Email Campaign To Save Kodak HIE-135

[nighthawkjw]

Email Campaign to save Kodak HIE-135 IR film


Dear Fellow Photographers,

As you may be aware, Kodak has announced plans to discontinue manufacture and distribution of HIE-135 infrared film by the end of December 2007.
Below I have copied an email sent to Patrick Hamilton, Public Relations Director, Kodak CDG EAMER: [email protected] Mr. Hamilton has encouraged me to write Kodak and is aware of this email campaign to save HIE-135. He has assured me that he will get the messages to the appropriate people.

I ask you to please take a moment and write an email to Kodak. Copy my letter if you like, or simply "Please reverse plans to discontinue or delete manufacture and distribution of HIE-135 infrared film". Even if you never use film again, please consider those of us who do and make this tiny effort. Every email counts.

I have posted this message to Photo.net, APUG, The Infared Forum, flickr’s IR group, and others. If any of you know of other forums I should post to please send me that information. Also if you know of any possible press exposure for the cause, that would be a big boost. Please contact me at [email protected] .

Thank you for your assistance. I know we can make this happen if we try!

Sincerely,
James C. Williams
________________________________________________________________________________________________

Dear Kodak,

This message is to be distributed to those responsible for the choice to delete or discontinue Kodak’s HIE-135 infrared film. The purpose of this message is to persuade those people to reverse that choice.

Among the many applications of photography there is a unique type of film that produces very unusual photographs, infrared film. It’s initial and major commercial purpose has been for scientific and security purposes. However, aside from these mundane applications, a much more visually appealing application is fine art photography using infrared film.

Many fine art photographers recognize the great benefits of using film and prefer film to digital. In the case of infrared photography, there are many people trying different approaches to using digital cameras, but that system has problems to be solved and the results are not nearly as good as those produced by HIE-135.

Among other infrared films, HIE-135 is also unique and superior. The extended range of 900nm produces a greater sensitivity to the infrared spectrum, and the absence of an anti-halide backing makes it ideal for producing images evoking surreal and ethereal properties that no other film produces. No other film manufacturer producing infrared film today makes a film like HIE-135.

Discontinuing the manufacture and distribution of HIE-135 infrared film will mean that photographers like myself will have to compromise future bodies of work. It will mean that perhaps the best infrared photographer, Simon Marsden, who has dedicated 35 years to producing thousands of images on HIE-135, will have to either adapt or end his career now.

The responsibility of a creative medium for many people lies in this decision. It not only represents the choice to stop making a specific type of film, but is indicative of the future of all film. Kodak was responsible for the popularity of photography, and needs to be responsible for safeguarding the future of it as well.


— Sincerely,
James C. Williams

 

[Garbz]

Ultimately it's very rare for a company to reverse its decision unless it starts affecting them financially. If the demand existed to keep producing HIE in a financially viable way they wouldn't drop it unless another product came in to replace it (which is unlikely).

Voicing opinions is more likely to work on politicians who live on opinions but the only thing likely to work on companies is a boycot, making them aware they have more to lose by dropping the line than keeping it.

 

[JIP]

f the campany cannot make enough money an a product it is discontinued this is how it works. Unless you have enough money to support the manufacture of this film I would not hold your breath. I think it is getting too easy to do infra-red photography digitally for people to even bother messing with the complications of film. I think you have the perception wrong about how many fine-art photographers actually feel that the only way to go is film. That perception has been further eroded by this magazine accepting digital http://www.bandwmag.com/ . I know this is going to be a very controversial statement but film is dying. In a few years I think Kodak Fuji etc.... are not going to keep up major production lines for a few holdout film people no matter how many emails you send them.

 

[Bobby Ironsights]

I know this is going to be a very controversial statement but film is dying. In a few years I think Kodak Fuji etc.... are not going to keep up major production lines for a few holdout film people no matter how many emails you send them.

Sure, just like photography killed sketching and painting, and television and CG killed animation right? It's not like the single most popular television show has huge numbers of artists drawing characters by hand eh???

Also, Kodak is cutthroat, but I wouldn't bet what Fuji will do.

Fuji still makes a weird type of film and puts a large batch of it out every year, specifically for cherry blossoms. I wish I could remember the name. Also, Japanese companies are funny when it comes to loyalty, dedication, tradition, and the pursuit of perfection in beauty. Japanese view the arts.....in somewhat greater respect than some other "disposable" cultures.

Still, it may be the case that some billion dollar multinationals will decide that tens of millions of dollars of profit isn't enough and will phase out those lines. Then, companies that are quite satisfied with such small potatoes will step in.

I liked the kodak professonal brand name on the back of my paper, but now that they've discontinued it, I just make do with excellent productis from arista, kentmere, bergger...etc..etc..

P.S. I just did a little research, and it turns out that FOTEMIKA just partnered with freestyle to produce the exact same formulation as the now defunct Maco IR820c Precision Infrared film. It has a spectral sensitivity up to 820nm and available in a variety of formats including 35mm, 120 size, 127 size, 4x5, 5x7 and 8x10.

So screw Kodak. If they drop us, we should drop them. I will no longer buy Kodak packaged chems, instead I'll mix all my own, instead of just the specialty formulas, and I've decided to change to Fuji for all my colour work. Die Kodak, DIE!

 

[chris]

The only thing that would persuade Kodak to continue production is sufficient sales to make it worth their while. There obviously hasn't been enough demand recently and so they are discontinuing production. The sale of one film is probably more persuasive than thousands of emails - what you have to do is persuade thousands of people to buy the product, emails are a waste of time and effort.

 

[RyanLilly]

Sure, just like photography killed sketching and painting, and television and CG killed animation right? It's not like the single most popular television show has huge numbers of artists drawing characters by hand eh???

Apples and oranges. The fact is that Kodak underestimated how quickly digital imaging would take over, and they got left behind. They have been playing catchup for years. And I can tell you from first hand knowledge that Kodak has had many rounds of layoffs and has sold off whole divisions of the company in order to consolidate and be competitive.


The fact is that the vast majority of commercial and professional imaging is now done digitally. Including everything from weddings to X-rays.

What film enthusiasts should hope for is one smaller company or devision to purchase the rights of the most popular discontinued films and bring back production on a smaller scale to fill the niche.