New Lomography "f2/400" color negative film announced

eyetwist · Feb 22, 2017

As always, there's a colorful backstory from the Lomography people: ".....we left the film to age like fine wine in oak casks in the Czech Republic. Thankfully, our crazy instincts were rewarded — seven years later...."

I assume this is old Ferrania stock? Check out the announcement:

https://www.lomography.com/magazine/327582-introducing-color-negative-f2-400-film

cmacd123 · Feb 22, 2017

and the implication is their is a bit of business for our pals at Foma in getting it out of those OAK casks and into regular film packages, otherwise why would the casks be ageing in the Czech republic?

williaty · Mar 3, 2017

Lomo is making the photography market every bit as bad as the audio market. I can't believe the snake oil people can be conned into buying. I caught a headline about this on a photo blog and came to see if APUG had discussed it. It just staggers me that they can charge extra for a film that comes already expired!

Theo Sulphate · Mar 3, 2017

The wine in oak casks was the metaphor. The film was not in oak casks. What they have is just old film, probably stored on shelves or in boxes in a warehouse.

keenmaster486 · Mar 3, 2017

Ahh, Lomography is certainly not interested in quality, but at least they are generating interest in film.

noeru · Mar 4, 2017

If Lomography can keep the analog market moving, even with their silly gimmicky products and while at it turn a few more people onto film, I don't see what exactly the harm is. I'm getting tired of seeing them constantly bashed on photo forums. Sure, they sell lifestyle. They also sell more film than all your local labs that are now out of business. Give them a break.

railwayman3 · Mar 4, 2017

I don't have any problem with the Lomography approach....arguably most "lifestyle" products are not essential and are probably over-priced, but it's one's own choice to buy them. I'm not getting uptight about it. (And, yes, I have bought a couple of Lomography films just out of curiosity and interest).

klownshed · Mar 4, 2017

noeru said:
I don't see what exactly the harm is. I'm getting tired of seeing them constantly bashed on photo forums. Sure, they sell lifestyle.

When people get upset by this, it says more about them than it does about Lomography.

Huss · Mar 4, 2017

keenmaster486 said:
Ahh, Lomography is certainly not interested in quality, but at least they are generating interest in film.

define 'quality'..

""Quality," or "value," as described by Pirsig, cannot be defined because it empirically precedes any intellectual construction of it, namely due to the fact that quality (as Pirsig explicitly defines it) exists always as a perceptual experience before it is ever thought of descriptively or academically. Quality is the "knife-edge" of experience, found only in the present, known or at least potentially accessible to all of "us"."

Ricardo Miranda · Mar 4, 2017

noeru said:
If Lomography can keep the analog market moving, even with their silly gimmicky products and while at it turn a few more people onto film, I don't see what exactly the harm is. I'm getting tired of seeing them constantly bashed on photo forums. Sure, they sell lifestyle. They also sell more film than all your local labs that are now out of business. Give them a break.

Noeru,
The problem I see with them is this: they tell people, especially youngsters and first timers with film "come and try us. We are lo-fi, film is low quality, use expired films, don't bother buying fresh film."
That's the problem I have with them.
They aren't helping people getting into higher quality film photography and I see many people coming to the stall (Portobello Road) where I give a hand asking for expired film. That doesn't help the remaining film manufacturers.

klownshed · Mar 4, 2017

Ricardo Miranda said:
I see many people...asking for expired film

I'm sure that's true and many of them will get bored and go back to clicking filters in instagram instead of buying any film. But some will surely progress and at least try some new stock.

Also, if you are looking for expired film (for whatever reason) where would you go? I would think a market stall in Portabello Road would be more likely to stock expired film than Jessops.

So in effect you're a Hipster-magnet! ;-)

foc · Mar 4, 2017

railwayman3 said:
I don't have any problem with the Lomography approach....arguably most "lifestyle" products are not essential and are probably over-priced, but it's one's own choice to buy them. I'm not getting uptight about it. (And, yes, I have bought a couple of Lomography films just out of curiosity and interest).

+1

klownshed said:
When people get upset by this, it says more about them than it does about Lomography.

+2

foc · Mar 4, 2017

noeru said:
If Lomography can keep the analog market moving, even with their silly gimmicky products and while at it turn a few more people onto film, I don't see what exactly the harm is. I'm getting tired of seeing them constantly bashed on photo forums. Sure, they sell lifestyle. They also sell more film than all your local labs that are now out of business. Give them a break.

+1

klownshed said:
When people get upset by this, it says more about them than it does about Lomography.

+2

railwayman3 · Mar 4, 2017

Ricardo Miranda said:
Noeru,
The problem I see with them is this: they tell people, especially youngsters and first timers with film "come and try us. We are lo-fi, film is low quality, use expired films, don't bother buying fresh film."
That's the problem I have with them.
They aren't helping people getting into higher quality film photography and I see many people coming to the stall (Portobello Road) where I give a hand asking for expired film. That doesn't help the remaining film manufacturers.

I see what you're saying (though not sure that they actually tell people in the words which you quote?), but I doubt that, in the scheme of things, the volume of Lomography films sold makes any real difference to the main film manufacturers. Also some of the first-timers and youngsters would probably never otherwise get involved in analog.
I've only ever seen Lomography film for sale at two retail outlets.....one a London museum, just a couple of films on sale together with a few disposable Kodak cameras (neither were on display on a subsequent visit), the other the Photographers Gallery, where they have on display every make of film you can think of.

pentaxuser · Mar 4, 2017

williaty said:
Lomo is making the photography market every bit as bad as the audio market. I can't believe the snake oil people can be conned into buying. I caught a headline about this on a photo blog and came to see if APUG had discussed it. It just staggers me that they can charge extra for a film that comes already expired!

I fear we are entering into another snake-oil era which may or may not be relatively harmless. A look at Mario and the Magician by Thomas Mann should be compulsory reading in schools.

pentxuser

Huss · Mar 4, 2017

Ricardo Miranda said:
Noeru,
The problem I see with them is this: they tell people, especially youngsters and first timers with film "come and try us. We are lo-fi, film is low quality, use expired films, don't bother buying fresh film."
That's the problem I have with them.
They aren't helping people getting into higher quality film photography and I see many people coming to the stall (Portobello Road) where I give a hand asking for expired film. That doesn't help the remaining film manufacturers.

I disagree with that. The majority of film they sell is fresh.

https://shop.lomography.com/en/films

They are not being deceptive about this at all, they say it is expired. And expired film can look different. 99% of the film in my freezer is expired and it is great.
Also they are asking far less for this expired Ferrania film than what is the going rate on ebay.

Have you ever checked out their website?

www.lomography.com

Really quite remarkable. No-one else out there is promoting film photography like Lomo. No-one. When is the last time you saw anyone else promote film photography?
And if you actually check their site and their community, there is lots of really creative work done with 'real' cameras i.e. not the toy cameras (and there is nothing wrong with that either), by some really good photographers.

The way they introduce first timers to film photography is to show it is all about having fun and not being worried about the pressure to make a 'perfect' image. And then you can move on as your skills grow.
And lomography, bless them, has been really successful at this.
FYI a three pack of their fresh (!) 800 ISO colour film is $15. That is a great price for really good film. B&H has Fuji 800 at $10/roll...

My local camera stores - Samy Cameras in Los Angeles - carries the full range of Lomo's film. Prominently displayed.

Some people just have a problem with lomography, and as others have mentioned, that reflects on themselves.

flavio81 · Mar 4, 2017

Lomography heavily promotes film use. Thus they're friends, not foes.

keenmaster486 · Mar 4, 2017

Their standard color negative film (not the expired Ferranicolor) is actually a very good film for the price, if you don't push/pull, cross-process, or do anything weird with it.

I don't like how they insist on cross-processing all E6 films. Have you seen their examples for Velvia and Provia? ALL cross-processed, and they all have that sickly urine-colored hue.

My opinion is that often Lomography people are so caught up in doing non-standard things to their film like cross-processing that they miss the wonderful results they could get from processing it how it was intended. Velvia is case in point.

Theo Sulphate · Mar 4, 2017

I'm grateful that Lomography offers 110 film. I've been very happy with the results, some of which I've framed on my wall.

keenmaster486 · Mar 4, 2017

Oh yes, that is a good thing.

Pioneer · Mar 4, 2017

In some people's minds, anyone marketing a film product that "may" take business away from the main producers are the enemy.

Meanwhile Lomo continues to make money...

...and the film business continues to get a little healthier each year.

Go figure. Maybe the old business model is not the right one...maybe we should ask Kodak.

Prest_400 · Mar 4, 2017

railwayman3 said:
I've only ever seen Lomography film for sale at two retail outlets.....one a London museum, just a couple of films on sale together with a few disposable Kodak cameras (neither were on display on a subsequent visit), the other the Photographers Gallery, where they have on display every make of film you can think of.

Availability may depend on geographic areas. Barcelona has a Lomo Store and another Impossible Project store/partner. Then, even the large FNAC in the center has a small film section and they sell the film in 35mm. Mostly standardised prices... A roll of Kodak can have a different price on different stores, and with quite a difference.

Huss said:
Really quite remarkable. No-one else out there is promoting film photography like Lomo. No-one. When is the last time you saw anyone else promote film photography?

The new generation of Labs do have an intense Social Media presence and there's quite a movement. Not as comparable perhaps.

Huss said:
FYI a three pack of their fresh (!) 800 ISO colour film is $15. That is a great price for really good film. B&H has Fuji 800 at $10/roll...

I was thinking to grab a pack of 400 or 800 to replenish my diminishing Portra (awaiting for stock where I buy it) and for a freer street shooting day a month from now. Infact, I want to revisit the store as the clerk was really nice and I wanted to handle a Yashica Mat they had in the shelf (hah).
CN100 is at 10.90€/3 pack. Just about the cheapest film along color plus and c200. THe 800 is interesting because in 120 there is only Portra as the alternative (at 2 digits a roll).

Ricardo Miranda · Mar 4, 2017

Huss said:
The majority of film they sell is fresh.

Have to agree with you.
In fact as you seem to be au pair with their films, you know they have 2 brand new, fresh films.

Huss said:
Have you ever checked out their website?

Frequently. I have subscribed to their newsletter and offers.

Huss said:
The way they introduce first timers to film photography is to show it is all about having fun and not being worried about the pressure to make a 'perfect' image. And then you can move on as your skills grow.
And lomography, bless them, has been really successful at this.

I could agree with that.
But, there seems to be always an emphasis in the low-quality, be it films or cameras, which at times is OK.

keenmaster486 · Mar 4, 2017

What is Lomography Color Negative anyway? Is it rebranded something like f2/400 or is it an original film? And who actually makes it?

Ricardo Miranda · Mar 4, 2017

railwayman3 said:
the Photographers Gallery, where they have on display every make of film you can think of.

Many times when I am asked for films I recommend the Photographer's Gallery precisely for the reason you pointed out even though they tend to be more expensive.
I also recommend other places, Internet shops where they can get cheaper films.
It is the case of Harman Express that I use for Ilford products.

New Lomography "f2/400" color negative film announced

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