Kodak Alaris is increasing prices

[SaveKodak]

It should also be pointed out that Fuji is killing off certain stocks and quantities next year. I'll take the 8% increase if it means I don't lose Ektar & Portra.

 

[Corran]

Fuji is killing off stocks and formats because they keep raising their prices. They made their bed. I hope Kodak is not following in their footprints. Ilford seems the most committed to film (black and white only obviously) but that is no surprise given their less diverse product portfolio.

 

[jsrockit]

I'll take the 8% increase if it means I don't lose Ektar & Portra.

I can't imagine those films are in jeopardy of being discontinued. Both beautiful.

 

[Prest_400]

Try Foma 200 in place of Tmax100.
The film is great for hybrid work.
Very supple and limp backing stays nice and flat for scanning.
Sort of a T-grain Hybrid... It's good stuff.

I gotta try it sometime in the future, 120 6x9. One of the reasons is that in EU it can be cheap at around 3.5€ a roll, so not as exquisite to shoot past 8 frames.

Portra seems to have a nice foothold as a color staple. I hope this doesn't mean that the growing interest on film is not really that effective.

The kodak QC peaky issues are annoying though. I just refrigerate my 120 and it seems to help in the imprimpting to not appear.

 

[HHPhoto]

My guess is it will take some time for Alaris to find the right balance. Kodak owned their now supply chain for many years. It avoided problems like paper backing. After Fallon Kodak had finance people at the helm. Often QA and engineering folks are ignored over the risk/reward dice role.

Bill,

the films are manufactured by Eastman Kodak like all the decades before.
Only the distribution is now in the hands of a second company with Kodak Alaris.
I don't think that the QC problems have anything to do with the change in distribution. That are manufacturing problems.
The question whether you get affected films replaced is of course in the hands of Kodak Alaris. They are responsible to the customer.

Cheers, Jan

 

[HHPhoto]

A little off topic, but what E6 films are you guys currently using without issues?

All Fujifilm films are flawless and of outstanding quality. E6, C41 and BW.

Especially the Fujichrome E6 films are unsurpassed and have set the benchmarks in its classes. There is a reason why Fujifilm surpassed Kodak with its Fujichrome films already in the 90ies and became market leader.
I am curently shooting Provia 100F, Provia 400X, Velvia 50 and 100 and all have perfect quality and outstanding QC. In all formats.

With 120 format Fujifilm film you furthermore get the by far best converting / finishing quality of all manufacturers in that format with the unique Fujifilm 'Easy Loading', 'Easy End Seal' and 'Barcode' systems.

Cheers, Jan

 

[HHPhoto]

It should also be pointed out that Fuji is killing off certain stocks and quantities next year. I'll take the 8% increase if it means I don't lose Ektar & Portra.

Fujifilm is discontinuing mainly only certain packagings, but not the films itself.
By the way packagings which the other manufacturers never offered! Not even in their best times.
For example there have never been a Foma 3 or 5 pack in dedicated packaging.
So in the end we're loosing nothing essential.

Also because some leading distributors are also reacting by offering discounts on 3, 5, 10 or 50 films.
So if a certain price/discount gap may exist, it will be likely filled by the distributors.

Cheers, Jan

 

[jsrockit]

I am curently shooting Provia 100F, Provia 400X, Velvia 50 and 100 and all have perfect quality and outstanding QC. In all formats.

Thanks and all seem to be towards the cheaper end of the scale too.

 

[ChrisPlatt]

Thanks, it's been years since we've had a good Kodak-bashing thread here... 🙄

Chris

 

[Skiff]

Thanks, it's been years since we've had a good Kodak-bashing thread here... 🙄

Chris

It has nothing to do with Kodak-bashing.
It is just a simple description of current facts:

- the price increase is fact, you get the confirmation by Kodak Alaris if you ask them (I've done that)
- the problems with the backing papers with several film types are fact: ten thousands of photographers have been affected by that in the last two years ( I am one of them, too)
- that T-Max 100 is out production for more than a year because of that problem is also fact, confirmend by Kodak Alaris; and I've asked them when TMX will return: they have been so honest to say they don't know
- the dust problem with 135: during the last 5 years every single Kodak 135 film I've bought had that problem; therefore I can confirm the experiences of Jan
- the introduction of Ektachrome has been delayed: Instead of Q4 2017 it is now scheduled to 2018, but without a precise delivery date (that is what Kodak Alaris told me in an email).

I think for us as film photographers and Kodak customers it is just normal to discuss current, real problems which affect us.

 

[jsrockit]

Thanks, it's been years since we've had a good Kodak-bashing thread here... 🙄

Chris

If they are having the problems with their film that are being stated her, they deserve it.

 

[AZPhotog]

Well I have been burned several times by their "bleedy" films over the years, and I will not use Kodak films any more.

Too many fine alternatives are available.

I would not be surprised if their "new Ektachrome" had as poor an archival issue as the original. (Fading, color changing, just not holding up like Kodachrome and other non-Kodak films did for me.)

 

[Kamph]

Fujifilm is discontinuing mainly only certain packagings, but not the films itself.
Cheers, Jan

Acros in 4x5 too unfortunately 🙁

 

[MaxElmar]

A quick price check at B&H shows that for equivalent/similar films, Kodak is usually cheaper. 8% wouldn't make up the difference. Example Ilford Delta 100 $7.47 Kodak T-Max 100 5.09 both in 135/36. Delta 400 5.99 TMY 4.99 in 120. HP5 is the same price as Tri-X in 135. With few exceptions Kodak is cheaper than Fuji, too. Sounds like they're catching up.

They certainly need to fix the QA problems, though. TMY is in stock in 120 - TMX is not and hasn't been for a while.

 

[BillBingham2]

Bill,

the films are manufactured by Eastman Kodak like all the decades before.
Only the distribution is now in the hands of a second company with Kodak Alaris.
I don't think that the QC problems have anything to do with the change in distribution. That are manufacturing problems.
The question whether you get affected films replaced is of course in the hands of Kodak Alaris. They are responsible to the customer.

Cheers, Jan

I agree, at the end of the day, KA is responsible to the customer.

When I speak of supply chain I am not speaking of distribution but of parts coming in to Kodak. For a while, Kodak had their own herds that supplied gelatin, they printed their on boxes, canisters, and poop-sheets (little fold up paper stuff into the box). I'm not sure they made their own backing paper for MF film, but I bet they did. Similar paper is used elsewhere throughout their product line. As they have cut back I bet they have outsourced making and printing of the paper used for backing. My guess is that either the ink is a different type (used to put numbers on the back) or who ever is printing it doesn't give it nought time to dry.

So they still make their own film the same way they have for decades, fine, but are their suppliers the same or at least the new ones providing the same quality. If it's not the same supplier then KA has a QC issue or two they need to step up their monitoring and perhaps contract writing on a bit.

B2 (;->

 

[MaxElmar]

Acros in 4x5 too unfortunately 🙁

And 8x10 :>(

That's a real loss, given the reciprocity characteristics of Acros.

 

[Ko.Fe.]

A quick price check at B&H shows that for equivalent/similar films, Kodak is usually cheaper. 8% wouldn't make up the difference. Example Ilford Delta 100 $7.47 Kodak T-Max 100 5.09 both in 135/36. Delta 400 5.99 TMY 4.99 in 120. HP5 is the same price as Tri-X in 135. With few exceptions Kodak is cheaper than Fuji, too. Sounds like they're catching up.

They certainly need to fix the QA problems, though. TMY is in stock in 120 - TMX is not and hasn't been for a while.

Ilford is cheaper in bulks. Kentmere even cheaper. I ditched kodak bw few years ago due to overpricing.
And I ditched bw film in rolls even earlier, due to overpricing as well.
The only film which is priced reasonably in roll is Gold and Super Max.
The rest is priced like rip-off for sometime already.

 

[HHPhoto]

A quick price check at B&H shows that for equivalent/similar films, Kodak is usually cheaper.

At the biggest European distributors, Fujifilm is already often cheaper compared to Kodak. The price increase will strengthen that trend.

To make one aspect clear. I am not critizising Kodak Alaris for the price increase. I am generally willing to pay fair prices for film. To Kodak, Fujifilm, Ilford, Adox, Foma....whoever is offering an excellent film product.
But:
For fair prices I expect an excellent product, and working QC.
Unfortunately that is really a current problem at Kodak.
Fujifilm, Ilford, Adox and so on give me the expected excellent quality.

Cheers, Jan

 

[HHPhoto]

Acros in 4x5 too unfortunately 🙁

I can understand your sadness. It is an outstanding film. With unique qualities.
Acros and Provia 100F are by far the best films for long exposures with their unsurpassed, outstanding reciprocity characteristics.
No other film manufacturer has that technology and can offer that!

In several areas Fujifilm is technology leader, and cannot be replaced by any other manufacturer!
Therefore it is so important that film photographers keep the Fujifilm lines running by demand, by buying the products. Demand the decisive factor!

Therefore this stupid "Fujinonfilm" campaign started by Bellamy Hunt (JCH), Vishal Soniji (camerafilmphoto) and some other hipster-bloggers and Kodak related labs (like MeinFilmLab) is so counterproductive:
Ten thousands of Photographers follow them and boycott Fujifilm, the demand is then even further decreasing and falls below the critical level. And Fuji had to stop the product(s) because of too low demand.
And then the same people who told you to stop using Fujifilm are complaining that Fujifilm had to discontinue certain products.
What a film community destroying behaviour!!
So please, don't follow these idiots.

Monopolies are very bad for a market. We need both Kodak and Fujifilm!
And Ilford, Adox, Foma, Film Ferrania and so on.

Back to Acros in sheets:
The film distributors have told me that they see increasing demand for BW in 135 and 120 formats, but not for sheets.
So unfortunately so far no revival (yet) for large format.
That and the catastrophic "Fujinonfilm campaign" have led to the demand problems with Acros sheets, and that the demand is not high enough anymore to keep the product economically viable.

At least as large format shooter you have the possibility to use Acros in 120 in roll film backs (6x9, 6x12, 6x17, 6x24) with your LF camera.

Cheers, Jan

 

[BLKRCAT]

The curl problem remains.

Excuse me? Are you talking about Tri-X Curling?

You are drying it too fast. I dry my Tri-X in my darkroom and while it is a bit damp down in the basement it allows for Tri-X to dry without any curling. It just takes a little longer.

If it were a problem that effected everyone sure its a problem that should be fixed but it's not an issue that effects everyone. Sorry.