Petition Kodak to Bring Back Plus-X

[John Bragg]

I have never used Plus-X, but I would definitely buy some if it was re-introduced. I do however use Tri-X, and as it also has a character of its own, I can see why someone would miss a certain signature film. There is a certain look that can't be replicated.

 

[tsiklonaut]

I've heard Kodak won't make a move when one patch made and successfully sold is less than a 80 000 rolls. Pretty hard these days with their outdated "on/off" corporate thinking and their view of overconsumerist life. I wish a small independent makers who plan their workforce and small scale marketing could get their patents and production equipment (hell with the trademarks - they can rename all of them if they like!) and make the stuff as the market demands, not by any rediculously huge minimum amounts.

Today's economic environment you must be adaptive, especially in analog's niche market and only smaller manufacturers can be sufficently adaptive IMHO. Time of the dinosaurs in the film market is long over and Fuji showed us how to survive and continue while making profits - make less film but use the developed technologies for other different fields - i.e. cosmetics where they got major income to compensate for less film consumption worldwide, yet they still continue to produce film and have no plans to stop (meaning it's still profitable even now).

Personally I'd much rather want the Tri-X 320 back - it's a countless times better film than the much overhyped Tri-X 400 still made IMO.

 

[Vincent.G]

I have never shot with plus-X and I want to use it. I am shooting with Double-X and Tri-X and absolutely love these b&w film from Kodak.

I WANT ALL KODAK FILM BACK!

Black and white film, C-41 film and E-6 slides. They are all good!

 

[Clint Troy]

Tri-X 320 was strictly a studio film with matte backing so it could be easily retouched.

Each time I tried that film I used to get blown highlights, telling me the film's latitude was rather bad.
I also agree that the "new" tri-X is overhyped and people show really horrible scans that they "love" and it's usually sickening but what can we do.

 

[c.poulton]

Can't Kodak sell 'the formula' on to another company willing to still release 'new' B&W films - Adox perhaps?

BTW, I would welcome any new B&W film onto the market - still trying to find a replacement for Adox CHS 50 Art, an "old school" film with lovely rich tones....

 

[malcD]

I'm a 60's and 70's TRI X man and what I have left in the fridge.

 

[thegman]

If it's still available in 400' rolls, then you could talk to 'The Brothers Wright' about repackaging it, they do it for Vision 500T film, taking off the remjet too, so I'd imagine they could do other films too.

 

[sevo]

Can't Kodak sell 'the formula' on to another company willing to still release 'new' B&W films - Adox perhaps?

It is not simply a matter of "the formula" - that probably is about in books, or has been published in already expired Kodak patents. Making emulsions is quite like making wine in that unwritten knowledge and minor variations to the environment (cellar or factory) do matter. Even if someone were to hire the Kodak engineers and transfer the mixing machines and vats, the changes would still mean lots of test runs and tweaking until they get something reasonably similar to the original. Indeed, chances are that even Kodak themselves can't do Plus-X any more without sinking an extra million R&D into inventing it anew.

And nobody wants to pay for that R&D. Do you really believe that you could find enough people to buy up a (80,000 rolls) Plus-X master roll at maybe $15 apiece while Tri-X is $3.50, when even here on a gilded Leica forum there is a majority spirit (at least among US users) that seriously considers getting out of (film) photography if the last local megastore or mall closes its low-price minilab?

 

[Sarcophilus Harrisii]

I believe the best course of action is to buy and use as much of your existing favourite films as possible. Only sufficient and sustained demand will help to keep them available into the future. No offence intended, but this is a waste of time and effort. There's no guarantee at present that Kodak itself will still be around to make their current products, past the medium term.
Regards
Brett

 

[MartinP]

I don't see what the fuss is about, as I have been an Ilford and Agfa user for thirty-five years.

The best chance to get something like Plus-X back, would be to contract Ilford or Adox to match it and make it for you. All you need to do is put in a few million of your own money up front and then sell all of the product at $20 a roll, or so, within five years - super profit . . . or not?

More practical might be to look at precisely what you liked about Plus-X, then adjust the exposure and development of an Ilford film to match it. I suggest Ilford as they have repeatedly said they intend to be the last-man-standing. It could even be possible to home-mix batches of some special, magic, Plus-X style developer if that was necessary.

 

[HHPhoto]

.......when even here on a gilded Leica forum there is a majority spirit (at least among US users) that seriously considers getting out of (film) photography if the last local megastore or mall closes its low-price minilab?

Haha, we Europeans probably will never understand this US "local mini lab" obsession......
Film photography conquered the world without these mini labs. They've been introduced very late in the game, at the end of the eighties. Before it had been all send out and mail ordering service.
I've done color photography for about 20 years successfully, before I've used a mini lab service the first time. Despite having two mini labs here in my town, I use them extremely rarely.

I can only shake my head about all those people who permanently recommend using mail order (B&H, Adorama, FS etc.) for buying films, but at the same time say they have to stop using film because their local mini lab has closed.
If using mail order for film is so great (well it is, no one is denying that), why not also using mail order for film development? It is the same procedure!
There are so much excellent labs offering mail order service, even in the US.
Mail order is also often cheaper than driving to a local lab:
Driving to a local lab costs fuel, parking fees and often a lot of time (time is money).

Cheers, Jan

P.S.: And of course self developing is always an option. Not only for BW, but also for Color. It is easy and cheap for color with the Tetenal kits (C-41; E6) and FujiHunt kits (E6).

And Plus-X: Forget it, use the Adox Silvermax instead, it is better in all respects: Finer grain, higher resolution, better dynamic range, lower price.

 

[sepiareverb]

And Plus-X: Forget it, use the Adox Silvermax instead, it is better in all respects: Finer grain, higher resolution, better dynamic range, lower price.

Absolutely! Silvermax is really quite something. As is ORWO UN54 and then FP4+ is nearly identical if one takes the time to figure it out.

 

[Photo_Smith]

Well, it goes something like this. You know how they make some beer seasonally? Like October dark beer, and so on. Some beers are made all the time, while some are made from time to time. Maybe they could make film like that.

So what do you think?

They have been making film like that for years, in batches freezing some releasing it to match the demand curve.
Do you think they haven't thought to do that?

You can if you wish have Kodak make you a master roll, they will confection it for you and you can label it whatever you wish.

Your call.

 

[Valerius]

I have also started to use the Adox products, and I find the Silvermax much better than the old Plus-X.

 

[Mackinaw]

Well, it goes something like this. You know how they make some beer seasonally? Like October dark beer, and so on. Some beers are made all the time, while some are made from time to time. Maybe they could make film like that........

As Photo Smith has already pointed out, what you describe is what Kodak is currently doing. This is the way film is made.

Also note that a master roll is about one yard wide and one MILE long.

Go over to APUG and seek out posts from Photo Engineer (a retired Kodak film engineer) to see how film is made. You will be amazed.

Jim B.

 

[tunalegs]

I stopped buying plus-x when Kodak hiked the prices up. I don't know that I'd still buy it now (if it were available). I had been using Neopan SS after that, but that is dead now too. Kentmere makes a decent old-fashioned 100ASA film. Not quite the same (probably closer to SS than to Plus-X) but still looks good and it's very cheap.

I'm more upset about their axing elite chrome.

 

[edge100]

This sort of sounds like petitioning Pan Am to bring back the red eye from LAX to LaGuardia.

Actually, it sounds like petitioning Pan Am to bring back non-stop service to Kai Tak.

#planenerd

 

[Doug Smith]

I've been using Plus-X longer than I care to admit and it has always been my favorite medium speed film (along with APX). I have just a few rolls left. But I've been shooting with FP4 for the past 6 months and have learned how to use it and now prefer to support Ilford with purchasing their film as they have shown a commitment to the market, where Kodak most definitely has not.

 

[bwcolor]

Better to use what is on the market, or it also will go away for good.

 

[pschauss]

I have been using Plus-X since I got my first 35mm camera back in the early sixties and I have always loved its fine grain and contrast. I was lucky enough to have bought a 100' roll of Arista Premium 100 just before Kodak announced that Plus-X was discontinued. I have shot about half of that roll. In the mean time, I have experimented with UN54 which comes pretty close to the same look.

If nothing else, the constantly changing film market is giving me a chance to explore other films and to learn how the interaction of certain films with different processes can yield the look that I am trying to achieve.