Kodak-branded chemicals - official news (they are returning)

[koraks]

Fuji RA developers as discontinued

Fuji Hunt CPRA is a current product. Call Fuji in the US for retailers, or fill out the contact form on originalphotopaper.com and the guy handling your request will forward it to the responsible colleague in your region. They'll point you towards a retailer or at least distributor. The smallest CPRA volume you can get is something like 20 liters, but since the stuff tends to keep pretty well, this is still a sensible quantity given the price. CPRA is also the Fuji Hunt product currently recommended for low-volume/home lab use (not that it matters a whole lot, btw).

 

[1kgcoffee]

This is what I wondered. Champion is listed as discontinued on Unique Photo, it was still showing at Pakor, I didn't talk to them. Fuji is making the stuff everyday of the week to supply commercial labs.

Unique photo is where I normally buy from, but almost every fuji ra developer on their website is discontinued

https://www.uniquephoto.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=search.results&searchString=ra-4+developer

 

[1kgcoffee]

Fuji Hunt CPRA is a current product. Call Fuji in the US for retailers, or fill out the contact form on originalphotopaper.com and the guy handling your request will forward it to the responsible colleague in your region. They'll point you towards a retailer or at least distributor. The smallest CPRA volume you can get is something like 20 liters, but since the stuff tends to keep pretty well, this is still a sensible quantity given the price. CPRA is also the Fuji Hunt product currently recommended for low-volume/home lab use (not that it matters a whole lot, btw).

I'll try this.
I still have enough for several months, fortunately.

 

[MattKing]

I never trust retailer's "discontinued" notices to mean that the product is no longer being made.
They can mean "discontinued by the retailer", "discontinued by the distributor", "discontinued in that particular size or packaging by the manufacturer" or, worst case scenario, "no longer being manufactured in any relevant size or packaging".

 

[koraks]

I'll try this.
I still have enough for several months, fortunately.

Yeah, with this stuff, it helps if you can take some time to get your hands on it. Since it's all aimed at commercial labs, consumer-oriented retail channels aren't too well organized for the most part.

They can mean "discontinued by the retailer", "discontinued by the distributor", "discontinued in that particular size or packaging by the manufacturer" or, worst case scenario, "no longer being manufactured in any relevant size or packaging".

Yes, that's a very relevant comment. Sometimes there's even some arcane reason why the SKU has changed, but neither the product nor its package size has, and the old SKU is listed as 'discontinued' while in reality, it means "we changed a label and three digits of a number in our ERP system somewhere".

 

[mshchem]

Unique photo is where I normally buy from, but almost every fuji ra developer on their website is discontinued

https://www.uniquephoto.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=search.results&searchString=ra-4+developer

https://www.uniquephoto.com/fujifilm-ec1-ra108-developer-replenisher-6x10l-old-number-600005682-

Changed catalog numbers. Listed in minilab supplies. Unique doesn't go out of their way to make this obvious to the home worker. Looks like cases only. As Koraks says call Fujifilm for information, I would guess that small quantities will be difficult to find. ?

 

[1kgcoffee]

This will work, thanks! Unique is one of the few American suppliers that will ship to Canada

 

[mshchem]

This will work, thanks! Unique is one of the few American suppliers that will ship to Canada

Go Canada!!! I'm still seeking asylum.

 

[BMbikerider]

Tried ordering recently. Champion discontinued according to Pakor, all the other main retailers listing Fuji RA developers as discontinued or out of stock. Only thing I can find fresh is full 5L kits or a fuji developer mini lab cartridge from one retailer and some 'silverpixel' from freestylephoto which does not ship to Canada. Blix is readily available.

Rather use premixed but may just end my making own brew, I have most of the chemicals

Champion is still available in UK and is used by at least 5 commercial processing labs. One chemical out let will even split large quantities if required. Their commercial quantities for RA4 developer is 20L but they will sell one of the 5 l component bottles

 

[Adrian Bacon]

I guess this explains why the legacypro bottles are the same as the Kodak bottles. I suspected that photo systems has been making a lot of chemistry for various off brand sources (legacy pro, Arista, etc) that is effectively the same chemistry as Kodak chemistry, just not using the Kodak branding. I doubt legacy pro and the various off brands will go away, they’ll just be a little less expensiv. If you want the Kodak brand on the label, you’ll pay for it.

 

[cmacd123]

I doubt legacy pro and the various off brands will go away, they’ll just be a little less expensiv. If you want the Kodak brand on the label, you’ll pay for it.

although the License terms from Kodak may result in some changes to what they are allowed to sell to other brands. they offically have the secret Kodak formulas and methods now.

 

[Adrian Bacon]

although the License terms from Kodak may result in some changes to what they are allowed to sell to other brands. they offically have the secret Kodak formulas and methods now.

Eh... They had those before the Kodak/Sino promise thing happened, and they were making the stuff for Sino Promise. LegacyPro chemistry has been available for quite a while. I don't recall when it first showed up, but if memory serves it was before the whole Kodak/sino promise thing. I don't think it'll go away, but instead will become a lot like the Arista.EDU/Foma thing. I slightly less expensive and/or different size packaging. For example the L110 package isn't the same size as the HC-110 package.

 

[Adrian Bacon]

For example, Adox registered the D76 mark, so in theory Kodak has to name it differently. It will be interesting to see how the story develops...

That could be something as simple is calling it 'KODAK PROFESSIONAL D-76' or similar. I'd imagine if Adox has any sense about them, in the spirit of supporting the film community, they'd not take Kodak to court over how Kodak names the developer Kodak invented and called D-76 for literally decades before Adox registered its mark. I'm not a lawyer, but just imagine Adox trying to convince a court that it deserves the rights to that and Kodak has to use something different, especially if Kodak can show it was using it (and had it registered) decades before Adox did. If anything, Adox would look like an interloper trying to take advantage of a situation, which isn't a particularly good look.

 

[MattKing]

Yeah, it would be kinda absurd but then why Adox registered the "d76" mark?

So they can defend calling it "ADOX D76".

 

[cmacd123]

So they can defend calling it "ADOX D76".

If it was really abandoned, by registering it they can claim ownership but they have to do so before anyone else claims it. I belive that is how they got the registration of the ADOX name. they certainly are not the descendant of the

Fotowerke Dr. C. Schleussner GmbH (1860 - 1962) or "Adox Fotowerke Dr. C. Schleussner GmbH."​

I don't think one can make a case that the D76 trademark was totaly abandoned once Kodak licened a new manufacturer.

 

[AnselMortensen]

Let's just hope it doesn't get to "Cinestill 800T"-level legal shenanigans...

 

[Adrian Bacon]

Let's just hope it doesn't get to "Cinestill 800T"-level legal shenanigans...

Companies do incredibly stupid things all the time. Just look at Kodak's history. It's actually shockingly easy to get into a place where you're making business decisions that are effectively inside a bubble and everybody outside the bubble is scratching their heads wondering what's going on inside the company that got them there. Shockingly easy, especially if you get people in control that don't view it as any different than any other business and act accordingly.

 

[Radost]

ECN-2 small quantities please…

 

[cmacd123]

ECN-2 small quantities please…

It alrady comes in sizes of about 100 Liters which is "small" for Movie labs... Of course that is a Motion Picture item, and I am not sure of that is sold under the "Kodak Professional" label.

 

[Radost]

Somebody should start breaking it down in small bottles for profit.

 

[Radost]

$50 for a litter? They have some powerful drugs in Italy.

 

[cmacd123]

you can also get a homeECN kit or two sold by Flic film. Many real Photoshops sell them.

 

[Radost]

you can also get a homeECN kit or two sold by Flic film. Many real Photoshops sell them.

Those are expansive as well. Dont know what real Photoshop means…

I make my own. I just would not mind a kodak Flexicolor price ECN-2

 

[Radost]

Please don't assume that the entire photo enthusiast community mix their own chemistry.
Lemme ask you something: if you mix your own chemistry, why are u asking for small quantity kits?

Already explained. Cheaper to mix. But I wouldn’t mind flexicolor priced ecn2. Literally everybody mix their chemicals. not literally but 99%.
If somebody was selling D96 cheaper I will buy it. I buy xtol all the time.
I am not opposed to buying. but $50 per 8 ecn-2 135 films is crazy

 

[brbo]

I am not opposed to buying. but $50 per 8 ecn-2 135 films is crazy

$12.99. Since you mix everything else yourself you already have bleach and fix. Or buy them at Flexicolor prices/quantities and become one of the elite 1% that supposedly don't mix all their own chemistry.