Kodak 4X5 B&W to be packaged in 10 sheet boxes (only)?

[letchhausen]

I'm not sure who "they" are, but B&H got 50-sheet boxes of 4x5 TMY-2 in yesterday and it's unchanged from before the 10-sheet announcement -- still $119.95:

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ..._4053_4_x.html

There are 187 boxes in stock and available for purchase as this is posted.

I just bought a 50 sheet box of Tri-X for 99.95 (three weeks ago) and now it's 114.95. Unless B&H was having a sale and I didn't realize it.

[Sal Santamaura]

I just bought a 50 sheet box of Tri-X for 99.95 (three weeks ago) and now it's 114.95. Unless B&H was having a sale and I didn't realize it.

I don't track the price of 320TXP in 4x5 since discovering the superiority of TMY-2 where enlargement is intended. My use of 320TXP is limited to contact printing applications, such as 8x10, where the B&H price has remained steady since dropping last year.

So, yes, if one buys 4x5 320TXP I guess the price has increased. My suggestion is to spend another $5 and realize the benefits of TMY-2.

[Richard Wasserman]

So, yes, if one buys 4x5 320TXP I guess the price has increased. My suggestion is to spend another $5 and realize the benefits of TMY-2.

+1 TMY-2 is wonderful stuff

[Andrew O'Neill]

Best film ever... but I still love my HP5!

[macandal]

Someone in this thread mentioned and sounded to me as if special ordering boxes containing more than what is normally stocked by stores is possible. My questions is, does anyone know if it is possible to special order a 50-sheet box or a 100-sheet box (hell, even a 25-sheet box) of 4x5 Ektar? If so, how would one go about placing such an order?

Thanks.

[ben_hutcherson]

This was interesting to read, and January was about the time I started ordering 4x5 film.

With that said, I've yet to buy any current production Kodak sheet film products. I shoot a LOT of Tri-X in medium format, and it's an emulsion that I know well and love. The problem is that I know TXP is a different emulsion from TX, and now TXP is only available in sheet film. So, I'm left with an issue of shelling out big bucks for a box of something that I may not like. A 10 sheet box is at least attractive to me in that respect.

Ilford has been getting a lot of my B&W business lately. I've come to really love FP4+ as my defacto Plus-X replacement. There's also a big argument for economy when stepping up to 4x5. The last 25 sheet box of FP4+ I bought(from Freestyle) was $36. 5 rolls of 120 is $27.50 or so. By contrast, with Tri-X, a 5-roll pro pack is $25.91(per my last order) while a 10 sheet box of TXP is $24.39. It doesn't make a lot of sense to me that Kodak and Ilford can keep their roll film prices competitive with each other(with Ilford actually tending to be a bit more expensive, albeit not by a significant amount) while Kodak sheet prices are astronomical vs. Ilford. At least now I can try TXP for $25 and not commit $100 to a 50 sheet box.

[Sal Santamaura]

I just bought a 50 sheet box of Tri-X for 99.95 (three weeks ago) and now it's 114.95. Unless B&H was having a sale and I didn't realize it.

I don't track the price of 320TXP in 4x5 since discovering the superiority of TMY-2 where enlargement is intended. My use of 320TXP is limited to contact printing applications, such as 8x10, where the B&H price has remained steady since dropping last year.

So, yes, if one buys 4x5 320TXP I guess the price has increased. My suggestion is to spend another $5 and realize the benefits of TMY-2.

I still don't track B&H's price for 320TXP in 4x5, but just happened upon it after noticing that TMY-2 in 4x5 has gone up again (now $134.95 for 50 sheets). However, the 320TXP is down to $99.00:

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ...64_4x5_50.html

Get some now if you want it. Personally, I'm about to spend the additional $36 for TMY-2.

Someone in this thread mentioned and sounded to me as if special ordering boxes containing more than what is normally stocked by stores is possible. My questions is, does anyone know if it is possible to special order a 50-sheet box or a 100-sheet box (hell, even a 25-sheet box) of 4x5 Ektar? If so, how would one go about placing such an order?

Thanks.

The person to ask is Keith Canham:

kodakfilm@canhamcameras.com

However, if past is prologue, expect a specially-ordered 50-sheet box of 4x5 Ektar to cost more than five 10-sheet boxes, and anticipate needing to convince a lot of other people to purchase it at the same time. The minimum order has been around $18k. In my opinion, that's a large hurdle to jump just to avoid some cardboard and foil.

[Thalmees]

Similar behavior by some ebay sellers,
Hindering photographers from staying in the medium! Preventing many more from entry to photography!
Helping for further much more discontinuity of the photographic(film) industry!!!
Selling used items or film, for much higher than maximum profit at much lower number of transactions.
Savage sellers in awful market!
.
Kodak is leading the market to a no return point !!!
TMY2, 50 sheets 4X5 at $135 ?
That's $2.7 for single exposure!!! $2.8/sheet, for 10 sheets box.
Now, if you add another sheet for intra-camera duplicate, insurance for dust or development artifacts,
Then, a third sheet as a bracketing toward the favorable side of exposure scale,
It's above $8(at least) for a single subject. Crazy! $8.4 per 3 exposures, for 10 sheets box. Crazy for the dwarf 4X5 of LF photography!
Kodak does not wish to die alone peacefully!
Kodak want to kill the market before it die!
Never said that before, did not wish to say that, did not expect, I was loyal to Kodak films.
Kodak took this step after studying the market well, and concluded that they can continue selling at the newer price as before or maybe more!
Kodak know well, that it will not be able to sell a box of TMY2 at $135, beside another boxes from ILFORD, Bergger, Foma and Others at lower than half price.
But they already increased price again, decided, based on a robust! conclusion! What does that mean?
Other manufacturers will follow, soon or not much later. The market(any market) does not need a reasonable justifications to move in either direction, and Kodak is still at least a traditional leader!
If Kodak is seriously willing to continue film industry, they should sell their fixed assets or at least share with another manufacturer. Only, If it's true that they are really supporting continuity of photographic film.
No industry in the history has sustained what photographic(film) industry suffered during the last 15 years, and continued as photographic film continued today. Really magnificent young for ever, photo-opto-chemical devise, of an ancient human invention of unlimited age. Few to several manufacturers has been entered the market. Still waiting more.
But unfortunately, at this point of history, Kodak now(and has been, during the last 10 years), is playing a harmful negative factor toward photographers and film customers, not toward film industry alone.
.
A much better and meaningful tale, is the traditional alternative. ILFORD.
If they are clever enough, they should keep their present prices for the coming several years, regardless the amount of profit, as possible as there is a profit from the process.
Or, hard to believe, introducing Delta400 !
Why not? It's a war! Kodak is clever, did not increased TMX price, just to hinder any further advantage of competitors ISO100 films.
I know, HP5+ is not the typical alternative of TMY2.
But, at the present prices of film(100 sheets HP5+ at $125; Vs. ; 50 sheets TMY2 at $135), even in the shortest run, the difference is HUGE. The same huge advantage for Delta100 and FP4+ films.
Off course, the advantage of the later two films against TMX, is clear at a little longer run.
Plus, the MAJOR advantage of, as early as possible, adopting same film(or same primary film), against jumping from film to another. Both advantages, make Delta100(or FP4+) the primary, and TMX just one of many alternatives. The advantage is more clear, for HP5+ against TXP.

[Andrew O'Neill]

I would also like to see Delta 400 in sheets but that won't happen. It could cut into sales of HP5, their flagship film. I'll just have to make due with it in 120.

[ben_hutcherson]

Plus, the MAJOR advantage of, as early as possible, adopting same film(or same primary film), against jumping from film to another. Both advantages, make Delta100(or FP4+) the primary, and TMX just one of many alternatives. The advantage is more clear, for HP5+ against TXP.

There again is one of my criticisms from me as a "yellow" loyalist from my early days in photography(at least when it comes to B&W-I tend "green" for transparency film).

If I have fewer than 50 rolls of 120 TX in the freezer, I tend to order more. I don't shoot a LOT of 35mm anymore, but do keep some on hand.

I KNOW TX very well. I DO NOT know TXP at all, and the only way to learn it is to pay the steep prices for 4x5. I know it used to be available in 120 and 220, but that's long gone.

I don't know HP5 very well, but I can get it across the board in 35mm, 120, and 4x5.

I'm just happy that I have FP4+. I didn't shoot a lot of it before getting into LF, but have come to really like it.

Truth be told, I prefer medium format for learning a film as it's often less expensive per roll than 135-36 and I get a big negative/transparency that I can view on the light table. Plus, I just try to make 12 meaningful shots rather than burning film so that I can develop the roll as I do in 35mm.