Kodak Film - Price Rise

freecom2

freecom2

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Not a surprise, but West End Cameras has said that there is a Kodak price rise coming on the 1st of March - so if you've been meaning to buy some Kodak film, time to pull the trigger!

https://BANNED/westendcameras/status/570930863875031041
 
They go on to say it'll be a rise of between 8 and 15%

I don't generally use any B&W Kodak film, but I use a lot of Portra and a fair bit of Ektar, both in 120. This price rise isn't enough to stop me using it, but it's not news I'm happy to hear either.

Still, I'd rather they put the price up to counteract dropping sales than remove some films altogether.
 
Wow. Well I have just stocked up on a few boxes before the Iceland trip next month so a good job I did. I was a little worried that I had ordered too much too!
 
I purchased a bunch of Fuji Pro 160NS and 400H before the date of Fuji's last price hike around this time last yera, but it wasn't really necessary, as it took awhile for the prices to go up. From what I can tell, the new price would only apply to film purchased from the manufacturer from that date, so existing stocks already in stores shouldn't necessarily be affected. It's only when the new films start hitting the shelves that the prices should start to go up.
 
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skysh4rk said:
so existing stocks already in stores shouldn't necessarily be affected. It's only when the new films start hitting the shelves that the prices should start to go up.
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You'd think and hope of course, but it would be an opportunity for bigger profit margins on the already existing stock. Guess it depends on the retailer.
 
I used this thread as the impetus to go and purchase the pro-pack of 120 TMax 100 I'd been thinking of getting from 7dayshop for only £18.99 delivered. Prefer Acros slightly but you'd struggle to get any for anywhere near that price, with postage included (though Calumet do have it for £20 and free postage over £50).
 
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Decided I'd better stock up for my OCOLOF, so 20*135 Tri-X from MacoDirect, at less than £4 each including their swingeing postage, on its way!
 
I'm a big fan of TMax 400 for speed and fine grain in both 35mm and 120 format and you can expose it at 800 without any adjustment (so it has good latitude too). TMax 100 is similar but obvious slower and with very fine grain indeed. Some people don't like TMax though because of this, I suppose - horses for courses. If you like a bit of traditional grain structure, Tri-X is your friend....generally very noticeable in 35mm for that street/retro photo-journalist look, and nice and subtle in 120 format.

I suppose in simple terms, if you're an Ilford user, Tmax = Delta, and Tri-X = HP5, roughly. I tend to prefer the Kodak ones between the two, also because they tend to be about £1 cheaper a roll.
 
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I like Tri-X more than Tmax 400 for no very obvious reason, but find both better than HP5, which I thought rough and grainy. FP4 I like much better than HP5, and the one roll of expired Delta 100 I used was wonderful. It's expensive though!
 
H'mm oil prices are low so anything that depends on oil should keep prices down also inflation is low, wages are not exploding....... So it looks like unit costs are going up because less Kodak film is being bought. The only other explanation I can think of for price rises is to recuperate losses or money to develop new film.
How Agfa vista sells for £1 and make a profit when you consider manufacture, middle men, packing, storage, shipping etc......... beats me. Maybe lessons to be learnt by Kodak in keeping prices down.
 
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To the best of my knowledge, neither acetate nor polyester film bases are oil derived, so the price of oil is more or less an irrelevance in the price of film.
 
robhooley167 said:
To the best of my knowledge, neither acetate nor polyester film bases are oil derived, so the price of oil is more or less an irrelevance in the price of film.
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Well like anything, you need to get it here and they need to get their raw materials to them. Price of oil effects everything.
 
robhooley167 said:
To the best of my knowledge, neither acetate nor polyester film bases are oil derived, so the price of oil is more or less an irrelevance in the price of film.
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Well I thought all new film was some sort of plastic....seems the cheapest and easiest way to produce a film base.
 
Vesalius said:
Shipping/general manufacturing costs etc?

edit: too slow apparently!
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steveo_mcg said:
Well like anything, you need to get it here and they need to get their raw materials to them. Price of oil effects everything.
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Both valid points, I should have phrased it better it seems.

Guess this will teach me to try to do two things at once.
 
robhooley167 said:
To the best of my knowledge, neither acetate nor polyester film bases are oil derived, so the price of oil is more or less an irrelevance in the price of film.
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I suppose shipping costs might be reduced. Edit: Beaten to it, I see.

At any rate, Brian has also failed to consider a number of other factors in his assessment (e.g., exchange rates, the costs of other necessary materials, etc.).

excalibur2 said:
So it looks like unit costs are going up because less Kodak film is being bought.
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As far as I'm aware, film sales have actually increased, although it's obviously still a far cry from what it once was.

excalibur2 said:
How Agfa vista sells for £1 and make a profit when you consider manufacture, middle men, packing, storage, shipping etc......... beats me. Maybe lessons to be learnt by Kodak in keeping prices down.
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I'm not sure that the one-pound film market is where Kodak is aiming, Brian. I can't imagine it's the most lucrative segment of the market either.
 
***I'm not sure that the one-pound film market is where Kodak is aiming, Brian. I can't imagine it's the most lucrative segment of the market either.***

Well it works if you can get Photographers to keep digging deeper into their pockets for their film.....and I'll bet there are some here who would pay £10 for a roll of Portra :eek:
 
excalibur2 said:
Well it works if you can get Photographers to keep digging deeper into their pockets for their film.....and I'll bet there are some here who would pay £10 for a roll of Portra :eek:
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What works?

The customers that are buying Kodak Portra are probably not the same ones who are seriously interested in Agfa Vista, especially as it's unavailable in 120 format, so I'm not sure where you're going with that.
 
skysh4rk said:
What works?

The customers that are buying Kodak Portra are probably not the same ones who are seriously interested in Agfa Vista, especially as it's unavailable in 120 format, so I'm not sure where you're going with that.
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Well nowhere if 35mm use is not keeping the film industry going even by the back door for Kodak...if Kodak can survive just selling 120 film and also increasing prices continually (with digital in the background)......then I take my hat off to them.
 
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