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chassis
31-Mar-2013, 08:38
Inspired by the thread of a similar title in the Camera forum, what is your film history over time?

I started with 126 and 35mm, graduating to 120 and now shoot only 4x5. I am a Kodak guy, mostly due to training and habit.

My list is in chronological order. I don’t typically shoot more than one film format at a time.

126 size: Kodak Plus-X Pan
135 size: Kodak Tri-X, Plus-X, Tech Pan, Kodacolor, and a little Kodachrome 64
120 size: Kodak Tri-X, Plus-X Pan and Verichrome Pan, some early Tmax in 100 and 400, and a little Ektachrome 100
4x5 size: Kodak Tri-X

Today my mainstay is Tri-X in the 4x5 size. I am tempted to try other 4x5 emulsions, based on what I see on this forum, but for me I have a system that is working and I like the results.

Kirk Gittings
31-Mar-2013, 08:57
All 4x5. Used Tri-X for 30 years in HC-110, but eventually wanted less grain. Tried T-Max 100 when it first came out-found it finicky. Then switched to Acros in Readyloads-love it till my stash ran out. Started using FP4+ when it was under Freestyle brand loved it and stuck with it-now developing in Pyrocat HD.

Peter Lewin
31-Mar-2013, 09:14
Started with 35mm Tri-X in Microdol, then switched to D-76 1:1 (my current 35mm standard), but also switched to Ilford HP5+, so for 35mm now use HP5+ with D-76 1:1.
When I started with 4x5, it was the Ansel Adams/Fred Picker era, so Tri-X and HC-110. Somewhere along the line I switched from Tri-X to HP5+ (see a pattern?) and after reading Gordon Hutching's articles and book, switched from HC-110 to PMK, which is my current standard (except when I'm shooting some of my remaining out-dated Tri-X, which still gets HC-110). Must admit that while HP5+ was the obvious manufacturing switch from Tri-X, so many on this forum shoot FP4+ that I may have to try that for 4x5; its just hard to change when you are really used to how one film and developer combination work.
I got into medium format relatively late, so (surprise!) for 120, it's HP5+ and PMK.

Jim Andrada
31-Mar-2013, 10:49
Oh come on, must be lots of us still standing that started on Verichrome in 620 box cameras. "fess up, we're all among friends here!!!!

Vaughn
31-Mar-2013, 10:57
120(Rolleiflex)
Verichrome
Settled on Panatomic-X for a long time
TMax 100 after the Pan-X stopped

4x5
Royal Pan
Super XX
Tmax100

5x7/8x10/11x14
I am not picky about film these days, though I use more FP4 than anything else.

Oren Grad
31-Mar-2013, 11:10
Oh come on, must be lots of us still standing that started on Verichrome in 620 box cameras. "fess up, we're all among friends here!!!!

Actually, Verichrome Pan in a 127 Brownie.

It would take all afternoon to write up all my film and developer meanderings over the years. I've always come back to Tri-X in D-76 1+1 for roll film and HP5 Plus in D-76 straight or 1+1 for sheet film, and that's where I am now.

Tony Evans
31-Mar-2013, 11:52
From very hazy memory,
1945-1955: Kodak??? 620 & 127 (Box Brownie types)
1955-1970: Kodachrome (35mm)
1970-1980: Fuji Color???. (35mm)
1980-2010: Pan F/Reala. (35mm,MF)
2010 +: Pan F+/Reala/Portra/Ektar/ (35mm & MF), Acros100/ FP4+ (LF)

bigdog
31-Mar-2013, 12:27
Actually, Verichrome Pan in a 127 Brownie.

It would take all afternoon to write up all my film and developer meanderings over the years. ...

Ditto. And I couldn't remember it all if I tried ...

I've used it all. But I am lately gravitating away from traditional emulsions (TriX, HP5, etc.) to the T-grain.

IanG
31-Mar-2013, 12:48
1956 folding camera aged 2 but not allowed film :rolleyes:

Verichrome Pan in a Brownie 127 early 60's

Agfa ISS in An Agfa Rapid late 60's

FP4 & HP4 later HP5 (FP3, HP3 ex Government surplus as well, 1969-1986 35mm & 120

MF & LF: 1976-86 FP4
1986 APX100 until discontinued, also Tmax 100
2007 Delta 100 and HP5 in Pyrocat HD

Also MF & LF: Efke PL25 for over 25 years, later Fortepan 200 (10x* 3 boxes left and Fomapan 100/200

Colour all formats: Fujichrome E3/4 and then E6 50D or 100D

Ian

Tin Can
31-Mar-2013, 13:10
I was 9 and wanted to learn photography, it was 1960, semi-rural Minneapolis. I had a loaned Minox. Shot it, developed it and contact printed it all by myself. My dad did build a box closet for me in the basement. However he thought an enlarger was a stupid waste of money and I lost interest with contact printing miniature film.

Then, a few years later, Pentax H3 35mm, I shot and store developed, for 4 decades.

Now, I gots me a darkroom and 10 enlargers...

Peter Gomena
31-Mar-2013, 13:59
Verichrome Pan 127 for my Kodak Brownie World's Fair Flash Camera.

Tri-X almost exclusively for 35mm for years and years, along with Kodachrome 64. I've also used a bit of Delta 100.

120 film is a mixed bag. I'm down to my last 35 rolls of Agfapan APX100, and am very fond of Fuji Acros. I have a bunch of PanF+ I keep on hand for flat lighting situations. I'll probably switch to Acros and FP4+ when my APX100 runs out.

Tri-X 320 almost exclusively for 4x5, with minor side-steps into T-Max 100 and 400. Now I'm trending toward FP4+, am tempted to try HP5+. For color it was VPSIII, VHC or VPH. Now it's Portra 160NC, maybe 400 for windy days. So far my whole-plate camera has consumed only FP4+ and likes it.

Jim Andrada
31-Mar-2013, 21:18
In about 1946 after I had a year of experience with box cameras my father let me use his neat little Zeiss Super Ikonta - Tessar lens, rangefinder, neat little folding camera that must date to the 30's sometime. I still have it and it works just fine - black paint has worn off the metal in a few spots, but otherwise in perfect condition.

I think it was actually a 1937 model 531 because it's 6 x 4.5 and I remember that the manual referred to an Albada finder - so that would date it to 1937 which was coincidentally the year my parents got married.

Anyhow, after the Ikonta I finally got a Nikon F/35mm. Still have two of them. I used to use Tri-X and an ASA 20 or so Adox film - can't quite remember what it was. In 1970 I got my 5 x 7 Linhof Bi which I still use. I used mainly an ASA 100 Ansco film of some type - name long forgotten, but I remember that I developed in D-76. I had a 1968 Porsche 911 that I bought new and after it was stolen in 1970 I spent half the insurance money on a BMW2002 and the other half on the Linhof kit.

Since running out of the Ansco I've shot a bunch of different films - currently Tri-X/Acros (4 x 5 and 8 x 10)/Ilford XP2 (120)/Delta 100/Portra/Provia etc etc. Haven't really settled on any one film.

John Kasaian
31-Mar-2013, 21:48
8x10
TMY
Arista Pro
TXP
PW Ultra
Fortepan
HP-5+ & FP-4+
plus occasional jaunts into Arista .edu, x-ray, Efke, APHS territory.

Kodachrome25
1-Apr-2013, 00:51
Started at age 8 with my dad's old 120 Zeiss Ikon folder with Tri-X and Plus-X. I then got a Kodak X15 126 camera for my birthday a year later, was not fond of 126 or no settings with the X15 so I took some glue and a ziploc and relegated it to underwater duty in the pool until the bag leaked.

At age 11 I mowed lawns all Summer to save up $220 to buy a Nikon FM with a 50mm 1.8 Series E. I shot a lot of color neg and Kodachrome, some black and white. I used 35mm exclusively until I was 21 and bought a Hasselblad 500C with a couple of chrome C lenses. I then sold that as I started working full time shooting and shot 35mm exclusively again until I was 27 when I was told I had to go digital at my newspaper, that was 1994....

In 2004, I vowed that some day I wanted to get the hell away from digital as much as possible and bought an XPan, started stocking up on Techpan film. I also created the Kodachrome project and got the support of both Dwayne's and Kodak, stocked up over 1,000 rolls of Kodachrome, ended up shooting 1,200 for the project...

Two years later, started building up my Hasselblad system and stockpiling lots black and white 120 film. Then about a year ago, started using 4x5 and now shoot 10% 35mm, 40% 4x5 and 50% 120, all black and white, have 1,000 sheets each of Tmax 100, Tmax 400, Efke IR820 and a few hundred sheets of IR400 and Delta 100 in the freezer among tons of 120 film...
I now shoot mostly Ilford and Kodak black and white but do have a few hundred rolls of Acros in 120 stashed as well as some Ektar in 120 and 4x5.

My goal to dump digital entirely is nearly complete, tomorrow morning I hang my first ever all analog black and white show...life is good.

neil poulsen
1-Apr-2013, 07:45
There've been quite a few. This is a fairly complete list.

35mm Mamiya Sekor 1000DTL. (Graduation present from college.)
Nikon FTn. (70's)
Rollieflex E. (70's)
Deardorff 5x7/4x5 NSF. (Early 80's)
Linhof Color 4x5 (Technika on a rail.) (Mid 80's)
Bronica S2a. (Late 80's.)
Nikon FE 35mm. (Late 80's)
Arca Classic F 4x5. (Mid 90's.)
Kodak FF SLR/c. (2004)
Kodak 2D 8x10. (Mid 2000's)
Mamiya Press. (Mid 2000's)
Mamiya RB & 645 Outfits. (Late 2000's)
Arca 6x9 Old Style. (Late 2000's)
Deardorff 8x10 NSF. (About 2 years ago.)

Of course, many of these have been sold. Plan to keep both Arca's, Deardorff 8x10, Mamiya Press, Nikon FE, Bronica S2a, & Kodak SLR/c. Probably will purchase an RZ system and maybe a Canon 5D II or III.

Laura_Campbell
1-Apr-2013, 08:24
4x5
Tri-X in PMK

8x10
FP4+ in ID-11

Currently using FP4+ in Pyrocat-HD (tray)

Brian C. Miller
1-Apr-2013, 08:25
Inspired by the thread of a similar title in the Camera forum, what is your film history over time?

I started with 126 and 35mm, graduating to 120 and now shoot only 4x5. I am a Kodak guy, mostly due to training and habit.

The thread seems to have gone off track.

Film. As in, emulsion. That gelatin, oh-so-thinly lathered with ultimate precision onto a wee snip of plastic. Exposed like like a spotlight on a show girl.

And now for something technical and boring...

I've bought whatever was on the shelf, sampling a bit of everything in 120 except Kodachrome. I've used a lot of Agfa, and now that's gone. I've used a lot of Kodak, favorites being HIE/HIR and Techpan. I suppose that I've been using mainly Ilford in LF, but I have recently bought mostly Kodak, Tri-X and Tmax. Oh, and color, too.

I just got some Fuji 64T and Kodak E100S, Portra 160, Ektar 100, and Portra 400 back from Praus.

And I showed my coworkers why I shoot LF. With a magnifier and a 22x loupe. They were stunned. And so I continue with film.

Jim Noel
1-Apr-2013, 08:33
Beginning in 1937:
OO
116 (still my favorite roll film size)
4x5 (1939)
2 1/4 x3 1/4
120
35mm
5x7
8x10
7x17

DrTang
1-Apr-2013, 08:43
I started with plus x and tri x in 35mm

added kodachrome super 8 film

added kodachrome to 35mm

played with a bunch of different 35 films..GAF high speed (kinda cool), high speed recording, litho, polachrome, scotch


moved into 4x5 for a bit and shot some ektachrome

then into 120 for tri-x, plus-x and OMG...best film ever: 120 kodachrome..might even have a roll in the freezer still..

added fuji and ektachrome 120 when kodachrome 120 discontinued

back to 4x5 - mostly B&W with trix at 200

added a 7x17 and 7" mil surplus plus-x maybe roll film

sold the 7x17 and bought a 8x20 and two cases of tri-x

picked up an 8x10, with polaroid kit - - saved my lunch money to buy 2 boxes of polaroid film
- - -- oh man..oh man... if they hadn't discontinued that film shortly after..I'd now be living in a van and selling blood to afford shooting it - - it's just that much fun

-skip ahead to today


have a freezer full of 4x5 film I got from a studio that closed..mostly kodak....as well as boxes of 5x7 tri-x

and 5x7 and 5x12 ilford film bought new