Where are the film sales?

[machine]

I had been eagerly waiting for the B&W film sales that always seem to happen around Memorial Day.

I cannot find any sales. Quite the opposite. Some film (HP5) is priced 30%+ higher than what I paid for a year ago.

If anyone has found a sale / fair price, please can you share.

 

[sfphoto]

> Some film (HP5) is priced 30%+ higher than what I paid for a year ago.

Hopefully you don't need lumber - Is up 300%

 

[machine]

No lumber, thank goodness.

I find myself contemplating a 400' roll of Double X. From what I can make out, it is similar to Tri-X in look and quality, but slower a stop. I can live with that. Worried about scratching the film loading it, or worse unspooling it and ruining it.

 

[Bronson Dugnutt]

If film prices have got you down don't think of it as a commodity but rather a discrete bit of visual recording medium that has already been exposed by the mind's eye prior to purchase.

 

[mgb74]

The best prices I've seen recently are at Midwest Photo Exchange. You have to get to $99 for free shipping. Not an endorsement; just my (albeit limited) experience.

 

[mshchem]

Money is bad, inflation. Every input to make and distribute film has gone up. It's going to continue.

 

[AgX]

I had been eagerly waiting for the B&W film sales that always seem to happen around Memorial Day.

Never heard of such sale.

What memorial day? And where?

 

[relistan]

Never heard of such sale.

What memorial day? And where?

Today is Memorial Day in the US. It’s also the unofficial start of summer. Lots of sales on various things usually happen. I guess that maybe there were historically film sales this weekend in the US.

 

[Tel]

Never heard of such sale.

What memorial day? And where?

Relistan has it right--it's also the holiday that initiates the summer season in the US. (Except when it rains as it has done in the Northeast this year.) I think maybe the OP is thinking of the Ilford "ULF" sale, which I believe originally meant "ultra large format" but has morphed into a limited run of odd-sized formats such as 127. It isn't a "sale" in the sense of bargain prices but it gives those of us who like to shoot outmoded formats a chance to stock up. The deadline for pre-ordering in the ULF sale usually fell in late spring, though I've heard no mention of it this year. I expect Ilford has other things to worry about.

 

[Kino]

When most retailers who sell film are largely out-of-stock, it's not conducive to marking down prices to move inventory.

I tend to think we will be seeing sale-prices on new film stock very rarely in the future.

 

[machine]

Hoping supply and demand catch up. A 30%+ increase vs. what I paid this time last year (HP5 bulk roll) is not inflation. It's more likely to be a supply squeeze.

At least that is how things worked before. "This time is different".

 

[gone]

If you're a Tri-X shooter, I don't think Double X is going to give you similar results, at least from what I see on the web. I started having too much trouble w/ bad Kodak products and recently went to Foma 400 and 100. This saved quite a bit of money over buying Tri-X so I was able to order more film than usual, and the results have been great. When film prices are less, I think it encourages more creative work. Thinking of the high cost every time you snap the shutter has to cramp anyone's style.

 

[Tom Kershaw]

I started having too much trouble w/ bad Kodak products and recently went to Foma 400 and 100.

Any experience of "bad" Kodak product actually manufactured by Eastman Kodak?

 

[Pieter12]

Any experience of "bad" Kodak product actually manufactured by Eastman Kodak?

Does Eastman Kodak even make film for still photography anymore? Thought it was all from Kodak Alaris, a British company.

 

[MattKing]

Does Eastman Kodak even make film for still photography anymore? Thought it was all from Kodak Alaris, a British company.

Eastman Kodak manufactures all film branded as Kodak - both still film and motion picture film, but they don't sell the still film to anyone other than Kodak Alaris.
Kodak Alaris has the worldwide distribution and marketing rights for Kodak still films. Every single Kodak branded still film is manufactured by Eastman Kodak according to the orders placed with Eastman Kodak by their sole, business to business customer, Kodak Alaris.
Until late last year, when they sold them, Kodak Alaris also had the worldwide distribution and marketing rights for other Kodak still film photographic products which are not manufactured by Eastman Kodak: Kodak colour photo paper and Kodak photo chemistry (other than motion picture photo chemistry) plus a bunch of other related things like the photo kiosks that you still find in some stores. They have had those rights since the Eastman Kodak bankruptcy settlement. They obtained those rights, along with the still film rights, as a settlement of the Kodak Limited pension plan's super priority claims. Kodak Limited being the UK subsidiary of Eastman Kodak - the largest of the many Kodaks worldwide, other than the US version.
Eastman Kodak still has the worldwide distribution and marketing rights for Kodak motion picture film.
Other than some small presence with respect to the motion picture market, Eastman Kodak has no international presence. All the many international subsidiaries of Eastman Kodak had their marketing and distribution business folded into Kodak Alaris, which does have some international presence.
In essence, when it comes to still photography, Eastman Kodak just manufactures and sells to one other business. Everything else (marketing, distribution, customer service) is handled either by Kodak Alaris or the distributors that Kodak Alaris sells to - they don't sell directly to retailers or end users.
Last year Kodak Alaris sold the Kodak branded colour paper and photo chemical business and photo kiosk and related business to Sino Promise Holdings. Sino Promise Holdings are/were connected to the entity that has been manufacturing much of the Kodak branded colour lab photo-chemicals for Kodak Alaris. They were (and may still be) also the largest distributor in the world of Kodak branded still films and the photo-chemical and colour paper products.

 

[Pieter12]

Any experience of "bad" Kodak product actually manufactured by Eastman Kodak?

And you're saying there is counterfeit Kodak film?

 

[MattKing]

And you're saying there is counterfeit Kodak film?

I think Tom is referring to Kodak branded products that are manufactured by entities not named Kodak.
Sort of like a lot of Apple branded products that aren't actually manufactured by Apple.
Or most of the parts in modern cars.

 

[Pieter12]

I think Tom is referring to Kodak branded products that are manufactured by entities not named Kodak.
Sort of like a lot of Apple branded products that aren't actually manufactured by Apple.
Or most of the parts in modern cars.

You just posted a long, detailed description of how Kodak film is made only by Kodak in Rochester. And the original post about bad Kodak products seemed to be referring to Tri-X. Then Tom asked if the "bad" Kodak was actually made by Kodak...it makes my head spin. Too many assumptions, unsubstantiated claims, ambiguous, misleading statements...that's the internet for you!

 

[grat]

If you're a Tri-X shooter, I don't think Double X is going to give you similar results, at least from what I see on the web.

Well, no, it's missing an X.

 

[grat]

You just posted a long, detailed description of how Kodak film is made only by Kodak in Rochester. And the original post about bad Kodak products seemed to be referring to Tri-X. Then Tom asked if the "bad" Kodak was actually made by Kodak...it makes my head spin. Too many assumptions, unsubstantiated claims, ambiguous, misleading statements...that's the internet for you!

I would upvote the living &#%$ out of this comment if I could.

Actually, I believe momus's complaint is with the Kodak *chemicals*, which aren't made by the same people as the film, but there again-- that's the internet for you.

 

[Mark Crabtree]

Kentmere 400. Not quite HP5 if you need to push, but very nice film with great quality control and cheaper than Double X. Also Foma can be nice depending on your situation and needs.

 

[MattKing]

Actually, I believe momus's complaint is with the Kodak *chemicals*, which aren't made by the same people as the film

Exactly.
But there has been some problems in recent years with Kodak branded 120 film - backing paper problems.
Backing paper issues have beset a number of different films and a number of different manufacturers in recent years - at least more frequently than they used to.
And the Kodak colour paper is largely made in Colorado, in a plant that had been Eastman Kodak, then became a shared plant between Carestream and Eastman Kodak, then became a plant shared by Kodak Alaris and Carestream, and is now Carestream and ???
All of which makes it confusing if someone says they are unhappy about "Kodak" products - which ones?
By the way, I am blessed/cursed with a near lifetime of knowledge about Kodak, plus an easily understood although now illogical loyalty there.
Most of what I post about Kodak is based on really old personal knowledge plus more current information from public sources, but I still have a little bit of insight from ...
If I speculate, it will be clear that I am doing so from how I say what I say.
On the initial question from the OP, most sales happen in two situations:
1) a vendor has excess inventory they wish to share sell off; or
2) a vendor and/or a distributor and/or a manufacturer plan for a sale, by ordering or manufacturing more product to be sold at a favourable price.
The latter case depends on there being available timely manufacturing, shipping and warehousing resources.
In these pandemic times, manufacturing and distribution and warehousing and shipping are disrupted, as are the supplies of the materials needed. In addition, retailers appear to have sold out many of their stocks on hand. As a result, neither type of sales are likely to happen.
Instead, everything has become more expensive and less reliable.

 

[grat]

But there has been some problems in recent years with Kodak branded 120 film - backing paper problems.

... and Ilford, and Foma, and Bergger. As I've said before, if Kodak was still a multi-national conglomerate that had billions of customers across the globe, and revenue out the yang, it would be one thing-- they would certainly be remiss in letting these bad products hit the shelves.

But none of the big photo companies survived digital, with the possible exception of Foma-- Kodak, Polaroid, Ilford, Agfa, Adox, Tetenal-- they all collapsed in one fashion or another, and what's shuffling around this now niche industry, are echoes of the giants that they once were, and the "industry of film" has shrunk. Frankly, I'm surprised it's doing as well as it is.

 

[Tom Kershaw]

... and Ilford, and Foma, and Bergger.

The Bergger film is confectioned by Harman (ILFORD), coating is by Inoviscoat. Bergger is a marketing company, not a manufacturer.

 

[grat]

The Bergger film is confectioned by Harman (ILFORD), coating is by Inoviscoat. Bergger is a marketing company, not a manufacturer.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bergger

My point is, they were once an independent film manufacturer. Foma appears to be the last of the early 20th century companies that hasn't undergone a major collapse and rebirth-- although they probably did restructure when they went from state-owned to private.