Arista.EDU 100: B&W Film Review

bmattock

bmattock

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I recently purchased a few rolls of Arista.EDU 100 film from Freestyle Photo online, with the intent of trying it out on a recent trip to Boston on the Amtrak. I bought it as an experiment - it is very inexpensive film ($1.89 per 36-exposure roll).

Freestyle Photo Arista.EDU 100

I have done a little research online, and although there is much speculation, it would appear that Arista.EDU 100 is actually Fortepan 100. My main clue is that Freestyle publishes a dev chart that lists identical processing times for only these two films, hmmm. However, I did ask their tech support and they were polite but said that they were not allowed to say who makes the Arista.EDU films for them. Forte is located in Budapest, Hungary.

Fortepan 100

I had heard that Fortepan used an older, (old-fashioned) thick emulsion - I can't speak to that, but I can say that I could really tell the difference when I advanced the Arista.EDU 100 through my Bessa R and Yashica CC cameras - the winding lever became appreciably harder to turn! I also shot some Ilford Delta 100 during the same trip, so I have a valid comparison to a 'modern emulsion' film.

One recommendation - if you're going to shoot this stuff in a vintage camera that might have a fragile winding mechanism - use 24-exposure instead of 36! You really can tell the difference when you wind this stuff on!

I had also heard that Arista.EDU 100 (Fortepan 100, if I'm right) has more grain than most modern B&W films. That's ok, that's actually just what I was after. I had also heard that the Arista.EDU had a longer tonal range than, say, Tri-X. Also a good thing.

Well, I can say that at least for me, both of these statements are true. I developed my Arista.EDU 100 in Kodak D-76 diluted 1+1 for 8 1/2 minutes @ 68 degrees F, and scanned the results with my Minolta Dimage Scan Dual IV. You can see the two most recent results in my gallery - I'm still sorting through the rest of them to Photoshop and post the best of 'em.

Grain? Yep, and heaps of it. I like it, though. Not the most grainy stuff I've seen though - I remember the old Tri-X when pushed to 800 - THAT was grainy! Tonal scale? You be the judge - it sure seems like some lovely blacks and grays to me, lots of shadow detail also.

My Gallery

Also, I guess I want to put in a plug for Freestyle Photo here. I had not dealt with them previously - and I bought from them based on the desire to save a little money on some B&W film. I didn't want to roll my own from bulk, but I did want to save some money. They sell name-brand as well as relabeled film. Some they can say what it really is - such as the Ilford HP5+ that they sell in both 'real' and 'Arista' flavors, and some they can't say what it 'really' is - but I guess you can figure it out. I have been dealing with their customer service and have found them to be TOP NOTCH via email and very friendly. RECOMMENDED!

Hope you find this helpful. My next experiment is with their version of HP5+ and push-processing to use available light. I want to shoot it at something like 1600 ISO. Freestyle customer service recommended that I try out some Acufine for developing it without getting grains the size of golfballs!

Best Regards,

Bill Mattocks
 
I will second Bill's recommendation of Freestyle. I've bought film and paper from them on and off since 1990. Never had a single problem. Currently shooting their Arista (Fp4+ and Hp5+) in 4x5. They also carry 127 film if you're looking.

Brian
 
Thanks for posting the review - now I don't feel like I have to! I've promised myself time this coming weekend to catchup on a couple of the rolls I've got shot.

William
 
Re: Arista.EDU 100: B&W Film Review

Originally posted by bmattock Also, I guess I want to put in a plug for Freestyle Photo here. I have been dealing with their customer service and have found them to be TOP NOTCH via email and very friendly. RECOMMENDED!
Bill Mattocks
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I've dealt with Freestyle off and on for more than 35 years and can attest that they have ALWAYS given outstanding service. My father's dealings with them went back even further. He'd mail them a personal check from a bank in Maryland and they ALWAYS sent his order immediately and before the check had cleared.

All of the B&W film I have at the moment came from Freestyle: three 100' rolls for my bulk loaders plus Arista 400 & 125 roll film which is almost surely Ilford. Below is a picture I took with the 125 roll film in my Iskra-2.

Walker
 
Amazing photo, Walker. Thanks! Glad to see that my initial impression of Freestyle was apparently correct - a class act - and there are so few of them these days. Good to know, yes? Gives one hope.

Best Regards,

Bill Mattocks
 
I've been buying from Freestyle since 1967, my father bought from them years earlier. It's a great place when you are a Junior High student trying find affordable film.

My only regret now is that in the old days they had a lot more odd-ball film products like military surplus aerial camera film and 100 foot long rolls of surplus enlarging paper. Thos were fun days.

-Paul
 
If I remember correctly, they are the ones I used to buy EFKE film from when it was still called Adox. I got it in 35mm and 120. I really liked it and agree they were easy to deal with even from Korea, where I was at the time, 1974 to 1976 (obviously I am a newbie at Freestyle).

As an aside, is the Ilford FP4/5 still as good at drying as it used to be? You simply could not get a water spot of that film. When spots seemed about to form, the water just absorbed into the film and dried like the good little film it was supposed to be. Kodak and others apparently had different formulas for their emulsions.
 
oftheherd said:
As an aside, is the Ilford FP4/5 still as good at drying as it used to be? You simply could not get a water spot of that film. When spots seemed about to form, the water just absorbed into the film and dried like the good little film it was supposed to be. Kodak and others apparently had different formulas for their emulsions.
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I'm afraid I don't know! I just ordered my first HP5+ and will be experimenting with it, but have no experience otherwise. I'll let you know, though!

Best Regards,

Bill Mattocks
 
oftheherd said:
If I remember correctly, they are the ones I used to buy EFKE film from when it was still called Adox. I got it in 35mm and 120. I really liked it and agree they were easy to deal with even from Korea, where I was at the time, 1974 to 1976 (obviously I am a newbie at Freestyle).
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I have an empty can that held Adox/EFKE 35mm bulk film and it came from Freestyle years ago. J&C Photo now sell EFKE film and I'm going to give it a try one of these days. I've always liked the Adox films.

I was in the 51st AMS at Osan AB from 2 Nov., '73 until 28 Oct., '74. Went from there to the 18th AMS at Kadena where I stayed the normal 30 months.

Walker
 
doubs43 said:
Went from there to the 18th AMS at Kadena where I stayed the normal 30 months.

Walker
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Camp Smedley D. Butler - just 4 miles from the front gate at Kadena. 1981-82. BC Street, Gate Two Street, Kitemae Town, hehehe a lot of fun back then.

Semper Fi,

Bill Mattocks
 
Originally posted by bmattock Camp Smedley D. Butler - just 4 miles from the front gate at Kadena. 1981-82. BC Street, Gate Two Street, Kitemae Town, hehehe a lot of fun back then.
Semper Fi,
Bill Mattocks
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Bill, Camp Butler was up North when I got to Kadena and the Army had Fort Buckner that became Camp Butler once the Marines moved down. I used the Marine Audio Hobby Shop often. They had the best stereo buys on the island. I sometimes worked with the Marines and the Navy who had planes on Kadena once Naha NAS shut down operations.

I'll bet you went looking for the Banana Lady...... you old dog! :D

Walker
 
doubs43 said:
Bill, Camp Butler was up North when I got to Kadena and the Army had Fort Buckner that became Camp Butler once the Marines moved down. I used the Marine Audio Hobby Shop often. They had the best stereo buys on the island. I sometimes worked with the Marines and the Navy who had planes on Kadena once Naha NAS shut down operations.

I'll bet you went looking for the Banana Lady...... you old dog! :D

Walker
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When I was on the Rock, Camp Kinser was up north, Butler was the same as Camp Foster (different names, same camp), and we landed our jets at Futenma MCAS. I was once called to Futenma in the middle of the night and given the job of guarding something 'vital to national security' that was in a C-5's cargo that somehow landed at Futenma (runway was too short for that, supposedly). They were there overnight and took off again with the aid of JATO rockets. I used to go to Kadena for the better chow, and to watch the Habu land and take off (SR-71 Blackbird). The Okinawan civilians always knew before we did when it was coming in, they'd line the roads with their cameras with tripods and long telephoto lenses.

Banana show? No, never. I stayed out of Whisper Alley. Hehehehe.

Best Regards,

Bill Mattocks
 
bmattock said:
When I was on the Rock, Camp Kinser was up north, Butler was the same as Camp Foster (different names, same camp), and we landed our jets at Futenma MCAS. I used to go to Kadena for the better chow, and to watch the Habu land and take off (SR-71 Blackbird). The Okinawan civilians always knew before we did when it was coming in, they'd line the roads with their cameras with tripods and long telephoto lenses.

Banana show? No, never. I stayed out of Whisper Alley. Hehehehe.
Best Regards, Bill Mattocks
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Hey Bill,

On Friday nights at midnight when our duty ended, our shop would have a cookout. The Air Force rationed beer but the Navy didn't so we'd go over to Camp Foster and buy the beer. As I recall, it was cheaper there anyway.

I have lots of pictures of the Habu. I'd set up my camera on a tripod on the hill overlooking the runway & taxiways and take all the pictures I wanted.

One of the things I did in 1976 was take pictures (slides) of the murals celebrating 200 years of independence (the Bi-Centennial) that were painted on buildings all over Kadena. I got most of them and one day I'll offer copies of them to the Base Commander.... maybe in 2006. I doubt that anyone else has a record of them but I could be wrong.

I once bought a set of stereo speakers from the Futenma Audio Hobby Shop. I bought most of my camera equipment while there from a small shop not far from the main gate of Futenma MCAS. It was on the main highway on the ocean side.

The only time I ever went downtown clubin' was the last night our Squadron was together before we broke up into a new maintenance system. About 15 of us went looking for the BL. We'd lose a couple of guys at each bar until there was only about 6 of us left when we finally found her. We sat in the corner, quite drunk by then, watching the Marines push and shove each other trying to eat the banana pieces. We were their biggest fan club and cheered them on! :D

For the most part I liked my tour of Okinawa but was ready to leave when my 30 months were up. I had a chance to take a PCS to mainland Japan but passed on it. Probably should have gone. Oh well........ :)

Best Regards,
Walker
 
berci said:
Hey Bill,

I'm a Hungarian and I use Fortepan film regularly, mostly Fortepan 400. They give you an old fashioned look and loads of grain. I like it though. I mostly use the iso400 one because I couldn't find any difference between the 100 and 400s, apart from the speed. You can see one in the XPan thread: http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=2494
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Berci,

Thanks, that's an awesome photo! I love the tonal range, and I guess it is an 'old fashioned' look, but if that's old-fashioned, I love it! Thanks for sharing that!

Best Regards,

Bill Mattocks
 
I agree with Bill on that photo Berci. Thanks for sharing.

As to Okinawa, when I was there, we still owned the island. That was 1962-1964. Very little was off-limits, but neither was all that much on-limits (A-signs for eating and drinking establishments). I was at two locations, which seemed to be the same, but had different names. One was Cp Sukiran, I forget the other. First I was in the 503d Airborne Battle Group. To us, the "Rock" was Corregidor, and was part of our unit crest. That was where the old 503d Regimental Combat Team had landed during the retaking of the Phillipines. A jump from only 175 feet. Whew!

There was a small camp above the Kadena airfield that I think was called Cp Kue, or maybe that was the one where the old hospital was. There was a rifle range called Bolo Point at the edge of our drop zone, not far from Kadena, in a area called Yontan or Yomitan. That was an old Japanese airfield. I had my only malfunction there, a squid. One way to get down in a hurry!

Cp Butler was indeed in the north, along with many other large and small camps used by the Marine division there. The Airforce had two big bases, Kadena and Naha. The Navy had several, Futima, Buckner, Naha, and probably some more. The Army had probably the smallest presence there, but an Army 3 star was in charge. Go figure.

That was where I got into the Military Police, did some town patrol and worked at the stockade there. To me, it was a fun assignment for the 18 months I was there.

Sorry for the long post, just thought some might have been there about the same time, or if later, might be interested.
 
oftheherd said:
I agree with Bill on that photo Berci. Thanks for sharing.

As to Okinawa, when I was there, we still owned the island. That was 1962-1964. <Snip>

There was a rifle range called Bolo Point at the edge of our drop zone, not far from Kadena, in a area called Yontan or Yomitan. That was an old Japanese airfield.
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Make that three of us who like the photograph Berci. :)

I passed through Kadena on 3 June, 1967, on my way to three days in Tokyo from Mactan AB in the southern PI. Okinawa was still US property then.

Yomitan was a Japanese bomber field IIRC and I've driven over it. I think I may have a few pictures of it somewhere but there wasn't much to see. The old runway was simply crushed coral and the parking pads were pretty much overgrown. There is an old Japanese castle there but again, not much to see, really. The air field was one of the major objectives during the invasion I believe.

IIRC, Camp Kue (pronounced Koowe) was between Kadena and Buckner/Butler and was the joint military hospital for the island.

Walker
 
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doubs43 said:
Make that three of us who like the photograph Berci. :)

I passed through Kadena on 3 June, 1967, on my way to three days in Tokyo from Mactan AB in the southern PI. Okinawa was still US property then.

Yomitan was a Japanese bomber field IIRC and I've driven over it. I think I may have a few pictures of it somewhere but there wasn't much to see. The old runway was simply crushed coral and the parking pads were pretty much overgrown. There is an old Japanese castle there but again, not much to see, really. The air field was one of the major objectives during the invasion I believe.

IIRC, Camp Kue (pronounced Koowe) was between Kadena and Buckner/Butler and was the joint military hospital for the island.

Walker
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My recollection is that the runway and parking pads were concrete, as we always wanted to make sure to not land on them. Usually that wasn't a problem as the Air Force pilots didn't usually fly where we would be likely to do so, and we could always slip some. The day I had my squid, I remember watching the field as we seemed right over it, and I was looking as I went out the door. After I counted 4000, it was the last thing on my mind.

I remember the castle you mentioned. It was up on the mountain, somewhere above the village of Fatinma. There was a legend about it that one of the Okinawan lords was falsely accused of treason and beheaded for it. He placed a paper in his mouth giving the story and identity of his false accuser. When his head was thrown at the feet of his lord, the paper came out and the false accuser was then executed. The castle was pretty much in ruins. Probably not only from age but the invasion. I would imagine ground that high was hotly contested by both sides.

I once met a man who had talked to an Australian who was a P51 pilot during the war. He had related that after the battle, he flew over Naha and there were only one or two buildings standing. All else was flattened ruble. Must have been tough there. One reason I guess the Marines were in the north after the war was that after the initial invasion, the Marines fought their way north, the Army south. I guess they just sort of stayed there. The island of Ie Jima, on the west-north side of the island was where Ernie Pyle was killed.

Funny what little things pop up in your mind after all those years. More than most here wanted to know about I am sure.

Sort of back on topic, the first camera I bought after going in the Army, was a Minolta 16 which I still have. I bought it at the Sukiran PX.
 
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I bought a Minolta-16II in the BX too, while stationed near Izmir Turkey in the '60's. It was not my first camera, but close! I recall shooting with it in Paris while on leave and at Ellsworth AFB when I first arrived there, but don't recall what happened to it subsequently.
 
oftheherd said:
My recollection is that the runway and parking pads were concrete, as we always wanted to make sure to not land on them.
The island of Ie Jima, on the west-north side of the island was where Ernie Pyle was killed.
Funny what little things pop up in your mind after all those years. More than most here wanted to know about I am sure.
Sort of back on topic, the first camera I bought after going in the Army, was a Minolta 16 which I still have. I bought it at the Sukiran PX.
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Doug, I'm not familiar with the Minolta 16. I bought most of my Olympus OM-1 & OM-2 equipment on Okinawa but from a local store.

It's possible that the runway and pads were torn up and the concrete used for other purposes. The main runway at RAF Chelveston in England where my uncle flew from in B-17's was used as ballast for the M-1 highway.

I wanted to visit the Ernie Pyle monument on Ie Jima but never did. Wish I had.

You're right. Our memories are likely not what people here want to read. But I did take LOTS of pictures on Okinawa! :)

Walker
 
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