PHOTOGRAPHY – 35

 

 PHOTOGRAPHY – 35

EQUIPMENT

Barring a few makers , most are confined to one or the other form of equipment like camera/ Film / Chemistry or Laboratory ware like special gadgets for film processing or enlarging equipment and so on . Among the varied names held in high esteem by photo enthusiasts across the globe are AGFA, ILFORD and KODAK . Of them Kodak has had  global presence with its factories in all continents. Agfa is a German firm while Ilford is  a British firm. All the three had a reputation for marketing quality products –Film and medical equipment for radiology and related items widely used in Hospitals/Amateur/ Professional photography .                                 

In view of their products of prestige in film they also marketed chemical formulations compatible to their varied film versions with a whopping array of product range catering to every critical need in image registration and reproduction. Interestingly, these photo giants established a tradition about packaging their products . All  KODAK film or Chemistry were marketed in yellow cartons, names printed black; AGFA film was marketed in Red cartons printed in blue while their chemistry was in Silver grey cartons printed in black; ILFORD films and chemistry were marketed in spotless white cartons printed in black.                                         [I should admit in all honesty that I have not personally used Ilford Chemistry , though I have read a lot about the REPUTATION for the accuracy of their products among consumers over the globe].

From well laid out literature on the subject , it is understood that in the very trade AGFA were the pioneers and subsequently joined in by KODAK and ILFORD. In plain terms in the then global race Germans were leaders , with Britain close on the heels through KODAK and ILFORD. Incidentally,  though KODAK enjoys a global reckoning, it had its beginning in England and later expanded to USA, AUSTRALIA, GERMANY and SINGAPORE.

People may vividly remember that until about 1970 or so, Photo enthusiasts from India had to ship their colour films for processing to SINGAPORE KODAK the nearest station to handle Kodak films as per specification. The growing load of processing material from India triggered KODAK to establish their procesing station in Bombay –the Mecca for any trade in India. Till date the lab is going on with the traditional adherence to precision. Much of the precision ascribed to those processing stations were traceable to the the most accurate chemistry delivered to them by their principals in UK or USA and purity in Kodak chemistry is legendary to say the least.

It is not my effort to hold aloft the reputation of Kodak or any other firm for that matter. Nostalgia being what it is, my mental library is working overtime recalling the grandeur of varied brands in the trade. In fact, Agfa seem to have been the pioneer in Cinema films ; they took over another doyen GAEVAERT [pronounced  GEYVAA] WHO PIONEERED Movie colour films  marketed As GAEVAERT COLOUR [pronounced GEYVAA COLOR ] In South India people were reckless calling it GOVA COLOUR  [கோவா கலர்] with no respect whatsover for the   brand.  That was how Agfa and Gaevaert came together as AGFA-GAEVAERT and the Indian outfit was AGIL [Agfa-Gaevaert India Limited]. By late 1950s or so multinational brands were driven out of India by imposing heavy taxes and India had

to wait for imports of films, X-Ray material, cine films, photopapers etc. Agfa, Kodak, Ilford left the shores of India and imported materials were to be paid in dollars.

At that point Photo trade in India was chocking fro from foreign exchange regulations. Then the Government of India floated Hindustan photo films –Ooty for making films in India .

More to follow . K. RAMAN