Bulk film choices?

rbiemer

rbiemer

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I have been shooting C-41 BW film almost exclusively for a few years and have also ordered some rolls of Kodak and Ilford to shoot with a view to picking one or two as main stays. But there are other choices that I'd be foolish not to consider so I have been looking at B&W bulk film choices and wonder, have I missed any?
I have found:
Arista
Efke
Fomapan
Ilford
Kodak
Rollei
Fuji has apparently discontinued theirs so I didn't put them on my list.
And I can't tell whether Agfa is current or not?
Any others in current production?
Thanks!
Rob
 
Those should be the ones available but:

Agfa went out of business a few years ago, no production of film since 2005. Rollei bought a lot of stock rolls and are now selling APX as Rollei Retro.

Arista is Freestyle Photo's own brand name and comes in different flavours; Edu (rebranded Fortepan, made by Forte in Hungary, out of business since last year), Edu.Ultra (rebranded Fomapan, still in production) and Arista II (rebranded Agfa APX, shouldn't be much of it left now).

Efke is sometimes sold as Adox, mainly by Retro Photographic (UK) and Fotoimpex (DE).
 
Adox also has some "modern" films, among them the *stunning* ADOX CMS20 - no grain at all, extreme resolution and high contrast. OK, it's slow - but why else are we buying these insanely fast lenses? :D
 
So if what I read here is true ... Arista II and Rollei Retro are the same film?????

If that's the case it makes the Arista II a bargain at a little more than half the price of the Rollei per 100ft roll! :eek:
 
It depends on what speed you are looking for. I am currently shooting Kodak Double X (Eastman 5222). This is a movie stock emulsion and comes in 400ft rolls (around $128/400 ft = 72-73 rolls). It is a very tolerant film - reminds me of the old Verichrome Pan in some ways.
If you go to Flickr and type in Kodak Double X Eastman 5222 - there are currently a couple of 100 shots with it up there from the Double X group.
You rate it at 250 asa in the sun and 200 in tungsten, though you can push it a bit if needed.
There is also a Rf site "Shooting Eastman 5222 (Double X)" for information how and where to get it and we are slowly putting together some information on developers for it.
 
I'm a fan of the Arista.edu Ultra (Fomapan) 100 for my cheap bulk stuff. It is a lot like Agfapan 100 in terms of tonality, and does well in developers like Rodinal. At $22 for 100ft, it's a bargain. Foma group on flickr

For 400, I really like the Fuji Neopan Presto out of Japan, and of course Tri-X. Getting the presto is a big challenge these days, however, unless you've got contacts in Japan.

The Efke/Adox stuff is an acquired taste. It has a wonderful retro quality to it, but highlights can blow very easily, and everything above the 25 is pretty grainy: the 50 is as grainy as a 100 film, and the 100 is as grainy as a 400, I figure. The 25 is gorgeous, though (not the most useful speed, however). Efke pool on flickr

Fomapan 100 in Rodinal
456150718_5b6e07551d.jpg


Efke 25 in Rodinal
108492480_260b43e1dc.jpg
 
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Thanks for the replies so far, folks!
OK, so Arista II is Rollei is APX? And none of it is still in production. And Edu is Forte, also out of production. Edu.ultra is Fomapan and is currently made.

I'm trying to decide on basically two films for most of my shooting; 400 and something slower, though not likely as slow as 25.

Tom, I have read the thread here about the Eastman 5222. The images I've seen look very good and the processing seems to be forgiving but the mechanics of it seem like more than I want to tackle--unless there's a Alden/Watson/etc loader that will take a full 400' roll of it?

I have shot a fair amount of Tri-X but, A) that was a long time ago and I suspect the current film isn't like the film I shot and, B) I'd like to broaden my film horizons a little if I can.

I like the Fuji films but can't store a life times worth of bulk rolls even if I could buy 'em.

So, I guess I'll be adding Efke, Edu.ultra, and Fomapan to my next film order.

My plan, such as it is, is to shoot a few rolls of what's also available in 30m and or 100' bulk, see how they work for me and my processing, and then pick two; one slow and one fast.

This is shaping up to be an interesting summer!
Now I'm going to look at the Massive Dev Chart and see if there might be a single developer that's compatible with these:eek:!
Rob
 
Rob, no point in buying both Edu.Ultra and Fomapan, they're the same. No point in buying Arista.Edu either as Forte ceased production a year ago.

I got a bulk roll of Edu.Ultra 200 and some 120 rolls as well but I haven't shot much of it yet. What I've seen looks promising but I will cut my development time next time.
 
It's probably PanF, it says in Italian "I tempi di sviluppo sono identici alla pellicola Ilford ­ Pan F, p.e. a 20°C" which should mean something like "the development times are identical to those of Ilford PanF at 20°C".

PanF is a very nice film, invisible grain and nice grays but somewhat contrasty. If you shoot in bright, contrasty light, be sure to pull the film a stop and cut the development time with 20%. I bought 400 ft of it from Freestyle when they sold out their outdated stock, I think I paid 12USD/100ft. :)
 
Thanks for pointing that out, Joao! Interesting site; now I know where to look if ever I need glass plates!
But, 152 meters? Once again, the "simple" mechanics of getting that much film into 35mm cassettes is problematic for me. And there is this phrase:
"Polypan ist bis 12.2009 haltbar!" which means? The 152m rolls are discontinued the end of next year? Or is that the expiry date? Neither google translate nor babel fish were much help with this site.
Joao said:
... and still another option not mentioned in your list: Polypan F ISO 50
152 meters at 33.34 euros!!!
Check here
http://lumierepolypanF.notlong.com
(Disclaimer: no ties whatsoever to the seller )
Chers
Joao
Click to expand...
Oops. Good point! I'll pick one or the other--is the packaging very different?
EmilGil said:
Rob, no point in buying both Edu.Ultra and Fomapan, they're the same.
Click to expand...
Sockeyed, nice examples of Fomapan! And the flickr pool as well.
I do "get it" that just because some body has really good results with a particular film/processing doesn't mean that I will and vice versa, but I am going to shoot some of these different films to find my excellent combination.
Thanks for all the input and help folks!
Rob
 
12.2009 is the expiry date but since it's so slow you can keep it in the freezer for years without problems. 152m=500ft so that is a lot of film! :) This film was probably manufactured by Ilford when they were in financial trouble a few years ago and made film to anyone willing to pay cash up front. They don't do that anymore as stated on APUG by Simon Galley of Ilford.

The difference in packaging between Fomapan and Edu.Ultra is much less than the price difference. From what I've seen, the only difference is that Fomapan has colour printed cardboard boxes whereas Edu.Ultra comes in black-and-white only packaging! :) 100ft of Edu.Ultra 100 is 21.99 but Fomapan 100 is 33.49USD at Freestyle. Edu.Ultra bulk comes without frame numbering and edge markings but I think that applies to Fomapan as well. Just go for Edu.Ultra, I can't see any reasons to choose Fomapan instead.
 
Hi
Some questions about Polypan F will remain unanswered, and I have read some long debates about it...
I can say it is similar to - but not the same as - Pan F . I have heard that it is some kind of cine film (no numbers or lettering in the frames) made in huge amounts by Ilford. It has no anti-halation layer, so you may have some unpleasant surprises when you aim at bright subjects or when you use it under bright sunlight (I had that experience myself). OTOH it is a superb film for portraits.
I have used it occasionnaly and I made some of my best (and some of my worst...) photos with it . Well, all this said, when you look at the price...
It is your choice and your risk ;)
Joao
 
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