Fujifilm Japan has just announced a new black-and-white film, Fujifilm Neopan 100 Acros II, and that it will be available in 35mm and 120 formats beginning in the fall of 2019 (the full press release can be seen here).
The new Fujifilm Neopan 100 Acros II will reportedly feature “super fine” grain, excellent sharpness, and three-dimensional tone reproduction. It will also reportedly be improved over the original Acros in that it will provide sharper highlights.
Though it’s not mentioned directly in the press release, there’s hope that Fujifilm Neopan 100 Acros II will share the original Acros’ incredible reciprocity characteristics. Not only does Fuji mention that this new 100 ISO film will be suitable for the standard “wide range of fields,” (architectural shots, landscapes, etc.,) but they also mention night photography and long exposure astrophotography, the last of which requires excellent reciprocity characteristics.
The original Fujifilm Neopan 100 Acros film was discontinued last year, and Fujifilm’s press release today indicates that this discontinuation was motivated by difficulty in manufacturing (procuring raw materials) and generally slow sales (problems that have apparently been solved in the intervening year). When the original emulsion was discontinued, the news was met with plenty of disappointment and a substantial amount of commentary from bloggers, Youtubers, and general photographers world wide.
One interesting note about this surprising news – the Fujifilm press release that announced the new Fujifilm Neopan 100 Acros II specifically mentions the outcry of film photographers that followed the discontinuation of the original Acros as a motivating force in developing this new, replacement Acros. In addition, Fufjiilm specifically mentions young people as an influence on the brand’s plans for film. Both of these points are noteworthy and heartening.
When Fujifilm’s new Neopan 100 Acros II releases we’ll be sure to give it a shot and post our results. Until then, congratulations to the film photography community and to all of you who voiced your opinions. In this case, it’s seemed to have made a difference, and that’s more than can often be said.
[More news, commentary, and useful links at Emulsive]
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Excellent news!