Collector film craze and capitalism

[George Kara]

Perhaps the best way to sell an emulsion is to announce that it has been discontinued and keep secretly producing it!

Many of these films sky rocket in price over time. Look at the ridiculous asking prices for apx 25. I bought a bunch of this stuff years ago for next to nothing.

The perceived supply and demand are creating crazy consumers. I dont get it. Film technology continues to advance and most modern stocks are better than the previous versions.

Kodachrome excluded of course - what a great film this was.

[Gene McCluney]

[QUOTE=George Kara;245424 I dont get it. Film technology continues to advance and most modern stocks are better than the previous versions.

[/QUOTE]

BETTER is a subjective term when it comes to b/w filmstocks. There are numerous discontinued film stocks that I would prefer using over what is available now. Film is not discontinued just because of improvements. Film is discontinued because of low sales, or unavailability of key chemical components used in the production of the film, or because of EPA regulations on the manufacturer of certain components. Therefore there are some older film stocks that offer qualities that cannot be replicated with current films.

Examples: Panatomic-X, Verichrome Pan, Super XX.

[Greg Lockrey]

Agreed. I definitly liked the older films and papers that are no longer available.

[Steve Clark]

George, what kind of prices have you seen for APX 25? I may unknowingly be a wealthy man

[David A. Goldfarb]

I loved Kodachrome 25 and stocked up the freezer when the last batch was for sale, but when prices got really nutty it made more sense to sell it off and shoot a film like Astia in MF or LF.

[davidb]

About two years ago, I sold about 50 rolls of medium format APX 25 to a doctor for $15 a roll.

The prices are about the same today.

[John Kasaian]

I'm in the wrong business!