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Kodak announced Ektar 100, a new fine-grained, high-contrast, high-saturation, "world’s sharpest" color negative film. It’s 35mm-only, and will replace the almost cartoonishly-saturated Portra Professional Ultra Color 100UC.

Availability: October 2008 in the US, beginning of November in Europe, ?? rest of the word.

More info on Kodak’s Ektar 100 Q&A and in the film data sheet (PDF).

Here are the relevant portions of Kodak’s press release:

New KODAK PROFESSIONAL EKTAR 100 Film Provides Photographers with the World’s Finest-Grain Colour Negative Film

LONDON, September 9, 2008 – Eastman Kodak Company (NYSE:EK) continues to champion professional photographers and set new standards in professional film with the new KODAK PROFESSIONAL EKTAR 100 (EKTAR 100) film. This new film, with ISO 100 speed, high saturation and ultra-vivid colour, offers the finest, smoothest grain of any colour negative film available today.

"Photography has always been about capturing a moment or story and sharing it, with just a few or with the world," said Mary Jane Hellyar, president, Film, Photofinishing & Entertainment Group and executive vice president, Eastman Kodak Company. "It is often the smallest details that mark the difference between a good photograph and one that stands out and becomes memorable. With our new EKTAR 100 film, we’ve created a film that helps the photographer capture unprecedented detail in remarkably vivid colour. This film continues a Kodak tradition of providing photographers with the highest quality films that expand the range over which they can create outstanding images."

EKTAR 100 Film is the ideal choice for commercial photographers and advanced amateurs for applications such as nature, travel, fashion and product photography where the emphasis is often on colour. The new film incorporates KODAK VISION Motion Picture Film Technology to achieve its unparalleled fine grain. It’s perfect for photographers who prefer the ease of working with 35mm, and who look for extraordinary enlargement capability when scanning and printing.

[…trade show stuff blah blah blah…]

The new KODAK EKTAR Films will be available throughout Europe from the beginning of November, 2008.

According to this Q&A page about their new Ektar 100 film, Kodak will discontinue their Portra Professional Ultra Color 400UC film by the end of 2008.

I don’t shoot much 35mm these days, but I thought it really sucked when they discontinued it in 120 last year, it was great in 6×6 toy cameras.

Kodak says:

Due to significantly declining sales volume, Kodak is preannouncing the discontinuance of READYLOAD Single-Sheet Packets for four films.

The items listed below will be discontinued by year-end 2008. However, inventories may run out before then, depending on demand.

Please note: This preannounced discontinuance applies to Readyload format only. Other cut sheet sizes, such as 4×5 and 8×10, are not affected. [emphasis added so no-one freaks out]

READYLOAD Discontinuances:

• KODAK PROFESSIONAL T-MAX 100 Film
• KODAK PROFESSIONAL PORTRA 160VC Film
• KODAK PROFESSIONAL EKTACHROME Film E100G
• KODAK PROFESSIONAL EKTACHROME Film E100VS
• KODAK PROFESSIONAL READYLOAD Packet Film Holder

Photo News Today’s Dennis Hays says:

After meeting both John Sexton and [Kodak’s] Scott DiSabato at the 2007 Photoplus Expo in New York, I sit down with them and discuss the introduction of the new [see previous post] T-MAX-400 B&W film. John goes into some detail regarding the films ability and his impressions from use.

As more and more digital cameras are introduced, I wanted to find what Kodak’s thinking was in introducing a new film and who the possible users are. Also, John discusses his workflow with the film and how and why he uses film for his work. A fascinating chat with two ends of the spectrum—a film manufacturer and a film user.

Listen: Direct MP3 link or podcast page (length: 31:56)

Kodak’s film discontinuance notice says:

KODAK is preannouncing the discontinuance of several smaller running families of Professional film - EPR, EPN and High Speed Infrared (HIE) effective end of December 2007. Demand for these products has been declining significantly in recent years, and it is no longer practical to continue to manufacture given the low volume, the age of the product formulations and the complexity of the processes involved.

We will continue to ship product through the end of this year.

These discontinuances are effective in all countries worldwide, with one exception: KODAK PROFESSIONAL EKTACHROME 64 Film / EPR will continue to ship to Japan beyond 2007.

The suggested replacement for KODAK PROFESSIONAL EKTACHROME 64 Film / EPR is
KODAK PROFESSIONAL EKTACHROME Film E100G or E100GX.

The suggested replacement for KODAK PROFESSIONAL EKTACHROME 100 Film / EPN is KODAK PROFESSIONAL EKTACHROME Film E100G or
KODAK PROFESSIONAL EKTACHROME 100 Plus Film / EPP.

Ektachrome 64 will probably still be available through Megaperls Webshop (at greater cost, of course), who sell Japan-only film photo products to the rest of the world.

Ever wonder what happens when you push Kodak T-Max 100 black and white film five stops to ISO 3200? Me too!

Justin

Garden Secrets

120 film developed in Kodak TMAX developer for 16 min @ 24°C/75°F.

(I shot these about two years ago but I’m posting them now. Go figure.)

You can read the complete press release, but the highlights are:

• It’s the "world’s sharpest" and "finest-grained" ISO 400 B&W film.
• Pushable 2 stops up to ISO 1600.
• Availability "will occur on a stock-turnover basis, beginning in December 2007".
• The new film code will be TMY-2.

There’s a surprisingly informative Q&A sheet (PDF) about the old vs the new film, check it out.

These three Kodak publications are available as PDF downloads from archive.org. As you can see, they’re quite old, and the copyright has expired.

Kodak Monograph 1: The silver bromide grain of photographic emulsions, Adrian Peter Herman Trivelli (1921)

Kodak Monograph 2: The theory of development, Adolph H. Nietz (1922)

The Photographic Negative, William Henry Burbank (1888)

Written as a practical guide to the preparation of sensitive surfaces by the calotype, albumen, collodion, and gelatin processes, on glass and paper, with supplementary chapters on development, etc.

Photographic printing methods: a practical guide to the professional and amateur worker, William Henry Burbank (1891) (thanks, Glenn!)

Via APUG member Emulsion

Kodak have two US-only film rebates going on:

$20 rebate on $125 or more of their pro colour Portra range. Good until 30 June, 2007. Download coupon/form PDF.

$5 rebate on five or more rolls of their pro black and white range range (T-Max 100, 400, and 3200, Plus-X 125, Tri-X 400 (320 isn’t mentioned), or HIE infrared). Good until 31 July, 2007. Download coupon/form PDF.

Share and enjoy.™

UK photo retailer Silverprint reports in their newsletter that Kodak are discontinuing both of their infrared emulsions, the black and white HIE and the false-colour Ektachrome Infrared. Kodak will stop accepting orders from stockists for the films in May 2007, so start hoarding now. (Kodak’s web site doesn’t note the discontinuation, but that isn’t unusual, and I count Silverprint as a reliable source.)

There are other options for black and white infrared, such as Rollei IR820c (formerly Maco IR820c [corrected by Jon below]), Fomapan 400 NIR 730, and Ilford SFX 200 [corrected by George and Jon below], but there are no alternatives to Ektachrome Infrared that I’m aware of.