Eastman Kodak Company
Kodak's Venerable TRI-X Black-and-White Film Celebrates 50 Years of Unparalleled Popularity and Quality
Film Revered by World's Elite Photographers, Industry Experts, Students
LAS VEGAS, Feb. 12 -- In 1954 Dwight D. Eisenhower was president, Roger Bannister broke the four-minute mile, the first successful kidney transplant took place and professional photographers began shooting KODAK PROFESSIONAL TRI-X Film, a revolutionary black-and-white film. Fifty years later TRI-X has achieved iconic status in the photographic industry crossing boundaries of all applications and types of photographers commercial, nature, fine art, portraiture, editorial, students and remains Kodak's largest-selling black-and-white film.
"Fifty years ago, TRI-X film created a class of its own with its speed and unique look. Today, it stands alone," said Paula Balik, Director, Worldwide Marketing, Film Capture Products. "Whether a photographer wants to convey power, beauty, intensity or grace all in the absence of color, TRI-X film captures it like no other. The look of TRI-X film is unparalleled, and it is the black-and-white choice of many professional photographers."
Introduced November 1, 1954 as TRI-X roll film in 135 and 120-sizes it was considered faster than any other film available, which changed where photographers could take their camera and what they could shoot. Low-light situations and action/motion now could be captured with outstanding results. Originally available in ASA daylight 200 and Tungsten 160-speed, the film was modified once, in 1960. It is now available in 320 and 400-speed and continues to use the same D-76 processing that it used in 1954.
Professional photographers and industry experts have heralded TRI-X film for its incredible tonal range, wide exposure and processing latitude and its distinctive grain structure. TRI-X film has traveled the world with some of the world's most esteemed photographers - including such luminaries as Sebastiao Salgado, Alfred Eisenstadt, Mary Ellen Mark, Henri Cartier-Bresson and John Sexton during the past fifty years.
"Just about everything I have done with photography in my life has been recorded on TRI-X film," said Sebastiao Salgado. "I am so linked with TRI-X film that even when imagining all the possible shades of gray, I materialize all my thoughts in generations of TRI-X film."
It has been shot in arctic and desert conditions, as well as many other adverse shooting environments, and consistently produces outstanding prints. It is regularly used in photography courses and hundreds of aspiring photographers continue to learn the fundamentals of black-and-white photography with TRI-X film.
"TRI-X is one of the 'icons' in our film portfolio," said Balik. "Professional photographers have depended on TRI-X film for 50 years and will be able to rely on it for years to come."
To mark the fiftieth anniversary of TRI-X film, the film's packaging will carry a special "50 years" seal throughout 2004.
About Eastman Kodak Company and infoimaging
Kodak is the leader in helping people take, share, print and view images for memories, for information, for entertainment. The company is a major participant in infoimaging, a $385 billion industry composed of devices (digital cameras and flat-panel displays), infrastructure (online networks and delivery systems for images) and services & media (software, film and paper enabling people to access, analyze and print images). With sales of $13.3 billion in 2003, the company comprises several businesses: Health, supplying the healthcare industry with traditional and digital image capture and output products and services; Commercial Printing, offering on-demand color printing and networking publishing systems; Commercial Imaging, offering image capture, output and storage products and services to businesses and government; Display & Components, which designs and manufactures state-of-the-art organic light-emitting diode displays as well as other specialty materials, and delivers optics and imaging sensors to original equipment manufacturers; and Digital & Film Imaging Systems, providing consumers, professionals and cinematographers with digital and traditional products and services.
For information about Kodak's professional products, customers may call: 1-800-235-6325, or visit www.kodak.com/go/professional.