From: Rod Fleming (rodfleming@sol.co.uk)
Date: 08/05/00-03:54:03 PM Z
Hi
---- Original Message -----
From: <DFStein@aol.com>
To: <alt-photo-process-l@skyway.usask.ca>
Sent: Saturday, August 05, 2000 9:49 PM
Subject: Re: Kodak to re-introduce Super-XX
> What about FP4
FP4 isn't (sorry wasn't) made by Kodak, perhaps?
The fact is that if enough people really want the old SuperXX emulsion, then
someone will produce it. I think all we have here is a core of diehards who
can make a lot of noise.
Find out what the real market is, get the numbers, then hit a small niche
producer who's hungry for market share- Bergger, Forte, Efke, the Chinese
with the old Kodak plant.....These guys are in business- if they think they
can make a profit, they'll be interested; if the "market" turns out to be
just a few good ole boys shooting the breeze, they won't be. Simple as that.
FWIW I think Sil's right- Kodak dumped SuperXX because not enough people
wanted it. Nobody wants to see a reduction in the range of emulsions we can
buy-certainly not me- but in fact the photography business owes us nothing,
and unless enough people are buying the products, a lot more things are
going to vanish.
On the cheerful side, I don't think mono photography is going to disappear,
and I don't think the films will either, not for a long time anyway. Kodak
and Fuji are mass market bulk manufacturers who need big turnover but there
are several smaller companies- some of which have only recently entered the
field- supplying these materials and doing, it seems, very well.
Maybe we should concentrate attention on encouraging them by buying their
products rather than crying over the lost glories of multinational giants
who are much too big to give a damn.
Rod
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