Shanghai Film

[al1966]

Has any one used it and is it any good?. I have not shot black and white for years and I have a project I fancy doing in mono. I am torn between using a C41 film or an old favorite FP4. But the temptation to use a new film is high. The photographs I have planed will be of concrete walls, sinks or baths of water, the wheel of bus and other things.

 

[Keith]

Don't know much about Shanghai but I have used Era 100 in 4x5 and I like it a lot ...according to the LF crowd it behaves very much like FP4.

I think Era is available in 135mm ... eBay seller issac.chen has it and that is where I get my 4x5. He's good to deal with and extremely cheap at less than fifty cents per sheet.

 

[Mablo]

I've shot Shanghai GP3 in 120 size a few bricks. You can get it cheaply from China to your doorstep through *Bay. Reminds me of Foma 100 Classic. Soft, old emulsion and has a certain 'classic' b+w look. I've souped it in Rodinal mainly. I like it.

My only gripe with it is the backing paper numbering is too faint to see through the red window in vintage cameras and you need some elastic rubber bands in hand when you unload the film because the tape for closing the 120 roll is useless.

 

[Mablo]

An example:

 

[ZorkiKat]

Shanghai film has been the subject of many threads here.

As a film it's quite good. Not in the same league as Era 100 though, which many users of Chinese film consider superior.

The emulsion of both films are of the old style recipes. They are more like the emulsions from the 1960s or 50s.

There are two things I don't like about Shanghai film - the 120 rollfilm, which I suppose is what you are considering- which should be considered serious. These apply to other Chinese 120 film as well.

One is the poorly printed (very faint, almost none) frame numbers on the backing paper. This is not an issue if a camera with automatic frame positioning and counting is used.

Two, the film isn't properly taped to the backing paper. Usually only a tiny strip of masking tape can be found there. Often carelessly placed, and holds the film only at the centre part of its tip's width. This poses a problem in cameras where the film runs in a back loop like in Hasselblad, Kiev-88 or Mamiya. Because the ends of the film-end tips are loose, they can catch on some part of the film magazine and jam or wreck the film, if not the magazine. This always happened to Shanghai and Lucky film I load in Kiev 88 cameras. The loose film tips can also catch in a Rollei's sensing fingers.

They are suitable to use for Seagull, Yashica, and any TLR or folder with auto-film stop. Those using redfilm windows at the back won't be fun to use with Shanghai or Lucky films.

 

[andreios]

There was a post about Shanghai film on the Caffenol blog not long ago...

 

[sig]

Two, the film isn't properly taped to the backing paper. Usually only a tiny strip of masking tape can be found there. Often carelessly placed, and holds the film only at the centre part of its tip's width. This poses a problem in cameras where the film runs in a back loop like in Hasselblad, Kiev-88 or Mamiya. Because the ends of the film-end tips are loose, they can catch on some part of the film magazine and jam or wreck the film, if not the magazine. This always happened to Shanghai and Lucky film I load in Kiev 88 cameras. The loose film tips can also catch in a Rollei's sensing fingers.

They are suitable to use for Seagull, Yashica, and any TLR or folder with auto-film stop. Those using redfilm windows at the back won't be fun to use with Shanghai or Lucky films.

I have never had this problem with Lucky or Shanghai in my Kiev 88, but once this happened in my Ricoh Diacord (TLR with autofilm stop).

One thing that is annoying with both is that the film spool is thinner than it should be so there might be no space between frame 1 and 2 when used in cameras with autofilm stop.

 

[dfoo]

I used that stuff in 120 format. I didn't like it very much. It was very curly, and the film had some matter in the emulsion (not very clean).

 

[Joao]

My only experience with 120 Lucky film was bad, the back paper was not completely lightproof and a mark with the frame number was visible at the center of each negative. This never happened with 120 Shanghai.
Both films curl a lot, it's true, but they can be tamed.
Joao

 

[Colin Corneau]

I've shot a few rolls. Never had an issue (in my Bronica SQ-Ai, anyway) with jamming but folks are right about flimsy tape holding it in place.

I liked the film. Souped it in Rodinal to nice effect. It's got a strong blue cast to the neg after development but no special printing required...I used the Shanghai GP3.

 

[al1966]

Thanks all for your replies, it sounds like too much hassle, I would hate it and be doing my best dragon impression if it jammed or failed for an important image.

 

[ZorkiKat]

Thanks all for your replies, it sounds like too much hassle, I would hate it and be doing my best dragon impression if it jammed or failed for an important image.

That is exactly what happened to me. Three money shots lost because the film meshed itself in the film gate and refused to move with its backing paper.

 

[Nokton48]

Timely thread.

I just ordered another 100 sheets of 4x5" and 100 sheets of 5x7" Shanghai sheet film this morning.

While I was at it, I ordered the last five 25 sheet boxes of 4x5" ERA from Issac Chen. He says ERA is no longer making film in China. Bummer.

I have alot of Shanghai and ERA already, and I like it. Stocking my freezer for the future.

 

[Keith]

Timely thread.

I just ordered another 100 sheets of 4x5" and 100 sheets of 5x7" Shanghai sheet film this morning.

While I was at it, I ordered the last five 25 sheet boxes of 4x5" ERA from Issac Chen. He says ERA is no longer making film in China. Bummer.

I have alot of Shanghai and ERA already, and I like it. Stocking my freezer for the future.

😱😱😱😱😱

 

[ZorkiKat]

Timely thread.

I just ordered another 100 sheets of 4x5" and 100 sheets of 5x7" Shanghai sheet film this morning.

While I was at it, I ordered the last five 25 sheet boxes of 4x5" ERA from Issac Chen. He says ERA is no longer making film in China. Bummer.

I have alot of Shanghai and ERA already, and I like it. Stocking my freezer for the future.

4X5 Era film is great. It is really sad to see Era go. I've started using the film (120 roll film and 35mm) in 1984 since it was the cheapest film here. High school students had very limited budgets 🙂 It cost about 1/10 of Kodak Plus X. At that time they came in yellow and green cartons which recalls the Kodak Super XX boxes from the 1940s.

Era emulsions are very tolerant of processing variations. In the 1980s Era films we got did not always conform to their box speeds. The 100s can have speeds of about EI 64 to 100. Often it was 80. We always tested a batch for the actual speed. As it is we were able to underexpose it to about 320 and give it energetic developing in D72/Dektol to get useful negatives. Since it had inherent low contrast and a rather mushy emulsion, the push did not make the contrasts too great.

The current Era emulsions appear to be more consistent though. They now come in white boxes (at least the 35mm).

I still have some Lucky 4X5. The box I have now has film which are really 4X5 in size, so fitting them in film holders is quite impossible without some trimming. 4X5 film, it appears, is a bit smaller than its size would suggest.