CheapShots Cleanskin film

[hoffy]

I have been looking for some cheaper 120 film in Australia, without having to do a big order from the US or UK, while I sort out some problems with my Koni-Omega and learn how to effectively use it.

I found this stuff in ebay from Aussie seller "CheapShots"
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/5-x-CleanSki..._Photographic_Accessories&hash=item5887e04fd9

For the benifit of those who don't want to click the link, its described as such:

You've heard of cleanskin bargains to be had at bottleshops,
now CheapShotsAu has teamed up with a leading
European film manufacturer to bring you professional
quality photographic supplies with our own in house branding.
CheapShotsAu Cleanskins film is the same high quality emulsion
as the branded product manufactured in the Czech Republic,
the only difference is the plain generic packaging which allows us to
pass the substantial savings on to you.

CheapShotsAu CleanSkins are produced in Hradec Kralove
just north of Prague in the Czech Republic by a market leader
with a very long pedigree in the development and manufacture of B&W,
tracing its history back to the original company formation in 1921.

Has anyone used this film? Is ti worth my while, considering that I really have only used Ilford?

Cheers

 

[Leigh Youdale]

Well, it has to be Foma. I'm testing it at the moment and would have to say it has "issues" compared to Ilford. You can get branded and boxed supplies in Australia direct from the importer. I bought my 120 and 35mm stocks at $5 per roll but I think it was a stock reduction price. Get in touch with Chris Reid at <www.blanconegrosupplies.com.au>

 

[Athiril]

Havent used CleanSkins, my go to cheap film is Shanghai GP3. Beautiful stuff. And under half the price of your CleanSkin's stuff, not sure if its Fomapan, but I've used Fomapan 100 in 4x5... not a huge fan.

Edit: Love Ilford, and Shanghai, not so much Foma


http://cgi.ebay.com.au/10-SHANGHAI-...ewItem&pt=AU_FILM_CAMERAS&hash=item5ad916d930

 

[Leigh Youdale]

Foma

Hoffy,
If you just want to play around and test some as I'm doing, I see that Blanco Negro are just about sold out of most film.
I have:-
four rolls of Foma 100 x 120
five rolls of Foma 400 x 120
two rolls of Foma 100 135-36
five rolls of Foma 200 135-36, and
four rolls of Foma 400 135-36

They each cost $5 and you can have some if you like. Call or SMS 0417210437

 

[hoffy]

Thanks for the info Leigh and Athiril.

I am sitting here trying to work out what I need to do. Might have to get in contact with you tomorrow.

Cheers

 

[Krzys]

It is fomapan. Super blue base and U L T R A edge markings. From my findings it is a decent film in D-76 and Rodinal but not Xtol. No worth the savings due the scratches and curl though. The last roll I used came with a huge scratch down the entire roll of film.

I prefer Chinese ERA and it is cheaper. Check it out.

 

[werra]

Unfortunately ERA does not come in 120. Otherwise it's good cheap stuff indeed.

 

[Thomas Bertilsson]

From my findings it is a decent film in D-76 and Rodinal but not Xtol.

I think that is a matter of taste. I used about 50 rolls of Foma 100 and 400 mixed with replenished Xtol, and they are some of the nicest negs I've ever made. Sharp, fine grained, and beautiful tonality.

No worth the savings due the scratches and curl though. The last roll I used came with a huge scratch down the entire roll of film.

Couldn't agree more. I have had problems with Foma 400 in 35mm that had exactly the same issue. Nice gouge along the entire length of the film. I actually believe that it may be a problem with grit being stuck in the film canister light seal, and the emulsion is so soft that when you wind, and eventually rewind, the film it gets those marks.
If you count on the film being absolutely reliable, Foma is probably not your best choice. In every batch of film I have gotten that is either Foma branded, or an OEM version of it, there has been some sort of issue that I never see with Kodak, Fuji, or Ilford films.

 

[Ian Grant]

I've used 120 Fomapan 100 & 200 in replenished Xtol as well with great results and no scratches.

Ian.

 

[srs5694]

Foma, like any brand, has its supporters and its detractors. The only way to know if you will like it is to try it. Personally, I do like it. There's something about the grain that I find appealing, but it's hard to describe what it is I like about it. FWIW, I've used D-76, XTOL, DS-10, DS-12, and probably other developers with Foma films, and they all work fine with it, IMHO. If you're familiar with Agfa products, Fomapan is probably closer to the Agfa APX line than it is to Kodak's or Ilford's products. That's not to say Fomapan is an exact, or even a close, Agfa APX clone; it's just a starting point for comparison.

 

[hoffy]

Thanks for the advice.

Actually, the more I think about it, the better off I am to stick with something that I have been using in the past. Adding another variable to a new experience is probably not the best thing to do.

Cheers

 

[Athiril]

If you like Ilford you should like Shanghai imho.

I can send you a roll to try out

 

[tomalophicon]

Yep Shanghai is awesome. It also pushes very well to 400 (at least).

 

[Athiril]

Speaking of pushing Shanghai... I used it @ 3200... the tonality is still great, quite awesome for such a push, but the shot had marks all over it (like backing marks).. I need to try it again.. the 800 shot didn't have such markings.

 

[TheFlyingCamera]

Although it no longer exists (at least for the immediate future), I was always a HUGE fan of Fomapan 200. I shot it in large format sheets (5x7, 8x10), and it was wonderful. I never had the scratching problem folks seem to have with the smaller formats, and of course curl is a non-issue with sheets. I would still be shooting it in volume over Ilford FP4 if availability were not the issue.

 

[srs5694]

FWIW, my experience with the Shanghai GP3 film others are advocating is that it produces good images, but the negative curl is the worst I've seen -- worse even than Foma film, which tends to curl a fair amount. Personally, I'm not all that bothered by film curl, but some people are quite allergic to it, so I thought it bore mentioning.

 

[desertrat]

Several years ago, I bought some J&C Pro 100 in 120, which I believe was Shanghai GP3 based on the distinctive red inner wrapper and the strange textured black backing paper. It had all the other characteristics of GP3 also, such as curl and delicate emulsion.

I liked the tonality, but I encountered one or two small flaws in the emulsion in almost every frame. At least that's what they looked like when examining the negs under a 20x dissecting microscope set up for transmitted light.

The other issue was this film doesn't seem to age well. I shot some portraits of a friend and his wife with one of my last rolls that was 3 years out of date but had been refrigerated the whole time. Their faces looked like they had a bad case of measles in every frame. All the medium gray shades had the same specks.

I took another roll, did test shots outside, and developed with a different developer. Same results. This could have been a problem with my technique, as I'm not by any means an advanced photographer, but I would suggest using GP3 quickly and not letting it sit past the expiration date, even if cold stored.

 

[tomalophicon]

Yep I suppose you gets what you pays for.

 

[Athiril]

FWIW, my experience with the Shanghai GP3 film others are advocating is that it produces good images, but the negative curl is the worst I've seen -- worse even than Foma film, which tends to curl a fair amount. Personally, I'm not all that bothered by film curl, but some people are quite allergic to it, so I thought it bore mentioning.

I've never had that kind of problem with it, but I use 120, I get more curl with Pro 400H in 120, worst offender I've ever seen is Kodak Gold in 35mm.

 

[tomalophicon]

I didn't know you could get it in smaller than 120.

It curls for me but it's far off being unmanageable.

 

[srs5694]

Maybe we're looking at sample-to-sample differences, then. (My Shanghai GP3 is in 120. Like tomalophicon, I've never heard of it in 35mm.)

 

[hairygit]

Can't help but to agree, Shanghai GP3 is a great film, at bargain prices in 120 format. The only snag I found was the odd backing paper and numbers are near impossible to see through the red window on many cameras. The easiest way of dealing with it was to remove the original backing paper and replace it with the yellow one from a kodak film, problem solved! All in all a great value film that gives me very satisfactory result.