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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.
What would we all be printing with if M&P said "screw it"? Glad that we did not have to face that music.
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.
I hope that the paper imperfections you saw were a random occurrence. Quite honestly the Foma paper is a good thing because it potentially could translate to a broader exposure to contacting printing by people that are intrigued by the process.
In my very peripheral involvement of the project offering my assistance wherever I could to help out, I learned how complicated the process is to produce a sliver chloride paper let alone a modern quality silver chloride paper. Looking historically at this paper nearly every photographic paper manufacturer in the good old days had some form of this product in the market and as a result many formulas were developed and tweeked as a function of time. The introduction of variable contrast papers and improvements in making enlargements slowly reduced the silver chloride papers market until just Azo was left.
Where my respect for Lodima begins is where the sad story of POP ends.
POP did not have a "Michael and Paula" aligned with this product so we did not have a choice but to accept the news as the terminal condition it turned out to be. That is what makes Lodima so special.
I wish it was not as expensive as it turned out to be but when you bring a new product to the market from scratch, it is what it is. What would we all be printing with if M&P said "screw it"? Glad that we did not have to face that music.
Well said Michael. Agree completely.
Elliot
If you are inside the EU and want a supplier without VAT and import-duty problems then any of the online stockists (as per post 106) will do the job. I have used both of those I mentioned without any problem, and I forgot to mention Fotoimpex who have a massive range of just about everything. There is no shortage of outlets, only (somewhat) a shortage of manufacturers!
EDIT: At least Macodirect have Fomalux in stock right now - I just looked on their website. The country-based distributors should also have it, or be able to order it.
What's wrong with that?????? A quote from 2 years ago...
What's wrong with that???
Not moot at all. Lodima and Fomulax are both still very much available.The discussion is obviously moot.
Inside EU isn't taxfree. It is only that there will be no import and thus no import-handling-fees. Which are main reason for not buying small goods from outside EU. Fees are some Euro 15 on a tax amount of some Euro 10. The same fee for some Euro 200 is obviously less trouble.
Odd, as MACOdirect is almost twice as expensive. Do they sell anything at all?
Should plan a trip to Prague and get the car-boot full
With FOMA, beer and sausages
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