• Taylor Sperring Apr 24, 2016

  Instax is amazing. 800 asa, no more dust sticking to the image, protected from scratches. 100c is great but get over it!

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• chelo Apr 17, 2016

  Thank you, no matter what happens.

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• Stephen Vincent Apr 16, 2016

  Tbh, they could have marketed it as part of their instax range. When was the last time you saw a pack in Urban Outfitters or a Lomography Store? That a right, if you don’t put your product forward, no one will buy it. Indeed peel apart film and cameras never made it to the “new mainstream” that Impossible and Instax got. It’s clear they never really intended to push it or to keep it alive beyond a purely professional mediums for a small shrinking niche…

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• yakubova-studio.com Apr 16, 2016

  Oh Doc, the letter from Fuji does sound like a polite rebuff. They clearly have no intention of doing anything for this particular film. They are more interested in putting their money into the stupid Instax and their digital cameras. FP-100C be damned, that’s their approach to this segment of their demographic. At this point, the Impossible Project is the only group of people is who we can hope for. Fuji wants their crazy profits, they don’t give a damn about us.

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• johnny v Apr 15, 2016

  Unfortunately, the response does not surprise me & sounds a polite refusal. There certainly seems to be a niche market (as Japan Camera Hunter pointed out, camera stores find it sells out shortly after it arrives), it seems Fuji can’t make the kind of profit it expects. As has been noted before, it seems that film production best lies in the hands of small manufacturers. While Fuji will offer support (what that means is unclear & may only be a polite evasion), perhaps they would be prepared to part with their machinery, formulas, etc . Maybe a kickstarter campaign to obtain it is needed.

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• George Apr 15, 2016

  We are with you all the way Doc!

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• Jay Sorrels Apr 15, 2016

  re thing – as a professional marketer for my sins that old ‘we will continue to support the photographic industry’ feels very much like a brand line that ends a Press Release. Meaning, we will still make Velvia, Instax and digital stuff that makes pictures. Unless I am much mistaken there is nothing else intended beyond good vibes around photos generally. This is a legacy industrial product some artists used. The industrial use is gone. The economics probably make no sense to Fuji. You cannot ‘right size’ production down far enough to break even, much less a profit. The best result will be some access to machines, IP and left over packs and pods. Without that, it will be very very hard. Doc – you are a hero of heroes whatever happens!

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• Jay Sorrels Apr 14, 2016

  I noticed that the change.org page was more specific on alleged proposals given to Fuji. I reasonably well connected in this world and so here is a take from me:
  Florian is a sensible, well advised man. I assumed these would have been his proposals. In short, one can assume that there is a very good chance the actual emulsion ended production some time ago. I remember in 2008, 09, 10 – regularly getting packs with 2 year + if not 3 year experation dates. The latest batches last barely a year. In reality if the wise Doc is correct and packs are 250k a year, most of that is third world ID. Maybe less than 70k for art if that. In a practical sense, FP-3000b was best given Land Cameras have rubbish slow lenses – and finding big sun or a flash is a pig. As soon as that was gone, my 360 was mostly closet bound. I doubt anything more than packing up the sheets has happened for years. Getting access to that would be great, as contract or buy the kit. But such machines may be used for other things. I must confess I fear we will soon be in cottage industry country with well intentioned but not great $20 per shot stuff, at best. All these people that say hey make a new camera! Advertise the material! Know nothing of business. Outside of third world ID, pack film is so niche it makes the not great but ok Impossible Project integral – barely able to sell 1m units, look as mainstream as Coca-Cola. Remember Polaroid sold 16m packs before the criminals ended it. It has taken years to get to 1/16 of that – losing marketing and sales channels hurts. I’m hoping, but am sad and skeptical. If Doc’s atomic genius is able to do something – it needs to be a fast speed. ISO 100 does not work – and it is unlikely to have a market beyond 50,000 units. I would not be sure even FP-3000b can do 100k. That dwarfs the romantic but not exactly mainstream New55 but again is a minority of a minority of a minority. May the Gods and Fuji’s PR department please help us.

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• Francis Van Maele Apr 14, 2016

  “while we cannot continue to manufacture and market the FP-100C, we will continue to support the photographic industry.” .. I’m afraid I understand here "sorry we have to stop peel apart production but we continue activities in photography such as instax and digital.. I hope I’m wrong !!

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• Kraig Apr 14, 2016

  this is news, please let there be a way to continue production, fingers crossed for a way to continue peal a part film.

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• Vernon Jenewein Apr 14, 2016

  Fujifilm exec said ""while we cannot continue to manufacture and market the FP-100C, we will continue to support the photographic industry." Let us look at this outside the 9 dots. If Fuji can manufacture it for a good profit, they would be let enthusiastic to completely abandon ship. It is not a matter of manufacturing profit, but rather a lack of correct marketing here in the U.S. Open up some of those Fotorama FP-1 Professional and other cameras to the American market with aggressive advertising and they will have a hard task just to keep up with production.

  Scrounging around for the Polaroid cameras of old, and some of the others out there like the Mamiya Press is not the way to sell pack film. They sell Instax film because they have cameras that take that film. New, modern designed cameras that shoot the FP-100c film and heavily advertised would breathe a whole new life into their niche manufacturing, namely color peel apart film that also gives you a nice negative if you wish to get it through some further manipulation.

  Advertise! Advertise!! Advertise!!! that should be foremost on Fujifilm’s mind for their pack film, not shutting it down! They are sitting on the gold mine of opportunity that is just a few feet below the ground and they don’t even know it. If there were no cars, who would go out an buy gasoline? If there were no satellite TV, Cable service, Blu-Ray and DVDs who would go out and buy High Definition TVs? If there are no pack film cameras “NEW” who is going to go out and buy pack film?

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• Genny Apr 14, 2016

  Kodak is staging a comeback of the Super 8 camera later this year and it will take film. If kodak is on an analog revival kick, does anyone think there is a chance they would take this on? We really need someone to mass produce because if it costs a fortune to take a picture, very few people will do it.

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• Aaron Smith Apr 13, 2016

  Doc, Thank you so much for your hard work and enthusiasm! I believe we can do this, even if it requires some reinvention. I love packfilm, and eagerly await every blog post you contribute to our analog family of photographers!

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• Raymond van Mil Apr 12, 2016

  So part one failed sort of…. I keep my fingers crossed.. to purchase those machines and start up a new company would be awesome, even better, because a new startup would be more motivated to keep things alive. But the machines are needed, and it seems they are very reluctant to communicate those possibilities clearly…. please keep going!! we love you for it

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• Axel Apr 12, 2016

  It’s very frustrating to receive such unclear responses from them. How long will it take until we know exactly what’s going on and what precisely is the problem?

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• WILLIAM LITTMAN Apr 12, 2016

  Their English response translated into Japanese business sense reads" propose- give us an offer we cant refuse and assume this responsibility entirely or we will continue to benefit from this Photo opp. as much as you do" thank you for visiting

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• Rob Apr 12, 2016

  Thank you for these updates. These are very meaningful to me.

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• Chris Apr 12, 2016

  Good to hear that they came back. And thanks for all your time and effort. I really really want this story to have a happy ending. But that final line from the letter, could also mean that they will continue to support photographers by making new versions of the X100 etc. Which, is a great camera. But it does nothing for us in this situation. I hope they either remake the film using new technology, or really assist someone else hoping to make a revised version of the film.

  The only problem with that is that they may see selling pack film as detrimental to the sales of the (currently) popular instax film. We need to make them understand that this would not be the case. Peel Apart film is for a very different user.

  Anyway – I hope they do help and good luck!!!

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• Jay Sorrels Apr 12, 2016

  Doc – firstly, thank you again for your valiant efforts to save this vital, iconic material. We all owe you a tremendous debt of gratitude already.

  I’m sure I am not alone in being curious about a few points.

  While it is clear that your letter was dealt with by the CEO’s office, it sounds as if the response came from somewhere else. Confidentiality means I know you cannot reveal the source, but I am concerned that unless in the original Japanese ‘We continue to support the photographic industry’ carries more implied commitment than in English, it is a standard corporate message line. Without breaking confidentiality it would be great to know that the infrastructure for making Type 100 remains intact and is not being used for anything else at this time. Please excuse my presumption but it seems to me these could be the ways forward:

  -Contract manufacturing by Fuji in the existing facility for a Type 100 film under a new brand, marketed by a new company
  -Purchase (or donation) of relevant machinery and IP by Fuji to a new company
  -Transfer of unused materials (mainly film packs) to a new company, that will develop/adapt a presumably black and white emulsion to it
  -A cottage industry attempt using whatever goodwill Fuji will provide to make a legacy free packfilm from scratch
  -Purchase of all (or most) remaining stocks of FP-100c by a new company to subsidise any of the above

  Of course the most desirable and sustainable options are the first two.

  However given the punishingly low production volumes involved, the first option is unlikely. The second option would be contingent on the current machinery not being used for any other purpose, not being too sensitive to share, and being purchased for more than scrap value.

  I so hope that the ‘circumstances beyond our control’ refers to something that could be remedied by your heroic efforts. As in a revised formulation, new marketing channels, standing orders for product, or some kind of sharing/transfer of infrastructure.

  Otherwise one fears that we will be in cottage industry country – which is a romantic but worst case option by far in terms of cost, product quality and availability. It will not save many cameras from the closet. I’m sure you know all this and are very well advised, but it may well be worth pushing hardest for the top two options – with cross subsidy. Otherwise one hopes that the publicity and goodwill you have earned will give your own legacy free Type 100 venture a fair wind.

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