Category: Product News

We are fucked: Polaroid stops making film, for real

Nicolai Grossman 10 Comments

It looks like the sky really as fallen: Polaroid are getting out of the film business.

This article on Boston.com says:

The Norwood and Waltham plants make large-format films used by professional photographers and artists. Polaroid also makes professional-grade films in Mexico, and its consumer film packs come from a factory in the Netherlands. All these plants are slated for closure this year. Polaroid chief operating officer Tom Beaudoin said the company is interested in licensing its technology to an outside firm that could manufacture film for faithful Polaroid customers. If that doesn’t happen, Polaroid users would have to find an alternative photo technology, as the company plans to make only enough film to last into next year.

Fuji makes nice pack/peel-apart films (that I actually like better than Polaroid’s). But where does that leave us for Spectra and 600? Fucked!

Oh, did I mention? FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK!!!

Polaroid 51 & 56 4×5 films discontinued

Nicolai Grossman 1 Comment

Two more Polaroid films are on the chopping block… this times it’s the super-contrasty Type 51 and the sepia Type 56, both 4×5.

The pages linked above say:

NOTICE TO OUR CUSTOMERS: Please be advised that Polaroid will be discontinuing the manufacture of its T51 [/T56] film within the next several months.

We realize that this is disappointing news for our loyal T51 users and we would like to emphasize that, although the circumstances made it inevitable, it was not an easy decision. We are very sorry for the inconvenience. We continue to manufacture and sell T52, T53, T54, T55, T57, T72 and T79 film.

Ugh. Stop the carnage!

Kodak discontinue HIE infrared, Ektachrome 64 & 100 films

Nicolai Grossman Leave a comment

Kodak’s film discontinuance notice says:

KODAK is preannouncing the discontinuance of several smaller running families of Professional film – EPR, EPN and High Speed Infrared (HIE) effective end of December 2007. Demand for these products has been declining significantly in recent years, and it is no longer practical to continue to manufacture given the low volume, the age of the product formulations and the complexity of the processes involved.

We will continue to ship product through the end of this year.

These discontinuances are effective in all countries worldwide, with one exception: KODAK PROFESSIONAL EKTACHROME 64 Film / EPR will continue to ship to Japan beyond 2007.

The suggested replacement for KODAK PROFESSIONAL EKTACHROME 64 Film / EPR is
KODAK PROFESSIONAL EKTACHROME Film E100G or E100GX.

The suggested replacement for KODAK PROFESSIONAL EKTACHROME 100 Film / EPN is KODAK PROFESSIONAL EKTACHROME Film E100G or
KODAK PROFESSIONAL EKTACHROME 100 Plus Film / EPP.

Ektachrome 64 will probably still be available through Megaperls Webshop (at greater cost, of course), who sell Japan-only film photo products to the rest of the world.

Fujinon discontinue production of XPan and some LF lenses

Nicolai Grossman Leave a comment

This is from month or two back, I somehow got it stuck as a draft and forgot about it. Anyway, the following large format lenses are now out of production, so whatever is left in the supply chain is it if you want to buy new:

  • Fujinon-SW 90mm f/8 (shipment ended August 2006)
  • Fujinon-T 300mm f/8 (shipment ended in August 2006)
  • Fujinon-CMW 300mm f/5.6 (shipment ended in December 2006)
  • Fujinon-SWD 65mm f/5.6 (shipment ended in December 2006)

and all of the Hasselblad XPan/Fuji TX lenses stopped shipping in November 2006:

  • 30mm f/5.6
  • 45mm f/4
  • 90mmm f/4

Via Kerry L. Thalmann on the Large Format Photography Forum

If you’re interested in Fujinon large format lenses, check out Thalmann’s Unofficial Fujinon Lenses page. No historical information seems to be available from the manufacturer, and this is far and away the best resource I’ve seen.

Polaroid: Type 55 film NOT discontinued

Nicolai Grossman 2 Comments

Following the story of one of Polaroid’s coating plants closing reported by South Coast Today, several message boards have been alight with rumours that Type 55 positive/negative sheet film is discontinued.

Bill Schwab (who BTW makes fantastic pictures) actually bothered to call Polaroid, and said:

Just got off the phone with Polaroid (easy) where I was told that Type 55 is FAR from dead. In fact I am told sales are quite strong and consistant. I was told there are several coating facilities. I am now forwarding the article David linked to because they did not know of these rumours and want to read them before commenting further.

Check them facts, y’all. Picking up the phone before feeding the fire isn’t hard, it’s responsible. Of course the company may lie to you, but at least you’ve done some due diligence.