At 10:33 PM 12/9/01 +0000, John Lind wrote:
>
>It's the latest and greatest "snake oil" Big Yellow is pushing to cure all
>photography ills:
> All the flaws were blamed on "slower film," not the
>"camera holder" errors they really were, but who am I to question the
>infinite wisdom of Big Yellow who *knows* what's best!
>
>snip
>My thoughts (pick one or more):
>(a) huge batches of MAX are wasting away aging toward expiration
>(stockholders don't like large inventory gathering dust)
>(b) under-utilized capital equipment for making MAX is creating a low
>return on investment (stockholders don't like this either)
>(c) cut the consumer film line down to one or two "one size fits all"
>films by influencing market demand for a "lowest common denominator" and
>run higher volumes of fewer products
>(d) try to reduce claims for processing errors by their subsidiary, Qualex
>Big Snip
Now, while I (and the rest of us) can appreciate some of John's comments,
perhaps it is time for us to get off our "elitist" horse. While we may all
seek "perfection" in our photographs the average consumer is simply after
an image that is recognizable. They are not into the "art" nor do they care
one whit about "grain". As long as Aunt Emma or Fido the family pet is
recognizable they are happy. How do I know -- well for the past two weeks I
have been helping out at a local one hour lab (the one I usually use) where
the owner's wife was rushed in for major surgery and will now be off for 3
months.
The owner is a former freelancer (about 20 yrs worth) who is a very very
good photographer in his own right. He takes great pains with his customers
processing and has the patience of Job explaining why stuff went wrong --
but he does it in terms that 70 year old Aunt Martha will understand and
within the limitations of what their equipment will actually do. This is
the "bread and butter" that pays the freight for us "elitists". If kodak
(or Fuji or Agfa) had to survive on our film purchases alone they'd have
been broke long ago or we'd probably be paying $40.00 a roll.
the average Joe who walks into the shop with their pont 'n shoot or even
slr is simply looking for a reasonable shot. Yes there are some who
actually are interested in what they are doing but they are really few and
far between. The others will bring in 6 rolls they shot and be happy if
they managed a 2/3 ratio of recognizable shots, take up less time than the
"advanced amateur" who "thinks" he knows what he is doing and that all
processors are jerks who don't know what they are doing. Truly an eye
opening experience.
So, next time we want to rant perhaps we should come down off Mount Olympus
and muck about in the trenches for a bit -- I know it has been a geat
"education" for me.
Barry H
< This message was delivered via the Olympus Mailing List >
< For questions, mailto:owner-olympus@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx >
< Web Page: http://Zuiko.sls.bc.ca/swright/olympuslist.html >
|