Tri-X in a Disposable Camera!?

That Kodak Alaris crew is full of surprises...

 

Kodak Unveils New TRI-X 400 Disposable Camera

Ilford has already done this. Kodak now has a professional disposable camera, due to this. They went Ilford one better. Hillbilly Leica right here (LOL).

Ilford started stuffing C-41 b&w XP-2 into disposables years ago. Ilford rolled out its little "reusable" 35mm Sprite camera this year and, again, Kodak Alaris is doing the same with its cheesy M-35 "reloadable" toy.

 

Not sure how the target market will react to the trouble and expense of b&w processing in 2021. They're likely not snorting fix fumes at home regularly...

Interesting, I did enough processing that despite care, I had developer fingernails. I never found the B&W processing to be unpleasant. The color, of several types darn near toxic. It was bad enough that I did some of it only at night so I could open the darkroom door a bit.

Aaah-----perhaps we are returning to our roots ?.

;).

Honestly, in today's world, intro'ing a disposable, single use plastic camera - or plastic & disposable anything else, really- seems completely tone deaf to me.

I might take a kinder view of this IF they would recycle the camera units, reload and re-sell them once the film has been developed. Call me cynical, this just has so been done.

Beyond the environmental issues, if I was willing to go through the effort to develop the film myself or find a lab that will process TRI-X, I might as well run that film through a better camera instead of being stuck at 1/125 @ f10.

I suspect that they are mostly useful for photography classes.

 

It seems that Kodak has a recycling system. If someone uses them for a class,

they can collect all of them and get them into recycling.

 

If you used the M-35 for the class, most of them would sit in drawers at home

after the end of the class, likely never used again.

 

The amount of plastic might be about the amount in a plastic bottle.

If it wasn't for cine film, one wonders how much longer the Kodak Alaris show will go on.

If it wasn't for cine film, one wonders how much longer the Kodak Alaris show will go on.

Isn't cine film sold directly by Eastman, not Alaris? I thought Alaris was just still films like Ektar and Tri-x and Ektachrome.

Isn't cine film sold directly by Eastman, not Alaris? I thought Alaris was just still films like Ektar and Tri-x and Ektachrome.

 

Joined at the hip, corporately it seems.

Great to finally see a professional disposable.

 

I suspect the disposable market is quite big. Every time I go to my local lab there are always people (mostly women in their late teens early 20's) lined up with hands full of disposables to be processed.

 

I have even at two occasions overheard customers express worries if the pictures would be as "good" as with a disposable when the well-meaning lab staff tried to save repeating customers some money by pushing an Ilford Sprite or AgfaPhoto reloadable.

Great to finally see a professional disposable.

 

I suspect the disposable market is quite big. Every time I go to my local lab there are always people (mostly women in their late teens early 20's) lined up with hands full of disposables to be processed.

 

I have even at two occasions overheard customers express worries if the pictures would be as "good" as with a disposable when the well-meaning lab staff tried to save repeating customers some money by pushing an Ilford Sprite or AgfaPhoto reloadable.

 

None of this works if the local film ecosystem collapsed years before. Even it it hasn't, the cost of the camera+processing+printing(b&w !?)+scanning will give pause when phone pix can be shared quickly. Total non-starter for Kodak--again.

If you want them lab processed, use the Ilford XP-2 version.

There are still enough C-41 labs around.

 

The Tri-X version only makes sense for self processing,

which I suspect means a class.

 

As well as I know, people used to run darkroom photography

classes with the Diana camera, but they now cost $99.

 

It makes more sense to use these, maybe even with a bulk

discount. Also, the teacher can box them up for recycling.

I suspect that existing labs have the Kodak connection for

recycling them.

Beater SLRs with 50mm lenses seem popular with students at OCAD in Toronto. Two rolls of film for the cost of a disposable...

Beater SLRs with 50mm lenses seem popular with students at OCAD in Toronto. Two rolls of film for the cost of a disposable...

 

Yes that is a good choice. Probably for college, or even high school.

 

Simpler cameras are probably better for younger kids, though.

Some viewfinder cameras (like Olympus XA2) are often far less expensive than a single use camera and have a much wider range of exposures. However, cameras such as the XA2 are not always easy to find. An alternative is to carry a few neutral density filters of various strengths and bracket the exposure. I would at least commend Kodak for offering an easy way to try Tri-X with minimal work.

Olympus: Olympus XA-2 Price Guide: estimate a camera value

 

says about $70 for the XA-2. Less for the XA-1 and XA-3, but still a lot more than the single use cameras.

 

It seems that you can get the Tri-X version for close to $10, not so much more than a roll of Tri-X.

 

Now, you can get a Canon FTb for close to $10, but it doesn't look or feel much like an XA-2

or any disposable.

 

By the way, 100ft rolls of Tri-X are now about $130, but HP5+ is about $86.

About $106 for 100ft of XP-2 super.

Yes that is a good choice. Probably for college, or even high school.

 

Simpler cameras are probably better for younger kids, though.

 

Depends on the kid. Taught my Godson how to use a manual camera at age 7, and he has two Nikkormats, and a bevy of lenses as a teenager. And he knows how to use a Luna Pro very well (he also owns one).

When I worked in a photolab, Kodak would accept back used single use cameras for recycling. I don't know if they still do it, but in the past, they did get recycled. I would assume the plastic just gets melted down for making new cameras.

I used one of those cameras when I was fighting forest fires out west. I did not want to take my regular camera so bought a couple of those throw-a-way ones and was surprised at how well the images came out.

Years before Kodak disposable cameras, I bought an Instamatic 124 at a yard sale, and then a new roll of KX 126-20 for it,

to take on a canoe trip. As above, then I wouldn't worry if it fell in the water. It was a nice sunny day, so I didn't

worry about the exposure. (Or maybe a recently expired roll. I would sometimes buy those.)

I never found the B&W processing to be unpleasant

 

I love the smell of fixer in the evening....

I love the smell of fixer in the evening....

Lt Col Kilgore

 

It is interesting, as it doesn't have so strong a smell, but still has memories.

 

What surprised me not so many years ago, was the memory for the smell of

paper-backed (Kodak) roll film. (Different companies might be different.)

 

After many years of 35mm film, which doesn't have that smell.

 

At least right when you unroll it, I am not so sure how long it lasts.

Ah, the smell of flash bulbs Christmas morning.