Fortepan/JandC/Arista.edu 400

[celluloidprop]

Anyone using the modified (since the middle of this year, I think) Fortepan 400 (also sold as JandC Classic Pan 400 and Arista.EDU 400)?

I'm trying to decide between bulk loading my own Tri-X (~$2.25-2.50 per roll final cost) and switching to a more economical film, and the Fortepan is the only one that offers a real price incentive ($1.59 per 36 exposures at JandC, $2 cheaper than import Tri-X).

I've read older comments about it, but very little on the latest stuff. I don't mind a bit of strong grain, but I've also heard it's fairly soft in the sharpness department.

 

[andrew]

hi celluloidpop,

I'm posting in part to give this thread a bump and to add my own question and interest in the new arista.edu films. I'm a photo teacher and due to the increase (+1/3 over the past year) in the cost of bulk load tri-x 35mm, I'm looking into arista.edu film. I have over 130 photo students and, lucky for them but unlucky for me, we supply their film, paper, chemistry, and about 15 k1000's they can sign out (most have access to their own camera, though that is changing as everyone has a digital ps as the family camera now). I know I'm lucky to still be teaching the wet darkroom that I love, but it's a struggle as public school art budgets get hit harder and harder. Enough rant, on to my question.

I like tri-x and d-76 1:1 for my students (sprint developers lead to lots of grain and add to their desire to rush everything - something I'm trying to counteract at every turn). I've searched and read the threads on arista.edu and I'm wondering what rff'ers opinions on how forgiving the film can be (right now I have about three rolls of 24xp. 400 35mm, 3 rolls of 24 xp. 100 35mm, 3 rolls of 400 120, and 3 rolls of 100 120 to try out). Does it push and pull well? What about the grain that bmattock mentioned - it's hard to tell from the scans included in prior threads how this stuff will look 11X14 or even 8x10. Has anyone tried the arista.edu developers?

Any and all advice is greatly appreciated. I'm going to shoot my own film tests in the next few days/week (it's been a crazy couple of weeks) and I can post my own results here (though the film scanner at school was broken by an overzealous student trying to remove his negatives). As always, thanks to you all and have a great weekend.

 

[kaiyen]

Did Forte change their emulsion?

I bought some of it when it was Arista.edu. It is grainier, and a bit slower in D76 1+1 (I think I rate TXT @ 320, and Fortepan at 250). I did not, however, think it was any less sharp than TXT in that particular developer. I don't generally use high solvency developers, though.

allan