I've been using the bad batch since it was first announced with no issues. I'm using a replenished regime.
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I also mixed some from the bad batch today, and running a test roll of HP5 through. it look perfectly OK.
As a side note I bought some Fomadon Excel as an alternative, waiting for the replacement. It's supposed to be more or less the same. Published times for stock solution are the same as Xtol. At 1+1 thou, using the same times as Xtol, my HP5+ tests came out very dense and severely overdeveloped. Looked like I had set the the ISO to 100 (which I had not). So beware, it's not the same as Xtol, as one can be led to believe.
Same film, same camera, same settings, same light.
Top is Fomadon Excel, bottom Xtol (bad batch). Both 1+1 and 9 1/2 minuets at 20 degrees
At this point I'm getting very interested in Adox's solution. It's not that I mind waiting either. I know Kodak is likely switching suppliers and all, I get it. It's that they're so tight lipped about it and now I can't even get a response from their e-mail address (I ended up with 2 more bags of the tainted stuff and they have yet to acknowledge it). Heck I even at this point don't care about getting my money back for the bad bags. I won't even mind if it's more expensive, I just need to know when I can expect it to arrive with some good information about what's going on.
Today I spent time looking at alternatives and as far as replenishment goes, there's T-Max RS but I think that's about it that's sort of "off the shelf". D76/ID11 can be mixed for replenished stocks but otherwise I came right back around to XTOL.
For now I've got some HC-110 and unmixed ID11 and Microphen I'm thinking about using. I have photos I shot last week during the Texas winterpacalypse I'd really like to develop.
I really hope that Kodak gets it together - and soon. They have been reliable for so long and I hate to see this happening. By the way, where are the replacements?
Um... this is photography, yes? Kodak got out of that business back in 2011, because of its bankruptcy. I think they still do motion picture stuff, but consumer photography got sold to a Brit firm called Alaris. I think they changed their name to Kodak Alaris (why not? they bought the brand, might as well use it), but that could be a more recent event, IDK.
So, let's hope that Alaris gets it together. BTW, the "genius" that decided that Kodak should quit making their own stuff and should outsource everything they could (thus giving up control, particularly quality control) was a former CEO named Antonio Pérez. Probably made him a fortune in executive bonuses, but it's what's made XTOL rather untrustworthy today IMHO. So thanks a lot Perez, what a swell guy you were. If you're looking for a bad guy in this story, Perez has my vote.
I could be completely wrong about this (would not be the first time), but this is what I remember and a quick look at the Wikipedia entry for Kodak confirms most of it. As does a look at:
https://imaging.kodakalaris.com/
Bruce Watson
Bruce, that account of the history isn't quite right. But most important for the present context, last June Kodak Alaris sold the photo paper and photo chemicals business on to Sino Promise:
http://www.sinopromise.com/content/info/id/62.html
So yet another set of hands is now responsible for it.
Sino Promise has been making their C-41 for a while, but I thought hadn't been making XTOL? The tainted batches reference Germany and I thought Sino was China (Hong Kong)? Flexicolor chems are rather good so I'm hoping if it is moving under Sino from whomever it was is a step in the right direction.
But again, though I'm excited about Kodak's teasing about new film and what not, I think if Adox comes out with an XTOL like option, it's something I will seriously evaluate.
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