Unusual shiny steel cassette caps on Kodak Gold 200

[Pál_K]

The other day I opened a box of Kodak Gold 200, 24 exposures, 35mm, expiration Oct. 2023, and the end caps of the cassette were shiny (steel?) rather than black. They say “Kodak 200” - but I believe all Kodak Gold 200 is marked as “Kodak 200” on the cassette.

Never saw the shiny caps before.

 

[Retro-Grouch]

The other day I opened a box of Kodak Gold 200, 24 exposures, 35mm, expiration Oct. 2023, and the end caps of the cassette were shiny (steel?) rather than black. They say “Kodak 200” - but I believe all Kodak Gold 200 is marked as “Kodak 200” on the cassette.

Never saw the shiny caps before.

This has appeared recently on Tri-X as well. Perhaps a cost-saving measure? That infinitesimal amount of paint, multiplied by hundreds of thousands of cassettes, would add up eventually.

 

[dourbalistar]

Somewhat old news, related to supply chain issues. They switched from tin-free steel to (unpainted) tin plate steel:
https://emulsive.org/articles/news/...e-to-all-35mm-canisters-effective-immediately

 

[bcostin]

That's interesting. I have some old Ilford film cassettes that look similar.

 

[keytarjunkie]

Future collectible, perhaps? 🙄

 

[Pál_K]

Somewhat old news, related to supply chain issues. They switched from tin-free steel to (unpainted) tin plate steel:
https://emulsive.org/articles/news/a...ve-immediately

Aha!

Thanks for that link. My first thoughts upon opening the box were that either Kodak mistakenly put some second-rate film in a Gold 200 box or maybe I had counterfeit film - but nobody counterfeits film, right?

Anyway, with that resolved, I don’t especially like shininess around film; I like black. I don’t even like the clear plastic containers Kodak started using long ago.

 

[lamefrog]

The TX400 I purchased two months ago had these steel, unpainted end caps . the film base also seems different, thinner and does not curl.

 

[bluesun267]

The TX400 I purchased two months ago had these steel, unpainted end caps . the film base also seems different, thinner and does not curl.

Interesting about the base. I believe Kodak is now sourcing acetate from a German supplier. Which if the same place as Ilford obtains it, should mean the base is flatter than what we used to get from Kodak. But, it was announced a little while ago they would be putting Gold 200 and Portra 800 on Polyester base. I wonder if this is now the case with Tri-X? lamefrog, if you have a spare piece of that Tri-X you can sacrifice, could you do me a favor? Try to rip it in half by hand. Acetate will tear fairly easily, Polyester will just bend and deform but not tear.

I'm honestly a bit concerned if the entire industry moves to Polyester (PET) base. As I always get a lot of light piping (fogging) on, for example, Adox B/W film, and certain Rollei films (like Retro 80s) which are PET. Even when loaded in subdued light. I guess Kodak figures the Gold 200 and Portra 800 are opaque enough emulsions this won't be a problem. At least I haven't heard anything.

And another thing with PET: shoot any expired film on polyester base (more than 5 years old say) that has sat for years tightly wound in the small 35mm canister (or 120 roll) and the last foot or two end curl will be tighter than Little Orphan Annie's perm. (It's called curl memory and it's virtually impossible to flatten out again). Which is another of the reasons acetate has persisted for all these years, despite PET technically being more archivally stable over hundreds of years. (Given a choice between ease-of-use today and archivally superior negatives that only reveal themselves as such in 100 years or so, I'll obviously choose the former.)

 

[KoNickon]

Gold 400 has the chrome end caps also. I like the look myself!

 

[K14]

You'll need to paint them black as the incoming light will reflect off those caps and fog your film. 😎😎😎

 

[Muggins]

...and they magically attract airport X-rays too! 😎

 

[bluesun267]

Just opened a roll of E100 dated 02/2024 and the black caps are back. So the silver ones are now collectible.

 

[lamefrog]

TX vs TX …