Kodak discontinues colour reversal films, puts an end to a 77-year heritage
Kodak has discontinued three colour reversal films, BJP can reveal, as the company continues to review its operations. However, says a spokeswoman, Kodak will continue to support its other lines of films
Author: Olivier Laurent
01 Mar 2012 Tags: Kodak
In a notice sent to retailers and distributors around the world, and seen by BJP, Kodak has announced that "due to a steady decrease in sales and customer usage, combined with highly complex product formulation and manufacturing processes, Kodak is discontinuing three Ektachrome (color reversal) films."
The films are the Kodak Professional Ektachrome E100G, Kodak Professional Ektachrome E100VS Film and Kodak Professional Elite Chrome Extra Color 100.
"We estimate that, based on current sales pace, supplies of these films are expected to be available in the market for the next six to nine months; however, inventories may run out before then, depending on demand," says Kodak.
Speaking exclusively to BJP, a Kodak spokeswoman adds: "We've reviewed our portfolio and we told our partners that we would discontinue these three slide films. What we have constantly told everyone is that we will continue to make film as long as there's profitable demand. But, in the case of slide films, the decline has been pretty acute, and in addition to that, the complexity of the formulation and manufacturing of these films made it that we could no longer sustain them."
She adds: "This doesn't affect our Portra films, our Ektar and black-and-white films."
The discontinuation means that Kodak will no longer produce any colour reversal films - commonly used to create slides. However, it will continue to manufacture E-6 Chemicals.
Kodak's first colour reversal film was introduced in 1935 with Kodachrome, initially in the movie industry and, one year later, as a 35mm slide film.
The news comes as Kodak is undergoing a wide-ranging strategic review of its businesses with the "commitment to drive sustainable profitability through its most valuable business lines." But Kodak was quick to point out that it would continue to support its film users. It said: "Kodak's continuing consumer products and services will include the traditional film capture and photographic paper business, which continues to provide high-quality and innovative products and solutions to consumers, photographers, retailers, photofinishers and professional labs."
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Comments
So which is it? Kodak is dropping digital cameras and printers to focus on core product lines, but then axes the last of its slide film, but will continue to focus on other films? How long will that last before? It's not a far step to go from dropping slide film to B+W film. The simple argument is more and more people move from film to digital, and blah, blah, blah.
Kodak said they will continue to support film users with chemicals, but without E6, there is soon to be little demand for the need for chemicals. It won't be long now before B+W and and print film to follow. (Color print maybe even sooner than B+W)
How dare they!
All i shoot is e100vs and they go and discontinue it. the same for e100g and elite chrome.
hopefully, Fuji will keep on going
Everybody, please tell Kodak, WE NEED KODAK SLIDE FILMS:
http://www.lomography.com/homes/cwyeung/blog/49090-kodak-please-dont-kill-slide-films
Kodak is still keeping Eastman 5285 (100D) for motion picture use. Just buy it in bulk at their will-call center-- it's great film.
It's MP that's keeping their still film alive-- so buy up!
Please sign in on Facebook! Then complain on their site!!! Let them know how we think about this issue!
www.facebook.com/kodak
Film cameras are still being sold!
I looked on the Grays of Westminster website only the other night and saw a comment by Gray Levett that film equipment is on the rise. People are still buying Nikon F bodies and later models (I have just bought 2 F2A bodies) and the old non-AI and AI/AIS lenses. The plastic, battery-dependent digital jobs just don't cut it for me at all.
So, get out there, buy a real camera for peanuts and start loading film.
When the mugger or jobs worth security guard strikes, bash them in the face with a Nikon F/F2/F3 or Canon F1 or Nikkormat or even a humble Zenith!
I'm more worried about movie film, especially Super 8 and 16mm. Fuji has shown little interest making their reversal films available in these formats. The Kodak "Entertainment" division will without doubt make this same announcement, sooner rather than later. They've made this identical move first with Kodachrome, then Ektachrome 64T. Announce the still version gone, then the movie version follows. At this point there's really no room for sympathy for this company; they are not serious about film, haven't been for years, and are playing us for fools. They cannot gut their entire product line, piece by piece, while simultaneously promising "commitment". Notice how they added the word "profitable demand" to the statement that used to be simply "sufficient demand". It's clear their ideas of profitable go beyond mere dollars; this is symbolic of the defective, unsustainable mental illness that dominates the upper echelons of the corporate world. I'm deeply sorry for all the Kodak employees, past and future, who's brilliance was allowed to shine for such a brief moment in human history. Thinking toward the future, we should start preparing for Kodak as a photography company to be about as meaningful as the brand "Polaroid" is. This is the first wave. We may soon find ourselves on the technological level of 100 years ago, but photochemical photography will survive. It is in our hands now.
I can't understand how they can say they're continuing to support film users while at the same time steadily discontinuing all the film stock. They've been at it for years, too. I know it's probably impossible for them to continue to manufacture and distribute a wide range of stock, but that's not helping those of us who like to work with film. I keep having to alter everything I do simply because Kodak, Polaroid and Fuji pull the rug out from under my feet. I'm just about to set up a new darkroom, and I'm dreading finding out what's currently available (more likely not available), especially in the more obscure emulsions (for large format inter-negs, for example). There's no Technical Pan, 5 x 4" or 10 x 8" instant sheet film, or anything remotely interesting these days.
"How it Looks, How it Lasts" is a documentary in production about the story of Kodachrome and the digital dilemma
Everyone who's interested by this milestone might also be interested in a documentary project currently underway to tell the story of Kodachrome , framed within the larger narrative of the film-to-digital transition and the "digital dilemma" which faces archivists in the era of bits and bytes.
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/590687601/how-it-looks-how-it-lasts-kodachrome-and-the-digit
I've met the fellow directing this, and he has a very solid plan for his modest budget and an AMAZING collection of interviews from all sorts of folks (including the very last lab to ever process Kodachrome). The funding round wraps up this week, please consider becoming a backer? Even a small contribution is helpful, and rewards including your own copy of the completed film start as low as the price of a couple of movie tickets.
One person, one letter campaign
It's our last chance to save Kodak slides, email to:
customerrelations@kodak.com
to tell Kodak, it is stupid for them to end their Slides' production. We'll not change to Ektar or Portra!!! We need Kodak Slides.
Film business model can be sustainable but Kodak does not know the way...
B&W film manufacturers other than Kodak have changed their business: small lot production, more web presence....Unfortunately, Kodak does not seem to be able to renew its film business model.
Film is a niche market which can by definition be small but profitable. There are business rules: adapting cost of production, retaining more value in the food chain by proposing integrated services (for e.g. prepaid film), showing the uniqueness of the product, etc..
Lets hope that Kodak film will be produced by a to-be-created independant company. It happened for Agfa B&W. It is now Adox.
I loved slides, especially Kodachrome 64 and took many over the years.. In a projector they still are much better than anything I can display on my HDTV. However for color photography I have switched to digital. With todays digital cameras and sensors have made 35mm color films obsolete. However for B&W you can't beat film, especially Tmax 100 or 400. I also won't ever give up my B&W enlarger and dark room. Not only is B&W better on film than digital, it is also more fun, and nothing can beat the thrill of a picture magically appearing on silver paper.
I'm stunned at this news. What a tragedy! So they have stopped digital camera manufacture - now slide film due to the digital age - huh? Do they actually have a plan - or is that to go bust (they have applied for bankruptcy protection after all I seem to recall)
Film is very much alive and kicking. Ilford have done a fantastic job of reviving and renewing the force of black & white photography (with the help of Harman when they ran into trouble), and this niche market is highly successful. All the top universities still push film within their teachings, and I agree with the comments by Stuart that black&white film is far superior to it's digital equivalent. In an age surrounded by computer technology what a thrill, and well as more tangible response, film is. I know so many people who still shoot film, continuing to argue that is is far superior to digital - after all - how can you get 'depth' within an image from a series from a digital chip compared to the physical depth contained within the layers of a film! It's not just about clarity! And - no faff over batteries running out as someone else as Murray said! Kodak needs to take notice of the comments and learn to adapt as Ilford did - proof that it can be done. Or we will just have to hope for another Adox style solution.
dig B&W is a joke to any fine art pro
Sure, color is struggling, the writing was always on the wall for it. Still, neg color films have a soul that digital lacks ( unless with hours of actions/filters applied to make a dig file LOOK like film).
B&W, whole different story. Nothing matches they beauty of B&w film. Digital black & white goes against everything that B&W represents...it is cold, lifeless and souless - has no guts at all. Also digital B&W comes off as very 'weekend warriorish" - , i.e. i like shooting when i not designing databases, or being an accountant etc.
Additionally, your net worth, esp in the fine art field increases ten fold if the words 'silver gelatin print' accompany your prints.
Shooting digital colour and converting to B&W (even on a Leica M9) impresses no-one in the gallery, book, publishing, documentary art, fine art world.
It is about being an artisan, not an ex database programmer who is now "into" photography cause it's all tech based.
The image of a dig photo now is a middle aged man with 20,000 work of nikon round his neck doing "street photography" and then posting their godawful results 4 hours later en masse.
I work with digital and film alike, and yes, I know that digital has eaten most of the market, but I think it is a wrong thing to discontinue slide film, I still think that a good slide printed in cibachrome was much better then a "flat" digital file and print. After this, only Fuji will keep producing slide films, and that sucks for me, because I've always been a Kodak consumer of Slides and B/W film. I suppose that B/W will take it's time before it disapears, it's true that the ease of developing B/W makes that many photography students and enthusiasts shoot and develope this kinds of films, but all is in the hands of time, now we start with slides, sooner or later will be color negative, who'm I would have thought had less market then the slide film, and later will come the B/W. I hope to be wrong, but the truth is that the future doen't look too good.
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