It's a linguistic confusion about the word "shiny"
You're doing it right. The "rough" side of fomapan does reflect light, making it shiny, but it's just a little less smooth than the backside.
It's a linguistic confusion about the word "shiny"
You're doing it right. The "rough" side of fomapan does reflect light, making it shiny, but it's just a little less smooth than the backside.
By shiny I mean smooth, to the touch it's glossy plastic.
The emulsion side is rough to the touch. If I look at it at an angle to the light, I can see the thin film of emulsion on top of the plastic substrate.
So am I correct in that the notch code on Foma/Arista EDU 100 and 200 is *backwards*? Or am I loading the film wrong?
Except the code notch goes on the open flap end on the right hand side (the notch goes under flap )...
Steve K
Sigh....Originally Posted by LabRat
This isn't helping.
Can someone tell me if photo 2 or photo 3 of the 3 I attached earlier in this thread are the correct orientation for Arista EDU? It shouldn't (doesn't) matter whether the notch is at the flap end or dark slide end, but it does matter which side of each end. I've been taught/told that it should always be upper right/lower left as you look at the film holder in portrait mode.
I.e. like this: http://zo-d.com/stuff/photography/ho...m-holders.html (here the notch is under the flap, it could just as well be under the darkslide end of the holder, as long as the notch is on the correct side of the film holder end, i.e. upper right or lower left)
Please?
Upper right side of flap end... Always...
The bottom edge by the light trap is narrow and having the code notch there would intrude into the image area... Under the flap covers more of the edge and hides the notch...
Ok, that makes sense. Right now I'm simply trying to ascertain whether Foma 100 is notched backwards, and based on what you (and others) describe, it would seem that's the case. I'll load some up "backwards" for this weekend and compare how it looks.
I had no idea about the flap end vs. dark slide end, thanks for the info, I'll try that out when I load up a new set of holders.
It is not notched backwards. Your middle picture shows the correct orientation.
It shouldn't be notched backwards, as all sheet film is standard... An old printer's trick to test the emulsion side was to slightly lick a fingertip and touch an edge of the paper or film... The emulsion side will be slightly tacky to the touch...
If the film is in backwards, you will get little to no image, as the anti-halation backing (that washes off during processing) will block the light from going through the film base to the emulsion on the underside... (Emulsion always toward lens)...
I doubt the code notches are wrong...
Steve K
I have always loaded the film in the holder with the flap facing away from me. With 4x5 film being so small, it's easy to check the upper edge with a finger so that I know that the notches are top right. Being taught this way, it never occured to me (until now) that one can get away with putting the notch the other way round.Live and learn, as they say.
"Be still and allow the mud to settle."
Ok I've figured it out, I think.
The side with the texture/roughness is actually the back side of the film. The emulsion side is "glossy" and very smooth to the touch. Opposite of what I'm used to, but I burned a sheet of film from the box just to test.
Someone mentioned using a damp finger to test, to be honest both sides feel slightly tacky to me that way.
The green side is the anti-halation layer, the light grey side is the emulsion. Emulsion side feels slick, anti-halation layer feels quite rough to the touch, the difference is the same after developing.
Now I know.
Glad I'm using bargain basement film in 4x5 size, and not something pricey in 8x10!
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