Petition film 220

Save medium format 220 black & white film

What happens when you are confined to using 120 film? Its length is just half that of 220 film and so is the number of exposures possible: with 4,5x6 you remain restricted to 15 or 16 frames depending on the type of camera, 6x6 gives you just 12 exposures and with 6x7 the number drops to a mere 10 per roll, which is very frustrating. While in a studio an assistant can prepare backs quietly, that's impossible for a photojournalist or an outdoor photographer. Time spent on changing films creates a lack of concentration during the shoot and furthermore the double amount of space needed to carry 120 film compared to the 220 weighs in on the photographer's baggage needs.

Medium format offers an exceptional image quality. In color, the majority of films are made in 120 and 220 lengths. In black and white, the 220 is in the process of disappearance: in Europe only Kodak Tri-X 320 Pro remains while there is some Plus-X 220 available in the USA. But since everybody knows that Kodak discontinued the production of black and white papers one can legitimately question Kodak's will to continue manufacturing black and white film. Ilford ceased the production of both FP4 and HP5 in 220 format and, likewise, Fuji remains confined to 120 for its Acros 100 and Neopan 400.

Moreover, Tri-X 320 Pro differs from Tri-X 400 in that it is especially conceived for the studio and not for available light outdoors photography: highlights are translated with more contrast than the shadows and medium values, which makes it a bad candidate for push processing. Thus, what we really miss is an all-around 400 ISO film in 220, like Fuji Neopan 400, Ilford HP5 Plus or Kodak Tri-X 400. Since Kodak does not wish to get involved we need to engage Fuji or Ilford.

We need your support so that Fuji or Ilford manufactures a 220 black and white film. In order to get them convinced, please sign this petition and tell us how many rolls of 220 film (400 ISO) you would wish to buy in 2006 and which of the two emulsions would have your preference (Fuji Neopan 400 or Ilford HP5 Plus). According to our information a consumption of 20'000 films per annum is necessary so that manufacturing becomes profitable.

The list of all photographers signing this international petition will be visible on the www.film220.com site.

Please send the following information to:

Name:

First name:

City:

Country:

Mail:

Web site:

Number of 220 films (400 ISO) wanted for 2006:

Optional: Type of wanted film (Fuji Neopan 400, Ilford HP5 More)

Petition organized under the responsibility of Philippe Bachelier (www.philippebachelier.com).

List of signatories, by alphabetical order :

Brad Barbeau, Kingston, Ontario, Canada, 20 films
Philippe Bédard, Pontault Combault, France, 10 films
Jean-Luc Boetsch, Sainte Croix en Plaine, France, 50 films
François Boyer, Aix-en-Provence, France, 6 films
Jean-Luc Brémont, Paucourt, France, 40 films
Stéphane Chalaye, Vienne, France (stefan1320©hotmail.com, http://monde.de.stefan.free.fr, http://photoclub.vienne.free.fr), 15 films
Jim Combe. Birchington-on-Sea, England, 30 films
David Debaisieux, Belgium, 10 films
Gérard Delavault, Sarcelles, France, 30 films
Jay DeFehr, Caldwell, USA, 100 films
Yann de Fareins, Uzès, France (www.yann-de-fareins.com)
Andy Hibbert, Liverpool, England, 30 films
Marc Jacob, Lyon, France, 50 films
Alain Longhais, Saint-Dié des Vosges, France, 10 films
Joris Van Looveren, Brussels, Belgium, 10 films
Niall Mitchell, Oakland, California, USA, 50 films
Joe Moree, Albany, USA (www.perfectlyimperfectphotography.com), 50 films
Remi Mouginot, Vert-le-Grand, France (Mouginot.remi©wanadoo.fr, http://perso.wanadoo.fr/remi.mouginot/panoramic), 150-200 films
Philippe Niquet, France, 10-20 films
Paul-Edouard Pinot, France (www.nightlight.fr), 400-600 films
Philippe Sikivie, Liège, Belgium (laurette.mertensàskynet.be), 50 films
Sylvain Vanston, Paris, France, 20 films
Jacques Vedel, La Ravoire, France, 10 films
Patrick Zachmann, Paris, France, 100 films