nice to scan, instant would not be the best choice. the instant prints are often a little more contrasty. The instant negatives can be bleached to remove the black backing, but it's more alt-process art than professional color.

Stick to color negative or transparency for high quality scanning. They should both provide excellent results, with the negative being a little more forgiving.

[Oren Grad]

Even at $3/shot, it's cheaper than shooting color film and paying to get it processed. If it were $1-2/shot, I'd use a lot more of it and have fun doing it.

FWIW, the 3.25x4.25 FP100c is less than $1 per exposure. I don't know whether it would be as much less fun as the price is lower...

[Sevo]

Thanks for your replies..

Basically i have just paid for a Sinar F1 - i'm yet to buy lenses, film holders etc. I was planning to start with a 120 roll back & PA45 to learn on but know i'm thinking this might be a bad investment and i'm considering re-selling the F1!

I'm only really interested in color.

Well, the basic rules of the game have not changed for more than sixty years: Unless you have been born wealthy, you must learn the basics of colour in small or medium format film (or, nowadays, digital) and learn the basics of large format in black and white - large format colour or Polaroid are too expensive to be suitable for learning unless you have significant wads of money to to burn.

A 120 back and 3x4 instant holder are a reasonable compromise...

[Daniel Stone]

digital can be a good tool to learn color, and tonal values related to color as well.

especially if you're learning to shoot transparencies IMO. The cameras these days relate very much to how the best chrome films relate to light. I've been considering a 5dII purchase to use to evaluate light meter readings and "test" before committing to a 4x5 (and especially 8x10) chrome. But having a thorough knowledge of how many stops of light your chosen emulsion(especially on chromes) can handle, with or without ND grad filters.

shooting 35mm or 120 helps one to get to know your chosen emulsion better.

shoot the same scene with a 35mm camera, expose the whole roll, metering for a certain "gray value" in the scene, or something that has a similar luminance value compared to a gray card(maybe include one in the scene to be photographed).

-Dan

3x4(medium format sized) FP-100C and a reducing polaroid back are an excellent compromise to the much higher priced 4x5 stuff too

[Fred Haeseker]

Sorry to jump in late but after a lot of searching I haven't been able to find a definite answer. I've been looking at a Fuji PA-45 instant film pack holder. My question -- will the holder fit a spring back (like the older Pacemaker Graphics) or does it require the Graflok back?

[Brian C. Miller]

Yes, both the Fuji and Polaroid pack holders will fit under a spring back.

[rco3]

Yes, both the Fuji and Polaroid pack holders will fit under a spring back.

PA45 does NOT fit under the spring back in my Speed Graphic. Ask me how I know.

[Gene McCluney]

PA45 does NOT fit under the spring back in my Speed Graphic. Ask me how I know.

They WILL fit under a Graflok style back, for sure.