4x5 100 iso film Adox or Fomapan

[Gerard de Vrueh]

Hello,

I want to buy some 4x5 100 iso film. I would like to try either the:

- Adox CHS 100 ART
- Fomapan 100

They are both about the same price, around $20,- for 50 sheets.

Wich one would you advice? is there a definite winner for one reason or another?

Thanks for your advice!

Gerard

[atlcruiser]

I have never used the Adox so no opinion. I have used the foma 100 in 120, 45 and 810. I like it enough but it is not stellar. I have seen some crap on the film more than once. I find myself using the foma 400 and rating it at 200 for most things.

In the 100asa range i like FP4+ for more money

[sully75]

I've used Arista.edu, which is cheap rebranded Foma, in 400. I really liked it. I'm considering using it exclusively. Plenty cheap. I don't really know how to judge film, but I would say that it's somehow a slightly archaic feeling film but full of character. I actually have been preferring it to the HP5 I'd been using up to now.


Sasha Hsuczyk by Paul McEvoy, on Flickr

I haven't used it a ton but I'm pretty pleased with it!

[nolindan]

I've used Foma 100 / Arista 100 EDU Ultra (?).

OK film, for the price. Absolutely horrid reciprocity failure. See under "Schwarzschild effect": http://www.foma.cz/upload/foma/prilohy/F_pan_100_en.pdf.

You would be better off with the 400 - less chance of running into reciprocity problems.

[Gerard de Vrueh]

Hello gentlemen!

thanks for your replies!

@altcruiser. I agree that FP4 is probably the better film in terms of quality control. But since i am relatively new to 4x5 inch with a new camera wich i do not know (i have bought a Wista DX with 150 mm sironar-n but i won't get it until Xmass ) i will settle for a less expecive film for now.

@ Sully. Very nice portait and thanks for sharing. One picture says more than a thousand words.....This film looks a little like it is less sensitive to red. The skintone looks a little dark but then, the model may wel have a dark complexion. But i agree it looks like this film has a bit old fashion look (not really orthochromatic but not really panchromatic either). Did you use a yellow or orange filter in this picture? The sky looks very well detailed?

@ nolindan. In this case the schwarchield effect may have its benifits. I am currendly working with a selfmade cardbox 4x5 inch camera with an 150/9 g-glaron. Originally this was a lens from a repro camera and therefore it does not have a shutter. I work with a feltcap so long exposure times are all i have right now....

Thanks a lot!

Gerard

[sully75]

The model is darker skinned. (I really don't know anything about how BW film responds to color, sadly!) I didn't use any filter. I did some burning in PS, worked ok. Split toned in LR.

[atlcruiser]

Might have a look at the shanghai 45. I bought a bunch when I was trying to figure out LF..not that I have it figured out mind you

I like the shanghai over the foma

[Gerard de Vrueh]

@altcruser....

Where can i buy this shanghai 45 film? I live in europe and i do notice that a lot cannot be bought here.

Bye,

Gerard

[jp]

I've used the fomapan 100 in 8x10 and 4x5. It's a pleasant film, but I have gotten a few pinholes; I've read I should use a non-acidic fixer and might be OK then.

For 4x5, I mostly use tmax400, but I choose fomapan 100 as a slower film option. I rate it at less than iso 100; more like 64 and develop it in pyrocat-hd, which is a quality inexpensive developer, sometimes I use caffenol-c too, which I can't use with tmax400.

I have not used adox 100; I have used the efke 50 for a slow speed. It worked great with caffenol-c, but was super grainy. efke apparently is adox. It was also fragile compared to the tmax. The grain and fragility was what led me to foma 100. It appears less grainy, less apt to scratch, but still not as rugged as tmax.

[nolindan]

schwarchield effect may have its benifits. I am currendly working with a selfmade cardbox 4x5 inch camera ... it does not have a shutter. I work with a feltcap so long exposure times are all i have right now.

Oh, no, no, no.... it is not a good thing.

Reciprocity failure is reduced film sensitivity in low light levels. A film with a 1 stop failure at 1 second and a 3 stop failure at 10 seconds will, when exposed with a 1 second shutter speed, give you a negative that is 2 stops under exposed at zone II, 1 stop under at zone III and 1 stop over at zone VI: You end up with blown highlights and no shadow detail. The minimum 'safe' speed for maintaining shadow detail is 1/16 of a second.

Now, if you confine your picture taking to foggy days where everything is between zone IV and VI you will be OK.

You can always make yourself a drop/guillotine shutter or remove and bore out the shutter from a box camera. You can slow down a box camera's rotating shutter by weighting it down to increase inertia.