CatLABS X FILM 320 Pro now available in 35mm and 120

warden

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Huss said:
If you buy the film directly from catlabs‘ website, three rolls is $31 shipped w tax.
Which happens to be the same as the HP5 once you add tax (at least for me in California).
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Sheesh, I deleted that last post because I think I was mistaken and it was actually the old CatKodak 320, not the new CatMystery320 “pro”.

This confusion about the new 320 and the Kodak 320 is silly. They should have chosen a new name to avoid this, and adding "pro" to the new film does it no favors when compared to actual pro films from Ilford that have documentation out the wazoo and are similarly priced.
 
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Agulliver

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pentaxuser said:
$9.00 a roll! It is now £10 a roll at the U.K. site Analogue Wonderland, I have an idea of why the word "wonder" was used but each of us no doubt has his own idea of why it is part of the name of that site

pentaxuser
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I'm not a big fan of Analogue Wonderland but even I don't expect them to buy film from Catlabs at a time when the $ and £ are almost at parity, have it flown over from the USA to the UK and charge less than customers in the USA pay.


But in the meantime, I absolutely demand full documentation on my cats. Full data sheets and just because they are born felines does NOT give them the right to use the word "pro" on their boxes....which they just sit in anyway. For all I know they're ferrets and I won't be using them until their begetter provides me with all the lab paperwork. Yaah, boo, sucks.
 

brbo

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Agulliver said:
I'm not a big fan of Analogue Wonderland but even I don't expect them to buy film from Catlabs at a time when the $ and £ are almost at parity, have it flown over from the USA to the UK and charge less than customers in the USA pay.
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Maybe if they skipped the part of shipping film that is finished in UK back to US before shipping it for sale in UK...

But let's be reasonable, we agreed that even getting ISO rating on this film is too much to expect.
 

Agulliver

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brbo said:
Maybe if they skipped the part of shipping film that is finished in UK back to US before shipping it for sale in UK...

But let's be reasonable, we agreed that even getting ISO rating on this film is too much to expect.
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Surely it's not finished in the UK.

The box says "Made in EU" and the UK is no longer part of the EU.

Not that we know who does what in terms of coating, confectioning, etc. But even if it's all handled somewhere in the EU it must still be imported with taxes into the UK before AW can sell it. Then they add 20% VAT which isn't quoted in the US$ price. I don't see how they could sell it much cheaper.

I'm not a fan of theirs, though I occasionally use them. I don't like that they boast "over 200 films" when many are exactly the same with a different name or box....but I'm not going to knock them either. They're successful in selling film to the younger people we all need to keep film production going.
 

brbo

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Agulliver said:
Surely it's not finished in the UK.

The box says "Made in EU" and the UK is no longer part of the EU.
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Surely you know that it doesn't have to say "Made in UK" on the box if it's finished in UK.

And people are pretty sure it's finished by Harman which I think is still in the UK.
 

pentaxuser

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I am not sure about any film seller not being able to sell their film more cheaply, especially one selling what to use your words are over 200 films when are exactly the same with a different name

A lot of "sellers" of various goods are able to sell stuff to younger people but whose business practices may be less that they should, so should not be regarded as the saviours they get labelled as. They are in the business of seeing an opportunity in a market to be exploited to the full.

A lot of younger people are susceptible to buying anything labelled "new". It's a bit like Elliot Gould desperate to hire Telly Savalas' crop spraying plane in "Capricorn One" for the charge written on a board which is $150 an hour. Elliot immediately opens his wallet and Telly says it's $200 an hour as Elliot agreed to pay $150 too eagerly so can afford to pay more

pentaxuser
 

faberryman

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Agulliver said:
I'm not a big fan of Analogue Wonderland but even I don't expect them to buy film from Catlabs at a time when the $ and £ are almost at parity, have it flown over from the USA to the UK and charge less than customers in the USA pay.
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If it is made in the EU, why would you need to send it to the USA and send it back to the EU. Lack of an EU distributor?
 
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mshchem

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DON'T LEAVE!!!
 

Huss

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Fyi after completing another roll I peeled off the tape to uncover the DX code. my camera shows it to be ISO 1250.
 

Agulliver

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Indeed, I share your issues with a retailer boasting "over 200 films" when several are the exact same film under different names.

However, said retailer cannot offer the film for sale at a price cheaper than they obtain it. If the convoluted process of a third party placing an order with (for example) Foma Bohemia for some Fomapan 400....then labelling it with their own labels, boxing it with their own boxes....is more expensive than buying Fomapan 400 in the first place....that is not the fault of the shop that eventually sells it. I just wish there was a little more transparency.

In the case of CatLabs, while they're clearly not able to tell us exactly what it is....they're saying it's not anything we can buy anywhere else, it's something new...not rebranded or repurposed existing film.

AW does good business selling film to young people with their enthusiasm, engagement with social media and involvement in podcasts. They get their name around. And the few times I've used them, their service has been first class. I just shy away form the reboxed Foma sold under another name and the weird special effects films. Not my bag. But if someone wants them, I'm not going to stop them from spending their money.
faberryman said:
If it is made in the EU, why would you need to send it to the USA and send it back to the EU. Lack of an EU distributor?
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There's still a lot we don't know.....is the film manufactured in the EU then shipped to CatLabs or some other US company to be boxed and distributed? Also remember the UK is no longer in the EU so any import from the EU will attract tax coming into the UK. Then our prices include 20% VAT. It's hardly surprising that £10 is the going rate for a roll of CatLabs film taking all that into account.

As I say above....there's things I will criticise AW for, but wanting to make a small profit isn't one of them. I don't expect them to sell film cheaper than they obtain it.
 

pentaxuser

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Huss said:
Fyi after completing another roll I peeled off the tape to uncover the DX code. my camera shows it to be ISO 1250.
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Thanks Huss. That's at least 3 members who have 1250 codes covered with tape. It may have been as I speculated that CatLABS needed cassettes and that a large quantity of spare 1250s were available cheaply , maybe as a result of a DX coding machine wrongly stamping out 100s or several 1000s before the mistake was spotted

pentaxuser
 

Terryro

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Huss said:
Fyi after completing another roll I peeled off the tape to uncover the DX code. my camera shows it to be ISO 1250.
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Maybe I've missed it in the 28 pages. How'd you like the film? Is it overly contrasty? large grain/small? what's the tonal quality? true film speed? is it an improvement over what you're using now? Is the film developer combination something you like? Will the film add something different and unique to your photography? Maybe all these questions have been answered and I've missed it. Apologies if so.
 
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