120/220 Freestyle Legacy Pro and Premium....

[Ranger Rick]

If you'd like Freestyle to provide these films (Fuji Acros 100 and Neopan 400, and Kodak Plus-X and Tri-X respectively), you should contact Freestyle to let them know your interest. Here's a reply from Freestyle to an email I sent re. these potential products:

"Thank you for your E-mail. I have passed it on to our Marketing
Department for evaluation. If we receive enough positive feedback from
customers like yourself we should be able to add the 120 & 220 sizes to
the line if the manufacturer can supply us a competitive price and
quantity.

Marv Keller
Manager,
Customer Service & Consumer Direct Sales"


Rick

 

[Stuart Richardson]

Can you explain what these are Rick? As far as I know, Acros, Neopan 400, Plus-x and Tri-x are all easily available in 120. Do you mean getting them in 220?

 

[Ranger Rick]

Can you explain what these are Rick? As far as I know, Acros, Neopan 400, Plus-x and Tri-x are all easily available in 120. Do you mean getting them in 220?

Stuart,

Freestyle gets the Fuji and Kodak films mentioned, packaged for Freestyle under their name (never officially acknowledged lest Fuji or Kodak be offended), but the same emulsions (think of it as a house brand). But this currently is available in 35mm (24/36 exp and 100' rolls). The film is considerable cheaper than the name brand: 36 exp. Legacy Pro 100 (Acros 100) sells for $2 a roll. Compare that with what Acros 100 36 exp. costs in a store.

But they have not done this with 120 or 220 film, just the 35mm. The key would be the pricing being very significantly cheaper.

So it's more about price- if it can be a heck of a lot cheaper in 35mm, one would expect something similar in 120/220. And currently the only B&W film left in 220 is Tri-X. I doubt Fuji or Kodak would add any other film for 220 under the Freestyle brand, but who knows. And if we could get Tri-X in Freestyle Premium 220 at a lower cost, that's fine. I do assume 120 would be more likely than 220, but, hey, worth an effort.

Finally, anything which would stimulate 120/220 film consumption (which lower prices often do in the rest of the world) would be good news for the future of MF/LF photographers!

I hope that answers your question.

Rick

 

[Stuart Richardson]

Ah, interesting. Are you sure that Legacy Pro 100 is Acros and not Neopan SS? I am pretty surprised that they would sell Acros under another label, since it is really Fuji's most technologically advanced and premier film...

Either way, pretty interesting.

 

[mikel]

Hi Stuart,
I've been developing Legacy Pro 100 as Acros and it sure looks and handles (reciprocity) more like Acros than Neopan SS, to me. I've been very happy with the 100 ft rolls for $25, which works out to just over a dollar a roll.

 

[Stuart Richardson]

That's great. I did notice that it's standard time in the Xtol dilution I use is identical to Acros's times. Unfortunately, I don't really have much use for 35mm these days, so I will have to contact them like you said!

 

[Oxide Blu]

Maybe times have changed -- FreeStyle's house band of bulk 35mm film was manf'd in Europe in an old Ilford factory -- basically an Ilford formula. Perhaps that plant closed?

 

[Ranger Rick]

Freestyle's got a number of house brands. These they clearly say are manufactured in Japan and USA, respectively. I think their EDU label is made in Europe- Foma or someone.

 

[mikel]

When I pulled an empty reel out of my Acros loader last week, the reel had Fuji etched in the sides.

I'll put in a request too for 120 size. Thanks Rick for starting the thread.

 

[Zeiss]

Done.

Thanks Rick.