Steve Shapiro (sgshiya@redshift.com)
Mon, 19 Apr 1999 16:47:18 -0700
Subject: Re: Digital is not *easier* [Was: Too much equipment]
Is anyone from Kodak reading from this list?
SS
>
> I have to admit, film availability is the one aspect of this discussion
that
> concerns me. Digital will ultimately be a just another tool, another
> aesthetic.
> In the very near future no one will be able to tell if the picture in the
> gallery
> was made by digital or analog means, and few will care. Remember that
> in the early days of wet photography their was some awful dreck as well.
> All new process take time to find their expression, digital is no
different.
>
> I just hate the idea that one couldn't go back to large film photography
> because no materials are available. That Kodak has burned yet another
> bridge to photography's previous craft tradition. I don't know that
> all of us buying an 11x14 will make much difference however.
>
> Is film manufacturing only a big company option. Is it conceivable that
> Kodak or Illford would license some smaller specialist company
> to manufacture large formats of film using their processes that are
> non-competitive with any of their products? Their is a paper company
> like Arches, and then their is one like Hammermill. Can't film be made
> on a small scale that's profitable for the company and affordable to the
> customer?
>
> Eventually some MBA type will insists that Kodak dump large format,
> and it eventually will. Someone smart should be in the position to pick
> it up.
>
>
> >Kodak has virtually abadoned its large format customers. They no longer
> >supply and catalog large format film (larger then 8 X 10) as they used
to.
> >They have discontinued several products including Super XX that was once
a
> >mainstay to many photographers. Even Ilford, who filled this vacuum for a
> >while, is no longer stocking large sizes anymore and now require a
minimum
> >order of 20 boxes. At $188.00 a box for 14 X 17 film, that's a lot of
money.
> >We still have Bergger now, but how long is that going to last. Secondly,
> >camera dealers in the network I work with have reported a significant
drop in
> >the demand for large format cameras in the last 6 months and my business
has
> >also been affected. Like a canary in a coal mine, these winds bare no
glad
> >tidings. I certainly am not proposing every one run out and buy a large
> >camera ( though I think that would be great), this interest in digital
may be
> >appealing in the short term, but will it cause the death of film based
image
> >making as we know it? Will there still be film available 10 years from
now?
>
>
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.0b3 on Thu Oct 28 1999 - 21:39:31