Kodak will no longer produce any colour reversal still films

Nelson · Mar 1, 2012

How has digital replaced slide projection? I still can't find (or afford) a digital projector that can match the resolution of a 35mm slide.

I'm not too concerned about Kodak dropping reversal film. I've always preferred Velvia 50 over Ektachrome. Kodachrome was a real loss; I'm not so concerned about Ektachrome.

How will this affect cine films?

fotch · Mar 1, 2012

I use to love shooting slides and projecting them. Just got out of the habit for one reason or another. Never thought the day would come that you may not be able to do it if you want to. Like saying goodbye to an old friend. Sad.

railwayman3 · Mar 1, 2012

Artistophanes wrote: "Trust is no longer a business consideration for Kodak. It makes no difference to the bottom line anymore. Kodak invested billions of $$$'s in their films and the brand, and their customers walked away. The currency of trust in private contract makes no sense when your customer is flirting with everything else in sight."

I was actually talking about "trust" in the sense that Kodak, for a long time now, have been promising to support analog, then, within months, discontinuing products one after the other. That's nothing to do with customers choosing alternatives, analog or digital....it is just hubris, bad management and failure to compete on the part of Kodak. You can't blame the customers.

But it is another reason for customers to choose other brands with a better "image" of trust and reliability, particularly as the Kodak name disappears from shops and shelves.

kq6up · Mar 1, 2012

Can someone post the link to the original thread?

Thanks,
Chris Maness

erikg · Mar 1, 2012

I didn't see any mention of sheet film, but I assume that's gone too. Sux. Even though i scan most color I've always preferred starting with a chrome rather than a neg. I just like editing that way. Hope fuji sticks with it.

CGW · Mar 1, 2012

railwayman3 said:
Artistophanes wrote: "Trust is no longer a business consideration for Kodak. It makes no difference to the bottom line anymore. Kodak invested billions of $$$'s in their films and the brand, and their customers walked away. The currency of trust in private contract makes no sense when your customer is flirting with everything else in sight."

I was actually talking about "trust" in the sense that Kodak, for a long time now, have been promising to support analog, then, within months, discontinuing products one after the other. That's nothing to do with customers choosing alternatives, analog or digital....the latter is just hubris, bad management and failure to compete on the part of Kodak. You can't blame the customers.

But it is another reason for customers to choose other brands with a better "image" of trust and reliability, particularly as the Kodak name disappears from shops and shelves.

About all I can "trust" is that analog as we know it will likely see some big changes in 2012--most them disruptive. Fuji seems to be moving quickly out of the photo chemistry business and shifting its lab clients to dry systems. That's not exactly music I like to hear.

DWThomas · Mar 1, 2012

From the perspective of the overall world of photography, I'm sorry to see it go, but I don't find it surprising. My own slide shooting started tapering off 30 years ago.

My most recent attempts at transparencies have run into "local" processing taking two weeks or more, and in some cases, evidence of less than careful handling, and I don't use enough to even consider doing it myself. I do have a few rolls of Provia here yet, but they aren't being consumed very rapidly.

"The only thing constant is change."

Uncle Bill · Mar 1, 2012

Sad but not surprised. I didn't shoot a lot of slide film, at least Fuji is around for now.

kevs · Mar 1, 2012

CGW · Mar 1, 2012

kq6up said:
Can someone post the link to the original thread?

Thanks,
Chris Maness

(there was a url link here which no longer exists)

BobD · Mar 1, 2012

Kodak still makes this 35mm color E-6 film:
http://motion.kodak.com/motion/Products/Production/Color_Reversal_Films/5285.htm

DREW WILEY · Mar 1, 2012

Fuji has been dominating the chrome market for quite awhile now, just like Kodak dominating color neg film. As long as they were competing head to head probably neither was able to make decent
money. It was raw competition, that's all. They can't afford that now. This was inevitable bankruptcy or not. It hardly means the end of E6 or chrome films per se. Three-hour long slide shows
of Aunt Maud's vacation to Peoria might be over, since she can now post her shots on the web.
But there are plenty of other valid reasons to keep chrome film going. But one inevitabel side effect of specialization rather than head-to-head competition is that you can expect both chrome and
color neg films to significantly rise in price. But economies of scale dictate the two companies
specialize in what they do best in this respect. Overhead itself is rising quickly.

kerne · Mar 1, 2012

mark said:
Poop.

My sentiments exactly.

PKM-25 · Mar 1, 2012

I think it would be good to remember that you can still have a slide show if you have slides, they don't just jump in the trash can upon a product being discontinued. Also, digital did not kill slide film nearly as much as C-41 films back in the heyday as even with family snapshots done on Kodachrome, people still wanted prints. Once C-41 took over the family happy-snap, it were pros and select enthusiasts who were left with E6 and that use of it got mostly killed off with digital...

I used slides almost exclusively for select work along side digital up until about 5 years ago, then shot my 1,200 rolls of Kodachrome and knew this was coming, moved to all Portra, Ektar and black and white. I also just sold off a fair amount of now way overpriced Leica aspheric glass because quite frankly, I just did not see the difference nearly as much in using it on a M9 or with black and white...color slide is practically what Leica Asph glass was made for...

I bet Fuji does hang on for a bit, but with some 50 rolls of it in 120/220/35mm in the fridge, I am pretty set...

Rudeofus · Mar 1, 2012

I'm really sad to see E100VS go and have ordered several 5 packs in addition to the ones I already got when Kodak's downward spiral accelerated. This won't let me shoot E100VS forever, but should give me some time to adjust to the new situation and find a suitable alternative.

Aristophanes · Mar 1, 2012

railwayman3 said:
Artistophanes wrote: "Trust is no longer a business consideration for Kodak. It makes no difference to the bottom line anymore. Kodak invested billions of $$$'s in their films and the brand, and their customers walked away. The currency of trust in private contract makes no sense when your customer is flirting with everything else in sight."

I was actually talking about "trust" in the sense that Kodak, for a long time now, have been promising to support analog, then, within months, discontinuing products one after the other. That's nothing to do with customers choosing alternatives, analog or digital....the latter is just hubris, bad management and failure to compete on the part of Kodak. You can't blame the customers.

But it is another reason for customers to choose other brands with a better "image" of trust and reliability, particularly as the Kodak name disappears from shops and shelves.

The other brands are under the same pressure of declining demand.

It's an industry-wide problem. From Fuji's perspective this may not be a good thing because they are now seen as the sole source for tying their brand to the E6 product in constant demand decline. If they cannot find enough customers, then Fuji will get the "killed it" tag.

Kodak cannot afford to invest in fickle customers. It has a fiscal duty to its shareholders (now creditors) and it often makes sense in business to walk away from products and customers that do not serve the bottom line.

Both Kodak and Fuji appear to be helpless in stemming the drop in film demand. That's why I hope some Hollywood connected private equity will pick up the market and consolidate.

DREW WILEY · Mar 1, 2012

Kodak still plans to offer E6 chemistry and compete with Fuji in this category. That means they think
E6 process lines still have a future. But their chemistry is made by a spinoff not subject to the
bankruptcy, so without the same disruptive factor. As usual, I suspect Aristophanes is actually an undercover digital camera saleman.

Tim Gray · Mar 1, 2012

Poop.

CGW · Mar 1, 2012

As usual, I suspect Aristophanes is actually an undercover digital camera saleman.

I'd say maybe more connected to reality than some on these "wake" threads.

Ian Grant · Mar 1, 2012

DREW WILEY said:
Kodak still plans to offer E6 chemistry and compete with Fuji in this category. That means they think
E6 process lines still have a future. But their chemistry is made by a spinoff not subject to the
bankruptcy, so without the same disruptive factor.

Champion isn't a spin off company, it was formed by the merger of May & Baker's Phohoto Division with other companies in Canada & the US, they used to make Ilford & Paterson's chemistry until accepting the contract to manufacture Kodak's chemistry.

As usual, I suspect Aristophanes is actually an undercover digital camera saleman.

along with CGW

Ian

Diapositivo · Mar 1, 2012

Let's try to be optimist.

This news can actually improve the probabilities that Fuji can go on producing slide film waiting for demand to recover (a new interest for analogue, for slide projections, sometime in the future);

Same can be said for Agfa, the only other colour material producer left;

Somebody might acquire Kodak machines, technologies and patents relating to E-6 products and start a new business venture. This is not necessarily impossible. Present day Kodak is in a situation where they cannot devote money and energies to reinvent this market. A new venture focused on doing this might instead succeed.

Slide film was in any case a very small volume of sales for Kodak. PE said already years ago that E-6 would have been the first to go. Negative materials (both colour and black & white) sell many times more than slide film.

E-6 processing, as opposed to Kodachrome processing, is something that every small laboratory can do, and even amateurs at home can do. Sending by mail a roll and receiving the slides back was usual practice in many countries several years ago. Processing should go on without a problem, at least in countries with an efficient mail system.

Let's not forget how mechanical watches recovered after the years in which quartz seemed to have killed them. That's even more striking than the vinyl resurgence IMO.

Fabrizio

SuzanneR · Mar 1, 2012

Just an FYI, I've merged a couple of threads.

Klainmeister · Mar 1, 2012

Kinda odd when you consider Fuji is still making a new MF camera and have recently released another with a shorter focal length. So what gives there?

PKM-25 · Mar 1, 2012

SuzanneR said:
Just an FYI, I've merged a couple of threads.

I'll give you $100 if you ban a couple of posters....

MattKing · Mar 1, 2012

SuzanneR said:
Just an FYI, I've merged a couple of threads.

Suzanne:

A thread title change might be in order - so far there is no indication that the Kodak Ektachrome 100D movie film is discontinued.

Something like: "Kodak discontinues all colour reversal still films"

Kodak will no longer produce any colour reversal still films

Nelson

fotch

railwayman3

kq6up

erikg

CGW

DWThomas

Uncle Bill

kevs

CGW

BobD

DREW WILEY

kerne

PKM-25

Rudeofus

Aristophanes

DREW WILEY

Tim Gray

CGW

Ian Grant

Diapositivo

SuzanneR

Moderator

Klainmeister

PKM-25

MattKing

Moderator

Kodak will no longer produce any colour reversal still films

Moderator

Moderator

Privacy & Transparency

Privacy & Transparency