PE,
Unfortunately, my "lifetime supply" would not help Kodak much. Say I live and I am able to shoot and get/make C-41 chemicals for another 30 years (which may or may not be the case). I would probably want an average of 52 rolls of 35mm per year, and maybe an average of 26 rolls of medium format per year. So, 78 rolls/year times 30 years = about 2,500 rolls. At an average of six bucks a roll (if the film were to be made with today's prices), that is $15,000.
Some people spend this on a top-end digital camera and a few nice lenses, then sell the camera a few years later at a 75% loss. Even though I would really prefer it to be 1000 speed, considering that I could get what I would see as superior performance for my purposes using my existing equipment and the 500T negative film, it doesn't seem like a lot to me, relatively speaking, especially if my gradual stockpiling of the film was stretched out over five or more years.
Of course, the desire may be rendered moot in short order, as darkly lit venues move away from tungsten lamps entirely, and as digital cameras improve in their dynamic range and exposure latitude.
I also realize that at some point soon, even if I continue with analog exposure and processing, printing my own RA prints will be impossible, due to simple lack of paper production combined with its poor keeping properties and a general lack of support for the medium. This means starting to S-C-A-N. Ugh! At that point, I will probably just go fully digital for color, cursing the entire way.
I suspect we will lose color film rather quickly when it finally happens...and that it will be much sooner that this happens than most of us might think.
