Film Equivalent Charts for Various Mfr.'s

[David Ruby]

Does anyone have, or know where to find a chart that lists close equivalent of black and white films from various mfr's?

For example, Kodak Tmax would is failry equivalent to "x" film by Ilford, or "x" by "x" mfr. I've heard that some warehouse film distributer sell Ilford films under various names, and I was curious if there was a resource that put all that information together.

Just curious.

 

[David A. Goldfarb]

Different manufacturers may make films of the same speed as other manufacturers, but they aren't really "equivalent." Each film has its own unique look, and that can be further affected by choice of developer.

 

[David Ruby]

That's not really what I was getting at.

I was wondering if mfr.'s sold their films under different names, similar to various products you find everywhere, like the grocery store. And if they do, has anyone documented this.

You may be right though, that you can't get Ilford or Kodak 100% equivalents in other names.

 

[David A. Goldfarb]

I see what you're asking. I don't know that there's one source for this information, but if you hunt around, you can find some speculation and some fact in various threads on the net.

For instance, many people seem to agree that Arista and Photo Warehouse B&W films are Ilford HP5+ and/or FP4+. Fortepan, ClassicPan, and J&C classic are the same film. Some consumer color neg films sold under various store brands are Fuji or Kodak. Bergger films are made by Forte and perhaps other manufacturers, but Bergger claims that the emulsions are theirs.

 

[David Ruby]

Thanks David G. That's the kind of stuff I was hoping to find, and I'll look more. I'll start my own comparison chart, and share it if I find that it's helpful.