Originally posted by pathdoc Oh come on, it's a start (or in this case a restart). In this day and age, I suspect 35mm is far and away the volume leader for anything other than B&W negatives.
Originally posted by 6BQ5 Film like this is the one reason I continue to hold on to my Bronica and Moskva-5 cameras. 120 format - pleeeaaasseee!
- I rest my case. At least I would expect them to announce the potential for expanding to 120 format in the months ahead, I know it is early. In order to keep a market alive they have to show they are willing to plan ahead, and take the steps to expand.
Originally posted by pathdoc It's business sense... for now. If the uptake is everything they expect and more, they might consider larger formats.
If it is business sense that drives them: they have chosen to start out in a weird corner. Transparency films have on average 3.5-/+ stops less DR than negative films*, granularity is more apparent in the highlights, and finding labs that still do E-6 will be difficult. There are some solutions in the E-6 process that get exhausted rather quickly** and finding a suitable supply chain that can produce consistent quality at volume. The initial issues with chemistry may create conditions that may result in negative initial impressions for early users.
Originally posted by timw4mail What's that supposed to mean? Isn't E-6 a standard chemistry and process?
It means that it has been a long time since E-6 was in common use and the supply chain of chemistry was at a consistent level. The machinery used to develop and process the film has been mothballed by many labs over the years and may have issues when put back into commission. Yes, E-6 is a standard process - but it requires precise control of chemistry, temperature, and timing, in order to produce repeatable high quality results.
*though this can vary with the film being used.
** like the bleach, which also requires special disposal: you can't dump it down the sink.