Kodak Gallery ending film processing tomorrow

[kyle_mahaney]

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<p><strong>Film Processing service* will be discontinued as of March 5, 2009, BUT...</strong> <br /> <br /> • We will still process any film mailed by March 8 (film mailed after March 8 will be returned).<br /> <br /> • All images previously uploaded through Film Processing will remain in your account.<br /> <br /> • You can continue uploading images taken from your film camera by burning them onto a CD while processing your film, and then uploading them to your account. <br /> <br /> Thank you for being a loyal film customer. We apologize for any inconvenience the closure of our processing labs may cause. <br /> <br /> Regards, <br /> <br /> The Kodak Gallery Team <br>

Just got this email, I say anyone who charges $8 for a C-41 processing and web-sized scans with the option to order prints/bigger scans had it coming to them. But it's hard to think that big lab's are stopping film development.<br /> </p>

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[andylynn]

<p>I can get that done cheaper, at higher resolution, in an hour or two, down the street from my house, and with or without prints it's still cheaper. I bet most people can say the same. The Kodak service probably wasn't doing a heck of a lot of business.</p>

[nicholas_rapak]

<p>It is probably a result of the shuttering of the Qualex labs. I know that my local supermarket has a sign up about the cessation of photofinishing services at the end of the month. </p>

[randrew1]

<p>I saw that same announcement a while back. As a former Kodak employee and a continuing customer of the Kodak Gallery, it pains me to see this. When they doubled the price it was clear that they wanted to get out of the film processing business. I know the film volume is way down, but you'd think they could fire up a Noritsu to take care of the film that comes in.</p>

<p>This seems to me to be a continuation of silo thinking. Way back in 1984 Kodak switched from a functional allignment to a line-of-business organization. The processing labs were now a separate division and they were told that they had to make a profit. They were concerned about the $0.10 they lost on each roll of Kodachorme processed. There was no consideration of the profit (considerably more than $0.10 a roll) that the company made on each roll sold. Those of us who were working on Kodachrome at the time knew that this move would eventually be the death blow for Kodachrome. (Kodachrome is still with us and will almost certainly still be with us next year as we celebrate the 75th anniversary of the product line. Beyond that, I'm not sure.) This move by the Kodak Gallery seems similar in that they obviously weren't making money on film processing. But, the film business in the only part of the company that is making a profit. Wouldn't they want to encourage film use?</p>

<p>In related news, Kodak has announced that they are seeking a partner or a buyer for the Kodak Gallery. The Ofoto name may return. </p>

[patrick_mont]

<p>I am sorry for you. I am not suprised though. Do you have another lab that will process your film?</p>

[kyle_mahaney]

<p>I used them twice, clean negatives with little adhesive covers similar to Mystic's old negatives to keep the dust away. But $7.99 for process and web posts is crazy.</p>

[cjc_ing]

<p>Yes I too was surprised to read Kodak Gallerys email giving users ("loyal" it actually said in the email " ) essentially one days notice ..altho they did offer to process film sent up to the 3/8.<br>

I dont think the historic reality of this statement has really hit us photographers ..OK it was just another lab ..some of us like it ..but not the huge price hikes of recent years ..up from I think $3.99 a film with a scan to $ 5.99 then in the last year $ 7.99.I personally stuick with it cos Ive got a large collection of images stored on it and I like sharing them with friends ..so i'll still send in digital images but no longer film ..maybe I'll get scans made local and send them in .<br>

No..the bottom line for me , griping apart , is that KODAK NO LONGER PROCESSES FILM . Read it again ...it is mindblowing that a manufacturer of film no longer deems it economic to process it . Polaroid has gone . Nexct to go Kodak film perhaps ? Who knows . Finally , surely its on the radar that at some point all film will stop being manufactured and us dummies will have 100s of millions of film cameras that we cant get film for . Unreal! ..imagine the trading on Ebay of out-dated film in depleting stocks like rare wine ..Kodachromes @ $ 100s a pop , a rare Tri X in original box $250 ? Funny ...<br>

OK I guess its a sign of the seismic shifts in our society ..declining sales , closures , extinction of manufacturing base , new technology ... perhaps oil painting ( tho low VOC?) will make a comeback ..!<br>

Did anyone else notice the historic side of this closure ? :)Cheers , CC</p>