Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2002/11/04
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Dante Stella wrote: > > Rolfe, let's put it this way. > > Kodak led the charge up the B&W hill with the T-grain films and the > ascorbic-acid developers, easily outspending Fuji, Agfa and Ilford in the > process. > > Black and white technology is completely mature; in terms of > ultimate usable resolution, we have been at a plateau since the 1950s, > when someone discovered that document films have the highest resolution. > In fact, the current alleged "gigibit" films are nothing more than > document films. > > Furthermore, the huge price of whatever incremental improvement remains to > be made cannot be economically justified when B&W is only around 5% of the > total market. Kodak has by no means been hostile to the black and white > market - they just built a new film plant for it -- and kept Verichrome > Pan in production long after Agfa quit with APX 25. > > Leica, on the other hand, has not spent any significant money on M line > bodies, the newest of which is 30 years behind technologically. Leica has > not been an innovator for about fifty years in rangefinder bodies, and it > is nowhere near the limits of what can be done within market constraints. > > Dante > Dante I'm with you on Kodak getting credit for T-Max technology. Didn't they win an academy award for it? I'm hoping to win an academy award for some of my split printing innovations: "And now for the best darkroom idea from a LUGNUT in a non musical:" "...you like me! You really like me!" I loved they way it secreted that pink stuff into my fix which was good for about 4 rolls per gallon. And it's 30 minute fix times; I'd go have lunch! And of course taking Panatomic X off the market which was the Kodachrome of black and white films and Kodachrome has gone too or going soon. When ever i print one of those old negs from the 80's or 70's i realize how 100 speed t grain films are not a replacement for slow thin films like Panatomic X, Pan F, or Agfapan 25. (In Beutlers) And Tech pan although i don't use the stuff. I have always sued such "thin films" and been amazed at Ansel Dames shooting 120 Tri X! But other companies like Ilford (Delta) and Fuji Neopan (ACROS) have been able to horn into this technology and we've got a brighter black and white word. 400 speed films (in Xtol) are looking like 100 speed films and Neopan 1600 looks like 400 make that 300. The high tech films do make a difference especially in 35mm. Kodaks pinky hypo problems are said to be resolved. But Dante I'm not with you on this Leica being a slouch in R&D idea. When i first got into Leica 9 years ago i started out with a 50 Summicron and looked at the lens line which would give me characteristic and possibly better results in most cases than Nikon Canon Olympus Minolta Pentax. Then the 24 with it's molded aspheric element came out at comparable for Leica prices and in no time at all the Leica lens line was completely revamped to be what i suspect is by far the best line of lenses out there period. The 90 Asph apo. The new 21 Asph. The 135 apo have i named everybody? Oh how could I forget the 28 Summicron Asph if that isn't a reason to buy a despicable Leica M body than what is? Unlike others I've been happy as a clam about the TTL and i love using Tom Abrahamsson's Rapidwinders. The M7 seems mouth watering. As my did what my dad used to say "does it light up and say kiss me baby?"? "yes it does!" I'd have to say and the fact that it does not measure each color separately putting it in a database counter indexed against distance does not break my heart. Combine color with distance and I've got a headache just thinking about it. No i think Leica has done more than OK it has distinguished itself. And it's exiting using that system with todays higher tech films with the new ascorbic acid developers (Xtol). "Now for best use of the new molded Asph elements in a low tech camera…" May I have the envelop PLEASE! Mark Rabiner Portland, Oregon USA http://www.markrabiner.com - -- To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html