Whole plate demise and renaissance

Roger Hicks · Sep 17, 2007

cafeharrar said:
Sheet film is also much easier to cut to unique sizes than trying to get an order together for some 70mm, 127, 110, and other odd roll film sizes that would require greatly differing set-ups for each type of film.

If I am mistaken, please show me where.

- Justin

Dear Justin,

You are spot on. A 'boutique' manufacturer can cut anything, because he is not making a million boxes of this and half a million boxes of that. No: he's making a few hundred boxes of this, a few score boxes of that, a few dozen boxes of something else. Maybe it costs twice as much, per square inch of film, to cut something really weird like 12x15 inch. So? That's what Bergger did for me and my Gandolfi Universal -- and they'll do it for anyone, if it makes economic sense.

Whole plate has come back because it is aesthetically charming and, in modern economics, affordable again. It's the same logic that mills Leica MP top plates out of a solid billet of brass. The manufacturing economics of 2007 are not those of 1997 or 1947. Some have cottoned to this; others have not.

Cheers,

Roger

Nick Zentena · Sep 17, 2007

One problem is it's likely every time you change the machine set up you have waste. So the prices would need to cover all that waste.

OTOH if somebody was setting up new today with computer controlled cutting equipment I bet it would be possible to just add things to a cutting list and let the computer cut everything with minimal waste. But in todays market who is going to setup that sort of new machine?

Sal Santamaura · Sep 17, 2007

k_jupiter said:
...No freaking company in the world is going to produce 7 packets of film in one particular size...To think that film producers will supply a film (whole plate) that perhaps 500 people actually shoot is... ludicrous.

Ilford has produced and says it will continue to produce 6 1/2 x 8 1/2 film whether you think it's ludicrous or not. Here's what Simon Galley posted in another thread:

Simon R Galley said:
Dear All,

The management of ILFORD Photo / HARMAN technology Limited have discussed the situation regarding the poor order levels on the latest ULF make...ILFORD Photo / HARMAN technology Limited will manufacture all orders received REGARDLESS OF WHETHER THEY REACH THE MINIMUM ORDER QUANTITY OR NOT : So if you have an order placed with any of our ULF partners IT WILL BE SUPPLIED.

The management of ILFORD Photo / HARMAN technology Limited do not think it is fair, or in line with our business ethics to ask end users to increase orders just to ensure they are made, or indeed that any of our end users should be without our film ( if they choose to buy ) for a period of one Year.

As to the frequency of manufacture, the management also believe that serving the ULF community is commensurate with our stated commitment to serve all monochrome customers to the very best of our ability and to show flexibility, therefore ULF will continued to be manufactured once per annum...We have also clearly taken on board many of the valuable and constructive comments received from the ULF community and APUG community. So in 2008 when we re-run our ULF make, we will communicate more widely, especially in the specialist ULF press and indeed on our own website, and with our distributors and ULF partners. We are also likely to set up a specific ULF database so as we can ensure everybody knows what is going on, I will communicate more later in the year.

Thank you for your patience and thank you for ordering and valuing ILFORD Photo ULF products

Simon ILFORD photo / HARMAN technology Limited

Note that Ilford's special order program started out with the intention to serve those shooting Ultra Large Format (ULF). When some other sizes -- including 6 1/2 x 8 1/2 -- were requested, Ilford expanded the arrangement to cover them too. The title, however, remains "ULF."

k_jupiter · Sep 17, 2007

The second side to my rant is of course... If you pay enough, you can have it any color you want. But big business will not support the small user unless they find a way to make money.

tim in san jose

jimgalli · Sep 18, 2007

I've been hanging around LF long enough now to have seen several specialties heat up and then cool off. Whole plate is HOT just now but I'll be interested to see if all the fervor is still going in 5 years.

We are a small enough niche that just talking about some of the different areas right here can cause noticeable heat. No one was paying much attention to antique lenses until I began posting photos made with some of them right here and now they too are an item. In 5 years old lenses et all may be mostly forgotten along with the WP crowd.

It's obviously the fine art potential that is causing 99% of the heat though. WP is just a handsome size to hang on the wall. It retains the jewel like quality of a 5X7 with the impact of an 8X10.

For Tim I will note that there are far more high quality parts for Model A Fords now than there were available in 1955. Anytime there is some level of demand, someone will figure out how to supply it with a profit. It does not require "big business".

Whole plate demise and renaissance

Roger Hicks

Nick Zentena

Sal Santamaura

k_jupiter

jimgalli

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