Film photographers are celebrating today after news broke that Kodak Alaris will resurrect another popular product: Kodak T-Max P3200 high-speed black-and-white film. After teasing the resurrection on Twitter, a brief press release confirmed the news this morning, revealing that the debut will happen some time next month.
Kodak originally discontinued T-Max P3200 film in October of 2012 due to a severe drop in demand, directing its customers toward the T-Max 400 as an alternative. However, the film photography market has seen an increase in demand over the last few years, and Kodak Alaris is using that demand as proof that products like T-Max P3200 and the soon-to-be-rereleased Ektachrome film deserve another shot.
The ‘rebirth’ of T-Max P3200 began on social media. In a tweet posted yesterday, Kodak shared an image that reads “Are you in the dark?” followed by a series of numbers that total 3200. The combination hinted at the T-Max P3200 film, which Kodak says can be push processed up to ISO 25,000.
Though the company didn’t provide any additional details via that tweet, someone did spot an image shared by Australian film store Ikigai Camera on its Instagram account. The image—which has since been removed, hinting at an ‘accidental’ leak—showed the T-Max P3200 film box alongside the words, “Welcome back March 2018.”
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| Screenshot from the Kodak Alaris website. |
Fortunately, it’s not just teasers and leaks anymore. The company followed up the unofficial news with an official announcement earlier today, saying it will begin shipping the product to US stockhouse dealers and distributors starting in March, followed by other markets “shortly thereafter.”
The company says the resurrected film is best suited for handheld street photography, as well as night shots and work in any “dimly lit venues where you can’t use a flash.”
Press Release
{PressRelease}
Kodak Alaris Revives KODAK PROFESSIONAL T-MAX P3200 Film / TMZ
Multi-Speed B&W Film to be Available in March, 2018
ROCHESTER, N.Y. February 23, 2018 – Kodak Alaris announced today that it is bringing back KODAK PROFESSIONAL T-MAX P3200 Film / TMZ, a multi-speed panchromatic black-and-white negative film. While the nominal film speed of P3200 TMZ is ISO 800, the “P” means it’s designed to be push processed to EI 3200 or higher. This film excels when shooting in low light or when capturing fast action. It is ideally suited for handheld street scene photography, night work, and in dimly lit venues where you can’t use flash.
“It’s no secret that we’ve been looking for opportunities to expand our portfolio” said Dennis Olbrich, President – Kodak Alaris Paper, Photo Chemicals and Film. “Darkroom photography is making a comeback, and B&W Film sales are clearly on a positive trajectory. Given these very encouraging market trends, we believe P3200 TMZ will be a great addition to our lineup”.
Kodak Alaris plans to offer KODAK PROFESSIONAL T-MAX P3200 Film in 135-36x format. Shipments to Distributors and Stockhouse dealers will begin in March in the U.S., with other regions around the world following shortly thereafter.
To learn more, please visit www.kodakalaris.com/go/profilms
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{/PressRelease}
Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
