Fuji FP-100C - Not sharp

[Mark_Se]

Today I made my first photo using a Fuji Fp-100C instant film ( with a sinar f2 and a polaroid holder) . The result is a bit soft- is that normal? I always had sharp results with 4x5" print and slide film.

[sanchi heuser]

Yes, that's normal and inevitable.
The image is transferred from the negative to the positive by
chemical diffussion, that makes it unsharp I suppose.

The negative itself from an instant film can be quite sharp, see negatives from Polaroid 55 or 665.
Each time I photographed with Polaroid 55 and the negative was razorsharp then the positive was unsharp.
It doesn't have to do with a malfunction of the instant film holder.

The Polaroid 55 and the 665 could be used very good to control the sharpness/unsharpness.
Sadly these films are discontinued and there's not much hope for a revival.

I think the Fuji FP is fine for studying the composition of the photo
especially with ultra wide angle shots when its difficult to see everything on the
viewing glas.

To use it for exposure control makes no sense and above all it would be extrem expensive. Maybe good for very long exposures, I don't know.
I would better test the film directly with a series of exposures on roll film.

Alternative:)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qt-NraquF5E
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qt-NraquF5E

[ic-racer]

I have been using the FB3000B lately and it is very sharp, like a contact print.

[Ari]

I've always found that the instant film was sharp, unless I made a mistake or something.
Once you calibrate it to your film, Fuji FP-100c is very good for gauging exposure, composition, colour rendition and focus.

[sanchi heuser]

Well, then I had done something wrong, but what?

I have mostly used Fuji FP-100c45 whith an expiry date one year back.
Holder was a relative new looking Fuji PA-45 and the camera a Sinar F2.
The sheet film which I exposed in fidelity holders on that camera was quite sharp IMO.
Maybe the film register of the holder isn't allright?

Andi


Quote ic-racer:
"I have been using the FB3000B lately and it is very sharp, like a contact print."


quote Ari:
"I've always found that the instant film was sharp, unless I made a mistake or something.
Once you calibrate it to your film, Fuji FP-100c is very good for gauging exposure, composition, colour rendition and focus."

[Ari]

Maybe the holder was off, Andy, but Fujiroids have never been a problem for me.
I've always had more troubles with film registration, light leaks and dust on my film.

[sanchi heuser]

Ari, what do mean with 'off' ?

Today I had a look at the holder. There was yet one pack in it with one sheet left -
I thought : let me sacrifice it -
took it out and disassembled the film pack.
I found nothing that could indicate that the instant negative isn't in the right position.

What I could do is to use another pack and make three exposures
from, let's say a newspaper taped on the wall, and make one after I
focused sharp. Then I make one after I changed the focus a little bit in one direction
and another with a change in opposite direction.
I'd use a longer lens and aperture open to have a small depth of field.

When the exposure with unchanged focus is sharper than the other two
then the film registration of the holder should be fine, or?

Andi

[Frank Petronio]

It should be reliable, the small instant print will never look as sharp as film but you should be able to enjoy a pleasant, normal-looking photo with it. Perhaps your film holder wasn't properly seated in the camera back so the film plane was off?

It is hard to tell without seeing it, there is soft and there is out-of-focus....

[Ari]

Sorry, Andi, by "off", I meant out of register or out of alignment.
As Frank says, perhaps it wasn't seated properly on your camera back.
And if you have a print to show, put it up here.

[sanchi heuser]

Thanks Frank and Ari,

I just had a look at my camera and I think that the holder was seated properly
and both holder and the rear coupling frame of the Sinar are not outworn.
I used lenses (Nikkor + Schneider) that gave negatives or slide which were sharp enough for me.

I make my experiment with the newspaper page and try to post it here
and some other instants together with the corresponding film negative.
Will need some days cause I have no scanner here, sorry.


Obviously it's possible to get quite good results with Fuji FP-100c,
see picture from Laron:
http://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/showthread.php?t=37200&page=114