Robert A. Zeichner
30-Nov-2009, 16:36
I know many of you have discussed this before, but a friend of mine sent the Kodak president an email and I thought I would share this as some of you might want to follow suit. Here goes:
"I am a professional fine arts 8x10 film user. I have for over thirty years used your fine films. About a little over a year ago you stopped packaging T-max 100 and 400 in the normal 50 sheet boxes and instead are now using 10 sheet boxes. Let me explain why this is a big mistake and I will use myself as an example. When I go on a shoot I normally take with me 100 sheets of film which in the past fit into two boxes that measured 2 5/8 inches in height.
That same 100 sheets of film which is now packaged 10 sheets per box (the same box that you used to package 25 sheets in) now measures 8 inches in height! I normally fly so I have no choice but to take the film with me as a carry on. In the past I would not only be able to carry on the film but my lenses, light meter and camera as well. But now, if I carried the ten boxes, I would have to put my lenses, light meter and camera in the hold. I never would trust this costly, fragile equipment out of my sight so what I have been doing is to repackage the ten boxes into two old 50 sheet boxes. By now I am running out of these old boxes to use as they become beat up. When you go through security and have the film X-rayed, if the boxes are sealed the security folks don't question me but if they have been opened and especially if they are old boxes they do. The last trip when I was retuning home through the L.A. airport they wanted to see what was in the opened boxes and I had a very tough time explaining what was inside and why I didn't want to open the boxes. This would not have happened if I had new sealed boxes instead of my old reused tacky boxes. Ten boxes really draw attention while two don't!
Your competitor ILFORD packages their film in 25 sheet boxes and their price is less - perhaps because they are saving in the cost of so many boxes and packaging.
There is another thing to consider, in the past I would purchase a case of film at a time which I would place in my freezer and use over the next several months. Now I can't, because it would take up too much room to do this. As a result I am now purchasing smaller quantities at a time - just what I can use in a short period of time. So you are in-effect losing out of up front purchases - think of it as a free loan to Kodak. It amounts to many hundreds of dollars - so it is not insignificant!
I am not the Lone Ranger in my thinking - as I talk to other photographers they too can't figure out why you are doing this. Many are moving to ILFORD film - but some of us have been hoping that you would like in the past (you made this same mistake in the past) change your mind and go back to the 50 sheet boxes. PLEASE!"
"I am a professional fine arts 8x10 film user. I have for over thirty years used your fine films. About a little over a year ago you stopped packaging T-max 100 and 400 in the normal 50 sheet boxes and instead are now using 10 sheet boxes. Let me explain why this is a big mistake and I will use myself as an example. When I go on a shoot I normally take with me 100 sheets of film which in the past fit into two boxes that measured 2 5/8 inches in height.
That same 100 sheets of film which is now packaged 10 sheets per box (the same box that you used to package 25 sheets in) now measures 8 inches in height! I normally fly so I have no choice but to take the film with me as a carry on. In the past I would not only be able to carry on the film but my lenses, light meter and camera as well. But now, if I carried the ten boxes, I would have to put my lenses, light meter and camera in the hold. I never would trust this costly, fragile equipment out of my sight so what I have been doing is to repackage the ten boxes into two old 50 sheet boxes. By now I am running out of these old boxes to use as they become beat up. When you go through security and have the film X-rayed, if the boxes are sealed the security folks don't question me but if they have been opened and especially if they are old boxes they do. The last trip when I was retuning home through the L.A. airport they wanted to see what was in the opened boxes and I had a very tough time explaining what was inside and why I didn't want to open the boxes. This would not have happened if I had new sealed boxes instead of my old reused tacky boxes. Ten boxes really draw attention while two don't!
Your competitor ILFORD packages their film in 25 sheet boxes and their price is less - perhaps because they are saving in the cost of so many boxes and packaging.
There is another thing to consider, in the past I would purchase a case of film at a time which I would place in my freezer and use over the next several months. Now I can't, because it would take up too much room to do this. As a result I am now purchasing smaller quantities at a time - just what I can use in a short period of time. So you are in-effect losing out of up front purchases - think of it as a free loan to Kodak. It amounts to many hundreds of dollars - so it is not insignificant!
I am not the Lone Ranger in my thinking - as I talk to other photographers they too can't figure out why you are doing this. Many are moving to ILFORD film - but some of us have been hoping that you would like in the past (you made this same mistake in the past) change your mind and go back to the 50 sheet boxes. PLEASE!"