The future of Kodak film

[Chan Tran]

I believe people in richer countries use more film than that of poor countries. I think Japanese is top in film consumption. If Kodak and its brand is for sale I believe the Chinese will buy it but to sell film in the US, Europe and Australia and not so much in China, Thailand, Vietnam etc..

[Photo Engineer]

What products did they make in the Brazil plant?

IDK, paper and film? I know paper was made there.

PE

[Neanderman]

Kodak may well be one of the last companies to abandon "(near) total vertical integration." It's never been clear to me exactly what they made, but I think at one time it included their own paper, their own film base and most of their own chemicals. Not sure about gelatin.

I think one of the last things Eastman did before he died was purchase what became the Tennessee Eastman Division in Kingsport, TN. because he was having trouble getting the quantities and consistant quality of chemicals that they needed. EK spun them off sometime back in the 80's.

But I think one of the quiet secrets about the entire move to digital photography is that much of it is being driven by environmental concerns. I'm sure it was a huge driver in their closing all of the labs.

[Photo Engineer]

Kodak had its own gelatin plant in Peabody Mass. Other than that, they used Rousselot gelatin from France.

PE

[firecracker]

I think Japanese is top in film consumption.

I don't know the statistics, but it seems it is not any more than the people in the U.S. One thing people outside of Japan don't seem to get is that we don't have a wide selection on film and paper compared to other big markets. Yodobashi Camera, which is our equivalent of B&H, for instance, isn't really the size of B&H at all. Maybe it used to be different...

[firecracker]

Kodak built a plant in Brazil for just this reason.

Due to economic growth, the South American economy is exploding and moving directly to digital.

The Brazil plant closed about 2 years ago.

PE

Well, I guess that's it then. Africa is too poor to sustain itself, and the Middle East region is probably not a good place to have that yellow sign up...

[Photo Engineer]

In the midlle east, women are not allowed to use a camera.

PE

[film_guy]

So should I be stocking up on the Tri-X and Portra films soon?

[fparnold]

>>>So should I be stocking up on the Tri-X and Portra films soon?

No, but you should periodically test some alternatives, just in case.

You B&W guys seem to be set, but there aren't a lot of alternatives in color, and I'm not sure I have the patience to make 120-sized autochromes. It will be depressing when my TLR becomes a prop in a still-life, rather than an active tool.

[aldevo]

What products did they make in the Brazil plant?

Kodak's B&W papers were coated there at the very least.