The end of Quickload - and not just in the UK.....

[Rod]

Seaosons Greetings to Everyone,

I'm not sure whether this news has yet filtered through to anyone else, but I have just received an email from the Fujifilm Pro Online Shop which I've copied below:

"Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!
We'd like to take this opportunity to wish you a very Merry Christmas and a happy and prosperous New Year from all at the Fujifilm Professional Online Shop.

Quickload Update: May we draw your attention to news just in from Japan that Fujifilm will cease production of all Quickload films from April 2010. Fujifilm UK will continue to stock Quickload film in the following types until stocks are depleted later in the year. We are sorry for any inconvenience this may cause.

Pro 160S Quickload
Provia 100F Quickload
Velvia 100 Quickload
Velvia 50 Quickload"

So, not really such a Merry Christmas message from Fuji for the LF minority. I assume their next move will be to cease production of 4x5 B&W and then 4x5 colour. Having only started with LF a year ago this is highly depressing.

Anyone want to buy a nice Ebony-based outfit going cheap........................?

Sorry to be the bearer of sad tidings,

Regards,

Rod.

[dave_whatever]

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=1335&start=15#p8765

[Thingy]

Anyone want to buy a nice Ebony-based outfit going cheap........................?

Rod.

What have got on offer?

I only started (again) less than a year ago but for me it means returning to double-sided dark slides (yuk). You can still use your Ebony with medium format film using the 6x9 and 6x12 film holders as 120 format should remain available.... when I had my old MPP Mk V I even made my own glass plates at one time (using a emulsion discussed in a book on spectroscopy dating from 1910 detailing how to make and develop the plates to produce colour images!) Still have the book somewhere. Sadly my plates didn't survive - I didn't store them correctly and, er..... being somewhat accident prone .....

...when you drop plastic film, stored in a Clarkes shoe box, they don't shatter....

[timparkin]

Anyone want to buy a nice Ebony-based outfit going cheap........................?

Rod.

What have got on offer?

I only started (again) less than a year ago but for me it means returning to double-sided dark slides (yuk). You can still use your Ebony with medium format film using the 6x9 and 6x12 film holders as 120 format should remain available.... when I had my old MPP Mk V I even made my own glass plates at one time (using a emulsion discussed in a book on spectroscopy dating from 1910 detailing how to make and develop the plates to produce colour images!) Still have the book somewhere. Sadly my plates didn't survive - I didn't store them correctly and, er..... being somewhat accident prone .....

...when you drop plastic film, stored in a Clarkes shoe box, they don't shatter....

Quite impressive creating your own colour film!!

I posted my thoughts on what this might mean to the availability of film in general

http://www.timparkin.co.uk/blog/fuji-qu ... e-analysis

but I also bought a 3 cubic foot freezer and have filled two drawers already - 300 sheets of velvia, 200 sheets of astia, 7 boxes v50 QL, 5 boxes acros QL, 5 boxes Provia QL, 2 boxes Astia QL - I'm thinking about buying another 10 of each Provia/Velvia QL and then only using QL as top up film. i.e. carry two graflex and a couple of dark slides plus 10 sheets of QL. Only use the QL once the rest is used up. I'm also going to stop taking two shots of everything (only take two if the conditions look like they'll never be repeated and I'm not sure about the exposure or conditions - e.g. flowing water).

It certainly isn't the end of the world even when supplied dry up. Sheet film actually has some advantages (price for one). Perhaps us large format photographers will finally ditch the 'trigger happy' stereotype.

Tim

[dave_whatever]

I honestly don't think anyone should panic about the availabilty of film or start selling their cameras just yet. Tim has many good reasons there on his blog post about the manufactiring of sheet film versus Quickload. Plus, look at such a niche curiosity product like Poladoids - if the Impossible Project can resurrect an discontined product like that that has very limited appeal then I'm sure something as relatively universal as Velvia will live on. Even if Fuji pulled out of film entirely, I'm sure some other party could aquire the "recipe" for Velvia. Even Kodak might take it on - god knows if you asked them 10 years ago if they wanted to produce velvia I recon the'd have taken your hand off. Lets not forget there's still people out there shooting oddball ULF like 11x14" etc and they're still getting hold of film somehow.

[uraniumnitrate]

I actualy use quickload in just emergency cases. I load my holders with film and have one pack of quicload with me in cases I run out of holders which is almost never happened. I'm a kind of very selective when out and landscaping and often come back with some unexposed film, so in my case the Fuji's withdrown the quicloads not a disaster and wasn't Kodaks either. I'm not panicing either asd its enough film around. I'm not gonna sell and gonna use film untill I die and thats how it is folks.

I'm not scanning negatives and dont manufacture posters either with mashines. I'm an artist and print with the light with my hands from the enlarger !!!