Kodak Declares Chapter 11 bankruptcy

[Early Riser]

http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2012/01/19/eastman-kodak-files-for-bankruptcy/?hp

 

[CGW]

Perhaps this and other related threads can be merged? It's just going to amount to a book of condolences. How many more post mortems do we need?

 

[Roger Cole]

Post mortem? Who's dead? Certainly not Kodak, not yet anyway. Chapter 11 is not death.

 

[Hatchetman]

Jeez, finally. Now hopefully they can get this mess cleaned up.

 

[Roger Cole]

Jeez, finally. Now hopefully they can get this mess cleaned up.

Exactly. This doesn't mean Kodak film is out of the woods, of course, but if it is going to get out of the woods, this had to happen. The alternative was dying. Now it might, maybe, live.

 

[keithwms]

Good to see some legal progress being made. Chp 11 is good for Kodak.

 

[Rich Ullsmith]

I'm sure the pensioners and bondholders are thrilled (not). It's going to be a helluva garage sale!

 

[paul ron]

Well start buying up all the film your fridge can hold guys... otherwise lets just go support another film company?

Last man standing is the winner!

 

[Ross Chambers]

6 days ago "The Economist" published this:

http://www.economist.com/node/21542796

I worry that, like Australia who these days digs up the country and ships it out and calls financial services an industry, USA has just lost or attenuated her cleverness? From this article it seems that Fujifilm has weathered the storm rather better than Kodak.

 

[keithwms]

6 days ago "The Economist" published this:

http://www.economist.com/node/21542796

I worry that, like Australia who these days digs up the country and ships it out and calls financial services an industry, USA has just lost or attenuated her cleverness? From this article it seems that Fujifilm has weathered the storm rather better than Kodak.

Easy, now! This isn't about America as a whole, it's about Kodak. Unless certain unreasonable politicians have their way, we're not headed to national default anytime soon.

 

[DREW WILEY]

I think America as a whole is even stupider than Kodak. We've perfected the art of shooting ourselves in the foot and exporting jobs, and of rewarding incompetence with golden parachutes and
offshore tax havens. Where's Robspierre when we need him? A guillotine set up on Wall St would
probably solve the problem a lot faster than a tent encampment there. Fortunately, a lot of US
corporations are not publicly traded, and a lot of positive stuff is going on that is under the radar
as far as publicity hype is concerned. If Kodak were to make film on this premise, and base profitibility of was is sustainable rather than on smoke-and-mirror stock value, we'd all be in better
shape for it. Maybe this bankrupty will turn out to be a good thing in the long run, at least for us
consumers.

 

[Sirius Glass]

Good to see some legal progress being made. Chp 11 is good for Kodak.

+1

 

[paul ron]

OK, so water under the bridge, another one down....

what other T-Grain films are out there to replace TMAX 400?

.

 

[Roger Cole]

OK, so water under the bridge, another one down....

what other T-Grain films are out there to replace TMAX 400?

.

Kodak's are not gone, may not be gone, and even if they do go won't go for some time.

Doesn't anyone understand what Chapter 11 is and means?

But to answer the question, nothing is quite like it but the closest is Ilford Delta 400, assuming you don't need it in sheets. If you need sheet film and insist on T-grain/modern film, you're SOL. I do shoot 4x5 but like conventional films just fine so I'd go to HP5+

In 35mm and 120 Delta 400 is a good film. It is grainier than TMY-2 though, though less grainy than Tri-X or HP5+, and has more reciprocity failure than TMY-2. Personally I rather like it.

 

[keithwms]

I agree with Roger, we need to remember that these films are still available.

what other T-Grain films are out there to replace TMAX 400?

Delta 400 has grain similar to that found in the tmaxes, I believe.

You might also give neopan 400 a try, in xtol.

Unfortunately, neither neopan 400 or delta 400 are available in sheet form.

But if you like TMY2, and want to keep shooting it, and can afford the investment, why not just purchase a lot of it and be happy.

If grain is the issue with the traditionals, well then consider pyro development.

 

[Sirius Glass]

Doesn't anyone understand what Chapter 11 is and means?

Naah, they would rather piss and moan.

 

[brianmquinn]

A little panic buying would not hurt the Kodak film division. Some cash now and a few more runs of film to restock the warehouse. It will show that there is a future for film. Maybe not the cash cow it once was but a steady income from those of us who still use film.

One of the problems of selling stock is you have to give a steady high return on investment. The stockholders cry if you ever pass up a short term profit for long term pay out. It is all about a 3 month return lately since you can just sell Kodak stock and put the dollars into the next "day trade". Now that Kodak stock will be worthless maybe they will make better decisions.

 

[MattKing]

I just hope the Bankruptcy trustees have some knowledge of distribution channels - maybe then it would be actually easier to buy product!

 

[paul ron]

No reason to panic but a good reason to consider the situation, perhaps pumping some cash to show some solidarity.

There are enough (few) film manufactures to take up Kodak's slack n very happily too. I don't see Kodak abandoning us just yet, but it is coming so put on your seat belts, this can be a bumpy ride as you know chemicals are also Kodak products amongst other things.

.

 

[MattKing]

Kodak sold their chemical lines to Champion a few years ago, and Champion are one of the unpaid creditors listed in the Bankruptcy filing.

 

[Roger Cole]

What's more, there are really no chemicals sold as Kodak that are all that unique. Ok, HC-110 is not exactly like anything else. It lasts for decades unopened and is relatively cheap so if that's important to you, buy some. T-Max RS is not available anywhere else as far as I'm aware but there are clones of T-Max and DD-X is said to be similar but, by some people, even better (I need to try that.) Otherwise, everything I can think of that's a Kodak chemical is made in identical or functionally comparable form by someone else. (See Freestyle's Legacy Pro brand, for one - I use their brown toner because they'll sell me an 8 oz bottle where Kodak, though they haven't discontinued it, wants to sell only a gallon for something like $300. It works the same, because it IS the same.)

 

[Ross Chambers]

Dear Keith,
I haven't read it, so I shouldn't draw conclusions, but a book recently reviewed here is titled after a quote from your President; "That Should Have Been Us" (or perhaps us down here).

In Oz kids are forsaking science at school and R&D is almost a memory. I just believe that cleverness is being eroded for "Financial Services", Hospitality, Mining (here), Entertainment and other not clever vocations. I hope that I'm wrong. I hope as well that I don't appear to be singling out the USA.

You may find it ironic that our Federal Minister for Industry recently visited Detroit to offer subsidies to US car companies to continue to assemble vehicles in Australia.