@relistan @Paul Howell You mean the Finesse 100 might be Fomapan 200? I haven't thought of that. Now, I am really intrigued. I should probably get a couple of rolls of Fomapan 200 and test it.
I found Arista Edu Ultra 400 and Ultrafine Finesse 400 to be very similar, not just in tests, but in use. They resemble each other in the way the emulsion looks and feels prior to and after development, in their spectral response, base fog density, etc. Both films' emulsion is somewhat delicate and easily scratched. There are some differences, but I think they might just be down to normal sample variation.
Here are the curve families for Arista Edu Ultra 400 and Ultrafine Finesse 400.
They both have that interesting highlight glow, which you can see in these photographs:
Arista Edu Ultra 400:
Ultrafine Finesse 400:
And here are a couple of interesting bits. First, I found this odd-looking flaw in most of the photographs from the Ultrafine Finesse 400 roll. It's a thin, dark, irregular line across the film (lengthwise). You can see it near the top right corner of the flag. Have you guys come across this kind of thing before? This doesn't look like a typical scratch that a user or camera can cause.
Finally, here's an image of the edge markings of the Arista Edu Ultra 400. It's the only film in this group with any edge markings.
This was a interesting test for me. I did not know what to expect from Ultrafine Finesse, as it is a pretty new product and not much has been written about it. I came away impressed, especially by the Finesse 100, which I found to be a really decent film. Perhaps the biggest surprise came from developing the Arista Edu Ultra 400 and Ultrafine Finesse 400 in XTOL. Both grain and tonality were better, to my eye, than what I'd gotten with D76 1+1 (my staple) before. And it wasn't even close. I might have to give XTOL a serious consideration. The replenishment regime is a bit cumbersome, but it's far from being a deal breaker.
I found Arista Edu Ultra 400 and Ultrafine Finesse 400 to be very similar, not just in tests, but in use. They resemble each other in the way the emulsion looks and feels prior to and after development, in their spectral response, base fog density, etc. Both films' emulsion is somewhat delicate and easily scratched. There are some differences, but I think they might just be down to normal sample variation.
Here are the curve families for Arista Edu Ultra 400 and Ultrafine Finesse 400.
They both have that interesting highlight glow, which you can see in these photographs:
Arista Edu Ultra 400:
Ultrafine Finesse 400:
And here are a couple of interesting bits. First, I found this odd-looking flaw in most of the photographs from the Ultrafine Finesse 400 roll. It's a thin, dark, irregular line across the film (lengthwise). You can see it near the top right corner of the flag. Have you guys come across this kind of thing before? This doesn't look like a typical scratch that a user or camera can cause.
Finally, here's an image of the edge markings of the Arista Edu Ultra 400. It's the only film in this group with any edge markings.
This was a interesting test for me. I did not know what to expect from Ultrafine Finesse, as it is a pretty new product and not much has been written about it. I came away impressed, especially by the Finesse 100, which I found to be a really decent film. Perhaps the biggest surprise came from developing the Arista Edu Ultra 400 and Ultrafine Finesse 400 in XTOL. Both grain and tonality were better, to my eye, than what I'd gotten with D76 1+1 (my staple) before. And it wasn't even close. I might have to give XTOL a serious consideration. The replenishment regime is a bit cumbersome, but it's far from being a deal breaker.