Tri-x 8x10 only in 10 sheet boxes now

[haris]

This is not a case of Kodak walking away from the art of listening to their client base. I have been fortunate to gain access to the inner workings of this corporation and factually nothing could be further from the truth. Making a comparative analysis to the old Kodak to the new Kodak is meaningless because they are not the same company - not even close.

Two facts. Kodak spent over a million dollars of R&D to bring out the new technology we know as TMY(2). It is the sharpest 400 speed film available. Kodak felt that the optimal way to recover this sizeable investment was to reach new customers hence the smaller unit packaging. It was a decision made after a world wide film survey was conducted not spinning a random decision wheel in a managers office. They are kick starting their sheet film business virtually from scratch and want to recover this investment as soon as possible. Just because many of us are at the mature end of this consumer spectrum should not translate to feelings of being alienated. The objective should be the FILM. Improvements in the quality of the emulsion are going to cost more. I also have to remind people that in this day and age when film was predicted to be a thing of the past we not only still have it but we have companies willing to make it better. Call me old fashioned but I am feeling pretty damn good about the situation as we all should.

If I have learned anything it is that nothing in this business is static. As a function of time we can proactively get things to improve but I am not a fan of shooting ourselves in the foot just before we go to the big dance. We are all better served to let those that cannot for whatever reason get past the packaging to stop complaining about Kodak and go ahead and purchase other sheet film and stop the complaining. It is about making photographs and all of this negativity is terribly distracting. At the end of the day it is about using the film that meets the unique needs of the LF photographer. In closing all I want to say is that fortunately we have choices. Exercise them and we will all be the better for it. I don't want to come across as not caring because I do. I just feel that given the concessions that I have gotten Kodak to make earlier and within the last week they sometimes do not get the credit for listening to us. The best example of this is the fact that Kodak went to considerable expense to keep the UV coating out of the TMY(2) sheet film which was huge. Plus, they are showing a willingness to put the correct box size and the 20 or 25 sheet packaging in the next ULF sheet film deal. This speaks for itself.

Cheers!

So, they couldn't keep 25 sheets box (if not 50 sheets) for mature end of consumer spectrum and ADD 10 sheets box as offer for getting new customers from beginners end of consumer spectrum?...

 

[David A. Goldfarb]

I guess those of us who shoot unusual formats like 11x14" and 7x17" are somewhat used to 10-sheet boxes.

While this is an inconvenience, it's a fairly minor one in my opinion. Soft emulsions that require more careful handling and those annoying interleaving sheets are an inconvenience; less product consistency is an inconvenience; availability from fewer suppliers is an inconvenience; handcoating is an inconvenience; special ordering of non-standard sizes is an inconvenience; base fog in outdated film is an inconvenience; shooting LF in general is an inconvenience in some respects; developing and printing one's own film is an inconvenience; and unavailability of materials is the biggest inconvenience.

For me the biggest issue is how the film looks, so I'll put up with 10-sheet boxes in order to shoot Tri-X, though I wish it were otherwise. I'll put up with other inconveniences to shoot Adox/Efke PL100 as well, because I like the way the film looks. And I'll also put up with some inconveniences to shoot SXX when I can get it, because it's such a nice landscape film. And I'll put up with other inconveniences to use FP-4+ in sizes they don't normally cut.

If convenience were my main concern, I'd get a DSLR and be done with it.

 

[Sal Santamaura]

...given the concessions that I have gotten Kodak to make...within the last week ...Plus, they are showing a willingness to put the correct box size and the 20 or 25 sheet packaging in the next ULF sheet film deal...

Can you provide an update about when and in what sizes the TMY2 will be offered? Thanks in advance.

 

[Michael Kadillak]

So, they couldn't keep 25 sheets box (if not 50 sheets) for mature end of consumer spectrum and ADD 10 sheets box as offer for getting new customers from beginners end of consumer spectrum?...

Not coming out of the starting blocks they could not or they would have already done it. At some point after we finally complete the ULF sheet film deal I will put together a petition asking everyone to participate in graciously requesting that Kodak migrate back to the 50 sheet boxes and take it from there. In the mean time I would suggest the following. Take the 10 sheet packets and load the sheets in your old 50 sheet boxes and get out and make as any photographs as possible. This is not only the epitome of being a serious photographer in perfecting the visual craft we all so dearly enjoy but it concurrently insures our ability to let our children expose sheet film far into the future which is where the buck stops for me.

Cheers!

 

[Michael Kadillak]

Can you provide an update about when and in what sizes the TMY2 will be offered? Thanks in advance.

Sure Sal.

A couple of months ago I felt that I had handed off the baton to the new corporate sponsor for the ULF sheet film deal. Unfortunately, the sponsor did not make as much progress as I would have hoped so I have re-inserted myself in the process to get things back on track and get some stinking TMY(2) sheets cut for all of us. Kodak has been great and we have nearly resolved the issues of packaging (correct size this time around and triple boxes), # sheets per box (either 20 or 25 - not sure which but I am pushing for 25 per box) and flexibility of ordering throughout the year at two month increments so we will have a steady influx of sheet film in any size that we can muster some very reasonable quantities for. These quantities would be what any minimum order that individuals would need to meet and this standard has been around since 1995 and possibly earlier. The best part is that we will secure a far better price from Kodak by committing to a Master Roll purchase over the year.

As far as sizes we can cut anything as long as we have sufficient interest for it to make sense. I want to give everyone ample time to get their funds together in the sense of plenty of advance notification as these are hard times economically for everyone. But where there is a will there is always a way. Give us a few more weeks to finish the last details and we should be ready to go. I am on this project like a cheap suit because we all want access to this sheet film in all of our BAC (big ass cameras) ASAP. Smaller formats like 5x7 I expect will be included and stocked in one of the first orders and come in 50 sheeet boxes. I do not want anyone thinking that we are avoiding these formats. Anything other than what is cut by Kodak (which is only 4x5 and 8x10) is open season with the ULF program.

Time to start thinking about putting some money aside for sheet film.

Cheers!

 

[henryp]

Freestyle's page says Tri-X, but it also says "Model: 8095440," which is Kodak's product code for TMX 100 #4052 8x10/10. It'd be nice to know which it is.

 

[Michael Halsband]

spoke to Kodak a couple of days ago and they will take a minimum order of $12,500 to reopen the cat. number for Tri-X 50 sheet boxes. If a group of photographers, stores or distributors want to get together and purchase $12,500 worth film, that might be the only solution for now. I'm in. Please contact me if there is any interest.

 

[David A. Goldfarb]

I'd be in for a couple of boxes.

 

[canuhead]

If my math is close, that's only about 80 or so boxes of film. Entirely doable and I'd be game if the price were in line with badger or freestyle.

 

[JLP]

Please count me in for a couple of boxes to.


jan

 

[David A. Goldfarb]

Maybe you could convince Freestyle, Badger or The View Camera Store to coordinate it, so that if there are boxes left over, they can just put them into stock and sell them in the normal way.

 

[Guillaume Zuili]

I'm in for 2 boxes -)...

Guillaume

 

[vet173]

Since were not talking about TXT I got no dog in this hunt.

 

[Michael Halsband]

I will check on the unit (50 sheet box) and case (5-50 sheet boxes) prices would be and get back to anyone interested. If this works, we could order a couple of times a year or more. I have checked wiith a few stores but no one seems interested, but i will keep trying that route. stay tuned!

 

[FilmIs4Ever]

12,5 is very doable (I don't shoot 8x10 though). Often times they want an order of an entire master roll or at least the length of an entire master roll to do a run of a product.

Now let's see if, after all the bitching I've seen here, everyone is willing to put their money where their mouthes are and actually DO something about it. Keep us informed. . .

 

[John Kasaian]

I'd be interested if the price were lower than what they are charging for five 10 sheet boxes which it should be. I'll even send 'em a couple of my old 50 sheet boxes to fill 'er up