iPad View Cameras, Pathetic Print Papers, and Boxes!

By Ctein

Once again, some shorter items to entertain, educate, and amuse.

The future comes quickly these days
Remember my column a few months back about how one might make an iPad-sized digital view camera? No? You can refresh your memory here.

Well, reader Jim Hayes sent me a link to this wonderful news article, "A Smart-Phone Camera that Offers More than Megapixels: Pelican Imaging's 'array camera' will mean thinner devices and new imaging tricks."

Isn't that great? It's a different end-purpose, but it's exactly the same core concept: using an array of miniaturized cameras to achieve the same result you'd get out of a single much bulkier one.

I wouldn't count on it, but this might even end up mattering to thee and me. If the camera modules aren't too expensive or power-hungry (reasonable assumptions) and if the software is scalable to more individual cameras (who knows?), a pocketable "view camera" becomes a lot more plausible. You could put 1000 microcameras on the back of a smart phone case. So it's not a tablet-sized 8 x 10 view camera); it's "only" a pocketable 4x5 view camera equivalent. I could live with that. And I think you could keep the selling price under a grand, even for relatively modest numbers of units.

I won't get my hopes up. But I am going to be paying attention.

Paper? Still unsatisfactory
Just about a year ago I wrote "They're Selling Us Crap Paper," about the time that Hahnemuhle took over responsibility from Harman for Gloss FB Al paper (and retitled it Gloss Baryta).

For a while, it looked like the situation had gotten better; not really acceptable, but hardly worse than anyone else. But, my last several boxes had 65% of the sheets unusable. That drove me to get in touch with Hahnemuhle, in the person of Holly Sechan, the incredibly helpful and forthcoming Customer Service Manager of Hahnemuhle USA. She promptly forwarded my complaints and sample sheets to the mill, which is going to see what they can do to straighten out the mess. She has queued up an order so that as soon as new paper incorporating the fixes is available I will get it. Every step of the way she's gotten an A+.

The good news is that the mill readily agrees there's a problem. That's over half the battle. Still, it's likely to be a couple of months to fix the problem, and meanwhile I can't rely on this paper. I've switched to Ilford Gold Fibre Silk, which I do not like quite as much but is a close second. I prefer a paper that is a little glossier and has less surface texture, something that looks as close to darkroom air-dried F surface as possible. I'm not sensitive to base color or whiteness, but I really detest textured papers. For example, Epson's Exhibition Fiber is a no-go for me, and I could never live with the Canson Platine Fibre Rag paper that Charlie Cramer uses, lovely as his work looks on it. Gold Fibre Silk looks like the next-best option.

My absolute favorite supply company
Do you know about Uline? They sell shipping supplies—boxes, tubes, folders, envelopes, stiffeners, padding, tape, you name it. If you ship more than a handful of packages of a particular size, you should really be buying your supplies from them.

They don't sell onesies and twosies. Depending on the price and size of the item, a bundle or case lot may contain anywhere from 10 to 100 items. Most of you are thinking that you don't ship anywhere near that much, so why bother?

Three reasons. The first is that they're fabulously cheap. Ten boxes from them cost about the same as two or three boxes at your local packaging store (odds are said store gets their goods from Uline). Example: I just bought 26 double-walled Kraft mailing tubes with metal end caps, 24x4" for $4 apiece (all the prices I give include the sales tax and delivery charges). Being exactly the size and weight I need, I'm also saving several dollars on shipping over what I found at my local store. Another example: flat folding mailers for shipping 11x14" prints run a little over a buck, for 17x22" prints it's $2.70. Even sturdily packed with cardboard sheeting (which Uline also sells), they're cheap and light.

Second, they deliver to your door and they'll bill. Stuff arrives within a couple of days of your ordering, but you don't pay until the end of the month.

Third, the variety is amazing; they have ways of packaging items for shipping that you probably never imagined. If you need to ship over- or odd-sized or especially fragile items, you are far more likely to find the most cost-effective packaging method at Uline than at your local store. Unnecessarily large or heavy packaging costs you more and is more expensive to ship.

Uline will save you lots of money and time spent making up packages.

Ctein

This regular weekly column by Ctein (the name is pronounced "kuh-TINE," and yes, it's his whole name) appears on TOP on Wednesdays.

Featured Comment by Chad Thompson: "Here at the gallery we use Uline for about everything shipping/packaging related. The tea shop next door, same thing. The only beef I have with them is that everyone in the office that's ever contacted them gets a catalog sent to them. Currently we receive four catalogs about every three months. Which wouldn't be so bad if it weren't for the fact that when someone here calls to tell them we only need one catalog Uline puts that person on the mailing list too. Other than that they're great."

Ctein replies: Heh, I know what you mean. A new one seems to come every two months...plus they include one with any shipment I get, even though I'm already on the mailing list. (Readers should understand we're not talking 16-side flimsies—these are 500-page tomes with slick color printing that weigh over a pound.) I keep thinking this has to be a waste of money for them. On the other hand, my entire knowledge about the business of paper-goods selling comes from watching "The Office." So what do I know? Maybe this is really a profit-effective strategy.

Comments

[Chris Lucianu]

Ctein, thanks for pointing to this realisation of the 'array camera' after your recent theoretical essay, and thus indirectly demonstrating, again, what's wrong with 'retro'.

Also, to quote from Thom Hogan's column of the same day:
But what I started predicting a few years ago is coming true: cell phones kill compact cameras from the bottom, EVF interchangeable lens cameras marginalize compacts from the top and cannibalize DSLRs from the bottom. To compete, DSLRs need to be reinvented. Soon. Substantially.

The Times They Are A-changin’ (hopefully).

[Kenneth Tanaka]

Hear, hear to Ctein's praise of Uline! They are a fabulous operation that features an astonishing array of stuff. Uline has made my print sale packaging relatively simple! They really do deliver to your door.

But I underscore a warning: Uline is an industrial supplier, not Staples. If you need 500 mailers quick and inexpensively look at Uline. Ditto 200 50 gallon tubs or 100 toilet paper dispensers for public restrooms. They are a fabulous, service-oriented operation but they are very HEAVY-DUTY folks! Those mailers may arrive at your door in a semi.

[ctein]

Dear Chad,

Heh, I know what you mean about Uline catalogs. A new one seems to come every two months... plus they include one with any shipment I get, even though I'm already on the mailing list.

(Readers should understand we're not talking 16-side flimsies-- these are 500 page tomes with slick color printing that weigh over a pound.)

I keep thinking this has to be a waste of money for them.

OTOH, my entire knowledge about the business of paper-goods selling comes from watching "The Office." So what do I know? Maybe this is really a profit-effective strategy.

pax / Ctein

[ctein]

Dear Ken,

Yeah, Uline stuff typically sells in bundles of 20-100. But it's so much cheaper than store-bought that anyone who's shipping a dozen of something over the course of year is likely to save money.

A bigger savings, really, is being able to find the just-perfect packaging for an item, rather than making do with whatever your local shipping shop carries. That's where I really save money, on not buying unnecessarily big and heavy packaging that costs more to begin with and costs more to mail.

pax / Ctein

[Steve Lingeman]

Regarding ULINE . . . they are pretty much the best run company I know of, however, the company owners are decidedly as far right wing as one can get. They publish a catalog on regular basis . . . every catalog has an embedded editorial near the back, written by the owner's wife. Her comments are the most inane, stupid and uneducated I have seen in a long while. Last August she was touting FOX news as if it the source of God's power and her comments were decidedly political. Can you imagine? In the company catalog? Why would such a well run company want to politicize itself unless it's actually in the news business. I am completely convinced the woman's husband (the real brains behind ULINE) knew nothing about the editorials and their content. Likely, he was just giving his post-menopausal wife something to do to keep him out of his hair!

[Jim Woodard]

Two of my favorites in one post! Holly & ULine! While my dealings with Holly arent as extensive as your, every time I've talked( emailed) to her it has been a pleasure! And ULine, they are great as well, although the multiple catalog issue has driven me crazy for years! Just when I think I've convinced them i dont need and more catalogs here come four more. It is great to just browse in though and imagine what you could do with a 750' roll of bubble wrap or a case of tyvek hooded overalls!

[Marius Shanzer]

Is the paper that Hahnemühle took over from Harman what they are now selling as Glossy Fine Art Baryta or is that a different product?

Using a Canon Pro9500 Mark II (pigment) printer, I've found Innova's FibaPrint Warm Tone Gloss to be very good at emulating the F-type surfaces that I started out with in 1970's. I love the deep rich blacks that I've been getting. Do you have any thoughts on this paper?

[Jallu]

Speaking of large format cameras, how about a camera that shoots 14 x 36 inches negative?

http://vimeo.com/23669644

[Pardik]

They are indeed selling crap paper nowadays: http://cgi.ebay.com/Darkroom-Photographic-5x7in-Paper-ilford-Glossy-/130522116965?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1e63b97365#ht_2764wt_1237

Someone posted this at Rangefinderforum under the humorous headline: "Betcha those are not fogged!"

[Stephen Gilbert]

Try using Catalog Choice to stop your Uline (and other) catalogs. (www.catalogchoice.org) Once you register, you can add catalogs to your personal "Do Not Mail" list. They list many catalog mailers who cooperate with them.

No charge, and it seems to work. I haven't gotten a Uline catalog lately.

[James]

I've always used Bag Unlimited for my packing and archival needs.

[Steve Jacob]

Indeed the "imaging array camera" is a very exciting prospect indeed. Variable focus point and DOF after the event, low noise, high DR, vastly reduced mechanical complexity and far easier packaging.

The issue of course will be raw processing power, but that will be overcome in due course by Moore's Law I suppose.

[Al Benas]

Ctein:
I have used Harman Gloss products since their introduction; even used the Hahnemuhle variant. I won't argue with you about your lack of satisfaction - that's your call; I've only noticed the curl direction change since the ownership switchover. The surface has been OK for me (probably because I compare it to other manufacturers, not solely what's possible). I also love Canson Platine. But none of that is neither here nor there; I just want to address your comment about paper surface gloss. I picked Harmon over Epson Exhibition because Epson was unbelievably expensive and did have immense surface imperfections. After a review by MR over at LL, I tried Canson Baryta Photographique. It has less "texture" than Ilford Gold Fibre Silk (a paper that I didn't care for), and a tad more than Harmon. MR said that he was switching to it from Ilford. It might be worth a look. I like Harmon better, but it was a close secord.

[mitchell]

Ctein:

Have you tried Canson-Infinity's Baryta Paper it's the smoothest "Type F" paper I've found. Their Platine Paper isn't that bad either....much less tooth than Ilford or Hahnmuhle, but costs more.

[Rob Davidson]

have you tried Inkpress Baryta Warm Tone?
I think it might have the gloss and finish that you're looking for. I've printed quite a bit on it and love the results.

Cheers,
Rob Davidson

[hugh crawford]

Jallu,
That camera isn't so big, George R. Lawrence used a slightly larger camera using 17x48 inch film flown from a kite to take photos of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake.
Of course his big camera used a 54x96 inch glass plate.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_R._Lawrence

[David Bostedo]

"Indeed the "imaging array camera" is a very exciting prospect indeed. Variable focus point and DOF after the event, low noise, high DR, vastly reduced mechanical complexity and far easier packaging.

The issue of course will be raw processing power, but that will be overcome in due course by Moore's Law I suppose. "

Steve - The ability to vary the focus point and DOF isn't inherently a feature of an array camera, and will still require some more advanced hardware and software. So it's likely that we'll simply have array cameras that do the other things you mentioned for a while first.

And I keep waiting for Moore's law to break, but it's still pretty much in tact for now. Although at the tiny technologies companies are hitting now, the cost may be the thing that breaks it, rather than science. (I.e. we might have to move to different types of cheaper technologies rather than keep pushing the current semiconductor field.)

[Ed]

I'm very fond of Calumet as well. They delivered a set of 10 Velvia RCP50 rollfilms in a day.......send the bill a few days later......now that is gaining client trust.

Greetings, Ed

P.S. Took the GX680 for a spin along the Rhur and Emscher today......3 locations...... lots of schlepping around. And yes it can be done, 1 camera, 1 tripod of the Gitzo kind, 3 lenses 65, 80, 135 and 2 backs, but could someone please remove the elephant from my back please :-).

[Doug C]

U-line is certainly good, as is Yazoo for tubes, but if your volume is high enough there are tube companies and box companies that make things to your spec and are quite a bit cheaper, usually half or less of U-line. But I am ordering 1,000 or more tubes at a time and 100 or more boxes. Check your Yellow pages or equivalent.
And George Lawrence's camera was big, Ron Klein up in Alaska made a slightly bigger one for a 100 year anniversary re-shoot of the 1906 shot, but Kodak made almost 100 #16 Cirkut cameras which shoot a neg 16" by whatever length you care to go, 8 to 12 feet is common.

[WeeDram]

Air dried gloss for optical prints was just da bomb for me. I don't know from digital/inkjet papers, but if there's no paper that can give me that reliably and with proper grayscale, then meh.

[ctein]

Dear WeeDram,

You'll be relieved to know you don't need to utter a "meh." There are plenty of inkjet papers with "air-dried F" surface and an excellent tonal range.

Since you said you didn't know from inkjet papers, I thought you'd be relieved to learn that.

But... since you don't know from... why did you post again? I think I missed your point.

pax / Ctein