There's No ♪♪ Azo Like ♫ the Old♫♪ Azo...

[Richard K.]

My friend Alan comes over today and shows me a very nice print.

"Wow! What's it printed on?"
"Azo"
"AZO!?!!?"
"Well 1971 Azo..."

It's been a while since I've seen such print quality. Probably not since seeing an exhibit of Brett Weston's New York contact prints. These were also on (even older) Azo and Conviva, Convira, etc.

My question: why can't we make paper like this anymore? I know I know; I've read previous threads - something to do with Cadmium etc. (But what?) But honestly, what a shame! As recently as 10 years ago I sold a huge box of Neogaz and Azo as well. Wish I had kept them. The new contenders by Foma, Adox and Lodima are nice but not even close. Sigh, back to my (upgraded to 25-year-old) Glen Morangie...

[John Bowen]

It would probably be an interesting comparison to see a photograph of Michael Smith's printed way back when and printed again with Lodima and the last of the Azo.

[Keith Tapscott.]

My friend Alan comes over today and shows me a very nice print.

"Wow! What's it printed on?"
"Azo"
"AZO!?!!?"
"Well 1971 Azo..."

It's been a while since I've seen such print quality. Probably not since seeing an exhibit of Brett Weston's New York contact prints. These were also on (even older) Azo and Conviva, Convira, etc.

..

You might want to buy this then.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Vintage-KODAK-...item43a0dc8cc2

[Richard K.]

You might want to buy this then.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Vintage-KODAK-...item43a0dc8cc2

Too bad about the size!

[Gudmundur Ingolfsson]

PM sent

[Curt]

$75? I have three boxes that are a little smaller in size but each box is 500 sheets. I opened one and it printed like it was new. The age? I'd have to look but it's old. 3 1/4 4 1/4 or 1/2, something like that. I also have two 500 sheet boxes of the last Azo MS sold. I need to use it for what it was intended, proofing sheet film. That's what a camera store owner once told me. Guess he never saw a Weston print.

[John Bowen]

$75? I have three boxes that are a little smaller in size but each box is 500 sheets. I opened one and it printed like it was new. The age? I'd have to look but it's old. 3 1/4 4 1/4 or 1/2, something like that. I also have two 500 sheet boxes of the last Azo MS sold. I need to use it for what it was intended, proofing sheet film. That's what a camera store owner once told me. Guess he never saw a Weston print.

Curt,

I guess it was you I was bidding against for those 500 sheet boxes of old Azo over the past few months. I too have 3 boxes and the it performs as though it was manufactured yesterday. Absolutely NO sign of fog. I tore a sheet in half, fixed one half and developed the other half for 1 minute in MAS amidol. I dare anyone to tell me which half was which. I recently picked up a 'blad and figured this would make for some lovely MF contact prints.

Best,

[Curt]

I've had mine a couple of years. It is really fine paper.

[Michael Kadillak]

One must remember the mindset and the point in time you reference in this post. First of all the general trend was toward small and easy and quick with 35mm and the concept of automation that freed the photographer of the endless mental requirements to work with large cameras and contact prints. Remind you of what we are going through as we speak with digital?

Every photographic manufacturer of paper produced a fine contact print product. As time progressed they simply suffered from the perils of poor economics and one by one they went away.

While many of the old formulas could be researched the chemistry used in them and the nomenclature referenced was so antiquated with insufficient technical backup materials available that current emulsion engineers quickly concluded (as in the case of Lodima) that it was easier and more efficient to start virtually from a blank piece of paper and begin the process from inception with new materials. The R&D alone was a daunting task because there is a limited amount of resources and time to accomplish said objective does to the market for this product in terms of volume and price. Many pitched a massive bitch about the price of Lodima being high but I contend that considering the mountain of logistics and infrastructural investment that went into bringing a brand new product into a niche market it was a modern miracle bar none.

We can explore the universe with astounding resolution. One would have to think that we could produce superior papers than in years past. With unlimited resources it would be a sure thing and at least we have what we have.

Why can't we get Bill Gates passionately interested in Large Format photography and contact printing? We would be standing in tall cotton. Course then again he may screw the daylights out of us with the price.

[Jim Galli]

You realize you just said it was the violin, and NOT Josh Bell that made the beautiful music, right??

The truth is, Josh Bell could make an $80 Ebay violin sound sensational and I couldn't make a stradivarius do anything but horrific squeals.