Arista EDU Ultra 8x10 format film...good or bad?

[axs810]

Hello!

I'm going to apologize ahead of time for posting another thread on Arista film...I'm just short on cash and need a little reassurance. First of all, for those who shoot 8x10 Arista EDU Ultra film have you experienced any problems with the emulsion? Is it consistent? Is it true that Arista EDU Ultra ISO 100 and 200 are Foma film and ISO 400 is TRI-X? Also how does this film handle artificial lighting?

I'm used to shooting Kodak tri-x 320 and developing it in HC110 dilution b. If I buy a box of Arista film does anyone have any developer recommendations that work well?


Thanks in advance,
Eric O.

[Robert Oliver]

Here's a shot I did on that film yesterday in the studio... I didn't like it much with HC-110 (dilution H) but am really starting to like it with Pyrocat HD 1:1:100 with rotary processing.

This is my first box of it, but haven't seen any emulsion problems so far, other than the scratches I am getting as I figure out my 8x10 workflow.

Reciprocity failure is huge with this film, so wouldn't be my choice for landscape. But so far it's proving to be a champ in the studio.

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5537/9204499689_c85d0f0a79_b.jpg

[axs810]

Thanks for sharing your results Robert :) Would you happen to have anymore?

hmm..just an observation - how come all the large format images I see with this film are pretty low in contrast? I know everyone has their own methods of exposing/developing but the blacks don't seem very rich with this film

[jp]

I had some quality problems with a box of 100 8x10 purchased two years ago. After that, I was more comfortable paying the extra for some fp4+ or more comfortable using some tmy2 I have. YMMV.

It is capable of excellent shadows, Robert's sample image doesn't show that. It shows freckles very nicely. I've used it with pmk, pyrocat hd, caffenol-c.

[polyglot]

I use the 100 in 4x5 and Xtol, rotary; it and the 200 are definitely Fomapan. I don't think the 400 is Tri-X; they sell that as Arista Premium in 35mm as far as I know. The EDU 400 doesn't say "manufactured in USA" whereas the Premium 400 135/36 does.

IMHO it's not inherently low-contrast (http://www.flickr.com/photos/24125157@N00/6451579169/). I've not had any flaws so far in about 150 sheets.

some more examples (http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=4x5+foma100&w=24125157%40N00&s=int)...

[MIke Sherck]

Arista.EDU Ultra sheet films are all Foma films. If you go to Freestyle's web site and find the films, you can download a .pdf file for each film and they all say, "Made in Czech Republic."

Arista PREMIUM 35mm ASA 400 film is Tri-x, but it's 35mm only.

I haven't had a problem with Arista.EDU Ultra sheet films in 8x10 (ASA 200 and 100.) They look stunning in pyro developers (I use PMK,) and are still very nice in D-76 as well.

Mike

[Scott --]

All the 8x10 (and almost all the 4x5) I've ever shot was Arista. I love the stuff. I develop in HC-110 dil H, and think it responds wonderfully. And I have no trouble with blacks.

A shot from a while ago on 8x10:
http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3083/2808345079_23d691a086_z.jpg?zz=1 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/scott--/2808345079/)
Joe's hog (http://www.flickr.com/photos/scott--/2808345079/) by Scott -- (http://www.flickr.com/people/scott--/), on Flickr

As stated before, reciprocity is a bitch with this film. Good for nice light, waterfalls, etc., but sucks for low light portraiture...
98227

[Drew Wiley]

I tried some of the 200 stuff in 8x10... developed it in PMK, and once I got used to the "real" speed (including horrible recip characteristics), discovered it to have
an incredible straight line that would handle a remarkable contrast range.... BUT there were a lot of scratches and sometimes zits on the film which essentially ruined
half the shots except perhaps for contact printing highly textured subjects. If they could (or did) solve the quality control issue it would be an enviable film.

[Scott Davis]

I shot a lot of the 200 in 5x7. As others have mentioned, it's really a 100 speed film. Until recently I was not having problems with "zits" on the film - when it was fresher, the quality seemed fine. I had put 5x7 aside for a while, and then came back and started shooting my remaining (now-outdated) stock and saw more problems, but still no scratching issues (I rotary process in a Jobo). I use it with Pyrocat HD 1:1:100 and do my printing in platinum/palladium, which this film seems especially made for. As mentioned before also, it has an incredibly long straight line in the curve, so it is fantastic for boosting contrast for alt process printing. Yes, the reciprocity sucks eggs, so I don't use it for long exposures in low light - I break out the FP4+ or the TMY-400 for that. If I'm shooting it in the studio, it goes under strobes, so that solves the reciprocity issue for portraits (well, that and the fact that I have a pair of 2400 w/s packs).

[Drew Wiley]

The scratches I saw were probably from the cutting and packaging line - in other words, pre-development, always parallel to the borders about an inch in - not random like one would produce tray processing. I lost a lot of good shots and figured it was cheaper to use TMY anyway, which has both speed and robustness.
But I did land a few images with the Arista/Foma 200 which simply had that extra snap in the extremes that even TMY would have had a problem with. Probably
the least (or steepest) toe of any film I ever used, including Super XX.

[Ari]

Does anyone have any experience with the 400 ISO Arista?
I'm keen on the speed, but haven't heard much about its image quality; like Scott, I like to process in HC-100 dilution H whenever possible.

[Drew Wiley]

I don't know if the 400-speed product is the same as when I tried it or not. Again, I'd rate it at about half the box speed. It seemed to be a competent film, but
nothing special, and came out a bit grainy, even in 8x10 processed in pyro. If you like distinct grain, HC-110 might be suitable.

[axs810]

Can you push this film (arista 400) to ISO 1600?

Hearing about the zits/ scratches that can occur with this film do kind of scare me..

[polyglot]

Can you push this film (arista 400) to ISO 1600?

No chance. It gains contrast much faster than it gains speed and the 400 is already really only 200. If you need 1600 then use a (much) better film like TMY2, TXP or HP5.

[axs810]

Dang...well it looks like my next batch of film will be Ilford HP5 due to lighting conditions I'll be working in but I am definitely going to try the Arista films later this month just out of curiousity


Thanks to everyone who replied!

[Ari]

I don't know if the 400-speed product is the same as when I tried it or not. Again, I'd rate it at about half the box speed. It seemed to be a competent film, but
nothing special, and came out a bit grainy, even in 8x10 processed in pyro. If you like distinct grain, HC-110 might be suitable.

Thanks, Drew; seems that the 200 is the ticket.