Kodak Discontinues E100VS in 4x5

[JPlomley]

Went to buy some and its gone, everywhere (Freestyle, Badger, B&H). Did not see it listed on Kodaks website as a discontinued film so I called Jeff at Badger, and sure enough, its adios. Looks like Kodak is cleaning house.

[mrladewig]

That is a shame. It had a beautiful palette.

[BetterSense]

Does Kodak have any 4x5 slide film at all now?

[Matus Kalisky]

It is not a good sign if Kodak decided to take away the most saturated film in 4x5. I guess that 120 and 35mm will soon follow. I am wondering whether the E100VS users will take the Velvia route or just use the E100G (what else is left in E6 from Kodak? - the EPP and ?).

Still - it makes me wondering wondering wether the Kodak tries to end the E6 films alltpgether - they have not introduced any updates on their E6 emulsions in last few years - quite contrary to C41 (Ektar 100 and the new Portra 400)

[matthew klos]

I really dislike Kodak.

[Matus Kalisky]

I really dislike Kodak.

Is Fuji behaving any better recently?

[SW Rick]

Seems to be a scarcity of 4x5 E-6 films, looking at B&H, Adorama, uniquephoto- either Fuji is going to be dropping some, or we're just at a point where supply is about to be replenished. Seems to be some Quickloads of this or that, maybe a bit of Provia here or 100F there. Hope this is not the other shoe dropping- I figured it was still years away. Glad I've rediscovered that I actually prefer B&W for the much of my work :)

Of course there is still Ektar 100 and Portra 400.

[John NYC]

Please buy hundreds of boxes of E100G immediately! ;-)

Seriously, if E6 goes the way of the dinosaur, I'm really going to be disappointed. I started 8x10 to contact print b&w but quickly got sidetracked once I fell in love with 8x10 slides. Now I shoot more E6 than anything else in large format.

I always thought it would be the labs that would give up first. Now I think it is going to be the film makers.

[John NYC]

As a side note, the Kodak USA site no longer lists E100G in 8x10 format. Yikes. I just ordered some to stock up.

[Riverman]

This is not good news. For E6 I prefer E100G but I hope it does not go the same way.

[Brian C. Miller]

Time to get a controversial 6x17 back! ;) Or else make do with an enhancing filter.

I am guessing that Kodak is going to have one each in LF of b&w, C41, and E6. The rest will be roll film.

[John NYC]

I am guessing that Kodak is going to have one each in LF of b&w, C41, and E6. The rest will be roll film.

I think you are right. If it were the new Portra 400, E100G and TXP, I could probably live with that throughout my days.

But I am also wondering if they are going to eventually do ALL 8x10 as special (e.g., Canham) orders. This would be a pain for me, as I can't really store film easily where I live.

[amac212]

Disturbing trend. I've stocked up on E6 chems and I better get to use them before everything disappears!

[Jim Becia]

Disturbing trend. I've stocked up on E6 chems and I better get to use them before everything disappears!

I think what really is disturbing to me is that getting someone to process E-6 is going to become impossible. If Kodak and Fuji continuously eliminate E-6 films, they certainly are not going to be selling much in terms of E-6 chemistry. Then that product bites the dust. I hope I'm wrong.

[Ed Richards]

I am betting that 120/220 is going to go before 4x5. Who is left shooting it? Maybe APUG would give me a different view, but it seems that if want a smaller, easy to handle film camera, you go to 35mm, and if you are a gear head you go to LF.

[Sevo]

I am betting that 120/220 is going to go before 4x5. Who is left shooting it? Maybe APUG would give me a different view, but it seems that if want a smaller, easy to handle film camera, you go to 35mm, and if you are a gear head you go to LF.

Maybe - the niche for 220 already seems to have vanished, there does not seem to be a single 220 film with global distribution any more, it is already gone in Europe. Fuji still seem to offer a few emulsions in 220 in Japan, and Kodak still seems to have had Portra 160 in 220 on their domestic market at least one year ago (or are slow at updating their lists). On the other hand, 120 still can give higher resolution than any portable instant-time digital solution, and the bulk of high end professional digital systems have interchangeable 120 film backs, so that 120 still has professional niche applications very similar to LF - which is more than can be said for 135.

In any case, the future of film types will be determined by aesthetic fashions rather than resolution specs - we'll see whether the demand for colour film will be big enough to make it survive the inevitable periods in which the trend swings towards black and white or heavy digital processing.

[Bruce Watson]

I always thought it would be the labs that would give up first. Now I think it is going to be the film makers.

Nope. It's not the labs, and it's not Kodak.

It's us. Photographers gave up on E6; we don't buy enough to make it profitable for Kodak to keep supplying it. We really shouldn't be surprised when they stop.

[ljsegil]

We tried to do a special purchase of E100VS in 8x10 last year but couldn't quite get the necessary volume for Kodak. Anybody interested in trying again? Personally, I love the pallette of this emulsion and don't think that E100G or Velvia compare well at all. Let's get some!
Larry

[Liam:]

I am betting that 120/220 is going to go before 4x5. Who is left shooting it? Maybe APUG would give me a different view, but it seems that if want a smaller, easy to handle film camera, you go to 35mm, and if you are a gear head you go to LF.

Sorry but I am going disagree, 120 has to be more popular than 4x5 just look at flickr. I photograph with a few friends who shoot 120 and 135 none of them new anything about LF before I opened there eyes.

[Jeff Bannow]

I am betting that 120/220 is going to go before 4x5. Who is left shooting it? Maybe APUG would give me a different view, but it seems that if want a smaller, easy to handle film camera, you go to 35mm, and if you are a gear head you go to LF.

I would be very surprised if 120 goes before sheet film - I personally know dozens of 120 shooters, and a small handful of sheet film shooters.

Sorry to see another film go.

[tgtaylor]

A lot of LF shooters shoot 120 - myself, for example. Although I haven't used 220 in a long time, it's an excellent choice for backpacking with a MF system on long trips as 220 more than doubles your captures (from 70 with my 6 roll Otter case to 147 or 100 with the 9 roll Pelican Case to 210!). (Pentax gives you an extra image on 220.) Pack both cases and you have the equivalent of 10 rolls of 135.

[John NYC]

Nope. It's not the labs, and it's not Kodak.

It's us. Photographers gave up on E6; we don't buy enough to make it profitable for Kodak to keep supplying it. We really shouldn't be surprised when they stop.

Well, yes, obviously. My point was that I thought that with the spread out labs each getting a smaller share of the E6 development pie, it would be those that went out of business first, then causing an even more precipitous drop in E6 film use, and that finally making the dent in Kodak. And maybe that is the way it went down, for all I know. It's hard to tell from the New York point of view since there are literally dozens of labs I can go to that process E6.

[matthew klos]

Is Fuji behaving any better recently?

No but i rarely shoot E6 anyway. It's pointless for what i do.

[SamReeves]

Oh well, time to get that Canon 60D. Then I can over-Photoshop everything to comic book color and be the toast of the town!

[Ektagraphic]

I just went to look into buying some and came here to find this. Just lovely. I really hope that E100G gets enough volume to stay around. Maybe I'll only shoot Ektachrome in 4x5 for my color work for the next year....