CatLABS X FILM 320 Pro now available in 35mm and 120

[Alex Benjamin]

I remember when Poptarts were invented. No frosting, only a couple of flavors. A proper apple cinnamon Poptart, toasted to perfection is a wonderful thing!

I never tried stand toasting. Always one inversion at the half toasted mark. Pre-soaking the Poptarts is a no-no in my book.

 

[Don_ih]

I actually spent some time in my darkroom today. I signed up for the Postcard exchange 1st time. I have until Tuesday (self imposed deadline) to get my cards printed. I found a box of Ilford PC paper, I bought locally in 2014, hopefully still in it's prime.
Got my 4x6 Speed EZ easel setup. Ready to go.

Excellent - my cards are stacked up waiting to be mailed.

What? Of course!

I was being facetious.

Is it all that unreasonable to ask for some of the practical information about it that CatLabs probably has?

Maybe. Particularly when asking amounts to lecturing them on what they have to do. In the meantime, all their film will be sold, they will continue on doing whatever they do, and in the future may exclude this forum. But perhaps that doesn't matter.

 

[faberryman]

Maybe. Particularly when asking amounts to lecturing them on what they have to do. In the meantime, all their film will be sold, they will continue on doing whatever they do, and in the future may exclude this forum. But perhaps that doesn't matter.

So now Photrio will disappear if we ask the animated kangaroo some questions about the new Pop Tarts he is flogging.

 

[brbo]

In the meantime, all their film will be sold, they will continue on doing whatever they do, and in the future may exclude this forum.

That's a terrific idea! They could even get a good marketing spin from this "bring down the pain on Photrio". Provide a proof you've insulted a Photrio member or a Photrio congregation in general and you are eligible for 10% discount.

 

[faberryman]

Provide a proof you've insulted a Photrio member or a Photrio congregation in general and you are eligible for 10% discount.

I guess like the 10% discount to women photographers, that would make CatLABS a progressive company too?

 

[CatLABS]

based on the shared information I have almost no idea whether I could get anything approaching what I want from the subject in the third image, much less figure out how to set my exposure...

With respect, everything you need to know on how to expose your film is printed on the box. If you want further options, those are available inside the box. Further options still are readily available on our website, but if you cant be bothered to go there, they are also copied in the very first, the OP of this thread, for your convenience.

The fact you are second guessing what has been clearly posted surely cant be an excuse to say you still "need to be sold on it". Thats also not something we can fix with any amount of info, whats to say any further info wont be second guessed in the same way?

Then, if this info is not satisfactory because you read on "the internet" that someone said "something of the something", or, was it just "something" and value that over what we have clearly posted and repeated multiple times, what more could we possible say to change this.

 

[BrianShaw]

Oh, dear CatLabs… I have a very important question. Like others I’ll be using the 120!in a mix of modern and vintage red-window cameras. Does your backing paper have numbers. I’ll be needing the tracks for 8, 12, and 16 exposure.

I actually had a valid question (at least valid in my mind) that seems to have got lost in the noise…

 

[CatLABS]

Does your backing paper have numbers. I’ll be needing the tracks for 8, 12, and 16 exposure.

yes.

 

[faberryman]

With respect, everything you need to know on how to expose your film is printed on the box. If you want further options, those are available inside the box. Further options still are readily available on our website, but if you cant be bothered to go there, they are also copied in the very first, the OP of this thread, for your convenience.

The fact you are second guessing what has been clearly posted surely cant be an excuse to say you still "need to be sold on it". Thats also not something we can fix with any amount of info, whats to say any further info wont be second guessed in the same way?

Then, if this info is not satisfactory because you read on "the internet" that someone said "something of the something", or, was it just "something" and value that over what we have clearly posted and repeated multiple times, what more could we possible say to change this.

More scowling and scolding the potential customer. Not exactly following the Dale Carnegie playbook.

 

[BrianShaw]

yes.

Thank you very much!

 

[BrianShaw]

what more could we possible say to change this.

Perhaps setting up a GoFundMe for some sample film to be sent would change this.

Despite the concerns about international shipping I recall that he has a US drop box capability too.

 

[Don_ih]

So now Photrio will disappear if we ask the animated kangaroo some questions about the new Pop Tarts he is flogging.

No. Do you think members here don't benefit from industry participation?

Although I guess part of what people are questioning here is whether or not CatLabs even counts as industry.

 

[MattKing]

I still don't see anything on the box that gives me the ISO speed of the film, so "everything you need to know on how to expose your film" isn't there. The examples posted here by CatLabs appear under-exposed, and they are accompanied by a recommendation to use an EI of 200, so I remain uninformed.
I am coming to the reluctant conclusion that the ISO of the film is quite low, and that CatLabs is unwilling to share that information, as a low ISO film is harder to market.

 

[Huss]

Is Catlabs 320 to Ilford HP5 like PopTarts is to Toaster Strudels?

 

[Huss]

Perhaps because Photrio is more of a discussion and non-visual communication forum than a purely visual forum. People in a discussion forum generally exchange more information than they do photos. And yes, I appreciate greatly the variety you add to the site because you do post all the photos you do, but if everybody did what you do, I wouldn't be as interested in the site.
With respect to my concerns:
I can get an inkling from the information shared by CatLabs how this film might handle the subject in the first image:
As a result of the unanswered questions, I'm entirely uncertain about how the film might handle the subject in the second image:
And unlike better documented films, based on the shared information I have almost no idea whether I could get anything approaching what I want from the subject in the third image, much less figure out how to set my exposure:
I'm prepared to be sold on the film - even if it might be impractical for me to buy it. Is it all that unreasonable to ask for some of the practical information about it that CatLabs probably has? And no, I don't need to know who is making it for them (even if I am curious).

I’ve been taking all sorts of random snaps - most very boring (apart from those of my dog Peppers) - just to show how it handles diff lighting conditions. your second birch tree pic should be handled (hopefully) by this eucalyptus tree that I shot in blazing sunshine and early overcast light.
I could just describe the outcome, but I think posting pics would be better.

 

[faberryman]

Is Catlabs 320 to Ilford HP5 like PopTarts is to Toaster Strudels?

No, both Kellogg and Pillsbury are major players, so your comparison would be better expressed Tri-X is to HP5 as Pop Tarts is to Toaster Strudel. I don't know the names of the smaller players in the packaged breakfast "pastry" industry.

 

[BrianShaw]

I don't know the names of the smaller players in the packaged breakfast "pastry" industry.

Here ya go; happy now?

https://www.classaction.org/news/tr...lling-in-toaster-pastries-class-action-claims

 

[mshchem]

I’ve been taking all sorts of random snaps - most very boring (apart from those of my dog Peppers) - just to show how it handles diff lighting conditions. your second birch tree pic should be handled (hopefully) by this eucalyptus tree that I shot in blazing sunshine and early overcast light.
I could just describe the outcome, but I think posting pics would be better.

I want to see Peppers!! Great name for a pup!

 

[MattKing]

I’ve been taking all sorts of random snaps - most very boring (apart from those of my dog Peppers) - just to show how it handles diff lighting conditions. your second birch tree pic should be handled (hopefully) by this eucalyptus tree that I shot in blazing sunshine and early overcast light.
I could just describe the outcome, but I think posting pics would be better.

This being the sort of supplemental information that works decently well with some of the nerdy, technical stuff that CatLabs probably has, but has decided for reasons of their own not to share.
The nerdy, technical stuff is stuff that many value. Why not appeal to both groups of potential purchasers? Particularly if you choose to promote your product in a location with a more than average concentration of the people who value the nerdy, technical stuff.

 

[BrianShaw]

Perhaps it is advised to stipulate: the data/satisfaction you seek just isn’t there or isn’t going to be provided to your satisfaction. The dog-with-a-bone might just be badgering at this point.

I’d love to see a complete data sheet, also, but unless an independent one is developed it just isn’t in the cards.

My plan is to shoot one roll at speed equivalents between 320 and 25 and let the negative tell me what seems right. We have one piece of data that suggests 25, and I’m not too sure what data is supporting 80, and vendor information suggesting 200. Given the relatively small difference between 320 and 200 I’m not concerned about that.

 

[faberryman]

Here ya go; happy now?

To be honest, given my prior experience, I have not really been too interested in packaged breakfast pastries for quite some time. I've moved on to fresh donuts from this little family owned donut shop near my house. I know I'm not going to have to bury any of those in the back yard.

Anyway, one lesson that can be learned from the class action lawsuit referenced in your link is that manufacturers of products should not oversell the attributes and quality of their products in the information printed on the box.

 

[MattKing]

The piece of data we have seen gave a range, with 50 near the top, so I referenced that. And as the methodology seemed to be a Zone System methodology, that means an ISO of 80 - the two different speed measuring approaches being related that way.
But I`m happy to agree. Come out with a statement about what they can`t or won`t share, and we can decide from there. Deflect and obfuscate - e.g. "EI/ISO 320" and piss me and others off. CatLabs has obviously chosen the latter.

 

[faberryman]

I’d love to see a complete data sheet, also, but unless an independent one is developed it just isn’t in the cards.

This I don't get. They say they "engineered" the film in-house. I am not exactly an expert, but don't you kind of sort of have to have some technical information to "engineer" a film? Is the technical information so super secret that they torched it in a burn bag or something? Did Agent K drop by their office and use his neuralyzer on the engineering team? How are they going to be able to do a second run? Or, is this it? One and done. Limited edition. Blue light special. Get it while it lasts. When it's gone it's gone.

 

[warden]

I’d love to see a complete data sheet, also, but unless an independent one is developed it just isn’t in the cards.

I imagine characteristic curves will be constructed by someone here on Photrio, along with detailed analysis of the film's performance and speed. That's the kind of technical information one would expect at a minimum if "Pro" is on the box, as it is with this film. In the meantime it'll be good to see and read what Huss and others think of the film.

 

[BrianShaw]

Anyway, one lesson that can be learned from the class action lawsuit referenced in your link is that manufacturers of products should not oversell the attributes and quality of their products in the information printed on the box.

That’s why I chose that link rather than a different link that simply identifies a small-producer product; it serves two purposes. There is an additional consideration not divulged in the article and that’s the fact that consumers love the product, even before any truth-in-labeling updated. The lawsuit was initiated, as many of these type of suits seem to be, by a lawyer-driven industry to scrutinize the minute details of product labels and punish for transgressions. I don’t like that style of business but legally it’s legal. According to a buddy who is a TJ manager (lucky guy who wears a Hawaiian shirt, sits in the elevated observation deck, and rings the bell) the majority of people eating the product buy for whatever reason, seem to be repeat buyers, like what their eating, and are not upset that it’s less than 51% strawberry. If one is concerned about contents they could read the label and not buy if they want more strawberry than apple. I think that’s the vendor position on this film too. Seems fair to me.

My maxim in these cases: don’t like it; don’t buy it… and no dog in the fight; stay out of the fight.