Fomalux 111

[c6h6o3]

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.

 

[Michael Kadillak]

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.

 

[photo8x10]

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

 

[Trevor Crone]

Silverprint are now stocking this paper; http://www.silverprint.co.uk/ProductByGroup.asp?PrGrp=1126

 

[AJH]

Seems there is plenty choice of Fomalux in the FOMA.cz webshop http://fomaobchod.cz/

It is in `Ce`stina . Hard to tell if they ship EU or the World.
If they are clever they will

I hope to check out FOMA at Photokina 2012 Köln

BTW I am quite sure Lodima comes from EU (Bohemia)

 

[MartinP]

Foma has a network of importers and stockists all over the place. There should be no problem getting hold of the materials! Look on the manufacturers website for the one nearest you. There are also several internet/mailorder stockists in Europe who will ship anywhere (macodirect, ag-photographic etc. etc).

 

[AJH]

Indeed, it was more to my surprise that there is so much FOMAlux

And yeah, there is even an APUG advertiser http://www.fomafoto.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=frontpage&Itemid=1 in this thread who is very much FOMA


Oddly enough from Norway. Not even EU member.

Even with ciné film

Nice prices but will these be importable into EU without red-tape and duties?
I had some real trouble purchasing goods from Switserland. Non- EU too
but are associated and member of a customs-union or something.

 

[MartinP]

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.

 

[Mahler_one]

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

 

[AJH]

Well said Michael. Agree completely.

Elliot

??? A quote from 2 years ago.

I merely thought to put a note to the end of this thread to let people know Fomalux is plentiful. Which is good news.
Not to wake the dead or an old argument.

Good luck, now see. Wait for the Photokina it is only a month or just get an envelope 20x25 sofort?

 

[AJH]

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.

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

 

[Mahler_one]

Yes, and thanks for the reminder. I did not notice the dates of the previous posts. Thanks again

 

[Sal Santamaura]

??? A quote from 2 years ago...

What's wrong with that???

 

[AJH]

What's wrong with that???

The discussion is obviously moot.

 

[Sal Santamaura]

The discussion is obviously moot.

Not moot at all. Lodima and Fomulax are both still very much available.

 

[MartinP]

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

Oops, that was my bad phraseology. I meant 'no VAT problems', not 'no VAT'! VAT is dealt with by the seller and added to the price charged so there is nothing extra to pay for the buyer when both are within the EU. I thought the start for import-duty was several groups of goods having a value over EUR150, or so it seemed. Is there something I've missed paying all these years??!!

I'm now looking very curiously at Maco's pricing . . . I was considering the Fomalux for 'something different' with 10x8" film contacts of pinhole and also with larger paper-negs. F64-like it is not

 

[Michael A. Smith]

When we ship Lodima paper overseas, if the customer is willing to take the risk of loss or damage, and so far we have never had any loss or damage, we value low for customs. Usually there is no tax at all and no duties.

Michael A. Smith

 

[photo8x10]

I bought Lodima usually to Michael A.Smith and I didn't have problem at all with shipping, I've never paid tax or if sometimes it's happened I paid very low price.

Stefano