Will Kodak LF film for photographers be available, or simply for specialized use?

Kodak has announced it will sell its Personalized Imaging and Document Imaging business units, to focus on 'commercial, packaging and functional printing solutions and enterprise services,' ending Kodak's role as a consumer-facing photographic company. The Personalized Imaging business includes print kiosks and consumer film, while the Document Imaging business includes scanners and commercial document management. In the meantime, the company stresses that products and support will be available and both businesses will be sold as going concerns.

Meanwhile the Wall Street Journal has reported that many of the world's biggest technology companies, including Samsung, Apple and Google, have formed a consortium to bid for Kodak's digital imaging patents. Kodak was hoping the sale of its patents would raise over $2.2bn which would help the remains of the company emerge from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The newspaper reports that the consortium is looking to pay as little as $500m for the patents which cover Kodak's many fundamental inventions in the digital field.

Kodak will continue to make film for the movie industry, along with its 'Specialist Film' division, which makes large-format films for aerial and industrial photography. It will also continue to run its Consumer Inkjet division as one of its last public-facing businesses.

Ilford has vowed to be the last ones standing , I would buy from them.

Already do Bob...all film and almost other photographic supplies are from Ilford. I know that Ilford has vowed to continue to make film, but sometimes I REALLY worry!

At 60 I feel I can wait for the big announcement from Simon and then buy a walkin frezzer of film and paper to happily print for the next 15 years .. after that I am going to coast ..

Mahler_one said:

Already do Bob...all film and almost other photographic supplies are from Ilford. I know that Ilford has vowed to continue to make film, but sometimes I REALLY worry!

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It's anybody's guess at this point. I personally use a number of sheet films which only Kodak can supply, such as TMax and Ektar. These have technical applications in the lab and no reasonable substitutes in my case. And I need these for income over the next decade or so. So I have a freezer, and in the meantime, restock my supply as needed, and hope for the best. Ilford is a great
source for black and white film and paper, but obviously not a player in the color market. I personally
feel that Kodak film would survive if they treated it like a simple for-profit balance-sheet company
rather than a stock market commodity, but then, there are a lot of serious infrastructure and supply
issues which no doubt need a critical mass just to keep moving. Time will tell. Won't stop me from
using their film while it's here. The quality is better than ever.

One of the possible...with a giant "P"... solutions would be for Ilford to purchase the black and white film "franchise" from Kodak. Not sure what such would be worth, or even it such makes sense for Ilford. Not starting any rumors Simon!

Are there any APUG'ers with huge wads of cash burning a hole in their pockets who can buy the Kodak film concern and bring back every film discontinued over the last 5 years regardless of cost or profit?

Didn't think so...

More info and discussion in the 30+ page thread . . .

(there was a url link here which no longer exists)

Kodak is in enough trouble so that it is impossible to tell what will happen. I understand that professional film sales are going pretty well (not super great), however. It is likely that Kodak professional films will continue to be available, at least for some time. If they are made on the same line, Kodak is also likely to continue to make its consumer films and supply them to whoever buys the consumer products line, but that is more iffy. The aerial and specialized film business has been shrinking very rapidly, particularly as the military and government agencies have gone digital. Kodak has serious competition in this area both in Europe and Asia. Although they say they will continue to compete, it may not last forever.

Maybe they're trying to bundle a profitabe part of the film business with some "dog" products lines
just to off the residue at more than it's worth. I see these kinds of corporate moves rather frequently, and they often backfire for both the buyer and seller. At this point Kodak is probably
desperate for cash. But I don't see how splitting the film business per se apart will benefit their cost
efficiency on supplies, not unless they expect significant royalties simply from the brand name.
Yet I find it idiotic that folks will boycott Kodak film and complain at the same time about shrinking
selection and rising prices. You can't have it both ways. And why punish the hardworking engineers
and techs in the company for what they're actually doing right - it's not their fault that the corporation as a whole got led down the wrong set of tracks. If Kodak shuts down film, it's going to
be next to impossible for anyone else to resurrect things like Ektar or Portra. Maybe Fuji ... just maybe ... but in these times, it's the lemming school of corporate cliff-walking ... When one lemming
walks over the edge, the others follow (yes, I know it's a myth; but the analogy works!)

DREW WILEY said:

...
Yet I find it idiotic that folks will boycott Kodak film and complain at the same time about shrinking
selection and rising prices. You can't have it both ways. And why punish the hardworking engineers
and techs in the company for what they're actually doing right - it's not their fault that the corporation as a whole got led down the wrong set of tracks. If Kodak shuts down film, it's going to
be next to impossible for anyone else to resurrect things like Ektar or Portra.

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My sentiments exactly. This has been going on for some months now. As soon as some poor photographer has his feelings hurt if he feels Kodak is not supporting him he stops buying Kodak products. Sure is a great way to help Kodak survive. Howard Tanger

So when Fuji and Kodak are closing film industrial sooner or later and then we are left with Ilford, how can film survive then? We keep saying film is not dead, but from what i say t is dying slowly and it is just a matter of time, more announcements these days from big 2 companies for films, so i feel within 2-4 years we are left with less and less options and we may not get interested much to shoot if we don't have enough film to shoot or can't find film here and there as we want, i have 3-4 favorite films, if those are gone then i don't want to use another films even good enough.

4x5 Kodak film might well be available for a time to come. However, as we have already noted, larger format Kodak film might vanish-or be available by special order only and at prices that are prohibitive.

I have switched to Ilford film, and I am not sorry. Ilford films are fine in 8x10 and larger, and the price is much more reasonable. It is surely time to stop complaining, and to begin to support a company that appears to be dedicated to supporting us. Kodak was great. The King is dead, but long liver the King.