Plus-X is gone. I can't believe it!

[NB23]

It just struck me.
This is impossible!
The Black and White scene without Plus-X. McDonald's without the Cheeseburger. Disney without Donald Duck.

 

[mrred]

Get over it. I adored the stuff too, but there are lots of excellent choices out there. Change is not all bad....

 

[NB23]

Yes, even Madonna has been substituted by Lady Gaga so anything is possible. I guess.

 

[2F/2F]

It stinks all right. At least we have FP4.

 

[burchyk]

Was checking some older negs of mine thinking "that PX is a great great film", dropped a roll into OM-4 this morning only to read this. Crap.

 

[mrred]

It still in some stores. There is stock in both locations I shop, here in Montreal. I still have 700' in the freezer so there is no need to resort to fp4 yet. I will probably go strait to acros anyway....

 

[Hawkeye]

When they dropped their B&W paper I moved to FP4 and HP5 and never looked back. Went to Ilford paper and chemistry also.

It appears they are going to continue discontinuing products before they attempt to sell what's left of their film business.

 

[marcmarc]

I've really grown to like Fuji Acros 100. I'm also eagerly awaiting the arrival of Adox Premium 100 (AKA Agfa APX 100 part II) so there are still choices.

 

[drumminor2nd]

That was like a month ago. Where have you been?

The Black and White scene without Plus-X. McDonald's without the Cheeseburger. Disney without Donald Duck.

More like McDonald's without the Crispy Chicken sandwich or Disney without Hannah Montana (these might be too kind compared to their sales volume, actually).

 

[keithwms]

I think the aerial rolls are still available. If so, you can still buy a massive quantity...

 

[brianmquinn]

The Plus-X aerial rolls do not use the same emulsion as Plus-X in smaller formats.

 

[keithwms]

True but it's close right? Just a difference in red sensivity, I suppose.

 

[Gabino]

Too bad that something like this is accepted so "stoically", soon other films will be gone too. Is this irreversible? I guess we'll have to make do with what's left. I'm new to film, just last year, and this is my first loss.

 

[NB23]

That was like a month ago. Where have you been?



More like McDonald's without the Crispy Chicken sandwich or Disney without Hannah Montana (these might be too kind compared to their sales volume, actually).

What do you mean by "where have I been"? I'm still missing Kodachrome. And in 10 years I'll still miss Plus-X and Kodachrome.

 

[BrianShaw]

Too bad that something like this is accepted so "stoically", soon other films will be gone too. Is this irreversible? I guess we'll have to make do with what's left. I'm new to film, just last year, and this my first loss.

It is easy to be stoic when one realizes that the game was over a long time ago. Plus-X had long ago been relegated to a casual mention at the bottom of the Kodak web site listing of B&W film. That was perhaps 2 years ago. That is when I stocked up on 120. PX 120 is basically unavailable today unless one wants to pay inflated rates on ebay. I just stocked up on 135 PX. That is still in some stores at "normal" prices. But I might have cleaned out one of the NYC retailers. If you want to shoot PX, order some soon!

 

[Jeff Kubach]

I hate to see Plus-X go but there are other films. Just use other films.

Jeff

 

[Clay2]

Us old buggers have had lots of changes. In the 50's it was Verichrome Pan roll film, gone.
Then I did 40-50 years Kodachrome and Plus X, gone.
Still using Tri-X but it is not the same emulsion as it was then.
Moved to Ilford papers, film and chemistry but now Cibachrome/Ilfochrome papers and chemistry gone.
Testing Fuji now but astia gone.
Do about 10% digital these days. Should get a large format camera and start coating my own glass plates, ha!
We will carry on with what is left. E-6 is about dead as well, no more slides.
Best regards,
/Clay

 

[white.elephant]

I think the aerial rolls are still available. If so, you can still buy a massive quantity...

Sorry, what do you mean by 'aerial rolls'?

 

[frobozz]

Sorry, what do you mean by 'aerial rolls'?

http://www.kodak.com/ek/US/en/Aeria...rvices/Aerial_Films/Black_and_White_Films.htm

 

[brianmquinn]

True but it's close right? Just a difference in red sensivity, I suppose.

More red sensitive and less blue sensitive, also faster with a different base and contrast. But still GREAT stuff. A common size is a 10x10 negative. Makes incredible prints IF YOU HAVE A 10X10 ENLARGER. The military used to and I have seen lots of HUGH prints from these negatives. They are wonderful but we are not looking for WMD here.

The fact is Kodak loves brand loyal consumers. They find a name that they think is a winner and sell as may items under that name as possible. Even if the items are not similar at all. How may KODAK MAX items were there? Film at several speeds, batteries, etc.... Also Ektar are we talking old or new film? Maybe we are talking about a lens. Yes in the past there were may Ektar lenes.

I love Kodak and their products but I think they are deceptive in the way they market their items. A top quality product deserves a unique name.

 

[brianmquinn]

Also to drive home my point. Note that in the link that frobozz provided
(#20 ) that there is more then one type of Plus-X listed.
KODAK PLUS-X AERECON II Film 3404
and
KODAK PLUS-X AEROGRAPHIC Film 2402

 

[Curt]

Ansel Adams loved Plus X. Insert smiley face here.

 

[Existing Light]

I've never been much of a Kodak film shooter, but I still hate to see it go.

What I worry about is the avaliability of the raw materials used to make film. When there's so little demand for some key components of roll film and sheet film (whatever componenets they may be), will the businesses that supply those components stop selling those componenets or even go out of business? What would happen to film then? We'd all go back to using glass plates and contact printing?

I'm not sure if that's a valid concern or not, but in my (albeit very tired) mind, it seems so :\

 

[Wade D]

It's sad to see an old friend go. I have been using Plus-X in 4x5 and 120 for 40+ years. I still have 5 4x5 boxes and a dozen 120 rolls in the freezer but they won't last long so I bought some Fuji Acros 100 in 120. I've been pleasantly surprised at how good it is.

 

[Curt]

I agree, any loss is one more blow to the analog community.

In the early seventies I tried all that was available. My favorite was Panatomic-X, Ilford FP4 over Plus-X, Tri-X over Ilford HP-5.

Of course Art Center and Brooks had me shooting Super XX. The developer was D76, a fairly straight forward approach. Straight or 1:1.

I've used everything from Adox to Orwo in all speeds. The one quality I expect is consistency of quality. Kodak and Ilford speaks quality to me.