Fujifilm to Raise Film Prices in May 2012

Some (more) bad news for film shooters. Besides all the recent Kodak news, Fujifilm has just announced that effective May 2012, the price of ALL film products is going up. While they didn't say how much, some rumors suggest more than 10%!

Fujifilm Corporation has announced that it will implement a worldwide price increase for its photographic films. The price increases are substantial and it would be double digit, but will vary depending on products, markets and regions.

1. Products: Photographic Films: Color Negative Films, Color Reversal Films, Black and White Films, and Quick Snap.

2. Date of Price Increases: Effective from May 2012

The demand for film products is continuously decreasing, yen's appreciation and the cost of production, such as raw materials, oil and energy, continues to rise or stay at high level. Under such circumstances, despite our effort to maintain the production cost, Fujifilm is unable to absorb these costs during the production process and is forced to pass on price increases. To sustain its photo imaging business, Fujifilm has decided to increase the price of photographic films.

Fujifilm remains committed to photographic products and asserts that even with the new price. Its photographic products remain exceptionally good value compared with other system products.

The new pricing structure will be applied to each market based on its individual conditions.

An unconfirmed list of the increases looks as follows:

Fujifilm branded mini lab chemistry (paper) +5%
Fujifilm branded mini lab chemistry (film) +10%
Fuji Hunt branded chemistry RA4 +5%
Fuji Hunt branded chemistry C41 +10%
Fuji E6 chemistry +10%
Fuji B&W chemistry +14%
Fujifilm crystal archive paper +8%
Fujifilm reversal, professional & 35 mm film +20%
Fujifilm quicksnaps +10%

Comments

It's funny - over here all signs agree that there is a move BACK to film ! Even the camera repair techs say that there is more and more old cameras being repaired and returned to service, for use with film. When you look in their scrap bin, and see all the scrapped plastic lens bodies, and plastic cameras, I am not surprised- one tech said that it was a relief to actually work on a decent lens body from the 70's and eighties, with metal, brass, stainless steel mounts, instead of six month old worn out mounts and lens barrels !