Kodak has just announced that Kodak Gold 200 will now be produced in 120 medium format! The film, which is available to order for retailers and dealers in 5-roll Pro Packs starting today, is priced lower than Kodak’s current medium format color films – approximately 25% less than Ektar and Portra.
This is huge news. Medium format photographers will finally have an affordable and easy-to-use color film to shoot through their favorite 120 cameras!
We’ve got some further exposition from the Kodak press release, and my opinion on this announcement just below.
“One main reason for [ medium format film’s ] popularity is that the larger film negative can be enlarged significantly without losing image quality. This is a great opportunity for aspiring photographers looking to make the jump from 35mm to medium format photography,” said Thomas Mooney, Manager Film Capture Products, Kodak Moments Division.
The new 120 format Kodak Professional Gold 200 is an affordable, entry-level color film featuring an ideal combination of warm saturated color, fine grain, and high sharpness. It is designed for photographers shooting at any level for daylight and flash capture.
My Take
This is really exciting news. In the last couple of years we film photographers have seen nothing but price increases across the board. Literally every manufacturer has increased prices. So it is such a breath of fresh air to see Kodak not only releasing a new film for medium format, but doing so in a way that provides a truly excellent product at a sustainable price point for photographers.
I traveled to the Kodak factory in Rochester, New York a few years ago and was treated to a tour of the production facility and greater campus. My takeaway observation, generally, was that every person at Kodak really cares about the product. It’s not acceptable to release a sub-standard film or to have compromised quality in a single roll. Everything is done to an incredible standard, and I’m just really happy to see Kodak giving us more options and ways to shoot their film.
Kodak Gold is also, pretty simply, a beautiful film. It performs incredibly well, with gorgeous warm tones and excellent saturation. It is the perfect film for the upcoming Spring and Summer (for us in the Northern Hemisphere).
I do have one pricing concern, though it has nothing to do with Kodak. The film is supposed to sell at 25% less than Portra and Ektar, which is amazing. Kodak is clearly hearing film shooters who have been squeezed by the price hikes on film, and they’re giving us an option to hopefully keep this film thing going long into the future. The problem, however, is that during the last year or so, wholesalers and retailers have been increasing their pricing due to the supply problem, squeezing every nickel and dime from the end user. I will know later today if shops like mine can get this film at a price lower than other 120 films when I call my distributor. I (for one) will not be price gouging to make a quick profit in my shop. Whatever Kodak’s recommended MSRP is, I’ll sell it at that price. I just don’t know that other shops will be doing the same.
Either way, I can’t wait to get some in my shop. I’ll certainly be stashing a few rolls away in my camera bag. Expect a full review as soon as the film arrives.
For more information on Kodak Gold 200 (in 35mm format) you can see our Guide to Kodak Film here.
All of our film reviews can be seen here.
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It is amazing news. I suspect Silberra’s color films to be in fact Kodak Aerocolor emulsions, but that’s as far as our Kodak color options went in 120 next to the usual Ektar and Portra twins, and it’s not like I’m going to order anything from Russia anytime soon.
Well done to Kodak, and I can’t wait to shoot some of this with my 6×6 and 6×9 machines.