Film is not dead. In fact, it’s making a huge comeback and Fujifilm’s NEOPAN 100 ACROS II is a testament to that. The company’s now back in the black and white film market.
Fujifilm’s has announced a new film stock called Neopan 100 ACROS II. The company claims the line of film will have “unsurpassed image quality” and “world-class fine grain.” We should also expect to see great resolution and sharpness.
“This 100 ISO film will deliver unsurpassed resolution, fine grain and sharpness, with exceptional detail satisfying a broad range of shooting scenarios and exposures,” Fujifilm says.
Back from the dead
Last year, Fujifilm killed all of its B&W film and photo paper. That was a little more than a year ago in April 2018. Fujifilm’s culled film stocks included its popular Neopan 100 ACROS film. Though there were rumors Fujifilm could bring the film line back, we didn’t hear anything concrete. That was the case at least until now.
After revealing the new line, they said their decision comes from the market’s renewed interest in film photography. That has made Fujifilm put on the brakes and go into reverse. The company now wants to reenter the B&W film market.
Thank you millennials and GenZs
The reason Fujifilm left the film market was that there was a rapid decrease in demand for B&W film stock over the past decade. Plus, the raw materials became difficult for the company to get. However, Fujifilm says millennials and GenZs have become much more interested in film, creating a higher demand for it.
“As the demand for film rapidly decreased over the past decade and raw materials became difficult to obtain, it caused the company to discontinue marketing black and white film,” Fujifilm says. “Thanks to consumer feedback, particularly from millennials and GenZs, who have become the new film enthusiasts, the market is changing once again.”
Availability
Fujifilm says it will be launching Neopan 100 ACROS II in 35mm and 120 medium format. It will first be released in Japan this fall and depending on the demand will be brought to the international markets.
Image courtesy Fujifilm
