The writing was always on the wall that the era of black & white films is slowly approaching its end. Fujifilm drove another nail in its coffin by officially announcing discontinuance of its Neopan 100 Acros film in October 2018. This film has been popular amongst B&W photography enthusiasts for decades. Now Fujifilm has decided to bring the curtains down on the whole of Acros line.
The news of this decision was first broken by the Japanese dealers a week back. Taking this decision was not easy for Fujifilm. The company tried to absorb the cost of manufacturing this film by resorting to many cost-saving methods and improving its production efficiency.
But, all efforts came to nought as this loss-making film just could not be brought out of the red. As matters stand, the sales of all Fujifilm existing B&W film and paper products will be ceased forthwith. A statement issued in Japanese as an apology to the photographer read, “Although it is truly selfish, thank you for your kind understanding of our circumstances”.
If you are an avid user of Fujifilm Neopan 100 Acros, you would have known that its 4×5 and 8×10 versions were slated to be discontinued in May 2018. However, there was hope that some consideration would be shown to its 35mm and 120 versions.
But, these hopes were dashed, as they too are set to be discontinued between October 2018 and October 2019. The current price of a 35mm roll is $6.50 and that of 120, $6. So, if you use these two versions, buying them off the shelves now will prove to be an excellent idea.
However, the good news is Fujifilm’s Superia Premium films will still be available for purchase. It is only their packs of threes, and its Velvia and Provia stocks that will disappear.
Source: Petapixel