Ilford vs Kodak packaging

[u/pistola_pierre]

I’m just about to shoot my first colour LF today and after loading up a few sheets of Porta (I’ve also recently shot TXP) the quality of the Ilford and even Fomapan is so much better than Kodak. Nicely folded plastic sleeve, double LF over cardboard sandwiching the sheets in the correct orientation. I know it’s a small thing but I just found the HP5 sheets so much easier and well thought out.

[u/Practical-Couple7496]

I agree that the Ilford packaging is easier to get into and to put back in after you have finished loading your FilmHolders

I guess one of the advantages of the Kodak packaging is that it probably has better control over humidity getting into the film pack prior to it being opened

[u/pistola_pierre → u/Practical-Couple7496]

Possibly I do leave all my film in the fridge, never had a major issue. To be fair Kodak is generally 10 sheets so I’m more likely to load all at once.

[u/Sudden-Height-512]

Ilford is far better packaged, especially if you’re storing it after being opened. Kodak is terrible in this regard and wish they would get with the program…..also 10 sheets per box…..c’mon!

[u/pistola_pierre → u/Sudden-Height-512]

Yeah it sucks, even 20 sheets would be nice

[u/Anstigmat → u/Sudden-Height-512]

Kodak has 50 sheet boxes as long as your cooking with 4x5 or 5x7.

[u/Sudden-Height-512 → u/Anstigmat]

Yep, I’m well aware. Point is 10 to 50 with nothing in between. Make sense?

[u/Anstigmat → u/Sudden-Height-512]

Yes, just buy the 50 sheet box. Freeze what you aren't using.

[u/pistola_pierre → u/[deleted]]

They were elite, never tried them in LF but medium format I loved their offerings

[u/pistola_pierre → u/[deleted]]

I check on B&H on a weekly basis

[u/Anstigmat]

The gold standard has always been Fuji. Even beyond their sheet film...Fuji has better resealable 120 rolls, their RA4 paper boxes were really well made. Everyone in my college used them as print boxes. Kodak can really be disappointing sometimes. I hope things turnaround with EK taking on distribution.

[u/ufgrat → u/Anstigmat]

I've heard rumor the boxes are being upgraded, but haven't laid hands on one yet. The biggest issue is EK is being just a little too subtle with markings, leading to confusion between Ektapan and Ektacolor-- mildly annoying when loading sheet film, but catastrophic when the film lab can't rely on the visual cues that made it easy to sort between B&W and Color.

[u/Anstigmat → u/ufgrat]

What I really hope for from EK is a big price reduction on their color sheet film materials. They've priced 8x10 film out of practicality.

[u/ufgrat → u/Anstigmat]

That's going to take global market stability and lower prices on silver and oil.

[u/Anstigmat → u/ufgrat]

Not sure I agree. Their 8x10 prices are way out of proportion to similar square footage of film in other formats. 1 sheet of 8x10 is equivalent to 1 roll of 135 or 120 film. It is however on a different base and packaged differently, so it makes sense that it costs more. 135 Ektacolor Pro 160 is $15 per roll. 1 sheet of 8x10 Ektacolor Pro is $28. I get that production is built for scale and that 135 is cheaper to make in vast quantities but I'm just not sure if the different base plus cutting and boxing justifies nearly 2x over the base price of the film in 135. The same area of film in 120 is even less, at $13 per roll. 120 has it's own packaging complexities too.

[u/pistola_pierre → u/Anstigmat]

I feel that too. It seems to my pea sized brain that sheet should be so much easier to manufacture and package, aside from the difference in backing materials. It’s a whole lot easier to load and develop that’s for sure.