[LargeFormat] Kodak to Stop Making Film-Based Cameras!

[Vince Dobson]

-----Original Message-----
 philip lambert
Re: [LargeFormat] Kodak to Stop Making Film-Based Cameras!

>>>who needs them for hardware?  Film is another matter. PL<<<

Please tell me exactly how would we miss their films or even their paper
(all except their metallic line which I love).

Name a film or paper and I will name you another brand that is better.
There are people all over the world that have pictures on their wall on in
boxes that have faded and turned greenish and yellowed that they bought
because Kodak's main advertisement was "Pictures are forever", while at the
same time they were dropping different methods of mfg. And technology
Because it would cost more.  In 1992 I printed some large prints on Kodak
paper and stored them away.  After 10 years (when I set up my studio and
darkroom) they had yellowed considerable in dark storage.  I now only print
on Fuji Crystal Archive that the Wilhelm Institute tested to last over 60
years without fading and their same test gave Kodak paper 12 years under the
same test.

Their good films  (think Extra 25, or even the recently dropped Portra 400VC
in 4x5)  have been long discontinued because they were not popular with the
mass market crowd.

I do custom printing and I have a local customer that brings in various
sports shots (race cars, basketball, football and baseball) .  He always
orders 20x30 prints and uses Fuji Supera films - 400, 800 and recently even
1600 speed.  They all turn out surprisingly good and even with a 20x30 from
a 35mm negative and 1600 ASA film, the grain is not large enough to be a
factor.

It might be an extreme view but basically Kodak has abandoned up long ago -
why lament or gnash teeth because they are cutting back now --- who needs
'em!

Vince Dobson
Visions In Nature
www.visionsinnature.com