Kodak Gold 120 Announced – Available Now

Long Awaited, and Finally Here: Kodak Gold in Medium Format – First Impressions and Press Release.

by Ludwig Hagelstein
On March 21st, 2pm CET, Kodak Alaris has announced the immediate release of its popular consumer film Kodak Gold 200 in 120 medium format pro packs at an average 25% lower price than Portra and Ektar films in 120 format. We have had the opportunity to test it ahead of time, and here are a few first impressions.

Kodak Alaris has finally released Kodak Gold 200 in a 120 size medium format version. The release has been long awaited since an initial hint had been placed in SilvergrainClassics Fireside Chat Episode One by Kodak Alaris´s Andy Church almost a year and two months ago. The film will be immediately available for purchase by retailers as of today, meaning consumers will be able to buy it from their favourite film supplier during the course of next week.

Expected to be priced about 25% lower than other Kodak branded 120 films, Gold 200 will make medium format photography more accessible, and in light of recent price increases, more affordable, too. Besides that, the distinct color rendition of Kodak Gold, especially emphasising earthy tones, will expand the creative choice of medium format photographers, and thus will be a most welcome addition of the existing medium format film portfolio currently available.

Kodak Gold 200 Medium Format Field Test

I have been fortunate enough to test the film prior to its release, and here are a few first impressions of Kodak Gold 120, shot with a Mamiya 645 AFDIII on a Saturday morning in early March 2022. I decided to test the new film on a visit to my parents home in the Upper Palatinate in Bavaria. For the trip, I packed my Mamiya 645 AFD, and two lenses: The 80MM 2.8 prime, and the 55-105 zoom. The film was developed and scanned at a local lab, as I wanted to base my first impressions of the film onto images coming out of an end-user oriented system.

A flock of geese taking flight on a meadow.

Since Gold 200 is not an entirely new emulsion, its properties are well known, and while some photographers dislike the film, many adore it for its color rendition, that is distinctly different from both Kodak Portra and Ektar films. Kodak Gold is perhaps the emulsion responsible for coining the modern notion of “Kodak colors” as being warm and having a tendency towards yellow. For decades, Kodak Gold films have been widely available consumer favourites, and chances are high, that many of your childhood memories have been captured onto some variant of Kodak Gold.

Early morning, a bit after sunrise.

The emulsion itself is the same, and thus, if you’re familiar with Kodak Gold 200 in 135 format, you will love Kodak Gold in 120, as by a function of larger image are, the grain will appear finer, and the images sharper. Gold 200 is a nice emulsion and suited for a broad variety of scenes. Most apparently, Gold 200 will show its distinct color palette with scenes containing earthy colors, as these will be somewhat emphasised.

Freezing drainage pool in a quarry I like to visit.

The larger image area really hides away the somewhat apparent grain Kodak Gold usually has in its ordinary 135 format, and leaves us with a film that has grain that’s more visible than Portra’s, but not in an unpleasant way. Combined with the distinct Kodak Gold color palette, the film is a true expansion of creative choice for medium format photographers, in my opinion.

Looking down a hill into the countryside

After living in the city for a while, you start to appreciate the wide open fields with nothing but a few trees for miles and miles.

In the distance sits a volcano, the “rough Kulm” that has not erupted since the early days of the European continent, speaking in geological, and not political timeframes.

In summary, having Kodak Gold available in medium format is a fantastic addition to a portfolio of already great films. Being aimed at both professionals and enthusiasts the film is well suited for all kinds of scenes and contexts, and in the next print issue of SilvergrainClassics we will test it more thoroughly and compare different medium formats, from 6×4,5 to 6×6 and 6×7. Additionally we will deeply test the Gold 200 emulsion itself, and compare it to other available 200-speed emulsions, like Fuji C200 and Adox Color Mission 200. In the meantime, my early verdict of the film is, that it might actually replace Portra 160 as my favourite go-to medium format film for general photography.

The Press Release

For your convenience, we have copied in the official press-release announcing the release of Kodak Gold 200 in 120 5 exposure packs below:

ROCHESTER, N.Y. March 21, 2022 – Kodak Moments, a division of Kodak Alaris, continues the expansion of its color film portfolio with the launch of Kodak Gold 200 film in a new 120 format 5-roll pro-pack for medium format cameras, satisfying consumer demand.

 

“The 120 film format was introduced back in 1901 for the Brownie No. 2 camera,” said Thomas Mooney, Manager Film Capture Products, Kodak Moments Division.  “Although it’s been around for 120 years, it’s still one of the most popular film formats in use today.  One main reason for its popularity is that the larger film negative can be enlarged significantly without losing image quality. This is a great opportunity for aspiring photographers looking to make the jump from 35mm to medium format photography.”

 

The new 120 format KODAK PROFESSIONAL GOLD 200 is an affordable, entry-level color film featuring an ideal combination of warm saturated color, fine grain, and high sharpness.  It is designed for any level photographer for daylight and flash capture.

 

Starting today, the 120 format GOLD 200 Film is available for dealers, retailers, and distributors around the world and is intended to be priced 25 percent lower than the comparable PORTRA and EKTAR offerings.

 

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