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sully75
7-Oct-2010, 07:38
Just bought a box of this but not sure I'll be able to test it before I use it. Anyone have much experience with it? I guess it's pretty new as a sheet film.

Thanks
Paul

PS does anyone know what the .edu part of arista.edu is? In typing this, I guess it's their educational line. Duh. It's confused me for a while.

Jim Noel
7-Oct-2010, 08:08
I believe that .edu is an effort to indicate it is a good student film, and it certainly is priced at a student level.

jp
7-Oct-2010, 08:59
I use fomapan 100 for 8x10 and that is excellent with no problems.

I have tried fomapan 400 in 120 format. It was a pretty traditional B&W film; on the grainy side, easy to use tones, etc... In 120, it had some scratched emulsion in my scans; not sure if it was a manufacturing defect or a dirty rolleiflex; it wasn't my camera so I was not able to run different rolls through it to eliminate variables.

It would likely make a nice timeless image in 4x5 and it's not likely to experience the same issues as roll film. You could easily shoot a couple sheets of a properly lit scene prior to your intended use of it, then develop them first so at least you get the developing the way you want.

gevalia
7-Oct-2010, 09:10
I have a box of 4x5 myself and have shot a few but not developed yet. Looking for dev times and temps for Pyrocat-HD.

Jay DeFehr
7-Oct-2010, 09:20
jp,

Does the 120 film curl? I've been using the Ultrafine films, which I believe are of Chinese origin, and they curl significantly (like a half-tube) when they dry. Otherwise, they're very nice films, and cheap, too. If the Edu 400 doesn't curl, I'd be happy to try that instead.

B.I.S.H.O.P.
7-Oct-2010, 09:44
I have had no problem with the 120 film curl that some others have.

For the 4x5 (400), I have yet to achieve satisfactory results with it. I bought it on a whim, forgetting how little I like the foma 400. I have a half box left, and I still havent gotten a negative that Im legitimately happy with. I think that has more to do with me than the film though.

It scratches REALLY easily. be warned.

jp
7-Oct-2010, 12:23
I have no problems with any 120 film curling. I have used tmx, tmy, neopan acros, fomapan 100, fomapan 400. I process them in patterson reels and hang them to air dry in my darkroom with a clothespin. I put another clothespin on the bottom to keep it straight lengthwise.

Jay DeFehr
7-Oct-2010, 13:55
Thanks, guys! I'll give it a try.

desertrat
7-Oct-2010, 14:36
jp,

Does the 120 film curl? I've been using the Ultrafine films, which I believe are of Chinese origin, and they curl significantly (like a half-tube) when they dry. Otherwise, they're very nice films, and cheap, too. If the Edu 400 doesn't curl, I'd be happy to try that instead.
I'm curious about the Ultrafine 120 film. By any chance, is the inner wrapper bright red? And the backing paper, is it black, with a strange texture kind of like construction paper?

Jay DeFehr
7-Oct-2010, 15:51
No, it's wrapped in silver mylar, but the backing paper is black, and there is no lick-and-stick band to secure the roll after it's exposed; just a tiny square of adhesive with a peel off cover. There are no edge markings, and there is a square hole on one end of the film. One of my rolls had a stray bit of paper in the pkg with Chinese characters on it. I suspect that it's Chinese in origin, but I don't know how many Chinese manufacturers there are, or how to distinguish one from another. I'm attaching a pic of a roll of the 100 ISO stuff which is identically packaged, which makes it impossible to know which film you have once the film is exposed. The only places the film speed is marked are the mylar wrapper, and the adhesive band that secures the roll before exposure.

B.I.S.H.O.P.
7-Oct-2010, 16:09
Jay,

How does the film handle? Would you mind posting an example? I need to stock up.

Jay DeFehr
7-Oct-2010, 17:11
It's really nice film, except for the curl and the cheap packaging. I put my sleeved negatives in my dry mount press for a few days to flatten them before I try to scan/print. The curl also makes the film a little tricky to load on plastic reels, so I just use SS reels for this film.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jay_defehr/5017062186/

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_vQiBpnvmQMY/S_DvdkZpkxI/AAAAAAAAAfI/NU0f4L-rypU/s1600/M-0510-39-001.jpg

The first one is the ISO 400 and the second the ISO 100.

Jay DeFehr
7-Oct-2010, 17:12
Looks like I only uploaded the ISO 100 example. Here's the ISO 400:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jay_defehr/5017062186/lightbox/

I can't seem to load the image, so here's a link.

Deepanshu
8-Oct-2010, 06:48
I have a box of 4x5 myself and have shot a few but not developed yet. Looking for dev times and temps for Pyrocat-HD.

desertrat
8-Oct-2010, 09:28
Hi Jay, the reason I asked is because I have had some experience with J&C Pro 100, which I believe was rebranded Shanghai GP3 100. Both films had the same bright red inner wrapper made from metalized foil bonded to clear plastic bonded to red paper.

The backing paper was a kind of heavy black paper that reminded me of construction paper, only a bit lighter. Where tape adhered to it, an outer layer would peel off. There was a strip of paper in the inside, like the gummed paper that was licked and wrapped around the roll when fully wound on the take up spool, except the strip of paper had no adhesive and served no useful purpose.

The film had a bad tendency to curl, and the emulsion was very fragile when wet. I thought the negatives had very nice tonality, and didn't seem especially grainy. There was a fuzzy, indistinct edge marking at long intervals that looked like SGPFF. One other thing I noticed, was if I looked at a reflected light source on the backing side of the film, the film seemed to have a kind of wavy texture, like uneven thickness.

I kept the film refrigerated after purchase, and used the last couple of rolls after it had gone out of date. These last rolls had gone bad, with small flecks of slightly different density throughout the image area.

I guess the Ultrafine film might be Shanghai GP3 with a different inner wrapper, or a different film entirely.

Jay DeFehr
8-Oct-2010, 09:52
Yes, that sounds very familiar, regarding the backing paper and film curl, etc. I haven't noticed the uneven coating, fragile emulsion, or edge marking. I'm pretty sure it's Chinese.

theBDT
8-Oct-2010, 10:35
I'm not sure about the other film you all are talking about, but the consensus is that the arista edu is Foma, right?

I have some of the new 400, in 4x5 (what's all this talk about curling?) on the way today...

Jay DeFehr
8-Oct-2010, 12:07
TBDT,

The other film is from Photo Warehouse, and it's the 120 roll film that curls. I was wondering if the 120 Foma 400 curls, too, because I'm getting ready to order some. I think I'll just get 10 rolls to try it, and maybe some in 4x5, too. The bulk of my order will be for TMY-2 and Acros.

Pavel+
9-Oct-2010, 10:30
Arista 400 is Fomapan 400. It does curl but if you have it dry slowly it is fairly good and it straightens out for me in the sleeves.

I really like the stuff. I like the grain of it.

sully75
9-Oct-2010, 11:44
If I end up shooting this before I can process it (likely because I'm moving and will be doing some photography before I set up the darkroom in my new place), would it be a good bet to expose at ISO 200?