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

[mtjade2007]

Yes, I am talking about color chemicals. Thanks for the tip. It has been years that the Kodak color chemicals become unavailable.

 

[cmacd123]

Yes, I am talking about color chemicals. Thanks for the tip. It has been years that the Kodak color chemicals become unavailable.

yes, you might want to drop a note to Photo Systems and see what they say.

I understand that Kodak themselves has to approve the quality of each product that Photo Systems makes under the Kodak name. Since they were previously an OEM supplier for the B&W stuff, I would guess that that is easier to get in place for the B&W.

Photo systems also used to make Unicolor many years ago - so they do know what they were doing.
Sino-Proise was making the Kodak Color chemicals, (or at least selling them) so that may be a complication.


the other folks in the Chain are apparently our friends at Cine Still.

Kodak Professional Chemistry Is Back!

The Kodak Professional Photo Chemicals you know and love are back! Here with the original formulas and a brand-new look! Ready for you first is Kodak's legendary Black-and-White chemistry, starring the iconic XTOL, T-MAX, and everyone's favorite D-76. But that's not all! Kodak Color Negative and...

cinestillfilm.com

who are apperently acting as the distributors. the link above indicates the Colour chemistry is expected to ship later in 2024.

 

[KyleMika]

They delivered quite well on the first promise of B&W chemicals, and I did get XTOL from them a few months ago. I don’t see why they would not deliver on their other promises, although I understand the frustration as I am on my last bottles of LORR Flexicolor Developer. I’m also very hopeful for E-6 and RA-4, I have to imagine we are getting close to their next release of chemicals.

 

[Radost]

It's been 6 months and there is no sign in anywhere the chemicals can be found. The hope is fading. Very disappointed. My film photography seems to reach a dead end finally. No chemicals mean no films to me.

ECN-2 from scratch

 

[Tom Kershaw]

Yes, I am talking about color chemicals. Thanks for the tip. It has been years that the Kodak color chemicals become unavailable.

The return of the Kodak colour chemicals would be very welcome, especially considering the market is not exactly over-saturated with stock from other suppliers / manufacturers at the moment.

 

[pentaxuser]

Yes, I am talking about color chemicals. Thanks for the tip. It has been years that the Kodak color chemicals become unavailable.

Are there no other colour chemicals in the U.S. if that is where you are located? There seems to be other makes in the U.K. and Europe.

pentaxuser

 

[mtjade2007]

Are there no other colour chemicals in the U.S. if that is where you are located? There seems to be other makes in the U.K. and Europe.

pentaxuser

I am in California. I have watched various online shops that carried them for several years. Unique Photo is one. Freestyle is another. They currently don't have any Kodak color chemicals except a few overstocked left over items that are incomplete for a C-41 or E-6 processes. Despite there were rumors (I now consider those as rumors) that they are coming back.

 

[koraks]

Despite there were rumors (I now consider those as rumors)

Nah, they're far more than rumors. It's just a matter of time - and not a whole lot of it either:

Photo Systems intends to expand and reintroduce more of the classic chemical products in the next year. We have just finished re-certifying our manufacture of E6 and C41 products with Kodak quality assurance and will reintroduce those in 2024. Shortly after we will reintroduce RA4. We will also look to other products that were KODAK favorites and possibly reintroduce those as well – like C41 or E6 for unreplenished systems in smaller sizes. Our commitment is to support analogue and those photographers that prefer this artistic medium.

KODAK PHOTO SYSTEMS

KODAK PHOTO SYSTEMS Photographic Chemistry and Imaging Solutions

kodak.photosys.com

So you can expect Kodak color lab chemistry back in the supply chain later this year and there's the possibility of home-oriented kits reappearing at some point, too.

 

[mtjade2007]

Nah, they're far more than rumors. It's just a matter of time - and not a whole lot of it either:

KODAK PHOTO SYSTEMS

KODAK PHOTO SYSTEMS Photographic Chemistry and Imaging Solutions

kodak.photosys.com

So you can expect Kodak color lab chemistry back in the supply chain later this year and there's the possibility of home-oriented kits reappearing at some point, too.

Last time I heard they would be back around Summer. It's Summer now but no they haven't shown up. Now we will see if they will be out before Christmas. I really think this is a serious matter for photographic film's survival in America. Hope this time it's real.

Thanks for the positive outlook.

 

[chuckroast]

Last time I heard they would be back around Summer. It's Summer now but no they haven't shown up. Now we will see if they will be out before Christmas. I really think this is a serious matter for photographic film's survival in America. Hope this time it's real.

Thanks for the positive outlook.

That may be true for C-41, but not at all for monochrome. B&W chemistry is widely available in many forms from other vendors, including drop in replacements for Kodak products. It's also worth nothing that it's fairly easy to make your own developers, stop, and fix with a little patience and good lab technique. It's not an extraordinary effort.

The one thing I have yet to find is a good replacement for Kodak Rapid Selenium Toner. That is something you do NOT want to do yourself.

 

[koraks]

It's Summer now

June 20 through Sep 22 is Summer, technically.
They have released their B&W chemistry, in line with what was being communicated in advance. There's no real reason to doubt the announcement about their color chemistry.

I really think this is a serious matter for photographic film's survival in America.

It's nice to have options, but you guys seemed to be doing quite fine when there was no Kodak chemistry to be had. There was much gnashing of teeth, sure, but at the same time I saw hordes of people go through their film and paper just the same. Again, it's nice to have options, especially if this particular option is being validated by Kodak itself.

 

[mtjade2007]

Since Kodak is the main color film brand it really has sent a huge negative psychological shadow in people's mind if Kodak is going to continue to deliver films when the supply of the Kodak branded chemicals for the films vanished for so long without a clear message of what was going on from Kodak. Kodak has mismanaged its analog photography products miserably over the years.

 

[Radost]

Since Kodak is the main color film brand it really has sent a huge negative psychological shadow in people's mind if Kodak is going to continue to deliver films when the supply of the Kodak branded chemicals for the films vanished for so long without a clear message of what was going on from Kodak. Kodak has mismanaged its analog photography products miserably over the years.

Just shoot cinema films. Problem solved.

 

[koraks]

a huge negative psychological shadow in people's mind if Kodak is going to continue to deliver films

Usually, people are very forthcoming with their gloom & doom here on Photrio, but I didn't really see it pan out the way you allege it did.

 

[cmacd123]

Kodak has mismanaged its analog photography products miserably over the years.

one must rember that Kodak was basically arm twisted to spin off their Still Photo Business to Kodak Alaris, which was suposed to fund the Kodak Limited pension plan.. that did not work out and alaris was taken over as an asset when the UK pension board bailed out the Kodak Limited pension plan. I don't imagine that the pension board was spending a lot of capital to grow the total business.

the pension board sold part of that Business to SinoPromise, and that went broke. Photo systems, who had been makiing SOME chemicals for Alaris, and later SIno Promise managed to get a licence to sell Kodak Chemicals direct from Eastman Kodak. They are of Course working on the products that they were already making _B&W _ stuff, as Sino Promise was using a contractor in China for the colour stuff.
with Luck, Photo systems (who you may remember when the sold stuff as Unicolor) with have enough capital and capacity to get the colour Chemicals back by the end of the year.

I would not be surprized to see that the still film marketing business has changed hands in the next few years. Eastman Kodak is proably still willing to make film for that business on a cost recovery plus profit basis.

 

[MattKing]

one must rember that Kodak was basically arm twisted to spin off their Still Photo Business to Kodak Alaris, which was suposed to fund the Kodak Limited pension plan.. that did not work out and alaris was taken over as an asset when the UK pension board bailed out the Kodak Limited pension plan. I don't imagine that the pension board was spending a lot of capital to grow the total business.

This is not how I would characterize the bankruptcy settlement at all.
The obligations attached to the worldwide marketing and distribution business were sinking Eastman Kodak. With the settlement, Eastman Kodak was released from those, and in addition received 100s of millions of dollars in cash, which resulted in Eastman Kodak coming out of bankruptcy as a far smaller entity with a greatly simplified and streamlined business. Most of its still large international workforce became the responsibility of Kodak Alaris, allowing Eastman Kodak to continue.

 

[KyleMika]

Good news, looks like the Flexicolor Developer is almost here

 

[Radost]

Good news, looks like the Flexicolor Developer is almost here
View attachment 375016

I am not looking forward to CInestill price gouging! Or bad customer support.

 

[Oz Etkin]

Listings for Flexicolor chemistry show up on the Kodak website now. https://kodak.photosys.com/collections/kodak-co

$59 for a 2.5L 3-bath small tank kit, $89 for 5L. Not bad prices IMO, cheaper than some of the 2-bath kits.

They also have chemistry in larger sizes for the automated processors.

Hopefully E-6 will become available soon as well.

 

[KyleMika]

This is fantastic news! And $104 for 40L of LORR Developer is great, this is very promising. However, I do notice that the E-6 dropdown disappeared, that is not a good sign.

 

[Oz Etkin]

However, I do notice that the E-6 dropdown disappeared, that is not a good sign.

I noticed this as well. It's not encouraging, but I wouldn't read into it too much in the absence of other information. The "About Us' section of the website still states that they are working on E-6 and RA-4.

 

[MattKing]

There are a couple of other strange glitches on the website - products listed in one place, but not another, when both places would make sense.
When I reached out to them, I received a response from Cinestill indicating that there are changes happening with some product names and other issues that mean that the website is very much a work in progress.

 

[Radost]

Listings for Flexicolor chemistry show up on the Kodak website now. https://kodak.photosys.com/collections/kodak-co

$59 for a 2.5L 3-bath small tank kit, $89 for 5L. Not bad prices IMO, cheaper than some of the 2-bath kits.

They also have chemistry in larger sizes for the automated processors.

Hopefully E-6 will become available soon as well.

3 bath????

 

[cmacd123]

3 bath????

looks like 4 bath from the picture

 

[KyleMika]

At long last, some of the chemicals are in stock (sadly the LORR LU dev is not yet, but expected dates are a great sign).