Michael,
first of all thanks for the very interesting review of the Baryta papers. I am using the Hahnemühle and the Harman myself since two weeks on a Epson 3800 and came to a quite similar feeling without having the capability to measure gamuts, DMax etc.
I would like to comment on one of your criteria. From my point of view, pricing is very hard to consider on a global basis. The prices of the three papers at one of leading German retailers (
www.monochrom.de) are in this moment (including 19% VAT):
Hahnemühle Baryta 20 Sheets of 13x19" = € 94,00
€ 4,07 / sheet
Harman Gloss FB Al 15 Sheets pf 13x19" = € 58,00
€ 3,87 per sheet
Ilford Galerie Gold Fibre Silk 50 Sheets of 1x19" = € 118,00
€ 2,36 per sheet
There are two observations on these prices:
1) In Germany the Hahnemühle paper is most expensive one. Hmm, it is manufactured around 150 km from the location of the above mentioned retailer, that might be the reason ;-).
2) All papers are much more expensive in Germany. If you compare the prices without VAT on the current exchange rate to the US $ (I assume you have used this and not the CAN $), it's around 30 % more. Again, all these papers are manufactured in Europe, they seem to drop some value while flying over the Atlantic Ocean ;-).
BTW: If you want to buy a 1Ds III in Europe, you can fly Business Class to New York and buy at B+H, that's cheaper.
My major question based on these observations is if pricing in one country is a solid criteria for a product review on a global website?
What do you think?
Best Regards
Bernd
