Kodak is Raising Their Prices…Again
Last week film photographers and film hobbyists heard the news that Kodak was again raising their prices by a whopping 40% according to PetaPixel and KosmoPhoto.
This increase doesn’t surprise many avid film photographers, as prices have increased substantially since 2019. Although, it disheartens the many who are still fighting to create photographs with color film and black and white film. With prices at an all time high, it’s hard to remember back in 2005 when a box of film only cost $3-$5.
The Rise in Film Costs
In the early 2000s, manufacturers greatly lowered the cost of film. At this point, digital photography was gaining momentum, whereas film photography was fighting for its life. To stay competitive a bit longer, prices were at their all-time low. Going into the 2010s, the market began to stabilize and film photography became interesting again to the masses.
As prices started to stabilize, an interest in 35mm film grew. Mainstream society and the younger generations became obsessed with feelings of nostalgia and all things vintage.
In November 2019, prices increased significantly to keep up with this demand. At this point, photographers understood the reasoning, even with some film stocks rising 30%. However, at the end of 2020, Kodak announced another price increase of 15% to 20%. Many throughout the photography community felt frustrated.
I felt this shift as I was finishing my senior year at Massachusetts College of Art and Design in Photography. I worked almost exclusively with 4x5 large format color film, specifically Kodak Portra 160 (and I still do). After that increase, I went from paying around $3 per sheet to $5. And prices increased again at the end of 2021.
Coming into this New Year, I didn't hear much noise about another increase, though I expected one to happen just like the past years. When January 1 came, I thought we were in the clear. But apparently, the news just hadn’t hit me yet.
On December 19, 2022, KosmoPhoto reported that Kodak announced another price rise affecting its photographic films, due to take place on March 1, 2023. Some reports state that some film stocks may increase by 40%. Although, KosmoPhoto reported that the overall rise would be around 17%, with some consumer films such as Kodak Gold 200 and Ultra Max 400 seeing smaller increases.
Past price increases within Kodak have been partially due to the impact of Covid-19, causing manufacturing issues pertaining to their metal cylinders and film stock. In 2022 we saw a surge in demand for film, with 35mm color film on continuous backorder from all photography distributors such as B&H Photo, Adorama, and Hunts. It’s without a doubt that the increase in demand directly contributed to the recent increase in prices.
I think we can all agree on how frustrating higher prices are. Nonetheless, the prices are not outlandish considering the current economic market. I believe the more frustrating situation is seeing individuals bulk buy film to sell it on Amazon for astronomic prices. Due to the lack of film available at regular establishments, it has been common to see resellers notoriously hoarding film and selling it on third-party sites. But unfortunately, this is what many of us have to work with currently and it won’t be going away anytime soon.
Now, the question I keep asking myself is: will we continue to see these price increases in the following years? I believe as prices increase, those who have picked up film as a hobby may become deterred. Less people may use film photography and as the saying goes: When the pendulum swings too much in one direction, it is bound to swing the other way.
I don't believe we will ever go back to dirt-cheap film costs, but I predict the price of film will stabilize at some point and stay there for a while.
With this recent price increase, I hope that Kodak will be able to grow its production and restock film that has been unavailable since the beginning of 2022. So more photographers can continue their practice and those starting out can have access to fair prices.
This blog is fully written and run by photographer Caterina Maina. If you like what you read, please leave a comment, like, and/or share it on your social media!
And if you have any questions, suggestions on topics, or an interesting exhibition Caterina should check out please feel free to leave them in the comments or email her at caterinamainaphotography@gmail.com!
Some of the links in this article will direct users to our affiliates at Blick, Amazon, Adobe Creative Cloud, and Red River Catalog. By purchasing anything using these links, Caterina may receive a small commission at no additional charge to you. This helps her produce content and continue her creative endeavors. Many thanks for your support. She will never share or promote something she does not 100% recommend. And if you want to support in any other way you can click on the button below! <3
