Ilford company colorful history?

Frank Dean,  Blacksmith

A
Frank Dean, Blacksmith

  • 5
  • 3
  • 45
Woman wearing shades.

Woman wearing shades.

  • 0
  • 1
  • 52
Curved Wall

A
Curved Wall

  • 5
  • 0
  • 81
Crossing beams

A
Crossing beams

  • 9
  • 1
  • 104
Shadow 2

A
Shadow 2

  • 5
  • 1
  • 75

Recent Classifieds

Forum statistics

Threads
198,841
Messages
2,781,690
Members
99,725
Latest member
saint_otrott
Recent bookmarks
0

jay moussy

Member
Joined
Jun 10, 2019
Messages
1,314
Location
Eastern MA, USA
Format
Hybrid
I managed to click on the company's history on the Ilford website.

Wow, interesting, quite a number of entities had their hands on the business.

Were there additions to the film and paper technology along the way?
I mean, when a company like Ciba bought what was Ilford at the time, did it bring in or introduce some extra tech, or was it a pure money play?

Other known contributions borne out of acquisitions?
 
Last edited:
  • AgX
  • Deleted

AgX

Member
Joined
Apr 5, 2007
Messages
29,973
Location
Germany
Format
Multi Format
That chronology does neither hint at the technological nor financial side of that acquisition.


Ciba, as larger entity not only could give the funding of such endeavour, but also the necessary expertise on dye stufffs as they served Ilford in dye matters before. Also is the acquisition to be evaluted on the background of Ciba's greater engagement in colour photography matters.
 
Last edited:

Ian Grant

Subscriber
Joined
Aug 2, 2004
Messages
23,263
Location
West Midland
Format
Multi Format
The British Covernment took control of Ilfor during WWII and made decisions that did irrepapairable damage, they stopped all Colour research and that had been quite advanced. By the time Ilord re-entered the Colour market they were two generations behind then to add insult to injury the UK Monopolies Commission said that Ilford's processing was a Monoply situation, but the volume wasn't like Kodachrome whoich had lost a similar lawsuit in the US. Ironically Kodak Ltd in the UK had a Monopoly here for Kodachrome processing and that was never challenged but Ilford's colour films dissappeared rapidly.

Ian
 

mshchem

Subscriber
Joined
Nov 26, 2007
Messages
14,661
Location
Iowa City, Iowa USA
Format
Medium Format
The British Covernment took control of Ilfor during WWII and made decisions that did irrepapairable damage, they stopped all Colour research and that had been quite advanced. By the time Ilord re-entered the Colour market they were two generations behind then to add insult to injury the UK Monopolies Commission said that Ilford's processing was a Monoply situation, but the volume wasn't like Kodachrome whoich had lost a similar lawsuit in the US. Ironically Kodak Ltd in the UK had a Monopoly here for Kodachrome processing and that was never challenged but Ilford's colour films dissappeared rapidly.

Ian
This is fascinating. Kodak has (had) such a significant business in Great Britain, I'm sure they had political pull. God forbid Ilford struggles to come out of the current economic chaos. Ilford is the only one left with a full range of B&W and (Web based) technical outreach.
 

MattKing

Moderator
Moderator
Joined
Apr 24, 2005
Messages
52,944
Location
Delta, BC Canada
Format
Medium Format
The US anti-trust litigation against Kodak only occurred because there were photo processors who sought to enter the Kodachrome processing market, but were effectively blocked by Kodak's selling Kodachrome with Kodak processing included.
I don't know whether the same competitive possibility existed in the UK.
It didn't in Canada and, as a result, Canadian Kodachrome was sold with processing included until the Kodak labs in Canada closed down.
 

AgX

Member
Joined
Apr 5, 2007
Messages
29,973
Location
Germany
Format
Multi Format
By the time Ilord re-entered the Colour market they were two generations behind then.

Well, Ilford could have gone the Agfa way, with quite some information being accessible and with practically no patent restrictions for them. Instead they chose for the Kodachrome way, and even had to circumvent some Kodak patents.
 

mshchem

Subscriber
Joined
Nov 26, 2007
Messages
14,661
Location
Iowa City, Iowa USA
Format
Medium Format
We ALWAYS sent our Kodachrome to the Chicago Kodak processing lab, my Dad used prepaid mailers. When we would get the slides back there would be a couple gummed labels to attach to our next mailer. I seem to remember it being a Prairie Avenue address? ?
When I was in high school in the 70's I would shoot Ektacolor-S and send to Kodak, 3 1/2 × 5" glossy prints, I would use a bit of fill flash, those prints were superior to anything today. Optical prints made by skilled people using video analyzers etc.
Man those were the best photo finishing days. When Kodak spun off the photo finishing it was never quite as good.
My Dad's early Kodachrome slides, pre Kodachrome II are IMHO the most beautiful color images extant. (And extinct):happy:
Oh well
 

foc

Subscriber
Joined
Jun 30, 2010
Messages
2,519
Location
Sligo, Ireland
Format
35mm
Ilfocolor from the 1980s till the early 2000s was rebadged film.
IIRC it was Ilfocolor 400 by Konica, Ilfocolor 100HR by Agfa and Ilfocolor 100 Plus byFereania. (of course I stand to be corrected as the memory is what it used to be).

Well, Ilford could have gone the Agfa way, with quite some information being accessible and with practically no patent restrictions for them. Instead they chose for the Kodachrome way, and even had to circumvent some Kodak patents

Yes it would have been easier to go the Agfa process way, with both negative and transparency film but I think the biggest drawback was that the Agfa way was not that popular in the USA, probably the largest and most lucrative single market at that time.
 
Last edited:

mohmad khatab

Member
Joined
Sep 8, 2012
Messages
1,228
Location
Egypt
Format
35mm
Ilfocolor from the 1980s till the early 2000s was rebadged film.
IIRC it was Ilfocolor 400 by Konica, Ilfocolor 100HR by Agfa and Ilfocolor 100 Plus byFereania. (of course I stand to be corrected as the memory is what it used to be).



Yes it would have been easier to go the Agfa process way, with both negative and transparency film but I think the biggest drawback was that the Agfa way was not that popular in the USA, probably the largest and most lucrative single market at that time.
From my personal point of view.
It is the biggest sad story in the history of the photography industry.
I have an ideological interpretation of the topic. I hope he is accepted ..
It is a story that demonstrates how the British citizen (the British mentality) - (the British character) - (the British decision-maker) has come to accept that the empire relinquishes the position of primacy in the cosmic civilization and accepts the second or third position in the global arrangement after the empire was not absent from it the sun.
The UK also abandoned the car industry in one way or another and became a car importer after owning a British car was essential to every British citizen's mind.
On the other hand, we find that the United States had a law several years ago that includes promotional packages for the American citizen who buys the American car (these packages were applied a few years ago).
The story is not a matter of patents or the like. No, the story is a matter of sovereign decision-making from the British decision-maker.
- Just as it happened in the AGFA story years later, she was not obliged to do what she did and could go through the same path Fuji took and succeeded later on, and grabbed the stick in the middle. But the issue involved financial interests, commissions, and perhaps bribes from the bottom of the table.
Unfair things have definitely happened ... and history will one day expose those things. It is only a matter of time.
 

AgX

Member
Joined
Apr 5, 2007
Messages
29,973
Location
Germany
Format
Multi Format
In the case of Agfa the company survived, even much, much better than Kodak. The decision making of the splitting-off their consumer branch and more so the way it was done is still to be evaluated. One shall not overlook that a criminal investigation took place and a civil case up to a high court followed.
 
Photrio.com contains affiliate links to products. We may receive a commission for purchases made through these links.
To read our full affiliate disclosure statement please click Here.

PHOTRIO PARTNERS EQUALLY FUNDING OUR COMMUNITY:



Ilford ADOX Freestyle Photographic Stearman Press Weldon Color Lab Blue Moon Camera & Machine
Top Bottom