New CatLabs Color 120 Film

[Moose22]

I won’t be buying it due to the owner’s… objectionable behavior is a nice way to put it.

Same here.

But for people of another mind, if it IS the aerocolor, good. I just got another roll back and am very happy. It is sharp, good color without any major quirks, and the grain is there but not obtrusive, so that and contrast are pleasing. I can imagine it would be great in 120.

 

[Sirius Glass]

Yup, the film (Aerocolor) is still current in the Kodak catalogue. I've seen the 35mm versions - I have a few rolls of the Luminar, but have't developed any yet - but I have not yet seen it available in 120. Until now.

Undeveloped photographs are always perfect. Once developed, not so much.

 

[Moose22]

Undeveloped photographs are always perfect. Once developed, not so much.

You have more faith than I do.

I often think "well, that wasn't quite right" but take the photo because I'm there, then, and what's happening won't wait for the perfect light or composition. And once in a while I look through a roll and am very pleasantly surprised.

To me, it's like making a wish and I have to wait a week until I develop it to see if it came true.

 

[MCB18]

I don't know. I think it's just a dead end.

This is not speculation, this is a known fact. I even have an email from Kodak discussing the fact that this film is still made.

 

[Oldwino]

Undeveloped photographs are always perfect. Once developed, not so much.

Nah, they're always better after they've sat awhile. Better flavor, if you will.

One of the joys of home developing C-41 is that you have to batch the rolls (or at least I do). Just 3 more rolls and I'll have enough. I don't shoot color that often.

 

[MCB18]

One of the joys of home developing C-41 is that you have to batch the rolls (or at least I do). Just 3 more rolls and I'll have enough. I don't shoot color that often.

Ohh, my beaches are big lol. I have a picture somewhere, it was an insane dev run. 40 rolls in 5 days.

And I STILL managed to mess it up somehow lol.

 

[0x001688936CA08]

This is not speculation, this is a known fact. I even have an email from Kodak discussing the fact that this film is still made.

View attachment 340783

Am I reading it correctly that a five inch wide 150 foot roll is about $600?

 

[Don_ih]

Am I reading it correctly that a five inch wide 150 foot roll is about $600?

Yes. But you need to buy 10 of them.

 

[MCB18]

Am I reading it correctly that a five inch wide 150 foot roll is about $600?

Yes, but min order is 10, so really it’s $6000 for 1,500 ft of 5” film.

 

[Sirius Glass]

Yes, but min order is 10, so really it’s $6000 for 1,500 ft of 5” film.

So a week's worth of film.

 

[MCB18]

So a week's worth of film.

If you shoot through 4,500 4x5 or 2,570 5x7 sheets in a week, you have some serious talent.

 

[Don_ih]

If you shoot through 4,500 4x5 or 2,570 5x7 sheets in a week, you have some serious talent.

Or a serious lack thereof.

 

[Romanko]

Sreda Photo Labs produced a batch of their Aerocolor IV in 120 format a few years ago and now Catlabs is apparently doing the same. Kodak has Aerocolor IV in medium format size, they have facilities for packaging it into 120 type rolls and there is market for this film. Why don't they make it?

 

[MCB18]

Sreda Photo Labs produced a batch of their Aerocolor IV in 120 format a few years ago and now Catlabs is apparently doing the same. Kodak has Aerocolor IV in medium format size, they have facilities for packaging it into 120 type rolls and there is market for this film. Why don't they make it?

Kodak does not package Aerocolor IV, this is done by another company such as Foma or Shanghai.

 

[Romanko]

Kodak does not package Aerocolor IV

I was wondering why they don't do this.

 

[MCB18]

I was wondering why they don't do this.

It is not a film they normally sell to consumers. It is an industry specific film that was never meant to be used in consumer cameras. Thus, they don’t want to use the very limited finishing capacity they have on such a film. The only reason that we have respooled aerocolor in small formats like 35mm and 120 is that the folks buying it are willing to buy a large chunk of the master roll, 300M, or just over 1000 ft. Kodak slits and perfs it, but customers must package it themselves.

The only exception to this is the 5 inch and 9.5 inch rolls actually used by areal photographers, as they have separate machines to package these very specific formats.

 

[Romanko]

they don’t want to use the very limited finishing capacity they have on such a film

Thank you, that answers my question.

the folks buying it are willing to buy a large chunk of the master roll and package it themselves

I doubt that anyone can sell 3 kilometres of Aerocolor packaged as type 120, which I understand is the minimum order from Kodak. Most likely, we are getting some surplus rolls from military or aerial surveys. I heard Aerocolor (and other aerial films) store well, so the film we get is probaby expired or close to it.

 

[MCB18]

Thank you, that answers my question.


I doubt that anyone can sell 3 kilometres of Aerocolor packaged as type 120, which I understand is the minimum order from Kodak. Most likely, we are getting some surplus rolls from military or aerial surveys. I heard Aerocolor (and other aerial films) store well, so the film we get is probaby expired or close to it.

Actually, it is 6.3 km, lol.

And, honestly, I bet you could. That is actually only about 7.6k rolls, so you could totally sell that in a few years. If you are a business that can afford the 50k or so initial investment, which CatLabs almost certainly can, it’s a good strategy to make an extra $40K each time you order a batch of film.

 

[Don_ih]

That is actually only about 7.6k rolls, so you could totally sell that in a few years.

You're right - but I'd bet they sell that much within a few months. The market is now global - they'll ship it anywhere. How many rolls of CalLabs 320 were ordered by people on this site alone? We're not even their target market.

 

[madsox]

I won’t be buying it due to the owner’s… objectionable behavior is a nice way to put it.

Same here.

Sidebar, your honor - who/what is the objectionable thing? I missed something...

 

[koraks]

Sidebar, your honor - who/what is the objectionable thing? I missed something...

There's a lengthy thread on another recent CatLABS offering if you search for it.

We are not going to do that one all over again.

 

[faberryman]

[mod edit]

One thing puzzles me a little: if these black and white and color aerial reconnaissance films are so great, how come no one respooled and offered them to the unsuspecting public before? Think of the decades of creative photography that have been lost due to the unavailability of these films.

 

[BrianShaw]

One thing puzzles me a little: if these black and white and color aerial reconnaissance films are so great, how come no one respooled and offered them to the unsuspecting public before? Think of the decades of creative photography that have been lost due to the unavailability of these films.

Perhaps that's the result of genius thinking that was finally inspired by a desire to save a dying technology. But whatever the reasoning, why would folks who cling so desparately to film criticize and complain... and not even try it?

 

[faberryman]

Perhaps that's the result of genius thinking that was finally inspired by a desire to save a dying technology. But whatever the reasoning, why would folks who cling so desparately to film criticize and complain... and not even try it?

I think it has to do with making money. And a surplus of black and white and color aerial reconnaissance films.

As far as black and white aerial reconnaissance film, I do not try it because it does not have the characteristics I am looking for in a black and white film. As far as color aerial reconnaissance film, I do not try it because I do not shoot color negative film. I have never shot color negative film. I used to shoot color transparency film and make Cibachrome prints, but I haven't done that in decades.

Please post your photos with this color film from CATLabs. Who knows, your results may convince me to give it a try. Did you ever try CatLabs X Film 320 Pro black and white aerial reconnaissance film?

 

[MCB18]

One thing puzzles me a little: if these black and white and color aerial reconnaissance films are so great, how come no one respooled and offered them to the unsuspecting public before? Think of the decades of creative photography that have been lost due to the unavailability of these films.

They have. This is not a new concept by any means.

Rollei has been doing it for years, they respool Agfa Aviphot. Astrum/Svema respools Tasma or agfa. Silberra film is almost certainly aero film, if not from Kodak, then from Tasma or Agfa. Probably the most widely known example is Santacolor. Both Rae 1000 and Color 100 are respooled areal surveillance stocks. There are many other places that do this, including me, who is offering surplus Aviphot 200 in MF and sheets on an extremely small scale.

People have been buying surplus or fresh areal film for many years, and packaging it in-house or with Shanghai or Foma. This business model is well explored, and it works well, so folks are happy to sell the stuff. And people are willing to buy it, because even though it might be cheaper to find surplus bulk film online, people don’t want to spend time in the dark making and packing film, they just want to shoot it.