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Fujifilm confirms price increases for film, paper and related print products

It looks like yesterday’s post about Fujifilm price increases has been confirmed directly by Fujifilm. A press release on the Fujifilm website, states that film prices have increased as of today from 20-60%, with more increases to come on paper, chemicals and lab products and services over the next two months.

They say that the price increase comes as a result of a recent rise in costs for raw materials, as well as transportation, and the decline in demand for photographic-related products. Perhaps this must just be a Fujifilm thing because film’s more popular now than it’s been in years.

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Fuji is ramping up its film prices by up to 60% from next month in Japan (and maybe everywhere)

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It almost always seems to be bad news when it comes to Fujifilm. Well, ok, not so much when it comes to their mirrorless cameras but it tends to be when their film stock is the topic of the conversation. If they’re not killing them off completely then they’re ramping the prices up and it looks like that’s what they’re about to do according to a note published to Twitter by Japanese camera shop, Print Koubou.

In a tweet, Print Koubou posted a photo of the note along with a description stating that the prices for paper, chemicals, processing fees, etc. is going to go up from their Fujifilm suppliers and that they’re obviously going to have to pass these costs along to the customer. They say that they’re going to try alternate supplies to keep the prices down but also recommend customers stock up on film rolls as soon as possible.

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This fascinating documentary takes you on a journey through the Kodak factory to see how film is made

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Film’s popularity has been on the rise for a few years now, gaining more and more ground each day. And as Destin Sandlin at Smarter Every Day points out at the beginning of this video, it’s not just us photo geeks that are getting back into it, either. I wouldn’t say it’s becoming “mainstream” again, but it’s regular normal everyday people who are experimenting with film again now.

The 56-minute video is the first of a three-part series in which Dustin takes us on a tour of the Kodak Factory in Rochester, New York where they still have production lines making new rolls of film to keep the growing market happy. Kodak isn’t the only manufacturer of film that’s still around today, but they’re one of the oldest and most legendary.

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Shooting Brenizer method portraits on medium format film to simulate a large format look

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The Brenizer method has been around for a while. In fact, it’s been around since long before it was called the “Brenizer method” – he was just the guy who made it popular so the name stuck. Essentially it’s a way to simulate the look of medium format film when shooting a small sensor camera like an APS-C or full-frame DSLR or mirrorless camera.

It’s a popular and well-known technique these days, but what happens when you shoot it with medium format film? Will it look like it was shot on large format? That’s what photographer Steve Schultz wanted to find out, so he shot some with his Mamiya 645 AF medium format film camera to see what happened.

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Watch: How film and developing actually work – It’s both magic and science

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This is one of the deepest dives into film photography and the developing process I’ve seen. Not surprisingly, it’s from Destin at Smarter Every Day. He says that he went looking to find a definitive video that explained it all and he couldn’t find one. So, he made one.

Destin begins by talking of the “magic” of film and the unique look and character it has that’s impossible to reproduce digitally. He also mentions film’s resurgence of late (I guess it’s mainstream now – the hipsters will be disappointed). But it’s not magic. There’s actual science behind it and Destin takes us to visit Indie Film Lab to see how the process works.

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This video explains the science behind photographic film

I think many of us agree that there’s still something special about film photography even in the digital age. Film photos have some magic to them, and there’s a lot that comes before we see their final look. In this video, Destin Sandlin of Smarter Every Day shows you the magic and the science behind shooting, developing, and scanning a roll of 35 mm film.

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Is 645 medium format film really better than 35mm? Well, yeah. It is.

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I still shoot quite a bit of film when the opportunity allows, and when I do, I still primarily tend to reach for a 35mm. It’s not that it’s the best, or even just the best suited to what I want to shoot, but it’s convenient. The 35mm film SLRs I use the most are all Nikon F mount bodies, letting me use most of the lenses I also own for my DSLRs. But medium format definitely has it’s benefits.

In this video, photographer Kyle McDougall looks at the overall thought process behind using 645 medium format instead of your standard 3:2 ratio 35mm film, as well as some of the objective benefits and drawbacks to the larger format.

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This video takes you behind the scenes of making Kodak film

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It’s impossible to talk about the history of photography without mentioning Kodak. In its 140 years long history, the company has had many ups and downs. But it remains one of the most iconic names in the industry that has changed and revolutionized photography. This fantastic video from Studio C-41 takes you behind the scenes of making Kodak film. In this factory tour, you’ll see the three phases in making Kodak film, but also learn a bit about its history.

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Here’s how to make your own paper developer from scratch

The George Eastman Museum has already shared some darkroom magic with us. For example, they taught us how to make a 35mm daguerreotype and guided us through the salt printing process. In this video, historic process specialist Nick Brandreth teaches you how to make your own paper developer from scratch in the comfort of your home.

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I turned a 610mm World War II spy lens into a 10ft long large format macro camera

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You didn’t ask to learn about bellows extension factors but we’re going to cover it with the most absurd camera that you may ever see!

Built from over two sheets of plywood, scraps of 2x6s, old drywall screws, and the cheapest 610mm lens that I could find on eBay, literally every expense was spared. I would be surprised if I spent more than $200 out of pocket to create this 10′ behemoth.

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