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Speculating just how long Kodak will produce Tri-X for... ?


Bill Rodgers

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...I've been shooting Tri-X since my student days in 1992. I love it's qualities and nothing quite compares to it.


I'm beginning to wonder just how long Kodak will continue to produce this B&W reversal stock.

Should I be bulk buying it or am I just a bit paranoid after 'losing' K40, 64T and 100D ???

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I'm beginning to panic, as I'm not so confident Tri-X is going to be around for much longer.

 

Sadly, going on previous Kodak stock withdrawals and cancellations I think I'll be 'celebrating' 50 years of Super 8 by stockpiling Tri-X.

 

Equally, I haven't used my Lomo tank in years but I still kept it.

 

Just in case.

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This raises the question whether or not it's a good idea to get in there before Kodak ditches another of its classic emulsions. Like many I wish I'd bought more E100D and got them frozen, but there's a storage limit with colour. The duration of storage isn't a problem so much with black and white.

You would think that if you bought a lot now it would encourage Kodak to manufacture more and more Tri-X, but I wonder if this is the case... :angry:

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I believe it depends a lot about how much photographers use the tri-x emulsion.

it's the same thing with movie-only stocks like 03, the larger format uses dominate how the emulsion will survive in the market because those shooting it in 35mm or 65mm use it A LOT more than those shooting 16mm or super8. If all the cinematographers would stop shooting the 03 on 35mm and 65mm formats they would surely discontinue it right away because there is not enough sales if they slit their master rolls only to 16 and 8mm formats.

 

if one would have a camera which would use 20 or 30cm wide film for extreme high resolution movie use they could maybe keep a stock alive with a single camera or two and maybe even get Fuji back to the market again B)

Edited by aapo lettinen
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The facts of life are that Super-8 is just a flagship format for Kodak. I'm sure they don't make any money on it but it would look bad if they ditched their own format completely.

There will presumably come a time though- at least they still need to make ECN anyway, in 35mm. Tri-X doesn't have that backup.

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Super 8 has really grown professionally over the last few years and 35mm has shrunk. Not that the balance shift is of any significance, but Super 8 has been serving as the poster child of the film image in the digital age. Kind of like a side kick spokesman for larger formats. I think they will keep churning it out as long as they are making film, even if it ends up costing $50 a roll.

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Not official but I talked to our Kodak rep and they say they are selling allot of S8mm film and that film sales have 'leveled off' and are no longer dropping.

 

But like I said that is not an official quote but.....

 

Also on a recent order I tried to make for myself about a month ago Kodak had sold out of all of it's Tri-X Super-8mm and we have seen more since then at the lab so they must have cut another master roll for S8mm Tri-X

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  • 2 years later...

Just received my first Bell & Howell Filmo 70-DR 16mm Tri-X test film from Cinelab, sent in by my brother-in-law who lent me the hard drive for scanning a Super 8 order as well....Amazing! I hadn't shot Tri-X in 20 years, I think.

 

I also have Fomapan and Orwo films that I will be testing. I expect at least one of those will be around for a while. This thread is over two and a half years old and Tri-X is still going strong.

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