Confused with JandC 4x5 sheet film choices - Anyone help ?

Hi

In these uncertain and constantly changing times in which we live in relation to the continued and future availability of black & white film, especially my beloved Ilford FP4 which quite possibly may no longer be available in the future, I have decided to support the good guys at J and C film and place an order. But after studying thier website, I'm a bit confused by the offerings, could anyone help me figure out the various 4x5 black & white sheet films. What are the differences between J&C 100, the J&C Pro 100 and the Efke PL100. Anyone have a recommendation ?? What about the quality control issues I have read about here on APUG ?? And what about the fragile nature of the emulsion, is it really that easy to scratch. Any help, advice and opinions would be helpful. I did look at the data sheets, but can't really tell what the differences are between the three 4x5 sheet films. Thanks

I have only just begun to investigate their films myself. I have tried the EFKE 25 so far and I really like it. I will be shooting with it tomorrow around Yosemite, doing abstracts of granite rock. It processes well in Rodinal and seems to have a correct ASA at 25, with shadows looking correct when placed on Zone III.

I have just bought some EFKE PL 100 which is very highly regarded. On the J&C seb site, they show some excellent technial data on this film. If is true, this film is too good to believe. The shape of the 'contrast-time curve' shows no shoulder, so the testing they did did not push the film to it's limits in terms of expansion. If you need a film that you can do +\- processing with, this looks like a great choice. The toe does not come up goin from 4 min qo 12 minutes! So, you can rely on good blacks staying black while you 'push' the film to get a few more zones of denisty out of the highlghts.
I get the from the curves published on the web-site, not from actual experince, however. You can check Francesco's site out for examples of this film as I believe he shoots it a lot. The J&C site also has a link to a few guys who shoot their films.

There are a lot of threads if you search back about the Pro 100 and Classic films. You can learn a lot from that.

All I can say is I lik the EFKE 25 so far and the EFKE PL 100 is coming next. I have some of ther Pro 100 in 4x5 to do some of my own testing with. Their web-site does not give as good technical data on their Pro and Classic films. I wish they divulged as much atout them as they do the EFKE films.

-Mike

There are only J&C Pro100 (made in China I believe), and the Efke PL100 (made in Croatia). My tests aren't complete (issues with a balky densitometer) but it looks like the Pro100 is about a half stop faster than the Efke. You might consider the J&C200 (Classic Pan, made in Hungary). Shot at 160 it's a pretty nice film. Not on the order of Agfa APX100 but what the hey, you can get it. I process it either in Rodinal 1+50 or W2D2+, the pyro making a really nice negative top to bottom of the tonal scale. You might try a box of that and establish a personal E.I. and see if it fits the bill for your shooting. It is nowhere near as fragile as the Efke.

tim in san jose

Efke PL100 is my primary film (my secondary being Classic 400, for the extra speed). It is extremely flexible and builds excellent general and local contrast without affecting density too much. I have developed Efke PL100 negatives of scenes from SBR 5 (N+2) to SBR 15 (N-8).

k_jupiter said:

There are only J&C Pro100 (made in China I believe), and the Efke PL100 (made in Croatia). My tests aren't complete (issues with a balky densitometer) but it looks like the Pro100 is about a half stop faster than the Efke. You might consider the J&C200 (Classic Pan, made in Hungary). Shot at 160 it's a pretty nice film. Not on the order of Agfa APX100 but what the hey, you can get it. I process it either in Rodinal 1+50 or W2D2+, the pyro making a really nice negative top to bottom of the tonal scale. You might try a box of that and establish a personal E.I. and see if it fits the bill for your shooting. It is nowhere near as fragile as the Efke.

tim in san jose

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Do you use the times listed on the J&C site for the Classic 200or do you have times that work better? I just tried it out and it looks a little thin to me. I haven't got it under a densitometer yet as the films not dry.

I recently processed my first few sheets of Classic 200 with Rodinal 1:50 at 20 degree C (68F). 10 minutes seems too long. I think 8 - 9 min should be about right for me. I can manage 4 sheets without scratching the film.

glbeas said:

Do you use the times listed on the J&C site for the Classic 200or do you have times that work better? I just tried it out and it looks a little thin to me. I haven't got it under a densitometer yet as the films not dry.

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I think the time for Rodinal 1+50 was given at 12 minutes @ 68F. That's what I use and have no problems with thin negatives. The time for W2D2+ I have worked out to be 9 1/2 minutes @ 68F. The first sheets run through Panthermic 777 are about 7 minutes @ 75F, but I ain't guaranteeing that time yet. Not enough time to test everything I want to, that's for sure. Of course, metering is everything so you will have to use those times as a starting point.

tim in san jose