"New" ISO400 BW film from Japan Camera Hunter!

This is a strange thread! There is a group who are very skeptical about the film and whether it deserves a place in the market or not ... and the other group who seem aghast that they have this opinion and are constantly telling them they shouldn't be so negative about a 'new' film irrespective of what it is or how much it costs.

It's like the big enders and little enders from Gulliver's Travels where they couldn't agree on which end of an egg should be cracked for eating. :D

People will buy it, or they won't ... the market place will be the decider!
 
The bottom line for me is that the more different types of film there out there the better it is in my opinion. If it gets squeezed down to one or two manufacturers the price will skyrocket ... a monopoly or duopoly would quickly translate into bleeding the consumer for all they can get!
 
I won't buy it. Too expensive and just bland.

Film is a niche now, and surprisingly we are having this whole lot of repackaged/reborn/resomething 135 films all trying to fill it up - we've had two "new" films showed up this month alone! I'd say they really should get more original...for example introduce something, anything, again in 220. Unlikely though, considering what the actual driving force behind all these is.
 
So, quick question. No judgement - just my amateur brain working loudly

First: for how many boxes is that price (9750 yen) ? seems it must be ten, right? Is that price okish in Japan? it wouldn't be here, no matter how good. The only film that costs more here is Acros100 in the moment (fuji really wants us all to buy a digital with acros simulation, eh?)

Second: I'm no fan of the contrast of near infrared film .. I've shot a lot of retro 80s and it definitely has less latitude than a "normal" film. I've not tried any 400 ISO but judging from posts you can find in the net it is the same thing. How can one expose/filter/develop such film that it looks more like classic films not like b/w converted digital?
 
Skiff said:
My conclusion: Buying the JCH stuff has only disadvantages compared to buying the Rollei Stuff.
Click to expand...

finally someone say things as they are.
This adventure from Bellamy actually hurts the film industry. Every roll sold with be a one less for Kodak and Ilford, the companies that are actually keeping film alive plus, its more expensive and he's actually lying when asked if it was Aviphot and hides which kind of film it is for obvious reasons.
 
Dasnkdynamic every Roll sold of Agfa Emulsion keeps film alive much more so than Ilford who is still a smaller film mfg. than Agfa. Also since the Ilford takeover I'd be very very careful about Ilford being the savior of film photography. Foma also makes decent film and great paper and they have much much more interest in keeping film production going than the new Ilford Management. Foma depends on the income from film so does Kodak but certainly not the new Ilford owners or Agfa Gevaert.
Fuji also has a larger film Palette than Ilford so why is Ilford the Savior but not the others.
 
DanskDynamit said:
finally someone say things as they are.
This adventure from Bellamy actually hurts the film industry. Every roll sold with be a one less for Kodak and Ilford, the companies that are actually keeping film alive plus, its more expensive and he's actually lying when asked if it was Aviphot and hides which kind of film it is for obvious reasons.
Click to expand...

I don't believe that - people that want Tri-X buy Tri-X same for Tmax or HP5. You can't substitute one film with another.
Also I don't believe that JCH film will bite a even measureable bit ouit of Ilford's or Kodak's sales.
Film is good, more film is better. Choices may attract more new converts.
 
k__43 said:
So, quick question. No judgement - just my amateur brain working loudly

First: for how many boxes is that price (9750 yen) ? seems it must be ten, right? Is that price okish in Japan? it wouldn't be here, no matter how good. The only film that costs more here is Acros100 in the moment (fuji really wants us all to buy a digital with acros simulation, eh?)

Second: I'm no fan of the contrast of near infrared film .. I've shot a lot of retro 80s and it definitely has less latitude than a "normal" film. I've not tried any 400 ISO but judging from posts you can find in the net it is the same thing. How can one expose/filter/develop such film that it looks more like classic films not like b/w converted digital?
Click to expand...

First:
975 yen/roll for this kind of film is on the expensive side in Japan given the availability of similar alternatives (i.e. Retro 400S) for half the price. Again, to these days nobody knows what emulsion this "streetpan" film exactly is, so nobody can say if it's 100% same as 400S, 95% the same or entirely different and therefore worth investing on it without proper testing. For now we only know that the technical details provided by JCH are the same as 400S, but according to his words it's not 400S.
Should this "new" film confirm itself after testing as something unique on the market and able to provide something that similar cheaper emulsions don't, the price may be justified (see for example the case of Cinestill emulsions: they're expensive, but they're offering something unique).

What one can be sure about is that this film and Rollei Retro 400S have nothing to do with TriX, HP5+, Tmax that now in Japan go all for about the same price per roll as this "streetpan", if not more (a roll of HP5+ at Bic Camera or Yodobashi Camera is more than 1,000 yen). And for sure "streetpan" and 400S have nothing to do with the now extinct Neopan 400, because of completely different emulsion characteristics (e.g. the near I.R. sensitivity and the base).

Second:
I have shot both Retro 80S and 400S. They are not everyday's emulsions in virtue of their peculiar chemistry as you have already realized. I've found 400S developed in Rodinal and in Kodak Tmax Dev to be a little more forgiving in terms of contrast compared to its slower brother. Use of filters is tricky too: 400S with a dark orange filter can even show results somehow similar to IR emulsions. Given that even without filters the shadows tend to block easily compared to "normal" films, filters must be used carefully with this kind of emulsions especially if you're printing in the darkroom.
 
Muju79 said:
First:
975 yen/roll for this kind of film is on the expensive side in Japan given the availability of similar alternatives (i.e. Retro 400S) for half the price. Again, to these days nobody knows what emulsion this "streetpan" film exactly is, so nobody can say if it's 100% same as 400S, 95% the same or entirely different and therefore worth investing on it without proper testing. For now we only know that the technical details provided by JCH are the same as 400S, but according to his words it's not 400S.
Should this "new" film confirm itself after testing as something unique on the market and able to provide something that similar cheaper emulsions don't, the price may be justified (see for example the case of Cinestill emulsions: they're expensive, but they're offering something unique).

What one can be sure about is that this film and Rollei Retro 400S have nothing to do with TriX, HP5+, Tmax that now in Japan go all for about the same price per roll as this "streetpan", if not more (a roll of HP5+ at Bic Camera or Yodobashi Camera is more than 1,000 yen). And for sure "streetpan" and 400S have nothing to do with the now extinct Neopan 400, because of completely different emulsion characteristics (e.g. the near I.R. sensitivity and the base).

Second:
I have shot both Retro 80S and 400S. They are not everyday's emulsions in virtue of their peculiar chemistry as you have already realized. I've found 400S developed in Rodinal and in Kodak Tmax Dev to be a little more forgiving in terms of contrast compared to its slower brother. Use of filters is tricky too: 400S with a dark orange filter can even show results somehow similar to IR emulsions. Given that even without filters the shadows tend to block easily compared to "normal" films, filters must be used carefully with this kind of emulsions especially if you're printing in the darkroom.
Click to expand...

Thanks for that well written reply. I use Rodinal mostly so that is already given.
Retro 80s can look stunning with a red or orange filter but most of the time it is not my thing. I've bought 100ft for a super price some time ago but I still have 2 or 3 IXMOOs loaded
 
So has anyone shot this film yet? Any examples to post? (Looking through the comments on this thread I'm almost afraid to ask, but I am curious about this film....)
 
Received notice a few days ago that mine was on the way. Latest tracking report has it leaving LA Customs so I suspect I will be receiving it early next week.

I am looking forward to getting it and I'm sure it will be great fun working out the details in my M-A and my Spottie.

As for destroying the film industry as we know it...pffft!

As far as I'm concerned, the more options I have the merrier.
 
2 rolls came home with me today. Yesss! They will be exposed in a few days and turned in for processing within the week.

Lenses to be tried:
21mm Super Angulon
35mm Summicron ASPH
40mm 1.4 Nokton SC
50mm v.3 Cron
50mm 1.5 Sonnar
75mm 2.5 Summarit
50mm 2.8 Elmar old
50mm 1.5 Summarit


Each exposure recorded as to particulars.
Leica M4 with only 5 rolls through it since Youxin Ye CLA'ed it.

This will be fun.
 
Glad to learn you guys are trying the film and will look forward to learning your impressions of it. Yes, more options are great!
 
From a consumer standpoint I see reasons to be nonplussed, but from a commercial standpoint having "new" films at higher prices might encourage companies to reintroduce things that they would have otherwise shuttered or lost. It might raise the ambient price floor though, so that's mixed.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom