Arista Ultra

Xmas · Feb 21, 2014

The formapan data sheets are available try google.
It is cheap but a big % of my shooting.
I use a low pH developer Microphen/ID68, plain water stop, plain hypo fix and hypo clear - tempering to better than one C.

I should use a harden stop or fix but don't.

Sometimes get edge damage from plastic spirals 120 and 35mm otherwise ok the low pH helps a bit

8x10 from 35mm from the 400 gives nice grain...

Typically 8 mins at 20C Microphen gives low contrast and 200 to 320 ISO @ /125 /5.6 I don't do dark...

I prefer 5222.

Roger Cole · Feb 21, 2014

I do use hardening fixer with all my film (but not prints.)

If I had an 8x10 I'd be shooting a ton of this stuff. With careful handling it works fine, and in 8x10 the cost savings is very substantial.

But if you really want cheap 8x10, there's x-ray film. Several threads on it on the LFPF.

jspillane · Feb 21, 2014

Thomas Bertilsson said:
the 400 looking like pushed 100 is a bunch of hogwash.

I defer to those who use it-- sorry to spread any false rumors. I recall someone talking about it being potentially the same emulsion, but searched around and found no support. I'll pick up a box next time I order 4x5 to see how it is... the little bit of extra speed would be useful sometimes, as Foma 100/200 is a bit of a headache to shoot at small apertures due to the aforementioned reciprocity.

ntenny · Feb 21, 2014

The reciprocity is a bearcat, but if you can get used to that aspect, Fomapan 100 is a very nice film with a spectral response that isn't quite like anything else. It's definitely at its best at EI 50 rather than box speed, though. It's also the only emulsion readily available in 9x12cm in the US, so we plate-camera lunatics are sort of forced to get familiar with it.

To my eye the 400-speed isn't dramatically different from its competitors; the small amount that I shot looked fine but didn't motivate me to switch from HP5+/TX. (I remember getting what seemed like an honest 320-to-400 from it in HC-110, but I didn't do exacting speed tests or anything.)

-NT

smithdoor · Feb 21, 2014

I was told by http://www.freestylephoto.biz/ on the Arista Ultra 100 it can be push to 800ASA using D76

Standard Developer

1 stop push = (x1.25)
2 stop push = (x1.5)
3 stop push = (x2.0)

Dave

fretlessdavis · Feb 21, 2014

smithdoor said:
I was told by http://www.freestylephoto.biz/ on the Arista Ultra 100 it can be push to 800ASA using D76

Standard Developer

1 stop push = (x1.25)
2 stop push = (x1.5)
3 stop push = (x2.0)

Dave

You *could* but you'd have no detail in any kind of shadow. Like everyone else says, it's best slower than box speed. I can't imagine what it would look like pushed!

smithdoor · Feb 21, 2014

I use 4x5
With 4x5 you can just push one sheet or two. It not like 35 and 120 where you are developing a roll of film

Dave

fretlessdavis said:
You *could* but you'd have no detail in any kind of shadow. Like everyone else says, it's best slower than box speed. I can't imagine what it would look like pushed!

Thomas Bertilsson · Feb 21, 2014

smithdoor said:
I use 4x5
With 4x5 you can just push one sheet or two. It not like 35 and 120 where you are developing a roll of film

Dave

And sometimes less shadow detail helps, or can even transform a fairly mundane scene.
Lots of good things can be had by unsubscribing to boring norms.

Xmas · Feb 21, 2014

a pushed neg produces a print that needs split grade and dodging or intensification?
Better to use the 400 at 250ISO...
There are Formapan data sheets

Roger Cole · Feb 22, 2014

Xmas said:
a pushed neg produces a print that needs split grade and dodging or intensification?
Better to use the 400 at 250ISO...
There are Formapan data sheets

Not always by any means.

But I agree these aren't the best choices for pushing.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

smithdoor · Feb 22, 2014

I agree too.
I try to never push my self. It nice to know you can if you need to

Other data
http://www.foma.cz/en/fomapan-100
http://www.foma.cz/en/fomapan-400
http://www.foma.cz/en/catalogue-competitors-equivalents-183

Dave

Roger Cole said:
Not always by any means.

But I agree these aren't the best choices for pushing.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

consumptive · Feb 22, 2014

i've been using arista edu ultra 100 for years and years in 120, 4x5 and 8x10. i wouldn't ever think of it as a practice film. it's got it's own look and feel which i actually prefer to the other stuff out there. reciprocity is a problem. however, i found an old apug post where a member extrapolated exposure compensation times based upon the meager data provided by foma. i put it all together in a handy pdf [ http://consumptive.org/2011/04/03/fomapan-100-schwarzchild-effect/ ] and it's always worked like a charm for me. i meter at 50 asa on a luna pro and extrapolate the time exposure based on the pdf chart and then develop in pyrocat HD for around 10 to 12 minutes depending on scene contrast.

smithdoor · Feb 22, 2014

More data on pushing max for 100 by MFG is 400 ASA or 2 stops
http://foma-cz.cs4.cstech.cz/ew/92cad2bd-ec2b-4442-bc3c-b13be9ea63ff-en

Thomas Bertilsson · Feb 23, 2014

consumptive said:
i've been using arista edu ultra 100 for years and years in 120, 4x5 and 8x10. i wouldn't ever think of it as a practice film. it's got it's own look and feel which i actually prefer to the other stuff out there. reciprocity is a problem. however, i found an old apug post where a member extrapolated exposure compensation times based upon the meager data provided by foma. i put it all together in a handy pdf [ http://consumptive.org/2011/04/03/fomapan-100-schwarzchild-effect/ ] and it's always worked like a charm for me. i meter at 50 asa on a luna pro and extrapolate the time exposure based on the pdf chart and then develop in pyrocat HD for around 10 to 12 minutes depending on scene contrast.

I think it's well understood by many here that the Foma films are not quite like Tri-X and FP4+, but that they can be wonderful films indeed, in the right hands.

The Foma films have been excellent when I've used them, but they require a little bit of testing for those who aren't used to them.

Newt_on_Swings · Feb 23, 2014

smithdoor said:
I agree too.
I try to never push my self. It nice to know you can if you need to

Other data
http://www.foma.cz/en/fomapan-100
http://www.foma.cz/en/fomapan-400
http://www.foma.cz/en/catalogue-competitors-equivalents-183

Dave

I looked at the spec sheet for the 400 as I just bought a box from freestyle and it says the film has a latitude from 1 stop over to 2 stops under without change in development. That's 200 to 1600... That can't be correct, right? I got the arista edu version but I have yet to shoot it. Any tips would be appreciated too.

Thomas Bertilsson · Feb 23, 2014

Newt_on_Swings said:
I looked at the spec sheet for the 400 as I just bought a box from freestyle and it says the film has a latitude from 1 stop over to 2 stops under without change in development. That's 200 to 1600... That can't be correct, right? I got the arista edu version but I have yet to shoot it. Any tips would be appreciated too.

I guess it depends on how critical one is of the end result. I am sure somebody can get usable results at 1600, but some frames at 1600 and others at 200 is hard to believe. When I shot it and processed in a developer that gave full emulsion speed with Tri-X, HP5+, and TMax 400, I could not get more than 250 out of it. Already at 400 the film started to drop shadows (which looked fantastic in the prints, by the way), and not everyone appreciates that.
The 400 film is my favorite of the bunch. It's definitely best when you process using a developer that isn't compensating. You want those highlights well separated, because the Foma/Arista EDU.Ultra stuff doesn't have antihalation coatings that are as effective as Kodak or Ilford. A compensation would 'bunch up' those highlights too much and make a mess. My best prints came from using Edwal 12 and Pyrocat-HD. The Pyrocat negs had to be agitated very frequently, at least every minute, but better every 30s.

Xmas · Feb 23, 2014

250 in ID11 is about right maybe 320 in Microphen.

Nice grain and an old world signature.

Newt_on_Swings · Feb 23, 2014

Thomas Bertilsson said:
I guess it depends on how critical one is of the end result. I am sure somebody can get usable results at 1600, but some frames at 1600 and others at 200 is hard to believe. When I shot it and processed in a developer that gave full emulsion speed with Tri-X, HP5+, and TMax 400, I could not get more than 250 out of it. Already at 400 the film started to drop shadows (which looked fantastic in the prints, by the way), and not everyone appreciates that.
The 400 film is my favorite of the bunch. It's definitely best when you process using a developer that isn't compensating. You want those highlights well separated, because the Foma/Arista EDU.Ultra stuff doesn't have antihalation coatings that are as effective as Kodak or Ilford. A compensation would 'bunch up' those highlights too much and make a mess. My best prints came from using Edwal 12 and Pyrocat-HD. The Pyrocat negs had to be agitated very frequently, at least every minute, but better every 30s.

I don't have either Edwal 12 or pyro cat hd developers on hand, I only have d76, hc110, xtol, and rodinal (adonal). Also I have the liquid arista a+b lith developer, that perhaps would be the the ultimate non compensating developer! Haha. The regular developers I have should act as non compensating if used at stock or higher concentrations. I got a box of 50 sheets so I'll play around with and figure something out.

smithdoor · Feb 23, 2014

Where did you find the spec sheet. I have both 4x5 100asa and 120 400asa
The 4x5 had nothing and the 120 only had some printing on the inside of the box.

Dave

Newt_on_Swings said:
I looked at the spec sheet for the 400 as I just bought a box from freestyle and it says the film has a latitude from 1 stop over to 2 stops under without change in development. That's 200 to 1600... That can't be correct, right? I got the arista edu version but I have yet to shoot it. Any tips would be appreciated too.

Roger Cole · Feb 23, 2014

I use D76 1+!, 15% less time than the spec sheet says, in a Jobo with continuous rotary agitation, with five minute pre-soak (same as developer temperature, I standardize on 75F not 68 because my ambient is about 75 in the summer) and shoot the 400 at 200. Works fine.

Spec sheets can be downloaded from the Freestyle page for each of the Foma films. The Arista.EDU.Ultra versions have small sheets with just a table of developing times, but they are just repackaged Foma films and they have more complete information under the Foma listings. You can download the info on the Foma 400 here:

http://www.freestylephoto.biz/420412-Foma-Fomapan-400-ISO-120-Size

The sheet film listing says "click here" to download but there's no link (for the 400 anyway, I didn't check them all.)

People here have done enough of the testing to just pick it up and get good results - fine tune as needed. Shoot at one stop more exposure than box speed. Reduce development maybe 10% for inversion, 15% for rotary (spec sheet says 15% but I use a pre-soak too.) Handle the wet emulsion with care. There, that's what you need to get good results. You can tweak from there.

MartinP · Feb 23, 2014

The Foma film data is available from the manufacturers website. The link to the pages of English-language information is here. The site is also available in Czech, Spanish, French, Russian and Chinese as well as English.

Newt_on_Swings · Feb 23, 2014

smithdoor said:
Where did you find the spec sheet. I have both 4x5 100asa and 120 400asa
The 4x5 had nothing and the 120 only had some printing on the inside of the box.

Dave

It was actually from the link you provided: www.foma.cz/en/fomapan-400

Within it, it lists fomapan 400 action sheet film alongside the roll films and gives specs for sheet thickness, base, and antihaltion coating. I assumed they also meant the emulsions were the same across both roll and sheet as they lumped their info together.

Arista Ultra

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