Kodak discontinues all but 4x5 TMAX films

[Drew Wiley]

I cleaned out Freestyle. Badger is out. B&H still shows it.

[tgtaylor]

It's probably a marketing tactic to sell all the old stock at once without having to discount it.

[Bob McCarthy]

I hope this is not a trend, at B&H there are quite a few "out of stocks", just not Kodak.

Ilford (B&W) and Fuji (color), last men standing??

At least they're quality companies.

bob

[Tobias Key]

I think this could actually be a marketing ploy. They backtracked on the new Portra 400 not being available in 8x10 after people complained. Perhaps the threat of discontinuing a film is a good way of selling the remnants of an aging batch in short order. It could also be a good way of reminding people that if you don't actually shoot film it will go, pressing the faithful to shoot more.

[SW Rick]

I think this could actually be a marketing ploy. They backtracked on the new Portra 400 not being available in 8x10 after people complained. Perhaps the threat of discontinuing a film is a good way of selling the remnants of an aging batch in short order. It could also be a good way of reminding people that if you don't actually shoot film it will go, pressing the faithful to shoot more.

I don't think that's how they work- much more to the point is this interview with their CEO, who seems to be on a mission to get rid of old-fogey things like film and replace it with the flow of paper through inkjets (not the first time i've heard this about him):

http://j.mp/aNBRNf

[Drew Wiley]

Hard to know what Kodak is thinking, if they are thinking at all. They pretty much shot themselves in the foot with the overpriced small packaging, so probably needed to shoot themselves in the other foot to balance things out. A lot of the time in mfg the marketing monkeys who call the shots don't have a clue what the actual products are.
An even more sad state of affairs in publicly traded companies is that the CEOs have a distinct financial incentive to ruin the company, or are seemingly the most
incompetent person in the whole organization. Sounds like a stereotype, but I've met
just too many of these guys myself.

[Tobias Key]

I don't think that's how they work- much more to the point is this interview with their CEO, who seems to be on a mission to get rid of old-fogey things like film and replace it with the flow of paper through inkjets (not the first time i've heard this about him):

http://j.mp/aNBRNf

Bear in mind that a CEO will say what he thinks stockholders want to hear, and they want to know about strong growth in new markets, and at the end of the day film is not going to be a growth driver, but that's not the same as saying that film will not be a profitable and prestigious niche. I think this is just a shift to Kodak making niche formats to order, and knowing that before they've started making the film they've sold every sheet. I don't print any orders until I know they've been paid for so I don't see how this differs from the working practices of many photographers working today.

[mdm]

Their strategy is petty obvious. What they have is a premium product, no longer a comodity. It no longer makes sense to maintain a large inventory. Since the people who really want it will pay whatever they ask and jump all sorts of hoops to get it, they will. If you are happy with ilford and other films, change and dont look back. If you are not, well then, you're the suckker thats gunna pay. Business, probably good business too. Top photographers will continue to make their best work on Kodak products, if that is what they know.

At the moment I refuse to pay the premium, even though I would love to be using TMY and would love to try out TXP. If you have thousands invested in cameras and lenses and you use less than 200 sheets a year, what is a few dollars on film anyway. Just toe the line with Canham and pay up.

[IanG]

Kodak have a major marketing issue.

I stopped using all Tmax films 3 years ago because of poor or total non availability, I used Tmax 100 & 400 from their release.

However I don't live in the us/UK/EU and on my travels Tmax has been non existent on dealers shelves for over 3 years. Kodak's marketing of anything other than consumer C41 35mm is very poor.

On the other hand Ilford and surprisingly Foma are every where, now I was after 120 film and Tmax 120 was nowhere so 5x4 or larger is long gone.

If Kodak can't sell 10x8 world wide then the markets to small in the US.

Ian

[tgtaylor]

If you have thousands invested in cameras and lenses and you use less than 200 sheets a year, what is a few dollars on film anyway. Just toe the line with Canham and pay up.

Well said!