Foma Papers, Items Discontinued

Loren Sattler · Apr 3, 2015

I placed an order with Freestyle today and learned that several Foma papers are being discontinued. These appear to be product numbers 111, 312, 332 and 333. The customer service rep advised you can click on their "Clearance" tab at the top of the page and sort the Foma products to view discontinued items. She advised that Foma was no longer offering these items to Freestyle.

I will miss 333, an RC paper available in Velvet finish that yielded very nice rich warm tones for portraiture or a retro look. It was so rich that it felt more like a fiber paper than an RC. Any ideas on a replacement product?

R.Gould · Apr 3, 2015

These are still listed on the Foma website, Fomatone RC Velvet. which I believe is 333, certainly 111 is still there in a velvet surface

pentaxuser · Apr 3, 2015

Sounds like the word discontinued should be changed for the phrase "Freestyle will no longer stock it"

I'd ask the question of why Foma was not offering the items in question to Freestyle. Not offering and discontinuance by Foma sound like two entirely different things.What about other analogue stockists in the U.S.?

pentaxuser

Ricardo Miranda · Apr 3, 2015

In the UK Foma papers are available from a few retailers. One of them recently improved the distribution channel and offers now a complete range of papers as well as film.

Mainecoonmaniac · Apr 3, 2015

Never tried them because I'm happy with Freestyle's Arista EDU FB paper, but take a look here for another vendor for paper.

http://www.ultrafineonline.com/ulphpa.html

Ricardo Miranda · Apr 3, 2015

I'm happy with Freestyle's Arista EDU FB paper

Which is made by... Foma!
So, you have tried them. You just buy them with a different name.

Mainecoonmaniac · Apr 3, 2015

Yep

Ricardo Miranda said:
Which is made by... Foma!
So, you have tried them. You just buy them with a different name.

It's a great product. Arista/Foma make good film too. Years ago, Artisa was Ilford. Not anymore.

cmacd123 · Apr 3, 2015

Artista is whatever products that Freestyle has as private label. it has been applied in relation to film to Ilford,(profesional) Agfa, (Arista II) Forte (Arista EDU), Kodak (Aritta Premium) and Foma film (edu.Ultra).

And Yes, my question would be if the equivalents in the Artita EDU Ultra Paper line are also no longer available.

chip j · Apr 3, 2015

Arista was also Agfa film, 100 & 400. I still have some in my freezer.

Mainecoonmaniac · Apr 3, 2015

Wow

chip j said:
Arista was also Agfa film, 100 & 400. I still have some in my freezer.

I didn't know that.

mgb74 · Apr 3, 2015

Freestyle has been good about not using the exact same name for different films.

RalphLambrecht · Apr 3, 2015

Loren Sattler said:
I placed an order with Freestyle today and learned that several Foma papers are being discontinued. These appear to be product numbers 111, 312, 332 and 333. The customer service rep advised you can click on their "Clearance" tab at the top of the page and sort the Foma products to view discontinued items. She advised that Foma was no longer offering these items to Freestyle.

I will miss 333, an RC paper available in Velvet finish that yielded very nice rich warm tones for portraiture or a retro look. It was so rich that it felt more like a fiber paper than an RC. Any ideas on a replacement product?

no loss to me anymore;never was impressed with Foma QC anyway.

cmacd123 · Apr 3, 2015

I will admit that the FOMA RC papers which are the only ones I have used seem to have that "image floating on the surface" effect that many RC papers have. Still Foma is an interesting line overall and we would hate to see them slip down the slope to being a non-viable operation.

I would hazard a guess that they sell many times more material in North America under the Freestyle "EDU.Ultra" name than under their own.

Loren Sattler · Apr 3, 2015

B&H Photo also advises that 333 is no longer available from Foma. Perhaps Foma has not updated their website for items discontinued, or as least no longer offered to US retailers.

R.Gould · Apr 4, 2015

At least one major supplier over here has Just Started stocking Foma RC papers, so it is possible that Foma is supplieg the dealers own label line and inot supplieng to them in the Foma label, I have always found that Foma is very quick to update it,s website

R.Gould · Apr 4, 2015

I use Foma films and nothing else, have done for years, and also used their papers, I have yet to have a QC problem

Trond · Apr 4, 2015

Foma papers are first rate products, and I have used them for years. There are only two manufacturers with a wide range of papers left, and that is Foma and Ilford. Both cornerstones for B/W darkroom work.

Trond

Ricardo Miranda · Apr 4, 2015

R.Gould said:
I use Foma films and nothing else, have done for years, and also used their papers, I have yet to have a QC problem

Yeap! Well, I also use Kentmere. But, I also use Foma chemistry. I like them and never had a problem.

Ian Grant · Apr 4, 2015

I've been using Foma films and papers for about 7 years and the quality of their products is excellent. It's the end results that count not the brand.

Ian

Xmas · Apr 4, 2015

RalphLambrecht said:
no loss to me anymore;never was impressed with Foma QC anyway.

I've not had a problem with Forma or Ilford more problems with kodak.
I process very conservative eg tempering like it was colour.
If you don't acknowledge foma (as Efke was) is soft film that is your fault.

RalphLambrecht · Apr 4, 2015

Xmas said:
I've not had a problem with Forma or Ilford more problems with kodak.
I process very conservative eg tempering like it was colour.
If you don't acknowledge foma (as Efke was) is soft film that is your fault.

I wasn't talking about their film;Iwas talking about their paper,struggling with patchy tones spots and stainsin places where the negatives shoed no spots whatsoever.my experience with Foma papers was a disappointing inconsistency.never had that with Ilford.

Xmas · Apr 4, 2015

RalphLambrecht said:
I wasn't talking about their film;Iwas talking about their paper,struggling with patchy tones spots and stainsin places where the negatives shoed no spots whatsoever.my experience with Foma papers was a disappointing inconsistency.never had that with Ilford.

I apologize I should have said emulsion, if you have any left. you could try tight temperature control dev to stop and only use weak stop.

Though staining and patchy, I don't understand. You could try altering developer. I dont like carbonate developers, and I use plain hypo, after a long time in stop...

But I might have given up early with bad results too.

MDR · Apr 4, 2015

Never had problems with Foma paper, never had problems with Ilford paper either. Prefer the slight off white color of Fomabrom to Ilford Multigrade. Film no doubt Ilford is better but with photopaper Foma has a slight edge.

RalphLambrecht · Apr 4, 2015

MDR said:
Never had problems with Foma paper, never had problems with Ilford paper either. Prefer the slight off white color of Fomabrom to Ilford Multigrade. Film no doubt Ilford is better but with photopaper Foma has a slight edge.

personal preferences in tonality aside,Ilford paper has a more consisyent qualityIMO

Ian Grant · Apr 4, 2015

RalphLambrecht said:
personal preferences in tonality aside,Ilford paper has a more consisyent qualityIMO

Foma papers have the same consistent quality as Ilford, as do their films.

Ian

Foma Papers, Items Discontinued

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