Ask B&H. Just give them a call and ask the film department. Or ask your local film supply company, whichever one the pros use to buy their film......
I'm tired of all this doom and whining. Why not ask Kodak what they have planned? At the end of this post is an announcement on Kodak's website found at:
http://www.kodak.com/global/en/professional/features/filmStatement.shtml
They have in the last year invested millions in development of new emulsions in a new plant dedicated to traditional film and paper. They're not likely to give that up soon despite that they just (today?) announced they are discontinuing distribution of all their film based cameras, according to the BBC. But who cares about that? We all knew when it was introduced that APS was a waste of time. And when was the last time Kodak made or sold a meaningful film camera since they discontinued the Brownie? It's not their thing. Quality consumables (i.e., film, paper and chemistry) is their thing.
As for processing and service bureaus, their reduction in film sales and processing is due mostly to consumer use of small digital cameras and editorial/commercial photogs switching over to that medium, which makes perfect sense for their clients.
But the majority of portrait studios continue to use film because people who want quality work prefer it. Fine art applications will continue in traditional B&W because digital quality and permanence is still not equal and, so long as quality fiber based paper cannot be used in laser processes, it will never be equal to a traditional, archivally processed fiber based print. It's like comparing leather and naugahide.
Peace! Sidney
Statement re: The Future of Film at Kodak For Customers, Channel Partners, Etc. Friday, September 26, 2003
Regarding Kodak's Sept. 25 investors meeting and the resulting reports and rumors:
Please be assured that Eastman Kodak Company remains fully committed to anticipating and meeting our customers' needs for film, whether these end-users are professional photographers, advanced amateurs or hobbyists, or consumer picture-takers. We know that these customers depend on their camera to record their special memories, whether the images are of everyday moments or special once-in-a-lifetime events. We remain dedicated to maintaining our leadership in the film market through a clear understanding of customer needs combined with related product planning, development, manufacture, marketing and sales.
To affirm this intention, we highlight the eight new or upgraded films introduced to the professional and consumer markets within the last two years alone. These include new color negative films (KODAK PROFESSIONAL PORTRA Films and KODAK High Definition Films), color reversal films and new black & white films. We are very pleased that these films have received terrific acceptance by our customers. We also introduced numerous new high-quality papers for both the consumer and professional markets to ensure beautiful, long lasting images.
Kodak is committed to ensuring that our customers have increasing capabilities and opportunities to take, share, print and manage their images. While Kodak management acknowledged during the Investors' Meeting that the worldwide film market is declining, they reinforced our ongoing participation in film and a broader investment in image printing, sharing and image management capabilities. We believe that our professional, advanced amateur and consumer photography customers will be pleased by these directions.
