Changes happening on how various films are being sold. Change in Arista EDU ultra package?

[cmacd123]

I was intrigued by the recent thread on "AristaPan" 100 film, and decided to order a few rolls along with a couple of rolls each of the "Original Wolfen" UN54 and NP100 for comparison. while I was checking the site I noticed that their is now a (temporary ?) change to that Great Standby Arista.EDU Ultra 400.

the item page says "Due to current supply chain issues, this film is UNBOXED and in PLASTIC, NON-DX CODED cartridges." and also "The plastic cassettes for this film are reusable! Use a Flic Pic to open the cassettes in the dark for processing and save the cassette and spool for future bulk loading! "

needless to say, I did add a few rolls to my order just to see what is going on. Needless to say I will be doing a detailed comparison to see if these ARE "Flic" cassettes, or just something in a similar style.

While I can deal with the "flic" style cassettes, some of my Cameras are happier with conventional metal cassettes. even the metal Soviet ones cause fewer problems in some of my Canon EOS units.

I wonder if this means that a Flic-Pic" will become essential Darkroom equipment?

 

[cmacd123]

this follows the "

Foma Fomapan 400 ISO 35mm x 36 exp. - Pre-Spooled Reload Kit - Set of 6 "​

with one roll in a screw top plastic cassette and 5 more just on a spool in a plastic film can. the user is supposed to reload the plastic cassette in the dark, using on of the rolls that is supplied just on a spool.​

the last batch of Fomapan 400 I got in the summer was in a metal Non-DX cassettes with a special FOMA 100 Years logo. so it is doubly surprising that Foma seems to be having trouble getting cassettes.

 

[MattKing]

There are concerns with those cassettes: https://www.photrio.com/forum/threads/dumb-question-how-do-i-open-this-plastic-cassette.199583/

 

[Kino]

This follows a trend: Kodak is no longer selling motion picture lab stocks in metal cans. It now comes in a vacuum sealed, opaque plastic bag.

Me no like...

 

[AnselMortensen]

Grrr.
I hate plastic 35mm cassettes...and particularly THAT type.

 

[cmacd123]

This follows a trend: Kodak is no longer selling motion picture lab stocks in metal cans. It now comes in a vacuum sealed, opaque plastic bag.

Me no like...

that would be a real pain if a project only needed a few hundreed feet, where and howdoyou store the rest?

 

[AnselMortensen]

Yes...or if you need to break down a 400ft. roll into 4) 100ft. rolls?

 

[cmacd123]

There are concerns with those cassettes: https://www.photrio.com/forum/threads/dumb-question-how-do-i-open-this-plastic-cassette.199583/

this do take a different tecnique and the flic pic DOES work, But they are Fussy. So far have not tried to bulk load into one, When I bulk load I Put the cassette together in the dark, and some parts have to align with a key way into slot arrangement which I am not 100% confident I can do.

oh for the days of my mispent youth, when every casette from ANSCO Versapan was reusable with ease. and Versapan was bargain Priced.

 

[cmacd123]

Yes...or if you need to break down a 400ft. roll into 4) 100ft. rolls?

Lab films tend to be on 2000 or even 6000 ft rolls. on a core. often on a 3mil ESTAR base. A 400ft roll is Much easier to handle.

 

[koraks]

the last batch of Fomapan 400 I got in the summer was in a metal Non-DX cassettes with a special FOMA 100 Years logo.

There are concerns with those cassettes:

I know one retailer who sells a decent volume of film who received the first batch of plastic-cassette Fomapan 400 this summer. I was there when he was unboxing them and we both had some doubts about how the market would respond. When we last spoke about the issue a few weeks ago, he mentioned having received a solid zero complaints about it. I've personally not yet tried the plastic cassettes. Since I virtually only bulk load my 35mm film, it's also not very likely to happen anytime soon...

 

[Adrian Bacon]

I was intrigued by the recent thread on "AristaPan" 100 film, and decided to order a few rolls along with a couple of rolls each of the "Original Wolfen" UN54 and NP100 for comparison. while I was checking the site I noticed that their is now a (temporary ?) change to that Great Standby Arista.EDU Ultra 400.

the item page says "Due to current supply chain issues, this film is UNBOXED and in PLASTIC, NON-DX CODED cartridges." and also "The plastic cassettes for this film are reusable! Use a Flic Pic to open the cassettes in the dark for processing and save the cassette and spool for future bulk loading! "

needless to say, I did add a few rolls to my order just to see what is going on. Needless to say I will be doing a detailed comparison to see if these ARE "Flic" cassettes, or just something in a similar style.

While I can deal with the "flic" style cassettes, some of my Cameras are happier with conventional metal cassettes. even the metal Soviet ones cause fewer problems in some of my Canon EOS units.

I wonder if this means that a Flic-Pic" will become essential Darkroom equipment?

Yep, that's what's been happening for all Arista.EDU 35mm BW film for both 36 and 24 exposures. I've been moving the new packing type on Amazon for a few months now. The labeling also says it's now made in Canada, so I wonder if FreeStyle is buying bulk rolls and packaging the Arista.EDU stuff themselves. Personally, I prefer the metal cans, but I bulk load most of the BW I regularly shoot, so this hasn't particularly affected my own shooting.

 

[Adrian Bacon]

I know one retailer who sells a decent volume of film who received the first batch of plastic-cassette Fomapan 400 this summer. I was there when he was unboxing them and we both had some doubts about how the market would respond. When we last spoke about the issue a few weeks ago, he mentioned having received a solid zero complaints about it. I've personally not yet tried the plastic cassettes. Since I virtually only bulk load my 35mm film, it's also not very likely to happen anytime soon...

Same here. I move a couple dozen cases a month on Amazon and have had the new packaging type for a few months now and have literally gotten zero complaints from anybody.

 

[cmacd123]

Well "Dave" at Flic Film, claims to have the Tooling to Make the Snap together Cassettes and he bragged that "we have a lot of Plastic in Alberta." (as the home of both convetional and Oil Sands Oil production, their is more than one firm who makes plastic). He is apparently having the Plastic Cassettes made in Alberta.

I believe he claimed he could make 10,000 a month. Flic does sell their own brand of "UltraPan" which has the same developing recommendations as the Foma Film. The Ultra pan does not have any edge printing.

does anyone know if the "Plastic" EDU.Ultra has any edge print? Flic can load Casettes from 1000 ft rolls. they of course could be shipping empty cassettes to Foma, although that would not justify the finished film being marked "Made In Canada" (Have to buy Lottery Tickets to get a Leica M4 Midland Ontario edition, so I could shoot Canadian Film in an Canadian Camera )

I am suposed to get 5 rolls of EDU Ultra from B&H by the wekend. I wonder what version I will receive?

{the Nasty side of my Mind is now playing from 2001 )

 

[Donald Qualls]

It's been my experience that Fomapan 35 mm for repackaging/rebranding has no edge markings. This has been true at least of the last couple 100 foot rolls I've gotten in 100 and 400 speed .EDU Ultra. Twenty years ago, it had speed and frame numbers only, so I presume the change is due to a change in the perforating/rolling machinery (which is where edge markings are usually applied).

 

[darkroommike]

Yep, that's what's been happening for all Arista.EDU 35mm BW film for both 36 and 24 exposures. I've been moving the new packing type on Amazon for a few months now. The labeling also says it's now made in Canada, so I wonder if FreeStyle is buying bulk rolls and packaging the Arista.EDU stuff themselves. Personally, I prefer the metal cans, but I bulk load most of the BW I regularly shoot, so this hasn't particularly affected my own shooting.

Flic Film is in Canada and may be loading the Arista films for Freestyle.

 

[loccdor]

Yes I believe that is the case. You could also find Flic Film Ultrapan 100 (Fomapan 100) on B&H for $4, 36 exposures which also comes in these plastic cassettes. I was buying it there for several months. It sold out quickly but got restocked. I shot it and it's the same as any other Fomapan 100. Now I've just checked and it's listed as Discontinued - I suppose it was wise to pick up 20 rolls while I could.

It's possible to open the cassettes with a standard metal cassette opener tool, by jamming the handle in the slot and twisting, though that causes the plastic to break a bit.

 

[cmacd123]

Yes I believe that is the case. You could also find Flic Film Ultrapan 100 (Fomapan 100) on B&H for $4, 36 exposures which also comes in these plastic cassettes. I was buying it there for several months. It sold out quickly but got restocked. I shot it and it's the same as any other Fomapan 100. Now I've just checked and it's listed as Discontinued - I suppose it was wise to pick up 20 rolls while I could.

The Flicfilm.ca web site still shows three versions of Ultrapan as both cassettes and 100 ft rolls.

 

[loccdor]

The Flicfilm.ca web site still shows three versions of Ultrapan as both cassettes and 100 ft rolls.

They don't sell directly from their website, B&H was the only place with the rock-bottom price on it as far as I saw.

 

[brbo]

Lomography uses those plastic cassettes too.

I guess I’ll be the first to report problems. I don’t know whether it’s the shape of the cassette itself or the sticker on the cassette of the Lomo Color ‘92 (my guess is the latter), but I had light leaks on both rolls that I shot in cameras (Nikon F80 and Xpan) with a film window on the back. Never before or after did I have any light leaks in those two cameras with “regular” cassettes. I’ve now put black electrical tape over the sticker on the ‘92 roll, I’ll know if that helps after I finish the roll in my F80…

 

[cmacd123]

They don't sell directly from their website, B&H was the only place with the rock-bottom price on it as far as I saw.

yes, they do show a list of dealers. you have to check to see who sells it in your country.

 

[cmacd123]

only slightly related, but perhaps not worth a fresh thread. "Flic" has announced that they now OWN the "Street Candy" film brand.

post taken from Social media.

 

[cmacd123]

Just a fresh observation: film packaging is still unpredictable.

I just received a few rolls of Fomapan 400 from a dealer in Montreal. These came in "all Chrome" NON DX cassettes. (the ones that in the past are so tightly crimped that one has to use a leader retriever) the leader did not have the characteristic notch I have come to expect from film from the Foma factory. the previous batch I got from the same source, said plastic cassette in the bottom of the box near the expiry date. those were in the vertical split cassettes that flic and some china suppliers use.

i tried to use one of the all chrome cassette in a Canon rebel Ti and the cassette spool did not engage with the camera. having a darkroom helps in such cases. these rolls will have to be dedicated to my manual focus cameras.