Fuji Acros Users Unite!

[Michael E. Gordon]

My two staple b/w films are Ilford Delta and Acros, and I'd only use Acros if they'd sell it in loose sheets. The QL's are costly and wasteful, and I only prefer to carry them when on overnight/multi-night backcountry trips to save weight.

I have written Fuji twice asking them to release it in loose sheets, but I keep getting the same lame corporate response. Despite my request for a release date (hint, hint), they offer none.

If you use 4x5 Acros and would like to see it available in loose sheets, please tell Fuji: http://tinyurl.com/6qyqf

They won't listen to a few random complaints, so we need to bomb their comment center with requests. Thanks.

[Scott Schroeder]

I couldn't agree more Michael. Perhaps they will listen to a bunch of email!

[Tim Hettinger]

I have been thinking the same thing. Acros is great! and I'd love to use it for everything but can't afford it either!

[Ralph Barker]

If I could talk Fuji into doing what I wanted, they'd buy Ilford, and start marketing FP4+ and HP5+ in QuickLoads. But then, I'd buy less Acros. ;-)

[Sal Santamaura]

First of all, Fuji long ago "released" Acros in loose sheets. Both 4x5 and 8x10 come in boxes of 20 (not 25 like Ilford and 4x5 Kodak 320 TXP). They're just not officially imported by Fuji Photo Film USA. You can buy the 8x10 version from The View Camera Store; doing so will ease your ecological concerns but not the pain in your wallet.

Second, even if everyone who participates in this forum "bombed" Fuji with requests, we wouldn't amount to a blip on its marketing radar. A recent posting about Polaroid T-805 explains how these decisions are made. Anticipated sales volume, not number of requests, is key. If you really want to buy loose 4x5 Acros, get enough people here to convice Fred Newman and Jeff Taugner to once again dirctly import it. In the past when they did, price per sheet was no bargain, given the lower number of sheets per box and the necessarily higher cost for those two reatailers to bring in small quantities of product.

Finally, If you'd like a challenge, convince Fuji to market Acros in *8x10* QuickLoads and a matching holder. Now there's an extremely expensive product I'd spring for in a heartbeat!

[Brian Vuillemenot]

How about RVP in 8X10 quickloads?

[Michael E. Gordon]

I appreciate the marketing savvy, Sal. I have little understanding of how decisions like this are made, so I go with what I understand best: the squeaky wheel gets the oil. It works most of the time for me.

I spoke with Jeff@Badger some time ago about loose Acros, and he didn't sound like he was making any plans to get more.

I'll bitch to Fuji since it's THEIR decision to not make it normally available here.

[Michael Mutmansky]

I talked to the Fuji reps at Photo Expo extensively about Acros.

They are pretty uninformed about the LF market, but what do you expect, they probably deal with LF issues for less than 1/10 of a % of their time.

I did push them for 8x10 Acros and also 4x5 in regular boxes.

I found out that they only run Acros batches twice a year, so they have a very limited supply of film available, and it sounds like there is no interest in increasing production of accommodate the increased useage that importing it in 8x10 and 4x5 boxes would entail. So unfortunately, unless Fuji decides to buy Illford, I don't see it happening.

That doesn't mean we can't try to get it though.

Was anyone at the VC Conference in Albuquerque two years ago? An email address was put on the board for the Fuji film VP for the US. It's my understanding that the several thousand emails he received requesting Acros QL is the reason we have that today. If anyone has the email (and if it is still active), we could try again on boxed Acros... Anyone have it?

---Michael

www.mutmansky.com

[Tadge Dryja]

I buy 4x5 fuji Acros in sheets here in Japan. It's availible in 20 sheet boxes, which cost about 2200 yen, which is around $20. So, about $1/sheet. This works out to more than Kodak films like TMX/TMY cost in the states, and quite a bit more than the Ilford films cost in the states. (and way, way more than the rebranded fp4 I miss so dearly) However, Imported Kodak and Ilford cost more here, making Acros the cheapest buy in 4x5 (unless there's some place with better prices than Yodobashi that I haven't found).

If some people on this forum really wanted to shoot loose sheets of Acros, maybe I could buy some and ship it... but it might not be worth it. Letters aren't so bad, but everything I've shipped to the US has been quite expensive, and I can imagine it ending up being over $30-40 per box of 20 sheets, at which point you're not saving all that much over the readyloads, and speding way more than any other black and white film.

So maybe I'll try to not make it seem so bad for you guys: Dudes, Acros has that little hole in the corner, like other fuji sheet films! And can you Reeeeealy tell that it's not TMX, on the final print? Reeeeally?

That said I'm happy shooting acros here. Ah, there's a solution -- come to japan! i'll show you all the good camera stores in ginza (like the one where I got a 210 symmar in a flawless compur 1 shutter for $130! who says this country is overpriced??)

-Tadge
http://tadge.net

[ISO 2]

Several of my associates and I also emailed Fuji UK - I think we're still in wishful-thinking mode. The Fuji Acros 5x4" market in the UK just isn't large enough to support the regular supply of 5x4" loose sheets in boxes: Ilford, Kodak and Agfa (well, used to) rule this roost.

Tadge,

Excuse me for being dimmer than f64 - what's with the little hole in the corner??

That's certainly an idea. Is postage expensive to the UK? I'll pass on your offer to a few friends and see if we can club together. $30 is about the price we pay in the UK for 25 sheets of Ilford FP4+. Acros really isn't TMX if it's developed in Rodinal/Pyrocat/Perceptol. Any of those 3 developers makes it stun more than a jinsu ninja cleaver! (Err...Japan's a little out of the way between getting to the studio tomorrow morning and back to the house for a coffee.....)

Best of luck.

ISO2