Kodak EktaPan: What Happened to T-MAX?

Kodak has officially brought back the EktaPan name. If you're scratching your head, don't be—under the hood, it’s the exact same Eastman Kodak emulsion we know and love. The only real difference between T-MAX and EktaPan is the box it comes in and how it gets to your camera. Same film, same look.

Why the double identity for a single film?

To understand this, we need to dive back into the tangled relationship between Eastman Kodak and Kodak Alaris. With the launch of EktaPan, it’s the perfect time to clear up the confusion between these two "Kodaks."

For over a decade, Kodak’s consumer film distribution was the exclusive domain of Kodak Alaris. However, in September 2025, Eastman Kodak pulled the trigger on a plan to reclaim its distribution rights. It started with Kodacolor 100 and 200 (rebranding what we knew as Pro Image 100 and ColorPlus 200), followed by the phased homecoming of Gold, UltraMax, Ektar, Tri-X, and Ektachrome.

On March 24, Eastman Kodak dropped two heavy hitters: Ektacolor Pro (effectively the Portra series) and EktaPan (the artist formerly known as T-MAX). This move signals the end of an era; after ten years apart, the distribution of still photography film is officially back under the Eastman Kodak roof.

So, why were there two "Kodaks" in the first place?

When Kodak went through its 2012 restructuring, the iconic brand was split into two distinct roles. Eastman kept the brains and the brawn—the patents, the R&D, and the massive manufacturing plant in Rochester. Alaris, owned by a UK pension fund, was granted a long-term license to handle the "front end": branding, packaging, and global sales for the consumer market.

For years, it was a simple "Eastman makes it, Alaris sells it" arrangement for staples like Portra 400 and Ektar 100.

But in 2024, that structure started to crack. Eastman Kodak began bypassing the old deal, re-entering the consumer space with its own packaging and classic branding, like the revival of "Kodacolor." This isn’t necessarily Eastman "firing" Alaris; it’s more of a "dual-track" reality. While Alaris still manages certain traditional lines, Eastman is now reaching out to the market directly with these "new" releases.

Names like Kodacolor and Ektacolor aren’t just marketing buzzwords—they’re deep cuts from Kodak’s history. Kodacolor was the system that brought color to the masses in the mid-20th century, while Ektacolor was the backbone of the commercial printing world, built for studios and labs rather than the casual shooter.

The Bottom Line

At the end of the day, EktaPan and T-MAX are the same film. One moves through Eastman Kodak’s logistics, the other through Kodak Alaris. It’s as simple as that.