Today’s Post by Joe Farace
And now we welcome the New Year. Full of things that have never been. —Rainer Maria Rilke
Unfinished business. Franz Schubert started writing his Symphony No. 8 in B minor aka the Unfinished Symphony in 1822 but although he lived for another six years he left it with only two movements. That’s how I feel about a few film projects that I was involved in last year. In case you wondered what happened to them, here’s an update on some unfinished projects:
Kodak UltraMax
In March 2023, I ordered some 35mm 24-exposure Kodak Ultramax color negative film from B&H but was informed it was not in stock. The film is currently listed on their site as “back ordered.” B&H said they would keep me informed as to when the film would be available to purchase. On December 23, I received the following message:
“You are receiving this message because you asked to be notified when the Kodak GC/UltraMax 400 Color Negative Film (35mm Roll Film, 24 Exposures, 3-Pack) becomes available. We advised you then that we would send you interim updates. We regret the item remains unavailable.”
Updated today: February 5, 2023 with the same message.
Well sonofagun! I regret it too and am still waiting. I’ll wait, at least, until this March 2023 and give you a final update on the three-pack of film that either Kodak or B&H (or both) doesn’t want to sell me—at least not for the advertised price of $19.99. Amazon, on the other hand will gladly sell me a three-pack of the same film for $42.
JCH Streetpan 400 & Mike’s Camera
Last November I shot a 35mm roll of this film and took it to be processed at Mike’s Camera and unlike all my previous excellent experiences with them, all hell broke loose. You can read all of the details here. I sent an email to the ASMP liaison at Mike’s Camera explaining the problems and he told me…well, he never responded to my email. But like another person in the film photography world once told me about email, “just because you sent it, doesn’t mean I received it.” On December 30 I sent a message to the manager of the Lone Tree store and 41 minutes later, I received a call from someone at the store telling me I could pick up my film—41 days (interesting numerical coincidence) after I dropped it off for processing. I thought that was the end of the story but then…
The next day, I received an email from the store manager: First, he apologized for the poor quality of the film processing—”they were overprocessed”—and then told me that communication from the store’s employees “…was terrible.” Second, he offered me two rolls of Ilford HP5 PLUS with film processing while “asking for a second chance.” I plan on giving him a second chance and then do a review of Ilford’s black & white film while letting you know what happened during processing. Look for an update in an upcoming #filmfriday.
Lomography Analogue Duet
When I shot Lomography’s Lomochrome Metropolis 35mm film at the June ’22 Exhaust & Espresso event, I had some camera battery issues. I was really looking forward to shooting this film that supposedly features “punchy contrast and muted tones with intense color pops.” It’s noted for having a “color film noir” look with muted, unsaturated colors with deep shadows and high contrast.
I decided to get another roll as part of Lomo’s Analogue Duet Mixed 35mm Film Pack ($28.90.) The pack includes “Lomography’s coolest, color-shifting 35mm films”— LomoChrome Metropolis and their new Purple—and includes a free key chain. Each C-41 film comes in an “irresistible, individual tin can.” I’ll save the cans if I mail the film in for processing. I have a large container of (plastic) film containers to use if I decide ship the film out-of-state.
I’ve wanted to get another roll of Lomochrome Metropolis, which is a little harder to do than you might think. Although you can order a roll of Metropolis directly from Lomo, what I would prefer is the Analogue Duet but it was “out of stock” for a long time. When I started writing this, the Lomo site said it was ‘”in stock” but when I tried to order, the site said “The requested qty is not available.” Now it says it’s “out of stock.” Around the internet, most sites that originally had the package for sale say it’s not available, sold out or out of stock, while B&H says it’s been discontinued. I hope not. If any reader or camera store knows where I can buy this package, please click CONTACT and let me know. Thanks.