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It's sad news because Kodak will eventually stops making any film at all. However, if they could keep a few of their professional films available I would be happy. Just keep their Ektachrome, Portra and Ektar that would be fine but I am afraid they are going to go too.
Let me try this again: the labs aren't there, at least for Canada. TIW is 40 min. away and has a sweet "in by 11 out by 3" service. Demand for E6 service died when pros stopped shooting 120 and 4x5--that's what kept the labs open, not amateurs with a couple rolls a month. Labs couldn't afford to keep large E6 processors repaired, refreshed and running for what became a trickle of work. Perhaps the US is better serviced but mail order processing would sorely test my loyalty to any film if it were the only processing option.Quote:
Originally Posted by benjiboy
I shot about 15 rolls since 1/1/11, before that I was splitting time between that and Kodachrome. I'm not a high volume shooter, but I really dislike the fact that I'm now going to have to pay double for the same amount of film (or shoot less, which is very likely given the fact that I'm a college student). Well, as they say, all good things must come to an end, and I'll just have to get a few bricks for the deep freeze.Quote:
Originally Posted by CGW
That's weird to me. ANYTHING I don't do at home, I mail order. What's the big problem? This currently includes ALL my color though I am getting back into C41 and RA4 soon - maybe E6 too but haven't decided about that and it became less likely with news of the cancellation of Ilfochrome.Quote:
Originally Posted by CGW
I also online order ALL my film, ALL my paper, ALL my chemicals etc. If there's a place locally to buy anything other than a few rolls of Fuji consumer C41, I don't know where it is. Nor do I really care as it's easier and cheaper, if not faster, to just get it off the 'net delivered conveniently to my door.
I think Kodak's & Fuji's production lines are too big to downsize to what would be, at best, a lunging guess at the new long-term demand -- which is too small to justify the capital investment.
Personally, I'm assuming everything from Kodak and Fuji will eventually go. I expect -- with little relish -- that Rochester will capitulate sooner than we think and in a dramatic, surprise asset liquidation.
It hardly matters. The films I depend on come from small facilities in Leverkusen, Enschede, Samobor, Hradec Králové, Cheshire & Shanghai (most of these brands are APUG advertisers). These factories are experiencing growing demand off of a small but enthusiastic base. US!
Take encouragement from a little aside on the Versalab website:
http://www.versalab.com/server/photo/photo1.htm
"A note from Versalab July 2010 - We are pleased to see a considerably improved market for darkroom equipment. This has been on the rise for a year and should be an exciting thought for those reading our web pages. Both new and old experienced photographers are beginning to again enjoy the delights of film, chemistry and paper."
The demise of Big Yellow's film businesses will be interpreted incorrectly in the mainstream to read that film will no longer be used, nuance having been eliminated from the average diet.
I'll take the survivalist thing as far as home b&w development for hybrid workflow but homebrew C-41 and E6 just doesn't work for me. As long as my lab stays afloat, I'm shooting film but when that punks out it's over except for b&w.Quote:
Originally Posted by Roger Cole
I understand that. It works for me because I have a Jobo and it's easy. I've done it without one and it works and isn't really that difficult, but I might well decide if I didn't have the Jobo that it's more trouble than it's worth.Quote:
Originally Posted by CGW
It's the not mail ordering I found odd. But then again even in the old days I lived in a small town and in the 80s and 90s had to mail order the vast majority of stuff I used, and in those days it was mail or phone and not Internet with computer shopping carts and instant access to inventory information. Film processing is more like it used to be (I did get film processed locally when I didn't do color) but it's easy, if not fast. Fill out the form, drop in mail with film. Takes a while though, granted.
Lucky you. With a JOBO, I'd gladly hunker down and do it. I'm in a big city(Toronto) with a large imaging community.Film's infrastructure here collapsed 5-7 years ago. Kodak Canada closed in 2005. C-41 and E6 lines at pro labs ground to a halt. Even cheap Noritsu/Fuji Frontier labs for 35mm closed at large discount stores in the last 2 years. Demand for film services is near rock bottom. 120 is all I shoot now for film and I'm dealing with one good and(so far)busy lab that still does quality work.Quote:
Originally Posted by Roger Cole
Canada sucks, IMO.
More real estate and people than Oz. What's not to like?Quote:
Originally Posted by tomalophicon