AGFA Ceases APX 100 4x5 NOT A RUMOUR

Please pardon the formatting - from tne horse's mouth!

 

 

Dear Mr. Chambers

This has nothing to do with Agfa Australia. It is a world wide

decision

made by headquarters in Belgium. Due to the rapidly rising

element of

digital image capture especially in the professional markets

speciality

film sizes are in rapid decline. It is unfortunately uneconomical

for the

company to continue with these small niche products.

Kind Regards

C. Rudolph

 

 

 

 

To: Chris Rudolph/NAHFE/MEL/AGFA/AU/BAYER@AGFA

cc:

 

Subject: APX 100

 

Could you please handle this question?

 

Kind regards

 

Guy

---------------------- Forwarded by Guy

Vandecraen/AMCMH/MOR/AGFA/BE/BAYER

on 12/08/2003 10:35 ---------------------------

|---------------------------+----------------------------------------------------------

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| WEBMASTER MAIL |

|

 

| THE QUESTION |

|

|-------------------------------------------------------------------------+------------

---------------------------------------------|

|Not a question -- a disappointment. |

|

|I'm really sorry that Agfa has discontinued APX 100 4x5 in

Australia. I | |

|became very fond of this filmstock during its all-too-brief

availability | |

|here. As well the results disposed me toward other Agfa

products. Oh well| |

|Maco is now here, as well as the other big 2. Unless Agfa

Australia | |

|changes its mind?

This SUCKS. Seems like when I grow fond of something, the bloody SUITS discontinue it.

Yup - I asked Agfa if they were discontinuing APX100 in 5x4 and got the following reply:

 

"

Dear Bob

 

Yes it is true and no further stock is available from our central

warehouse.

 

Kind Regards

 

Stephen Dunkerley

"

 

 

Nice of them to give us plenty of notice (not that I use it myself, but still...)!

 

 

Cheers,

Because of this "shrinking-market effect," I'm of the opinion that our buying habits can strongly influence the success or failure of those manufacturers that remain in the market. As such, I shifted the majority of my film purchases to Ilford several years ago, largely because of that company's efforts to support the LF community. I still buy Fuji QuickLoads when needed, but I've weaned myself off Big Yellow completely.

Will they discontinue the 6,5x9 and 9x12 formats as well?

I use APX 100 a LOT! This does not make my day at all. I have 3 boxes left, I guess I better go and buy as much as I can right now before it's all gone.

 

I for one am going to email Agfa and let them know how I feel.

 

Eric

I think Ralph�s got the right idea (as usual).

 

Agfa has built a reputation over the last several decades for abrupt, ruthless and thoughtless business decisions. Screw the photographers.

 

Back in the early 1970's they introduced a remarkable line of color products, packaged in silver boxes (much like Hasselblad stuff). This color film was as sharp as black & white. It actually had a very fine grain. After all of we in LA (professional studios and labs) had invested a huge amount of time and money testing the film, they suddenly pulled it off the market. Without comment. All that effort wasted. We were furious!

 

Then ten years later, do you remember all that fuss over their revolutionary color paper (for prints from transparencies) which was processed in only one or two quick chemicals? The Agfa rep talked us into buying a huge (and costly) order of that stuff just before Agfa pulled it off the market. Without comment. We were furious!

 

Then, in the 1980's they yanked over 90% of their retail dealerships without warning. Remember? The rep said that most retail stores across the US weren�t moving enough product to make it worth their while. So we had to start mail-ordering all of our studio supplies. And making order minimums or they wouldn�t ship. We were furious!

 

Eastman Kodak, since being hijacked by a bunch of yuppie MBA�s, isn�t any better. Every time I try to place an order for something we have used for forty years, it has disappeared.

 

These people just don�t get it. I haven�t the time nor studio funds to waste marketing a photographic style based on products which can suddenly vanish without warning. Remember the dye-transfer mess?

 

So I, too, am donating the remnants of our Rodinal and Agfa film to the local land-fill. When we need Rodinal, we will choose Calbe R09. And when we require an ISO 100 film in both 35mm and sheets we will be stocking Ilford.

 

Too-da-loo, Agfa. It certainly has been interesting...

thank goodness I still have an APX100 plug-in in Photoshop.

I don't care. Agfa probably never understood the niche concept. Ilford,Efke and Bergger do have (even kodak), and that´s why whe love them. A company that does'nt build long term relationships with there customers can't succeed. It´s all about service, not the product itself.

"A company that

doesn't build long term relationships with there customers can't succeed."

 

ummm - well, they've done pretty well over the last 50, 60 years or whatever, and they still seem to be doing pretty well. Film, especially LF film is a small part of their business. Compared to Kodak (or Polaroid), they've actually survived and grown by being necessarily ruthless in cutting parts of their business that weren't paying or growing, rather than waiting until it dragged them down. They've shown themselves to be pretty adaptable over the years, especially recently. And if something isn't paying - get rid of it. That's the way the free market works. Like it or not, this group and our quaint old fashioned cameras don't really matter or count that much. Agfa-Gevaert are a strong bouyant company probably because they are willing to cut something like APX100 if it's needed. Compare that to Old Yeller "let's cut another 10,000 jobs and see if that helps" Kodak.

Sorry to disappoint you guys but I still have lots of Agfa APX 25, good until 2005!

Shit fuck

Agfa have a lot to learn about reputation management, what you do and how you do it has a knock on effect to all aspects of your business.

 

If you, as a customer, have been burned by, say, changing the specification of Record Rapid (remember how wonderful that was), by dropping Agfapan 25 or sheet film AXP 100, how will you see the company when it comes to purchasing digital products for example? There is a big market out there and the customer has a huge choice.

 

Hopefully Ilford will carry on for a while, if they don�t Bergger, Forte and Maco might. If not, anyone know how to hand coat acetate?

Just checked with Pieter Janse Van Rensburg at Agfa in the UK and they confirm that they are no longer supplying black and white sheet film. The only large format film they still have is the RSX colour reversal film! Even then only up to 4x5.

Kevin Gibson wrote:ummm - well, they've done pretty well over the last 50, 60 years or whatever, and they still seem to be doing pretty well. Film, especially LF film is a small part of their business. Compared to Kodak (or Polaroid), they've actually survived and grown by being necessarily ruthless in cutting parts of their business that weren't paying or growing, rather than waiting until it dragged them down. They've shown themselves to be pretty adaptable over the years, especially recently. And if something isn't paying - get rid of it. That's the way the free market works. Like it or not, this group and our quaint old fashioned cameras don't really matter or count that much. Agfa-Gevaert are a strong bouyant company probably because they are willing to cut something like APX100 if it's needed.

 

Yep, they don't need the niche market stuff some of us like to use. Nor do they realize that many of us poor old niche market types are often asked what films & supplies to purchase by a number of other photographers. Agfa quits on us... who do you think we will recommend? I stopped recommending their stuff completely after the screwups the past few years with distrubution that made products as simple as Rodinal hard to get. Why deal with a company that creates their own problems so often?

When asked about what films & whatnot to buy my standard line is "Ilford makes nice products". Agfa & its supply line... Kodak & the Dreaded Xtol failure. I stay away from their products unless there is absolutely, positively no other way to produce the images. So yes, I do purchase Kodak Azo papers though that may not last much longer the way The Yellow Peril has been acting lately.