Kodak in and out fast

[chuck909]

I was getting low on 35mm Ektar and Ektachrome and saw that both were out of stock at B&H for a long time. On Monday I saw they were both back in stock. I ordered some Ektar and got my few rolls on Wednesday (good service). Today I figured I'd order the Ektachrome, too. But both are back to 'out of stock'. Damn.

[Colin O]

I'm not too familiar with B&H. Can you place a back-order and it will ship as soon as they get a new delivery? Or what about ordering from another dealer? Adorama or Freestyle Photo come to mind.

[chuck909]

Tried other places. No luck. B&H will e-mail me when then get it back in,

[25asa]

35mm is one of those film types that are sold fairly quickly these days. So many young people are shooting it today, that they are getting desperate to get more rolls for their hobby. Covid restrictions and getting needed supplies to make the film are the issues today.

[JDMvW]

On 9/20/2022 at 12:59 AM, 25asa said:

So many young people are shooting it today, that they are getting desperate to get more rolls for their hobby.

I hate to bring it up, but there are other possible reasons for chronic unavailability of film than its "high popularity"!

I have well over a hundred film cameras, mostly 35mm, but some 120 and other oddities. Over the last 10 years it has become not only more difficult and expensive to find film, it is becoming more and more difficult to find processing. Like others I am falling back to B&W and D76. I prefer color film but I just don't have the facilities or energy to mess with it anymore. My fully equipped darkroom is gone so it's back to a bag full of dark, some tanks and wire rolls, and 10 minutes at whatever temperature the developer is at.....

There will probably always be somebody in the second or third world making film at boutique prices. A local photographer here was coating their own glass plates, so that's not totally extinct either.

There will also be people brewing up their own chemicals, but I think the possibilities of film being more than a niche market in the future are dim.

God help me, I still so love my Canon T90.

Speaking of denial, I still dimly remember the "Apple ][ forever" movement of the mid-80s.😪

Edited October 11, 2022 by JDMvW

[c_watson1]

So many young people are shooting it today, that they are getting desperate to get more rolls for their hobby.

And yet if that multitude of film shooters truly existed, Kodak's present response is especially odd. Suffice it to say production isn't ramping up because Kodak is obviously aware that demand some time ago entered residual market territory.

 

[conrad_hoffman]

The late Ron Mowrey gave classes on emulsion making. Basic emulsions aren't terribly difficult and if push comes to shove, you can coat film and plates. Obviously easier for sheet film, but I bet a clever person who wanted it bad enough could manage a roll of 120. Just save those spools and especially the paper.

[q.g._de_bakker]

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://petapixel.com/2022/10/12/we-cannot-keep-up-with-demand-kodak-are-hiring-film-technicians/&ved=2ahUKEwjviZ6aid_6AhWXi_0HHcrAB8oQFnoECCAQAQ&usg=AOvVaw2BYAPiYD9qToGVKKK44E8L