Kodak B/W Film Unavailable?

[Jovian]

I will always prefer Ilford B&W stuff...it's all a matter of personal preference, but yeah, it's really nice to have the choice out there...which there is becoming less and less of one...

 

[GerryDavid]

I dont see the point of c41 b&w since you can get b&w pictures from color film by having the lab desaturate it for you, or you scan it and convert it yourself. :0)

 

[Jamie R]

Kodak do make the best infrared film. At least in the running competition of 2 manufacturers - Kodak and Maco, Maco come second, but that might change next year when Kodak discont... er..okay.

Unfortunately the Kodak stuff isn't format-friendly and is about twice the price of the Maco stuff.

AHelg - you could try the following C41 BW films:

1. Fuji 400CN (prints well with Fuji Hunt/Frontier)
2. Ilford XP2
3. Kodak T400CN (discontinued ages ago, but this is everywhere)
4. Kodak BW 400CN which replaces no.3

They are all quite okay in their own way, if you go for C41 stuff that is: great enlargement factor; good for contrasty days too and very cheap to leave in the mini-lab.

 

[ahelg]

I have one role of Kodak T400CN at the photolab now. I'm picking them up on Wednesday.

 

[Jamie R]

Oops. I'll eat my words Ahelg when you tell me how disappointed you are with T400CN.

I feel guilty already - with a Kodak run mini-lab it can produce fine prints. On others, like Agfa or Fuji, sometimes the prints can look flat and uninvolving. If you're disappointed, don't hesitate to bring them back to the lab and tell them that they need to 'calibrate their machine for better contrast control and darker gamma because the prints are flat and uninvolving.'

I don't know what that means, but it works everytime

 

[markc]

No Kodak are trying to completely get out of film and into digital, in the early nineties the Keating government gave Kodak a shitload of money not to pull out of Australia and they've stayed til now because they're trying to change photography. Heaps of workers all around the world have been laid off and plants closed simply because Kodak are stepping up huge marketing campaigns to push people into digital. They're moving all their base of operations to the US and trying to quickly push people out of film. It's simple bourgeois mentality really they're making the new technology a necessity by killing the old technology and forcing people to follow them and spend.

Kodak is already based in the USA. Rochester, NY. Where I live. Businesses do not like retooling for a complete changeover. It's extremely expensive. Kodak digital cameras do not stack up to the other brands. They advertise them because they have no choice. It's either go digital, and get people to buy their digital cameras, or go bust. Kodak shuts down plants when it can't sell enough film to keep them open. How familiar are you with Kodak? I can understand you being pissed about them closing down plants (especially if family members or friends are now out of work), but I think you are missing some basic tenants of business.

 

[markc]

When I was using film, I loved T400CN. I second that it's a pain to get a lab to make a good print, though. I think it's best when used with a film scanner.