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 Originally Posted by Michael Kadillak
What would we all be printing with if M&P said "screw it"? Glad that we did not have to face that music.
And they could have easily said that. They have no need of Lodima for their personal work. They did it all for the benefit of the art.
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Originally Posted by Mahler_one
Michael: The price of Ilfobrom graded FB paper is not very different from the price of the Lodima paper. I agree with you about Lodima, but the reality is that there are increasing numbers of analog photographers who DO find that the cost of materials is becoming a very real issue. Hence, it is possible that Lodima paper will find decreasing use even if the Fomalux is not as good. If Fomalux were to be produced in another grade then users of such paper would learn to make their negatives so as to print better on the Fomalux paper. Moreover, the ins and outs of using the proper bulb and print exposing methods would also be honed. Fomalux would probably NEVER be "as good" as Lodima, but might present a real alternative that could decrease the use of the Lodima. Such decreased usage would be, to my mind, a very severe risk to the continuation of the Lodima paper on the market. I will NOT be switching from Lodima to Fomalux, and I agree with you when you opined that Lodima should be supported.
This is the classic price and quality marketing analysis. I hear what you are saying and clearly your points are well taken.
The same set of circumstances are in play in all aspects of photography. Generic chemicals vs Kodak. Efke sheet film is less expensive than Kodak film but sometimes you get some bad emulsion defects with the Efke that you have to deal with. Sadly the net effect of increased demand for Efke is that it has just recently undergone a serious price increase that starts to make the previous no brainer decision a tougher call. We all know that Kodak TMY, TMX or Tri X are a consistent, clean and dependable product but clearly the higher cost alternative. Many time it is the MUCH higher alternative. Ilford fits in between these price points nicely. Ditto for Lodima relative to the single grade Foma 111. I hope that Foma makes more grades of their finer based contact paper so that there is a lower price point alternative as I do not believe that this is a bad thing at all for Lodima. It all comes down to the price point of the individual photographers that make decisions as to the materials that they opt to use based upon their individual circumstances. In a perfect world we would all buy the best materials to make images we chose to make. In the real world we all have kids to put through college, utility bills to pay, mortgages to cover and a wide range of additional financial responsibilities that can constrain our ability to purchase photographic materials and participate in this art form to the degree that we would like. Many times the compromise is that lower priced film and paper are the only viable alternative and the challenge is to make the best out of it.
At the end of the day I hope that everyone is able to find the best solution for them that will continue to allow them to make images and participate in what we all dearly enjoy. Freestyle is dialed into this mind set and has located many materials that are very competitively priced all things considered.
Ten years ago many people predicted that film would not make it to this point let alone paper. Thankfully they were wrong.
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Originally Posted by Michael Kadillak
This is the classic price and quality marketing analysis. I hear what you are saying and clearly your points are well taken.
The same set of circumstances are in play in all aspects of photography. Generic chemicals vs Kodak. Efke sheet film is less expensive than Kodak film but sometimes you get some bad emulsion defects with the Efke that you have to deal with. Sadly the net effect of increased demand for Efke is that it has just recently undergone a serious price increase that starts to make the previous no brainer decision a tougher call. We all know that Kodak TMY, TMX or Tri X are a consistent, clean and dependable product but clearly the higher cost alternative. Many time it is the MUCH higher alternative. Ilford fits in between these price points nicely. Ditto for Lodima relative to the single grade Foma 111. I hope that Foma makes more grades of their finer based contact paper so that there is a lower price point alternative as I do not believe that this is a bad thing at all for Lodima. It all comes down to the price point of the individual photographers that make decisions as to the materials that they opt to use based upon their individual circumstances. In a perfect world we would all buy the best materials to make images we chose to make. In the real world we all have kids to put through college, utility bills to pay, mortgages to cover and a wide range of additional financial responsibilities that can constrain our ability to purchase photographic materials and participate in this art form to the degree that we would like. Many times the compromise is that lower priced film and paper are the only viable alternative and the challenge is to make the best out of it.
At the end of the day I hope that everyone is able to find the best solution for them that will continue to allow them to make images and participate in what we all dearly enjoy. Freestyle is dialed into this mind set and has located many materials that are very competitively priced all things considered.
Ten years ago many people predicted that film would not make it to this point let alone paper. Thankfully they were wrong.
I agree with you Michael,
I gave up to use Efke for the inconsistent quality of films(some good other not) and I came back to kodak or Ilford. The price question is important but now I found my way chosing materials with more consistence even if sometimes the price goes up. I'm so happy to use Lodima paper, but for curiosity I bought also the foma 111(but I not tried yet) and I don't think it will be a rival for Lodima.
Now I have enough Lodima and Azo paper to print but If will be a second run of Lodima I'm sure I'm getting it.
Stefano
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