Back in June 2018, the Ferrania Folks hoped to be in continuous production by Fall

[wlodekmj]

If having trouble I'd strongly look at their "best practice" document. I've shot two Alpha rolls and one from recent production and I found that shooting at 80ASA yields the best results with ID-11. The negatives I shot at 50ASA, which some recommend, were indeed very dense - though I have been able to get excellent scans and darkroom prints from them. What I find most striking is it's ability to deliver photos of moody, cloudy skies without use of a filter and the near total lack of grain. In medium format and larger this is going to be something very special. I can imagine huge enlargements from a 6x6 or bigger negative.

I have followed their "best practice" document to the letter using their preferred option - ISO80, develop in a rotary processor (Jobo CPE2) for 8 minutes at 21C in D-96. The negatives are way too thin. The cameras and developing equipment work fine with other films, the developer was fine as it developed a roll of Double-X in the same tank at the same time perfectly. I have since used 3 different batches of P30 and 4 different bottles of D-96 and all give the same thin negatives - the edge markings are thin too, so it is not a problem with exposure. I have asked around, what the problem may be, but the advice I get is to use a different developer. I have done that and it works, but I want to follow the manufacturer's best practice. Am I missing something? Is it like Italian cooking - "Si, you have to add pasta sauce - everyone knows that, so we don't put it in the recipe!" Do I have to add pasta sauce to my D-96? Just joking - but what can I be missing? If their advice were wrong then surely it would have been corrected in the best practice document after 3 years if not sooner - David Bias told me that the D-96 and D-76 time and temperature in the best practice document are what Ferrania tested and it worked for them. Are P30 negatives supposed to be very thin? Many thanks for any advice on this.

 

[Agulliver]

I did develop for 9 minutes in ID-11 stock, which is two minutes more than the "best practices" document suggests for D76 which is effectively identical. Most people seem to complain that the negatives are too thick, too dark. Mine are quite thick but highlight and shadow detail is in there.

I don't know what is going wrong with your processing, especially if you have success with other (non-Ferrania) films.

 

[Deleted member 88956]

So has anyone tried FP30 in Rodinal and how?

 

[wyofilm]

I haven't tried Rodinal, but Ferrania lists it in recommended practices (semi-stand) and in additional practices (1:50).

https://www.filmferrania.com/more-p30

 

[flavio81]

Thanks to all of you. I will not last forever, nor will any of the dyes in any color product by any manufacturer.

Best wishes to you all.

PE (Ron Mowrey)

You will last forever in our minds and hearts.

Rest in peace Ron Mowrey.

 

[Nzoomed]

If anyone has not done so already, I recommend you watch thus recent podcast with Dave Bias about Film Ferrania.

https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/christine-bartolucci/analog-talk/e/67292217

 

[faberryman]

If anyone has not done so already, I recommend you watch thus recent podcast with Dave Bias about Film Ferrania.

https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/christine-bartolucci/analog-talk/e/67292217

Can you just give us the highlights? The podcast is 66 minutes long.

 

[cmacd123]

Can you just give us the highlights? The podcast is 66 minutes long.

interview is from back in February. summary of the project up to that time.

 

[Andrew O'Neill]

Just skip through bits. I can't wait for 4x5 P30.

 

[Disconnekt]

Dont know if anybody saw, but Ultrafineonline has a page specifically for P30 in 120 and they have it priced at $11.95 (here: https://www.ultrafineonline.com/fifepblandwh1.html). They dont have any in stock yet, but they say they should *hopefully* have some in stock in late 2020.

 

[Agulliver]

When P30 becomes available in 120 it's going to be a game changer for those who like undetectable grain and/or large enlargements.

 

[halfaman]

When P30 becomes available in 120 it's going to be a game changer for those who like undetectable grain and/or large enlargements.

It is what I regularly get in 6x7 with any slow film and even with Tri-X in Rodinal 1+50. Much more difficult to achive in 35 mm.

 

[Burninfilm]

Any updates on this? Anyone actually get a webstore credit for the full value of their original pledge???

 

[cmacd123]

Nothing lately, the P-30 135-36 was still in stock last I looked. I will give them credit for a fill year delay just because of COVID mind you.

 

[Andrew O'Neill]

Still no 120?

 

[cmacd123]

Still no 120?

in fact when I just looked - 2021-03-10-21:33 EST - the 35mm is out of stock! Can't imagine that they got much done over the summer with the lock downs. Fingers crossed that we hare some good news soon.

 

[Disconnekt]

Still no 120?

It was planned to be released summer of last year but due to Covid/the constant lockdowns it's been pushed back.
Alot of stuff they're working on has been effected too, so it will be awhile till we may see more news.

 

[Minolta93]

I just read through this thread. Boy, what a rollercoaster. Looks like they hit a lot of setbacks culminating with one big setback, but it's nice to see that they are indeed selling film now.

Any word on if they will ever do color films?

 

[Helge]

in fact when I just looked - 2021-03-10-21:33 EST - the 35mm is out of stock! Can't imagine that they got much done over the summer with the lock downs. Fingers crossed that we hare some good news soon.

Either that, or they had all the time they needed to plan and do paperwork and have one or two men living in the factory to get the machines running, and do RnD.

 

[Henning Serger]

Any word on if they will ever do color films?

Color film is delayed for the short and mid term. A strategic decision was made to focus first on BW (it is much easier in R&D and needs less investment) to build a certain base / fundament and financial stability for the long term targets.
And the pandemic has generally created new hurdles and challenges for all manufacturers. Whereas the film demand is further increasing despite the pandemic (which is principally very good of course), the manufacturers have to fight against problems in the supply and production chains.

Best regards,
Henning

 

[Helge]

Color film is delayed for the short and mid term. A strategic decision was made to focus first on BW (it is much easier in R&D and needs less investment) to build a certain base / fundament and financial stability for the long term targets.
And the pandemic has generally created new hurdles and challenges for all manufacturers. Whereas the film demand is further increasing despite the pandemic (which is principally very good of course), the manufacturers have to fight against problems in the supply and production chains.

Best regards,
Henning

Maybe because of it?

 

[Henning Serger]

Maybe because of it?

Well Helge, digital imaging - especially the sales of digital cameras - was hit very hard last year. The sales numbers collapsed (and they are decreasing for about a decade now).
That is why I have written 'despite' the pandemic (and we all know that most business fields were and are hit by the pandemic).
So the encouraging signal for us film enthusiasts is that the film resurgence is demonstrating a strong robustness, a resilience.

And 'because of it': Yes, in certain smaller segments of the market. For example during the lockdown time film photography beginners had time to learn about film development at home. Sales of film processing equipment and photo chemicals increased disproportunately high.

Best regards,
Henning

 

[Helge]

Well Helge, digital imaging - especially the sales of digital cameras - was hit very hard last year. The sales numbers collapsed (and they are decreasing for about a decade now).
That is why I have written 'despite' the pandemic (and we all know that most business fields were and are hit by the pandemic).
So the encouraging signal for us film enthusiasts is that the film resurgence is demonstrating a strong robustness, a resilience.

And 'because of it': Yes, in certain smaller segments of the market. For example during the lockdown time film photography beginners had time to learn about film development at home. Sales of film processing equipment and photo chemicals increased disproportunately high.

Best regards,
Henning

I think this is going to be radically different than the recession of 08, that dealt a hard blow to anything film.
This crisis is obviously to everyone not really anyone’s fault, and not a whole economic way of thinking and approach that has gone bust in a fundamental and embarrassing way.

This is something we have to ride off with optimism and “can do” attitude. Come summer, the whole world can see some kind of end to it.

Not like the recession of 08 where outlier areas can still feel the effects and has never really recovered.

 

[baachitraka]

I don't know how it correlates to the current situation but the price of film cameras and lenses have gone really up and in case of Olympus OM + Zuiko lenses it's gone up by a factor 2.

Gone are the days to get OM-1n body for €25.

Other day I have checked prices of Leica's from meister kamera. Wow nothing below four digits...

 

[Minolta93]

Yes, as I understand, color film has many more coats than B&W. I believe Fuji was making films with 36 layers of emulsion. It does explain why B&W films are so much more plentiful in terms of who is making them, but at the same time, I feel that having a new manufacturer doing color films would really be a great thing for the future of film seeing as it's just Kodak and Fuji now.

I also heard digital cameras aren't doing too well in sales. The factors contributing to that won't work the same for film cameras, I think. And that is good news for us. And it does seem that supply & demand for film cameras is changing as we see the prices go up, but I don't think it's shifted enough to make it worthwhile for people to manufacture new film cameras.