Ektachrome is back......

trendland · Sep 14, 2018

Going through the web one could have the impression : The Film is still there !
Indeed Ektachrome is hanging in its beta test circle for a while.
But it seams to be just a question of some remaining days (better lets say remaining weeks).
So I guess Kodak will bring soon a statement about the target pricing.

Only bad boys would have following idea : First Kodak was waiting for the longest while till the last CT 100 was sold out - after then they will let the cat out of the bag !

My intention now is to ask : What is a realistic pricing to you to a 5 roll 135-36 pack ?

with regards

wyofilm · Sep 14, 2018

trendland said:
Going through the web one could have the impression : The Film is still there !
Indeed Ektachrome is hanging in its beta test circle for a while.
But it seams to be just a question of some remaining days (better lets say remaining weeks).
So I guess Kodak will bring soon a statement about the target pricing.

Only bad boys would have following idea : First Kodak was waiting for the longest while till the last CT 100 was sold out - after then they will let the cat out of the bag !

My intention now is to ask : What is a realistic pricing to you to a 5 roll 135-36 pack ?

with regards

Did this all come to you in a dream?

trendland · Sep 14, 2018

Not really jet :

with regards

abruzzi · Sep 14, 2018

I would start by looking at what Provia and Velvia cost, then hoping like h*** it comes in less.

BrianShaw · Sep 14, 2018

Is that your hand holding the film?

trendland · Sep 14, 2018

Yes that would be nice - but we discused this a year ago and there (last year) USD 17,- up to USD 21,- was a realistic basis a single 135-36 roll.
Today I have got several doubts if Kodak is going to trust to proceed with this target....

with regards

One the right hand you must have an economic base to produce something special like this here,
but what you urgent have a need of is someone who is buying it from your left hand.

abruzzi · Sep 14, 2018

One one hand you have the cost to manufacture, on the other you have what the market is willing to pay. Maybe there is another buyer that subsidizes the cost, but I wouldn’t hold my breath. I think the market is film aficionados, and if it comes out noticeably more expensive than Velvia, there is a good chance it will be DOA.

warden · Sep 14, 2018

trendland said:
Going through the web one could have the impression : The Film is still there !
Indeed Ektachrome is hanging in its beta test circle for a while.
But it seams to be just a question of some remaining days (better lets say remaining weeks).
So I guess Kodak will bring soon a statement about the target pricing.

Only bad boys would have following idea : First Kodak was waiting for the longest while till the last CT 100 was sold out - after then they will let the cat out of the bag !

My intention now is to ask : What is a realistic pricing to you to a 5 roll 135-36 pack ?

with regards

I don't know how you could come to that conclusion, unless I've missed an announcement from Kodak that the beta test found no issues. The purpose of beta testing is to find problems and fix them, and then re-test. I haven't heard of any problems found, but if Kodak found something I imagine we'll be seeing a beta 2.0 or similar before production. Who knows, perhaps we'll be hearing news soon.

As for pricing, yes hopefully they will have a price similar to Fuji products, otherwise it'll be a challenge for them to hit their volume targets.

trendland · Sep 14, 2018

jawarden said:
I don't know how you could come to that conclusion, unless I've missed an announcement from Kodak that the beta test found no issues. The purpose of beta testing is to find problems and fix them, and then re-test. I haven't heard of any problems found, but if Kodak found something I imagine we'll be seeing a beta 2.0 or similar before production. Who knows, perhaps we'll be hearing news soon.

As for pricing, yes hopefully they will have a price similar to Fuji products, otherwise it'll be a challenge for them to hit their volume targets.

Indeed some quite good arguments but I hold on my impression : The Film is finished and testet,
the roll out of Ektachrome is about to start.

My hope is with it (for a good price )

with regards

BrianShaw · Sep 14, 2018

Post #2...

Agulliver · Sep 14, 2018

This week I received the latest printed catalogue from Firstcall Photographic. They're listing Ektachrome as expected to be available later in 2018 and have a price of £9.99 for a 135 roll.

abruzzi · Sep 14, 2018

Given that they’re listing Velvia at £15-16, that sounds positive.(pun intended)

Photo Engineer · Sep 14, 2018

Kodak has just released a "Kodak" branded line of clothing. That was the news last night along with the fact that Kodak stock may be delisted on the stock exchange.

PE

Poisson Du Jour · Sep 14, 2018

BrianShaw said:
Is that your hand holding the film?

It is Michael Turek holding the film.
I am a bit surprised at the lifting of that from Instagram...

Poisson Du Jour · Sep 14, 2018

Agulliver said:
This week I received the latest printed catalogue from Firstcall Photographic. They're listing Ektachrome as expected to be available later in 2018 and have a price of £9.99 for a 135 roll.

That would be around $23 Australian dollars. If so, the film is dead before it hits the shelves as it pits it almost level against the price of Provia 100F 135/36. If Kodak wants to make an impression, it first has to be competitive, and it lost that streak a long, long time ago.

Poisson Du Jour · Sep 14, 2018

trendland said:
Indeed some quite good arguments but I hold on my impression : The Film is finished and testet,
the roll out of Ektachrome is about to start.

What did you sprinkle on your cereal this morning??
Absolutely no announcement has been made by Kodak about ongoing production of Ektachrome, and furthermore, beta testing is continuing until at least the end of September and possibly into October. Then what--??

abruzzi · Sep 14, 2018

Poisson Du Jour said:
What did you sprinkle on your cereal this morning??
Absolutely no announcement has been made by Kodak about ongoing production of Ektachrome, and furthermore, beta testing is continuing until at least the end of September and possibly into October. Then what--??

The other thing I'd wonder. These beta tests were cut from a test coating weren't they? Even if no issues are encountered in the testing phase, do they go and cut production rolls from the same coating, or does that give them the go-ahead to go back and make production batch from scratch? In other words can they jump straight from test to store shelves, or is there another pause while they ramp up production coating for distribution?

Poisson Du Jour · Sep 14, 2018

abruzzi said:
or does that give them the go-ahead to go back and make production batch from scratch?

Can Kodak actually afford to do that? And that may also be a flag for a higher retail cost. Kodak is not making any money from this beta testing, and you bet there are restless folk in the upper echelons of Rochester anxious to see a financial return.

Meanwhile, the locally processed rolls I have seen are unremarkable in appearance, with a few showing surface artefacts that could have appeared during the processing phase.
Disappointingly, most of the beta testers (USA) did not test the Ektachrome at a technical level e.g. small-step under- and over-exposure, push/pull (1 stop), reciprocity, palette rendition with polarisation and cross-processing. I venture to suggest the flood of junk Instagram entries was more like an orgy of showy, self-congratulatory twaddle and incompetence, instead of significant and meaningful testing that could provide valuable information to those watching proceedings from the side, to say nothing of Kodak. But then, that's Instagram, isn't it?

AgX · Sep 15, 2018

Poisson Du Jour said:
Disappointingly, most of the beta testers (USA) did not test the Ektachrome at a technical level e.g. small-step under- and over-exposure, push/pull (1 stop), reciprocity, palette rendition with polarisation and cross-processing. I venture to suggest the flood of junk Instagram entries was more like an orgy of showy, self-congratulatory twaddle and incompetence, instead of significant and meaningful testing that could provide valuable information to those watching proceedings from the side, to say nothing of Kodak. But then, that's Instagram, isn't it?

But is this not also a matter of who Alaris did hand those films to?

Poisson Du Jour · Sep 15, 2018

AgX said:
But is this not also a matter of who Alaris did hand those films to?

Anybody who put their hand up and said, "Me too!" when the call went out for Beta testers. "No experience required" (mind you, it would most definitely have helped a lot of them coming to Ektachrome for the first time!!).
There are a couple of noteworthy, very in-tune testers who know what they are doing e.g. Sandra Coan (portraiture), Olli Sansom (street/mixed). Otherwise, just a lot of time-wasting crap cycling aimlessly around Instagram.

Prest_400 · Sep 15, 2018

Poisson Du Jour said:
Can Kodak actually afford to do that? And that may also be a flag for a higher retail cost. Kodak is not making any money from this beta testing, and you bet there are restless folk in the upper echelons of Rochester anxious to see a financial return.

Meanwhile, the locally processed rolls I have seen are unremarkable in appearance, with a few showing surface artefacts that could have appeared during the processing phase.
Disappointingly, most of the beta testers (USA) did not test the Ektachrome at a technical level e.g. small-step under- and over-exposure, push/pull (1 stop), reciprocity, palette rendition with polarisation and cross-processing. I venture to suggest the flood of junk Instagram entries was more like an orgy of showy, self-congratulatory twaddle and incompetence, instead of significant and meaningful testing that could provide valuable information to those watching proceedings from the side, to say nothing of Kodak. But then, that's Instagram, isn't it?

I'm guessing that the rigurous testing is being done in house at Rochester. If not all the production run is needed for internal testing, might as well spool 'er up and do some PR with it. It's being a bit tedious since we have been seeing it for a while without a certain release date.

AgX said:
But is this not also a matter of who Alaris did hand those films to?

EK seems to have done a similar "limited release" Super 8 7294, but all I know was from a spanish film maker blogger that was glad to be selected as one of the few testers in Europe. http://mimundoensuper-8.blogspot.com/2018/08/la-nueva-kodak-ektachrome-prueba-sobre.html

Sal Santamaura · Sep 15, 2018

Poisson Du Jour said:
...I am a bit surprised at the lifting of that from Instagram...

Really? You're surprised that people appropriate images from the Internet? Why? Respect for others' property and, by extension, for others, long ago disappeared from the on-line world. Sad, but true.

mshchem · Sep 15, 2018

I JUST FIGURED OUT HOW TO SELL FILM TO NITWITS. KODAK NEEDS TO PUT THE FILM INTO DIFFERENT COLORED PAINTED ALUMINUM CANISTERS! 100 Million kids walking around with selfie sticks and canisters for decorating their clothes

railwayman3 · Sep 16, 2018

mshchem said:
I JUST FIGURED OUT HOW TO SELL FILM TO NITWITS. KODAK NEEDS TO PUT THE FILM INTO DIFFERENT COLORED PAINTED ALUMINUM CANISTERS! 100 Million kids walking around with selfie sticks and canisters for decorating their clothes

I wish they would ! I'm thinking of all the lovely little various-colored little aluminium cans my Dad and I threw out, or sent back to the labs containing films for processing, and what they now fetch as collectables on Ebay !

Agulliver · Sep 17, 2018

Poisson Du Jour said:
That would be around $23 Australian dollars. If so, the film is dead before it hits the shelves as it pits it almost level against the price of Provia 100F 135/36. If Kodak wants to make an impression, it first has to be competitive, and it lost that streak a long, long time ago.

Maybe in Australia but pretty much everywhere else that £9.99 (or local equivalent) is cheaper than Fuji slide film.

Firstcall are offering Ektachrome at £9.99 for 135-36
Provia F at £11.66
Velvia 50 at £13.16
Velvia 100 at £13.74

All prices inclusive of VAT.

Going by Firstcall's prices, Ektachrome is going to have a price advantage. This is taken from their latest print catalogue which I received last week. They're expecting Ektachrome to be available in December.

Ektachrome is back......

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