For years we have talked about the resurgence of film cameras. While some saw it as a 'moment in hipsterdom' - the love for analogue film doesn't seem to be subsiding.
There is something nice about tangible objects (film & print), the limited amount of shots in a roll of film, and that you can actually buy some pretty cool second-hand cameras at reasonable prices. Shooting with film also seems to slow the capture process down. It's almost the antithesis of digital shooting where you blast away and edit later. Film makes you compose carefully and edit 'in camera'.
But where is the film industry going? Are they going to be there for us in the near future? Without film and the chemicals to develop and print the images, our cameras become mere curios and paperweights.
Unfortunately for the photo industry, the Kodak brand owner Sino Promise is withdrawing all Kodak paper and chemistry from Australian markets (and probably the whole world).
But in a bit of good news, according to a recent discussion with Inside Imaging at a Photo Printing Summit in Europe, Fujifilm has committed to the foreseeable future of the silver halide ecosystem.
In summery, Fujifilm discusses:
• The development of a more bio-degradable silver halide paper
• The future of their remaining one paper factory and two photochemical factories
• Procurement of raw materials
• Issues of supply, lack of film technicians and the manufacturing processes
• Future investment into film manufacturing
• Differences between inkjet and silver halide and digital press
• Looking to ‘other companies’ to collaborate on film manufacture
Currently, Fujifilm has 7 films on the market:
• 3 colour negative: Fujicolor C200; Super X-TRA400; PRO 400
• 3 colour reversal (slide) : Velvia 50; Velvia 100; Provia 100F
• 1 Black & White: Neopan Acros II (100iso)
You can see more on the different films available at Fujifilm here.
You can read more about Fujifilm's 'Medium-Term Management Plan' a.k.a Vision 2023 here.