I've starting shooting some 4x5 Arista EDU Ultra (Foma) in 200 speed, mainly because it's cheap but also cause I know Foma has a good reputation. I'm wondering if anyone knows of any difference at all between the Foma and Arista EDU Ultra films. Seems to me like there should be some difference for $6 more for a box of 25 sheets of Foma. Any other comments are greatly appreciated as well. Thanks!
If this is like the other Arista products, there is essentially zero difference. The "Made In Hungary" films were identical to Forte, Some of the 35mm Arista films are identical to Agfa, and at one time some were Ilford.
It is Freestyle large purchasing power and Foma's desire to move product that allows the film to be sold so reasonably.
In addition, I should add, that any warranty issues would be on Freestyle, not Foma.
The difference? .edu Ultra is lots cheaper! I shoot the 100 iso version and I've been able to afford to lay aside a couple of boxes of 8x10 "in reserve" next to the frozen succotash and eskimo pies should there be a glitch with getting film from one of the major suppliers. Besides, its very good stuff!
"I would feel more optimistic about a bright future for man if he spent less time proving that he can outwit Nature and more time tasting her sweetness and respecting her seniority"---EB White
.EDU Ultra is not "identical" to Foma, it *is* Foma. I recently heard from someone on another forum who was shooting Foma 100 in a roll format, and found it was edge marked "ULTRA" just like the Ultra 100 and Ultra 400 I shoot...
BTW, Foma is *excellent* film, and unlike some B&W films we see from time to time, is available in 35 mm, 120, a number of sheet formats (not just 4x5), and even cine formats (the latter only in the 100R B&W reversal emulsion). If every other B&W film manufacturer on Earth vanished (hopefully not to be the case!), I could get by nicely for the rest of my life with Foma films (and papers).
If a contact print at arm's length is too small to see, you need a bigger camera. :D
Yes, indeed the Foma 100 roll film is marked ULTRA on the edge, and from my memory, there is no single hint of Foma from the developed roll (no such word there)...
The only pity is that they (Foma) don't offer the Foma 200 in sheets here in the Czech Republic. They only offer the 100 variant. And only in metric sizes, not the 4x5", 5x7" and so on... Those are probably only for export...
I'm very content with their films too, anyway...
Jiri Vasina
www.vasina.net
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My books @ Blurb (only heavily outdated "Serene Landscape").
I bought a couple of boxes of the Arista.EDU 200 speed 8x10 film a month ago and have shot about half of it. It seems to be very good quality and I like it quite a bit. My only real difficulty is reciprocity -- having dealt with Tmax films in 4x5 for years, having to start dealing with reciprocity effects at 1 second is a new experience. I intend to keep using it, though. Very nice tonality, excellent price.
Mike
Politically, aerodynamically, and fashionably incorrect.
Jiri, you might ask the dealer who sells the centimeter sizes if they can special order the inch sizes. Foma does cut those sizes, so (possibly by fulfilling some minimum order) it's most likely possible for your dealer to get those sizes in for you.
It's worth doing; I don't know that I'd bother with the 200, just go straight to the 400 speed; I shoot it in 35 mm and the grain is comparable to modern T-Max 400 or Tri-X. In 4x5, there's no reason anyone would ever see grain (and unless you shoot barrel lenses with lens cap shuttering or use a Packard shutter or similar primitive equipment, there's no downside to faster film once grain is eliminated).
Mike, I have a very simple rule for reciprocity that applies to almost all "conventional" grain films: one stop longer exposure, after 1 second, is 3x instead of 2x the time. So, if I need 2 stops more light from 1 second, and can't open the aperture (say, need the DOF), I give, not 4 seconds, but 9. Works perfectly with almost all conventional grain films (though Ilford actually requires about 10% less than this or it overexposes by the time I'm out to 8 or 16 seconds on the meter). Get into designer grain films, and all bets are off -- now that Tech Pan is gone, Acros (ISO 100) is the fastest silver-image B&W you can buy if you're shooting at exposure times beyond 15 seconds on the meter...
If a contact print at arm's length is too small to see, you need a bigger camera. :D
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