where there’s smoke there’s forum fire
As reported in this week's UK A.P. (Page 6). Fujichrome Velvia 100F 35mm, 120 and 4×5 formats and Velvia 50 in 4×5 and 8×10 formats will be gone at the end of 2012.
I have not run a roll of film through my FTn since last Christmas. I put a new roll of Fujifilm in when the last roll was used up and it has just sat there in my nice Nikon canvas shoulder bag unused.
Looks like my nostalgia is the victim here as my shooting isn't film anymore! Is this going to affect anyone else?
Oh, I know how this is painful. I occasionally get out the old F bodies, stick on one of the lenses and shoot "dummy" shots, just to remember how it was when we actually had to do something with the camera. Film cameras are no longer the highest resolving medium. If one looks at TTJ's "2000th" post on PAD, the shot of the moon clearly shows this. But the interesting thing is, at least for me, there were not a lot of adjustments on the old cameras. Shutter, aperture, and shoot. The motor drives were about $250 for an "F" body, as I remember, and having a monthly income of $800, this was pretty high. So, we learned how to snap the winding lever, with one flick, and maybe could do 1 - 2 shots a second if really good. And, bracketing was also done manually. Alas, we all grieve the passing of the "File Era".
But, as progress is a part of life, just like Mathew Brady found out, change is the name of the game.
I still have a dedicated darkroom but it was last used years ago. I develop a couple rolls of Tri-X per year but have not printed in ten+ years. Got some good stuff but until I can do enough at one time It'll sit there. The only film I still use is Tri-X.
framer
I was surprised and disappointed to hear that. I ran across some photos from a guy who retired, and then took his fathers 8x10 100yr old camera to Yosemite to try to "re-make" the same photos his father had done almost 60yrs earlier. He shot them all with Velvia 50 and I was just blown away by them. I wish I could have seen those in person! That film has something magical about it, especially at those large sizes.
I have dropped my film to just the good ole Kodak BW400CN (C-41) B&W and just other C-41 (1-hr photo) films I pick up. When Walmart stops doing the 1-hr photos, You know the end is probably near. I still like shooting with my film cameras for some reason but I do not like the cost of development, high-res scanning, and the initial price of the "good" stuff. I have two Walgreen's that still do development (they only have 3 machines left working in the whole state of Nebraska) and I drop off a couple of rolls a month. For me, Tri-x cost about $20 a roll to shoot when it is all said and done. That just gets too pricey to do that much for nothing real.
When I shot B & W film it was Plus-X ASA 80, D-76 1:1 about 80% normal developing time at 68° F. This printed beautifully on contrast grade #3 paper with some burning and dodging. And the quality from the 35mm was so wonderful... a nice full range but distinctively punchy print excellent for reproduction by the printers of the day. (1960's) This was photography. Wet hands, dark rooms, lots of activity in solitude. Concentration. And dust was always with us then as well.
In a few days I will be donating my Nikkor SS tanks to a college near me as they are still doing some film work.
Now, I think we are faced with the process of change. And this is what life is all about. Change. I know of no one who really likes this type of change. Interestingly enough, several months ago I started a thread on the movie "Blow Up". This was about change as well, but for those of us who have tender spots in our hearts for the darkroom the film is a real treat. The photog in the film is in the darkroom a fair amount of time doing the "blow up".
And now, maybe this is why I spend a lot of time on the computer especially with the "brush" in LR 4, fiddling with the end result to get the "camera ready" final product.
Alas... so sad to see the film disappear.
Ah yes... a miss-spent youth in the dark room!!! I used to shoot FP4 and develop at home. Many an evening spent with my hands inside a massive changing bag while I watched TV. LOL!!!
Now I am at the end of my C-41 days (see above), and as TTJ says, it is getting too expensive for no real benefit. In addition, none of my local outlets do one hour anymore. One week, yes....
I think I'd need to get a 120 set up (used to like the idea of owning a Bronica - could not and still cannot justify buying a hassy) and maybe go back to doing my own D&P again. Perhaps as a hobby as it would limit me to B&W art and portrait work only. Perhaps if I charged $600 for a print, I could...
I actually have two large format prints going on display next week in a local gallery for a month, maybe they will sell, in which case.... ;-)
Geez.... I had a Zenza Bronica in the '60's.....sold it to Joel Strasser, one of the great photographers in South Dakota. He used it for many years. Great camera except would crinkle film edges occasionally.
Today, I think if I wanted medium format, I would go with the Mamiya Leaf Credo 80MP Digital SLR Camera Kit with 80mm f/2.8 LS D Lens....I mean, shortly after I win the lottery, ha, ha, ha....
I was looking at an Epson film scanner yesterday as I still enjoy film and I have a lot of film cameras sitting around here. And I love Velvia.
I have often thought of picking up a Fujifilm GA645ZI and grabbing some Velvia and high end B$W stock, but it looks like that will be out the window.
Is there other Velvia 120 left then? I just don't follow film enough to know.
Expired Velvia is still available in good quantity, especially on eBay. I gave away 16 rolls of Velvia 100 to the guy who bought my F100 off me in June. It was a surprisingly difficult thing to give away as almost anyone still shooting film seriously is shooting in B&W and does their own processing. The lab costs for color are so high that its really pointless to bother unless its really just to bring back good memories of "back in the day".
I say the less chemistry in photography the better, but to each their own. :]
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