Kodak price cut on 120 film

miha · Nov 14, 2023

I share the sentiments with those who dislike the ColorPlus film. I have never tried it myself but have seen enough examples of it. Looks like the VR200 to me - a film that even when recent was the worst of the lot. Closest to is should be the Pro Image 100 which was my inexpensive film of choice many years ago. I was reluctant to try Gold 200 in 120 but I'm glad I did. Different colours to Portra 400 sure, but at modest enlargements (I did some 12 by 12") the grain and resolution are top notch.

George Mann · Nov 14, 2023

Those of you who are unhappy with ColorPlus need to see a scan of it from a properly calibrated Fuji Frontier scanner.

BrianShaw · Nov 14, 2023

George Mann said:
Those of you who are unhappy with ColorPlus need to see a scan of it from a properly calibrated Fuji Frontier scanner.

I’d love to see one. Can you show us?

brbo · Nov 15, 2023

How do you calibrate Fuji Frontier?

koraks · Nov 15, 2023

brbo said:
How do you calibrate Fuji Frontier?

There are several adjustments that can be made to a Frontier scanner like the SP3000, however none of these are the kind of calibration us photographers are used to in the sense of ICC profiles etc. I can see how an (old) Frontier may run out of spec, but for the most part, whatever colors it spits out is what you'll have to live with. I understand that Frontiers in particular are coveted because their auto-color adjustment magic is pretty good at producing something most people like to see. This in itself is a remarkable feat!

brbo · Nov 15, 2023

koraks said:
There are several adjustments that can be made to a Frontier scanner like the SP3000, however none of these are the kind of calibration us photographers are used to in the sense of ICC profiles etc. I can see how an (old) Frontier may run out of spec, but for the most part, whatever colors it spits out is what you'll have to live with. I understand that Frontiers in particular are coveted because their auto-color adjustment magic is pretty good at producing something most people like to see. This in itself is a remarkable feat!

Exactly (my experience with Fuji Frontiers is very limited, hence the question).

I have extensive experience with Noritsu lab scanners and there is no such thing as colour calibration. There are various parameters that you can adjust that will effect the output, but those are all geared towards optimising the base "rendition" that will be the best fit for most negatives. Basically, none of the parameters will have an affect that the good operator can't also make at judgement time and only a good operator will know how to set the default parameters to help him/her save time.

A well 'calibrated' operator is what you need.

Agulliver · Nov 15, 2023

BrianShaw said:
I’d love to see one. Can you show us?

Not from a Frontier but these are from an Agfa DLab2....sorry not at full resolution, I pulled them from my Facebook albums. But these were all shot with Kodak Color Plus during lockdown walks in 2020. I find their colour palette pleasing and there is no intrusive grain or other obvious faults. If Harman can manufacture something capable of results as good as this, they are onto a winner if the price is equal or less than Kodak's amateur offerings.

koraks · Nov 15, 2023

@Agulliver I would consider these to have slight to significant color casts that I personally would have balanced differently. E.g. the second horse seems to have a cyan cast (and some weird edge effects around the tree branches), the path with the partly cloudy sky above has a very severe red cast, the closeup of the oats seems to have both a blue and a green cast, etc.

Agulliver said:
there is no intrusive grain

Well, 'intrusive' is subjective, but those scans are quite grainy IMO. There are also digital artefacts that suggest posterization, possibly due to compression along the way.

Significantly better scans are surely possible from this film, even with consumer-grade equipment.

Agulliver · Nov 15, 2023

@koraks Those pics aren't perfect, as I said they were downloaded from my facebook albums so they're compressed to hell. I am at work and won't have access to the original scans on my PC at home for a while (oh the curse of being socially popular). But I do think they show that Color Plus isn't some horrible film that one should avoid at all costs.

BrianShaw · Nov 15, 2023

koraks said:
@Agulliver I would consider these to have slight to significant color casts that I personally would have balanced differently. E.g. the second horse seems to have a cyan cast (and some weird edge effects around the tree branches), the path with the partly cloudy sky above has a very severe red cast, the closeup of the oats seems to have both a blue and a green cast, etc.

Well, 'intrusive' is subjective, but those scans are quite grainy IMO. There are also digital artefacts that suggest posterization, possibly due to compression along the way.

Significantly better scans are surely possible from this film, even with consumer-grade equipment.

Those are nice pictures and reflect my experience with ColorPlus, which was short in duration. It’s not a horrible film but just didn’t deliver what I wanted. The color casts were my primary objection. Grain I can live with. Given the success of that film I seem to be in a minority position.

koraks · Nov 15, 2023

Agulliver said:
But I do think they show that Color Plus isn't some horrible film that one should avoid at all costs.

As with all color negative scans, they don't show a whole lot about the film in question apart from that it records color information on three channels.

GregY · Nov 15, 2023

Has anyone seen evidence of Kodak 120 price cuts at the consumer end particularly w BW film.....?

brbo · Nov 15, 2023

Agulliver said:
But I do think they show that Color Plus isn't some horrible film that one should avoid at all costs.

At current cost!

ColorPlus 200 is still technically better than any other current C-41 film outside Kodak/Fuji, although I like Adox Color Mission 200 much better, but its grain and latitude is worse.

George Mann · Nov 15, 2023

BrianShaw said:
I’d love to see one. Can you show us?

Sorry. I lost my old scans of it when my old harddrive crashed.

There are good scans from it on Flickr.

George Mann · Nov 15, 2023

brbo said:
At current cost!

Which is outrages! The good news is I just bought a Yashica A, so I can shoot the newly discounted Gold 200.

foc · Nov 15, 2023

brbo said:
How do you calibrate Fuji Frontier?

I may be a little late to this, but I have owned and operated Frontier scanners SLP800 and SP3000 commercially. I never had to calibrate the machines but changes can be made via the software and of course by the operator, again via the software.

Experience has taught me that colour correction, density adjustment, etc are all very subjective.

Personally, I could never visually tell the difference between a good print made from a Noritisu or Frontier but I could spot a Pakon scan.

I believe that it is the eye behind the camera/scanner that is more important than the machine.

GregY · Nov 15, 2023

This thread has turned into a side-track discussion of color films & scanners..... but has anyone seen reductions in the price of Kodak 120 film anywhere in N America or Europe??

George Mann · Nov 15, 2023

GregY said:
This thread has turned into a side-track discussion of color films & scanners..... but has anyone seen reductions in the price of Kodak 120 film anywhere in N America or Europe??

I see 5-packs of Gold 200 selling @ $8 per roll at B&H. Even 5-packs Ektar is selling @ $11.80 a roll.

5-packs of both Tmax 400 and Tri-X are selling @ $9 a roll.

GregY · Nov 15, 2023

George Mann said:
I see 5-packs of Gold 200 selling @ $8 per roll at B&H. Even 5-packs Ektar is selling @ $11.80 a roll.

5-packs of both Tmax 400 and Tri-X are selling @ $9 a roll.

Thanks George. .......so pretty same price as before the 35% price lower was announced......

brbo · Nov 16, 2023

GregY said:
This thread has turned into a side-track discussion of color films & scanners..... but has anyone seen reductions in the price of Kodak 120 film anywhere in N America or Europe??

Have you read the article linked in OP?

There you have a reseller (Nordfoto) that SilverGrain talked to and they have all the films (+ shortdated Ektar) that got discounted by Alaris for sale at discount prices (pretty much same discounts that were stated by Alaris' Andy Church).

MattKing · Nov 16, 2023

I just received an email from Film Photography Project - a US based internet retailer - trumpeting the reductions and offering them on their stock.
In Canada, it will probably take a year!

Agulliver · Nov 17, 2023

I've had the same email from FPP. And one from a UK based retailer offering discounts on Kodak 120 colour film at least.

armadsen · Nov 21, 2023

Shot on Film Store (a cool store in Seattle) just posted on Instagram that they’ve been informed of price drops on Kodak 35mm films for the next ordering cycle:

Craig · Nov 23, 2023

I looked at my local retailer and the prices seem the same as before. TMax 100 120 is $21.99 and Ilford Delta 100 is $11.57. I still can't justify Kodak at twice the price.

GregY · Nov 23, 2023

Craig said:
I looked at my local retailer and the prices seem the same as before. TMax 100 120 is $21.99 and Ilford Delta 100 is $11.57. I still can't justify Kodak at twice the price.

I bet the price reduction hasn't kicked in yet. I'll still buy TMax from B&H @ $39 USD for a pro-pack (5)....that's $11.95 Canuck $$.....but thankfully my film fridge is well stocked.

Kodak price cut on 120 film

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