Eastman Kodak Releases KODACOLOR 100 & KODACOLOR 200 35mm Films: But What Are They?

Kodak has broken the internet once again with the announcement of a new film release: say hello to KODACOLOR 100 and KODACOLOR 200 35mm films! Following Eastman Kodak's recent statement that caused speculation around the financial stability of the business and their position in the still photography market, Kodak are standing their ground and winning back the community with this exciting product release. As with any new film launch, there’s much discussion around whether or not this is in fact an entirely new emulsion, so let’s get to the bottom of what we can expect for KODACOLOR 100 and KODACOLOR 200 – and what it means for the Kodak brand as a whole, going forward.

Let’s Take A Trip Down Kodak Lane…

This all kicked off in early October when Kodak shared an Instagram post to welcome the new stock to the world – and it certainly got people talking. (Plus tongues wagging, as shown in one of their lovely sample images of a cute dog!) As always, there was the odd leak on Reddit forums so the news began to spread prematurely and spark a lot of debate as to what these films could be.

Kodak announced the release of KODACOLOR 100 and KODACOLOR 200 on Wednesday 1st October via Instagram.

But where the confusion lies is why this is being released by Eastman Kodak, who manufacture the film, rather than their counterpart Kodak Alaris (aka Kodak Professional) who distribute it. After Eastman Kodak filed for bankruptcy in 2021, this led to the formation of Kodak Alaris – a separate company who originally handled the distribution of Kodak still film and now sells it directly to consumers and retailers.

Eastman Kodak is known for manufacturing movie films like Super 8 and 16mm, while Kodak Alaris have the rights to all the still films we know and love, such as Gold, Portra and Tri-X.

Throwing it back to the earlier days of film, Eastman Kodak introduced the first widely available colour negative film called Kodacolor, followed by slide film Kodachrome – both of which changed the game for analogue photography. These two emulsions have since been discontinued but they’re still sought after and referenced by film photographers to this day.

While it’s not possible to bring back the original Kodacolor emulsion as it once was – since modern emulsion and processing standards have advanced massively since 1958, such as no longer being able to process films in C-22 – it may share similarities to this stock. Which brings us nicely onto these two new films: KODACOLOR 100 and KODACOLOR 200. What exactly do they look like?

What to Expect From KODACOLOR 100 & 200

While it retains the same name as the original film stock, KODACOLOR 100 and KODACOLOR 200 have their own unique qualities. As shared by Kodak, we now have some understanding of their characteristics and performance:

• KODACOLOR 100 is a slow-speed daylight balanced colour negative film. Its characteristics include fine grain, saturated colours, good sharpness, wide exposure latitude, and true-to-life colour representation – making it ideal for everyday film photography.
• KODACOLOR 200 is a medium-speed daylight balanced colour film. Its characteristics include fine grain, saturated colours, good sharpness, wide exposure latitude, and true-to-life colour representation – making it ideal for everyday film photography.

Some sample images shared by Kodak taken on KODACOLOR 100 and KODACOLOR 200.

They may be pretty similar in terms of the ‘look’ they will create, but these stocks offer the community even more choice – something which we are always grateful for, and we’ll never say no to a new film stock! It goes without saying, once we do get some in hand we’ll start testing as soon as possible and process in our WonderLab!

These films are currently available in 35mm (135) format only, but who knows – if they’re received well and the demand is there, they might produce a 120 medium format version…

Now, you may be thinking: Kodak has already got us covered with these film speeds. And this is true. They come in the form of brilliant colour negative stocks like professional-grade Pro Image 100, highly saturated Ektar 100, the budget friendly ColorPlus 200, and of course the best-selling Gold 200. It's also a possibility based on Eastman's background that these could be an iteration of their new batch of Vision3 cinema films with the remjet layer removed, to be made compatible with C-41 processing.

So what gaps are this pair filling exactly?

Is It Really A New Film Stock?

Kodak holds a lot of power when it comes to the colour film market – manufacturing film for other key players like Fujifilm, CineStill and Lomography. At its peak, Kodak captured 90% of the US film market and continues to hold its position in response to the modern demand for film. Kodak has been producing film since 1889, when George Eastman introduced the first commercial transparent roll film, followed by the revered Kodak Brownie camera in 1900.

With 137 years of experience under their belt, they’ve pretty much mastered colour film – so it’s entirely possible that KODACOLOR is a fresh new emulsion. But being in an industry that moves with current trends, its fortunes have also ebbed and flowed over the years.

In their statement on the release, they said: “These films are sub-brands of existing Kodak films and offer the same high quality you’ve come to expect from Kodak.” – which raises a few eyebrows. This gives us the impression that this new film is based on previous emulsions but that it may have a slightly different chemical formula, resulting in small differences in overall output. Community guesses point towards Pro Image 100 and ColorPlus 200 as the culprits, but Kodak has not publicly confirmed the resemblance. However, eagle-eyed film shooters will know that Kodak ColorPlus 200 already has that “Kodacolor” stamp on the cassette…

The Kodak ColorPlus 200 35mm casette features "Kodacolor" text.

It could also be more of a marketing move, rather than a radical breakthrough in the future of colour film. Possibly reasserting their brand positioning and giving Kodak Eastman the green light to manufacture and distribute film, as well as Kodak Alaris?

The branding has a lot to say for itself too, bearing similarities to the retro look of Super 8 film produced by Kodak Eastman. In recent years, Kodak Alaris has also refreshed and simplified the packaging for almost all of its film stocks – with Pro Image still remaining. Film shooters really do love a retro collectible – proven by the popularity of Ilford’s 145-year anniversary retro edition packaging, for example.

These Kodak films are looking ✨fresh✨ with their new branding!

And so, we must proceed with caution around the “newness” of this film. If they had in fact created something entirely different from scratch (much like we’ve seen in recent years with Harman Phoenix) then we’d absolutely expect them to be shouting from the rooftops! Plus, there was no actual mention of “new films” in their announcement, which seems like a deliberate choice. While we cannot ascertain any conclusions, we’re intrigued to see how this will all play out for the future of Kodak film production. Personally, I think any investment into the film industry is a good thing...

Where To Buy KODACOLOR 100 & 200

US-based Eastman Kodak are currently prioritising stock of KODACOLOR 100 and KODACOLOR 200 for in-store and online photo retailers in the U.S. and Canada. And it is very exciting to see photos of physical rolls popping up in these shops across social media!

Kodak also states that this is the first time in over a decade that they are selling these films directly to distributors and are very keen to increase supply to meet demand and improve stability when it comes to fluctuating prices. So they really are listening.

As you can imagine, we were very excited by the news and are pleased to confirm that we have placed our first order for KODACOLOR 100 and KODACOLOR 200 35mm films 🎉 So very soon you’ll be able to buy a roll from us at Analogue Wonderland. While the quantity will be extremely limited to begin with, we hope this will increase over time. We can’t wait to get it into the hands of our lovely UK film community!

Be sure to follow us on our social channels – Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube – and subscribe to our email newsletter to be the first to know when KODACOLOR is available to buy.

What were your first impressions of the news? Leave a comment below to let us know 👇