AGFA latest developments (not in Rodinal)

http://www.agfaphoto.com/en-GB/pdf/press_04012006.pdf

"UC" wrote in message
ups.com...
http://www.agfaphoto.com/en-GB/pdf/press_04012006.pdf


Expected but very sad.


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Richard Knoppow
Los Angeles, CA, USA

Richard Knoppow wrote:
"UC" wrote in message
ups.com...
http://www.agfaphoto.com/en-GB/pdf/press_04012006.pdf


Expected but very sad.


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Richard Knoppow
Los Angeles, CA, USA


Well, it's largely their own doing. Fuji has had better products,
better service, better everything. Agfa has never been competitive in
the US market for color films, something that Fuji managed to pull off
over the last 20 years. Agfachrome sold well in the late 60's through
mid-70's, but it was grainy and not very sharp, and the colors were
fugitive. Many of mine have faded. I WAS an enthusiatic user of
Agfachrome at one time, but I switched to Kodachrome in 1974 with the
K14 films, and began using it exclusively in 1978 after using the new
E-6 films for a while.

I have expressed my low opinion of Agfa's B&W products many times
here, although I must admit I never used Portriga Rapid. Rodinal and
Brovira were simply not up to my standards.

I fiddled around with Ilford and Adox B&W films back in the late 60's,
but Agfa B&W films were for unknown reasons not imported. Ilford FP3
was OK, and HP4, which I used simply for the heck of it, was not quite
in the same league as Tri-X. I also used a lot of Neofin Blue on Adox
KB14. These products, along with Agfa's, were never very well promoted.
they were often imported by small outfits. Agfa had better
distribution, but their reversal color products, until about 1985, were
incompatible with Kodak E processes.

Does anyone remember Ansco? duPont? I would kill for some Velour Black,
baby! But Agfa's demise will not cause me to shed any tears. In fact,
it actually is healthy for the industry to have a smaller number of
feeders of a shrinking pie. Kodak's B&W papers never impressed me.
Anyone who compared Kodabromide to Velour Black would know what I mean!
So, to Ilford falls the mantle of B&W champions...let's hope they can
expand their offerings to include something a little more exotic than
what they have now.

I would like to get my hands on some of Fuji's B&W stuff to see what
it's like...

"UC" wrote in message
oups.com...

Richard Knoppow wrote:
"UC" wrote in message
ups.com...
http://www.agfaphoto.com/en-GB/pdf/press_04012006.pdf


Expected but very sad.


--
---
Richard Knoppow
Los Angeles, CA, USA


Well, it's largely their own doing. Fuji has had better
products,
better service, better everything. Agfa has never been
competitive in
the US market for color films, something that Fuji managed
to pull off
over the last 20 years. Agfachrome sold well in the late
60's through
mid-70's, but it was grainy and not very sharp, and the
colors were
fugitive. Many of mine have faded. I WAS an enthusiatic
user of
Agfachrome at one time, but I switched to Kodachrome in
1974 with the
K14 films, and began using it exclusively in 1978 after
using the new
E-6 films for a while.

I have expressed my low opinion of Agfa's B&W products
many times
here, although I must admit I never used Portriga Rapid.
Rodinal and
Brovira were simply not up to my standards.

I fiddled around with Ilford and Adox B&W films back in
the late 60's,
but Agfa B&W films were for unknown reasons not imported.
Ilford FP3
was OK, and HP4, which I used simply for the heck of it,
was not quite
in the same league as Tri-X. I also used a lot of Neofin
Blue on Adox
KB14. These products, along with Agfa's, were never very
well promoted.
they were often imported by small outfits. Agfa had better
distribution, but their reversal color products, until
about 1985, were
incompatible with Kodak E processes.

Does anyone remember Ansco? duPont? I would kill for some
Velour Black,
baby! But Agfa's demise will not cause me to shed any
tears. In fact,
it actually is healthy for the industry to have a smaller
number of
feeders of a shrinking pie. Kodak's B&W papers never
impressed me.
Anyone who compared Kodabromide to Velour Black would know
what I mean!
So, to Ilford falls the mantle of B&W champions...let's
hope they can
expand their offerings to include something a little more
exotic than
what they have now.

I would like to get my hands on some of Fuji's B&W stuff
to see what
it's like...

Well, I disagree about Agfa's B&W papers. Ansco products
relyed on Agfa technology. I did not appreciate them fully
at the time. However, Kodak was ahead of the game as far as
coating. Agfa and Ansco papers had curling and frilling
problems, Kodak papers never did.
I remember Defender Velour Black very well and used a lot
of it when I was in highschool. I think Velour Black was the
first Bromide enlarging paper on the market. Defender made
some interesting products some of which relyed on Kodak
technology, made available to them as a ploy to prevent
anti-trust action. In fact a couple of Defender films were
actually made by Kodak. Unfortunately, Defender safety base
has turned out to be about the least stable of all suffering
greatly from "vinegar syndrome". DuPont's connection to
Defender dates back to the early 1940's and DuPont aquired
the company sometime around the mid or late 1940's. I can
find the actual dates if anyone is interested.
Defender, for the most part, made paper and sheet film,
DuPont made 35mm motion picture film. I think Defender did
make a limited amount of roll film at one time but it was
never a main product.
Ansco made some very nice B&W film but their early color
film was based on the Agfa patents of the mid 1930's and had
problems. The first widely available multi-layer color film
for the motion picture industry was AnscoColor. I remember
it as being washed out looking and it turned out to be quite
fugitive. Kodak's product, Eastman Color, was much better
looking and longer lasting, though still short lived. Fuji
was able to compete with Kodak in recent years because their
films was cheaper and looked OK. A lot of Hollywood movies
were photographed on Eastman Color negative and printed on
Fuji stock.
Fuji seems to be staying the course (he said with his
fingers crossed) too bad they don't market B&W paper in the
USA.


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Richard Knoppow
Los Angeles, CA, USA

"Richard Knoppow" schreef in bericht
nk.net...
Fuji seems to be staying the course (he said with his
| fingers crossed) too bad they don't market B&W paper in the
| USA.
|

Nor do they in Europe
They seem to produce FB papers, but only for the Japanese market. Maybe
they're waiting for more competotors to vanish?

Richard Knoppow wrote:

Well, I disagree about Agfa's B&W papers. Ansco products
relyed on Agfa technology. I did not appreciate them fully
at the time. However, Kodak was ahead of the game as far as
coating. Agfa and Ansco papers had curling and frilling
problems, Kodak papers never did.

My experience was that duPont apper was by far the best in all
respects. They got out of it when Kodak started selling VC paper, and
color started becoming much more popular. For some reason, duPont did
not launch RC paper first, which is somewhat surprising gven their
leadership role in plastics.

I remember Defender Velour Black very well and used a lot
of it when I was in highschool. I think Velour Black was the
first Bromide enlarging paper on the market.

Maybe Brovira was?

Defender made
some interesting products some of which relyed on Kodak
technology, made available to them as a ploy to prevent
anti-trust action. In fact a couple of Defender films were
actually made by Kodak. Unfortunately, Defender safety base
has turned out to be about the least stable of all suffering
greatly from "vinegar syndrome".

They heavily promoted Cronar, a polyseter base.

DuPont's connection to
Defender dates back to the early 1940's and DuPont aquired
the company sometime around the mid or late 1940's. I can
find the actual dates if anyone is interested.
Defender, for the most part, made paper and sheet film,
DuPont made 35mm motion picture film. I think Defender did
make a limited amount of roll film at one time but it was
never a main product.

Yes, the merger was a rational one.

Ansco made some very nice B&W film but their early color
film was based on the Agfa patents of the mid 1930's and had
problems.

Can you say Henry Fonda? G - A - F.

The first widely available multi-layer color film
for the motion picture industry was AnscoColor.

Used to record some nuclear test blasts, I believe

I remember
it as being washed out looking and it turned out to be quite
fugitive. Kodak's product, Eastman Color, was much better
looking and longer lasting, though still short lived. Fuji
was able to compete with Kodak in recent years because their
films was cheaper and looked OK. A lot of Hollywood movies
were photographed on Eastman Color negative and printed on
Fuji stock.
Fuji seems to be staying the course (he said with his
fingers crossed) too bad they don't ma0rket B&W paper in the
USA.

Someone does export them.

http://www.bayparkphotos.com.au/Cand...?idCategory=26



--
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Richard Knoppow
Los Angeles, CA, USA

UC wrote:

Richard Knoppow wrote:

I remember Defender Velour Black very well and used a lot
of it when I was in highschool. I think Velour Black was the
first Bromide enlarging paper on the market.

Maybe Brovira was?

I'm pretty sure it was Mawson and Swan Bromide in the late 1870s
if you are restricting it to gelatino-bromide paper.

Joseph Swan is more famous for the lightbulb than for bromide
paper, but he made a number of important contributions to
photography including carbon tissue for carbon printing.

Peter.
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