Once again the photo industry has dealt a blow to lovers of quality. It's official (as of 4 days ago), Kodak Royal Gold 25 the finest grain, sharpest, color negative (C-41) film available, is no more. You might remember with great fanfare (and rightfully so) when Ektar 25 was introduced. Kodak had full page ads in all of the major photographic magazines showing 8x10 inch sections from 2500% enlargements of 35mm negatives (about a 5 FOOT mural). In Kodak's own words ,"Ektar 25 film delivers microfine grain for the most superior image structure; the highest resolution; the sharpest detail ever achieved in color print film."
Ektar 25 was the father of Royal Gold 25 which arrived on the scene a few years after Ektar 25. A search of the Kodak web site has turned up no information, but the Kodak information line reports it as "Discontinued -- stock on hand", which apparently means that Kodak still has "some". If you want to get "some" though, you better act fast. It will last a long time in the freezer, but the big warehouses in New York are already out of stock. Smaller local shops still may have a small supply if they regualarly carried it. For more information -- or just to complain to Kodak -- you can call 1-800-242-2424.
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