The next Kodak film to die? Place bets now!

bascom49 · Oct 3, 2012

jnanian said:
i have shot thousands of sheets and rolls of film in the past few years.
and promote it pretty much every day. shooting film is what i do for a living ...
im not obsessing over anything, i think this thread is kind of funny.

just saying ..

And I don't. So I guess we have negated the issue.

removed account4 · Oct 3, 2012

bascom49 said:
And I don't. So I guess we have negated the issue.

huh?

i am not a happy camper that my favorite films
and papers aren't available anymore, but i realize
we live in strange times
it is important to have a sense of humor

what else can we do ?

Stephen Frizza · Oct 3, 2012

Im very surprised by the BCN400 result ...It makes up a large percent of my labs processing. Its hugely popular in Australia.

Dave in Kansas · Oct 3, 2012

I see the humor in this as well. OK, maybe I have sort of a sick sense of humor, but honestly, I'm surprised this type of survey hasn't been posted before now.

Dave

MartinP · Oct 3, 2012

Stephen Frizza said:
Im very surprised by the BCN400 result ...It makes up a large percent of my labs processing. Its hugely popular in Australia.

I was under the impression that no film is hugely popular in Australia! (or in most other places unfortunately)

Seriously, I suspect the reason is that most people voting in the poll are processing and printing their own work, frequently in formats larger than 135, and so the BW400CN is not much used or appreciated here.

EASmithV · Oct 3, 2012

jnanian said:
i have shot thousands of sheets and rolls of film in the past few years.
and promote it pretty much every day. shooting film is what i do for a living ...
im not obsessing over anything, i think this thread is kind of funny.

just saying ..

at least someone understands my sick joke that's not really entirely a joke

BrianShaw · Oct 3, 2012

fotch said:
Negative post.

Yes.. but only because all of the positive emulsions are already gone.

Roger Cole · Oct 3, 2012

Stephen Frizza said:
As the owner of a pro lab who watch each film type that runs though my processors I'de guess Tri-x 320. its the least common film for me to process on that list. I was surprised about Portra 800 as i happen to process quite a lot of it.

Is Portra 800 gone? I didn't hear about that. Drat.

EDIT: Ah, I see now. I was reading and posted the above from my iPhone and didn't see the poll results.

I probably shouldn't have voted but did, for BW400CN because it's the only one I personally don't care about. It does get better prints on RA4 paper but I don't print black and white on RA4 paper. For me, if I wanted a chromogenic black and white film (and if Ilford made XP2 Super in 4x5 I'd be sorely tempted to lay in some C41 chemistry and switch to it for my all format standard) XP2 is superior. But for those who print on conventional minilab machines (are any of those left?) or scan and print to RA4 paper, the Kodak is superior.

EDIT II: Well I guess not the ONLY one that wouldn't affect me - I don't generally shoot TMX either but I acknowledge it's a great film. It would be a bad one to lose.

Gerald C Koch · Oct 3, 2012

POLLS LIKE THIS ARE STUPID AND MEANINGLESS! There I've said it and I feel better.

BrianShaw · Oct 3, 2012

... so what did you vote for?

BradleyK · Oct 3, 2012

Depressing to do so, considering our options are steadily diminishing...but my guess would be for BW400CN (although I wonder, too, about the future of Portra 800).

ParkerSmithPhoto · Oct 3, 2012

TMAX 100

The grain on TMAX 400 is so fine that even in 16x20 enlargements from medium format, you have to look very close to see any grain. My local shop says that TMY 400 outsells TMX 100 by seven or eight to one.

ric_kb · Oct 3, 2012

400 is the sweet spot of photography -- has been for 40 years.

I love portra 800, but think it is going...
back to the triple-x ranch, where we have big dreams around small fires.

MaximusM3 · Oct 3, 2012

A bit morbid and kind of pointless but it doesn't really matter, as it doesn't change anything. TMX will probably go at some point. Great resolution and it's grainless but so what? I like Delta 100 better in that dept. As Parker said above, TMY really is more than good enough to cover all bases, especially moving into medium and large format. For 35 mm, I want some grain and, when I really don't, I shoot digital, or TMY processed in DDX. I bet that sales of TMX are pretty dismal.

railwayman3 · Oct 3, 2012

benjiboy said:
I find this survey callous and offensive, it makes me wonder if the O.P. makes book in which of his friends will be the next one to die.

Personally, I've no prob with this survey....no one is making a book on the result, and it just brings out light hearted chat and discussion. The loss of a brand of film is nothing to compare with an actual friend dieing, I know that from recent experience. (Waiting for the first post that "a film is just like an old friend, etc., etc." I also know all that. )

cliveh · Oct 3, 2012

Isn’t this more a case of contraction in the market? As long as enough people still want to buy film it will probably still be for sale, but with much less variety and the marketing people created too much variety in the first place.

railwayman3 · Oct 3, 2012

user

ric_kb said:
400 is the sweet spot of photography -- has been for 40 years.

I love portra 800, but think it is going...
back to the triple-x ranch, where we have big dreams around small fires.

I've noticed that Kodak have recently changed the film in their recycleable cameras from a 400 ASA to a 800 ASA version, presumably to give more latitude for those users who forget to switch on the flash or read the instructions as to subject distance.

Having seen some surprisingly good results from these cameras at friend's recent wedding, I wonder if they are using Portra 800
inside....can't see them coating two emulsions at 800ASA just to use a different one for the recycleable cameras?

PKM-25 · Oct 3, 2012

BMbikerider said:
If those in charge of Kodak looked a little bit outside of their box they would see that there is a resurgence (small at present) of traditional film they may well be advised put things on hold.

Ummm...the people are closest to film at Kodak *do* see this...TMZ 3,200 has been in a precipitous decline for ten years, just too grainy in 35mm when 101010 kills it at ISO 50,000.

Mods, please delete this useless thread...

railwayman3 · Oct 3, 2012

PKM-25 said:
Mods, please delete this useless thread...

What harm is it doing? And is anyone being forced to read or contribute if they don't want to? :confused:

PKM-25 · Oct 3, 2012

railwayman3 said:
What harm is it doing? And is anyone being forced to read or contribute if they don't want to? :confused:

1. Kodak folks read this site *daily* and are presenting these findings to the potential buyers of Kodak Film Marketing and Distribution.

2. Right now, not later, we need forward momentum in keeping film alive, posts like these do nothing to help our cause, nada.

By the way, I use both TMX and TMY, have over 1,000 sheets of each, I don't want to lose either...

railwayman3 · Oct 3, 2012

1)

PKM-25 said:
1. Kodak folks read this site *daily* and are presenting these findings to the potential buyers of Kodak Film Marketing and Distribution.

2. Right now, not later, we need forward momentum in keeping film alive, posts like these do nothing to help our cause, nada.

By the way, I use both TMX and TMY, have over 1,000 sheets of each, I don't want to lose either...

1) Perhaps it's rather a pity then that these "Kodak folk" apparently never contribute to this site, as do Ilford and Adox. A free forum filled with passionate photographers from all over the world, most of whom love, promote and use Kodak products...surely a no-brainer?
And what harm is there in presenting this enthusiasm for all things analog to potential buyers?

2) If APUG doesn't reflect this passion and forward momentum, together with a real concern to keep film alive, then I must be reading the wrong forums.

Ken Nadvornick · Oct 3, 2012

railwayman3 said:
Perhaps it's rather a pity then that these "Kodak folk" apparently never contribute to this site, as do Ilford and Adox. A free forum filled with passionate photographers from all over the world, most of whom love, promote and use Kodak products...surely a no-brainer?

A very good point.

Kodak has more to lose right now than Kodak's remaining customers do. There are workable film replacements for almost everything Kodak makes. And most have already hoarded-up those items where there aren't.

If these "folks" are really here, why continue hiding in the shadows? If they keep hiding much longer there won't be any Kodak left to worry about. Time would not appear to be on their side.

Ken

Steve Smith · Oct 3, 2012

Ken Nadvornick said:
I still have hopes that someone can rip Kodak's film business away from Kodak upper management in time so that it can begin to benefit from the uptick in the analog market. And that the manufacturing part of it is included

But that's not the plan.

Steve.

Andre Noble · Oct 3, 2012

Human psychology is interesting: some people will utilize a prediction of bad news to make constructive plans for the future, while others will throw up defense mechanisms and denials because the news is either too difficult to visualize or too painful to acknowledge.

Kodak has been guilty of customer disloyalty in the form of dropping emulsions without warning (or dropping them on very short notice). I
see this poll being practical along the lines what I have said earlier: we are now in a time where it's "every man for himself".

Use the poll and the discussion herein to draw your own conclusions on what's next to go in the Kodak range, and if finances allow - stockpile accordingly.

In fact, I'd like to see a poll on Fuji material as well.

MattKing · Oct 3, 2012

I doubt Kodak would put a lot of weight on the poll results, given that this forum has an unusual number of darkroom workers in it, and BW400CN is clearly not optimized for them.

I would expect to see the numbers for T-MAX 100 begin to improve a bit with the supplies of Plus-X drying up.

The next Kodak film to die? Place bets now!

Which Professional Kodak still film will be the next to die?

Portra 160

Portra 400

Portra 800

Ektar 100

T-Max 400

T-Max 100

Tri-X 320

Tri-X 400

BW400CN

bascom49

removed account4

Stephen Frizza

Dave in Kansas

MartinP

EASmithV

BrianShaw

Roger Cole

Gerald C Koch

BrianShaw

BradleyK

ParkerSmithPhoto

ric_kb

MaximusM3

railwayman3

cliveh

railwayman3

PKM-25

railwayman3

PKM-25

railwayman3

Ken Nadvornick

Steve Smith

Andre Noble

MattKing

Moderator

The next Kodak film to die? Place bets now!

Which Professional Kodak still film will be the next to die?

Portra 160

Portra 400

Portra 800

Ektar 100

T-Max 400

T-Max 100

Tri-X 320

Tri-X 400

BW400CN

Moderator

Privacy & Transparency

Privacy & Transparency