Film from Italy -- Ferrania starting production 2014

[StoneNYC]

Ferrania was the last producer of 126 Instamatic.

Since no one else in the world (meaning planet Earth) can produce 126 Instamatic, I surely hope Ferrania will do it !

Adox indicated that they will be making a B&W 126 film BTW, very soon... it's a 100 speed film, I can't recall the exact name but it's one of the recent threads.

 

[theoria]

slide film seems like one of those niches waiting to be occupied by a small player. Fuji prices are already at a level where they might offer quite some room for maneuver to a new entrant that can't rely on economies of scale. Moreover, e6 will target the enthusiast market, and some will probably choose to place their bets on Ferrania and buy their product in order to ensure the long term survival of slide film.

 

[ME Super]

Here is what I have from them


...
Ok, now the question is: what kind of film?
We think it is better to start revamping the very last produced emulsions. The first two that we will make are a color negative film derived from Ferrania Solaris FG-100 Plus (only for still photographs) and a professional color reversal film derived from Scotch Chrome 100.
...

Another E-6 film! Yes! I hope they can pull this off. Maybe even do a 640T E-6 film at some point would be cool but not absolutely necessary. A 400-speed would be nice too, especially with the discontinuance of Provia 400X.

I would at least try their E-6 offering and if it's good, well they will get more of my business for sure.

 

[StoneNYC]

slide film seems like one of those niches waiting to be occupied by a small player. Fuji prices are already at a level where they might offer quite some room for maneuver to a new entrant that can't rely on economies of scale. Moreover, e6 will target the enthusiast market, and some will probably choose to place their bets on Ferrania and buy their product in order to ensure the long term survival of slide film.

Agreed, however, I will say I do hope somehow that Velvia and Provia survive, I am drawn to their over saturation. I love them for long exposure sky work. If the Ferrania stuff is sort of muted, I might be a little disappointed, or if its very mucky grain, but I think with todays technology even a smaller plant could produce some nice stuff. Though now that I'm in the LF world, I think the most impressive thing is to sell a print with a massive 4x5 sheet, massive not to LF guys it's "small" but to most people, seeing a 4x5 transparency on a light box just blows their mind.

 

[Paul Howell]

My guess is that 3M E 6 will be late 70s or early 80s emulsion, I doubt that Ferrania updated prior to pulling the plug on production sometime in the late 80s or early 90s, the last C 41 Solar 100 and 200 I used was a newer film developed in the 90s, as I recall the grain was good with a shift towards yellow. I have a few rolls of Solar 100 in the freezer. I need to check out smy slides from the
70s, I shot a fair amount with the old 3 M E 6 sold at K Mart, I dont recall off the top of my head if it was an ASA 64, 100 or 200. The last I looked they have held up over the years, unlike GAF which are all fading. .

 

[Ricardo Miranda]

Very good news! Fantastic that it is the films I would ask for! Hope for 110, 120, 126 and 135. Would like to see Super-8 colour reversal as well!

 

[AgX]

My guess is that 3M E 6 will be late 70s or early 80s emulsion, I doubt that Ferrania updated prior to pulling the plug on production sometime in the late 80s or early 90s, the last C 41 Solar 100 and 200 I used was a newer film developed in the 90s, as I recall the grain was good with a shift towards yellow. I have a few rolls of Solar 100 in the freezer. I need to check out smy slides from the
70s, I shot a fair amount with the old 3 M E 6 sold at K Mart, I dont recall off the top of my head if it was an ASA 64, 100 or 200. The last I looked they have held up over the years, unlike GAF which are all fading. .

In the 90's the Scotch branded films from Ferrania were amongst the fastest in the world. Actually then they offered the fasted E-6 push-film ever (EI 3200).

 

[StoneNYC]

My guess is that 3M E 6 will be late 70s or early 80s emulsion, I doubt that Ferrania updated prior to pulling the plug on production sometime in the late 80s or early 90s, the last C 41 Solar 100 and 200 I used was a newer film developed in the 90s, as I recall the grain was good with a shift towards yellow. I have a few rolls of Solar 100 in the freezer. I need to check out smy slides from the
70s, I shot a fair amount with the old 3 M E 6 sold at K Mart, I dont recall off the top of my head if it was an ASA 64, 100 or 200. The last I looked they have held up over the years, unlike GAF which are all fading. .

OT: was the GAF film not properly cleared and has just gotten fogged or something else? I've only used B&W GAF was there also color? I love shooting this old stock of GAF that I have and it would be good to know now if something about it won't hold up... haha. Thanks.

In the 90's the Scotch branded films from Ferrania were amongst the fastest in the world. Actually then they offered the fasted E-6 push-film ever (EI 3200).

OH WOW that's awesome! Maybe they can replace the Provia400X with something of their own creation. I never really found 400 speed film as useful as 800 speed. If the light isn't there for 100, 400 just isn't enough for me most of the time... so I hope they maybe make an 800 speed E-6 that would be super awesome!

 

[ME Super]

Agreed, however, I will say I do hope somehow that Velvia and Provia survive, I am drawn to their over saturation. I love them for long exposure sky work. If the Ferrania stuff is sort of muted, I might be a little disappointed, or if its very mucky grain, but I think with todays technology even a smaller plant could produce some nice stuff. Though now that I'm in the LF world, I think the most impressive thing is to sell a print with a massive 4x5 sheet, massive not to LF guys it's "small" but to most people, seeing a 4x5 transparency on a light box just blows their mind.

Stone,
You can increase saturation of slide film (this is true of E-6 as well as it was of Kodachrome) with slight underexposure. By "slight" I mean 1/3 to 1/2 stop.If you go beyond 1 stop then it's just plain underexposed (unless the underexposed look is what you're going for).

 

[StoneNYC]

Stone,
You can increase saturation of slide film (this is true of E-6 as well as it was of Kodachrome) with slight underexposure. By "slight" I mean 1/3 to 1/2 stop.If you go beyond 1 stop then it's just plain underexposed (unless the underexposed look is what you're going for).

Are you sure this works with scanners though? that might be true of printing it on ilfochrome paper but with scanners, it just means you get a dark image, the scanner can't see through the darker densities...

 

[cmacd123]

The Old AnscoChrome - GAF film was based on the AGFA technology, rather then the Ektachrome technology. They had their own processing chemicals. so the Storage life was different.

I do recall a 500ASA version.

Ferrania -3M film was mostly sold in the private label market. It is intriguing that they claim ot have the equipment to make 127, as EFKE seems to have been the ultimate supplier for many of the 127 films sold in the last while. Somewhere I still have some Dynapan spools from my early pre-high school attempts at film developing. (They are unique as the centre is shiny metal, but the metal flanges are black. 127 was also the "superSlide format, but Slide film has not been available in that size for ages.

Perhaps they could earn their way to bootstrap there systems by converting other make film to 127, 126 and 110. {that does fit in with the rumours of a lomography connection to this while plan}

I will not hold my breath of course, but will cross my fingers.

 

[cmacd123]

I'd say you get more latitude and dynamic range with neg film so neg to neg should be better. Positive films usually have more inherent contrast than negative films meaning they retain less image information that can be reproduced and you already loose a lot of information at the copy/printing stage. Neg low contrast to ultra low contrast Neg (print) pos higher contrast to slightly higher contrast (loss of information).

Some MUCH Older colour processes did actually use reversal film. About the third or forth version of Technicolour was a single strip camera system. Technicolour had a deal where Kodak provided them Kodachrome stock. they processed it and made B&W separation Negatives, which then were compatible with the rest of the technicolour process from the three strip Technicolour cameras.

The first system that was used for making 16mm colour movies used Kodachrome camera film, and A special Kodachrome Print stock - both reversal. When ektachrome came out, their was a Special Low contrast 16mm stock called "Ektachrome Commercial" which could be printed on a Kodachrome release print stock.

The driver was the reversal stocks had smaller grain. Once Eastman Colour Negative got past it's first few versions, the grain was down enough that ECN started to be made available in 16mm Big budget 16mm films could also shoot 35mm and make reduction prints on 16mm stock.

The Movie Negative films are of lower contrast than the Still colour films. I played with them about 20 years ago. There were some labs who took advantage of the fact that the movie industry often generates "short ends" (part rolls of Movie film of less than 400 ft) and sold them for still use, including making a print on EASTMAN colour print film. Trying to print the negative on regualr colour paper showed the lower contrast, and sure enough the same labs would offer to process regualr C-41 film, and then make slides on ECP. HIGH contrast slides!

today, scanning is much more the norm, followed by editing as d*g*t*l video and using a Laser film recorder to make a new negative to produce the needed ECP film prints. Here again the latitude of the negative film rules the day, as well as the experienced workers being much more confortable with the materials they are used to using.

 

[TheFlyingCamera]

Are you sure this works with scanners though? that might be true of printing it on ilfochrome paper but with scanners, it just means you get a dark image, the scanner can't see through the darker densities...

A scanner can handle a 1/3 to 1/2 stop increase in density just fine. Where it falls down is when you're dealing with gross underexposure (1+ stops). And this is venturing off-topic for APUG.

 

[StoneNYC]

The Old AnscoChrome - GAF film was based on the AGFA technology, rather then the Ektachrome technology. They had their own processing chemicals. so the Storage life was different.

I do recall a 500ASA version.

Ferrania -3M film was mostly sold in the private label market. It is intriguing that they claim ot have the equipment to make 127, as EFKE seems to have been the ultimate supplier for many of the 127 films sold in the last while. Somewhere I still have some Dynapan spools from my early pre-high school attempts at film developing. (They are unique as the centre is shiny metal, but the metal flanges are black. 127 was also the "superSlide format, but Slide film has not been available in that size for ages.

Perhaps they could earn their way to bootstrap there systems by converting other make film to 127, 126 and 110. {that does fit in with the rumours of a lomography connection to this while plan}

I will not hold my breath of course, but will cross my fingers.

I want to be clear that they said that but I think they are speaking about the same thing that Ilford just did with the ULF run... which is selling a can of uncut 46mm and then you re-roll it yourself... I just asked the rep from ADOX about that and he said they would consider not only making a 46mm can full of one of their new films but also would sell it as a package with backing paper. Again they are only CONSIDERING this... but it's a good start, a maybe is better than a flat out no... ilford said they can't make backing paper in that size so that's why I'm hoping someone else does, so I'm guessing Ferrania probably will do something similar... you can only re-use the backing paper so many times before the edges get all ratty, especially with older cameras...

However, with the whole Lomography movement, if they are actually the plant for the lomo films, they may actually produce the 127 film with spools and paper together since they have a good market for that stuff, and we could benefit as an after thought LOL

 

[ntenny]

I'll be happy as long as they produce 120. In a world where slide film in the common sheet sizes seems to be on the way out, I have a hard time imagining there's a market for it in the orphan formats---but I'd be glad to be wrong.

-NT

 

[StoneNYC]

I'll be happy as long as they produce 120. In a world where slide film in the common sheet sizes seems to be on the way out, I have a hard time imagining there's a market for it in the orphan formats---but I'd be glad to be wrong.

-NT

I'm worried about that too, one of my main reasons for moving to 4x5 was for the amazing color and quality and wow factor of a 4x5 sheet of Velvia50.... and guess what we just lost... haha

I'm still kind of surprised that Velvia 100 sold better than Velvia 50, I used that most for landscape work. Strange really ...

 

[wblynch]

?.. 127 was also the "superSlide format, but Slide film has not been available in that size for ages...

Actually Rollei Crossbird is slide film and has been available in 127 for a couple of years now. It's not being packaged any more due to EFKE's collapse but could be again if the machinery resurfaces.

There is still some in the supply chain if you want it.

 

[StoneNYC]

Actually Rollei Crossbird is slide film and has been available in 127 for a couple of years now. It's not being packaged any more due to EFKE's collapse but could be again if the machinery resurfaces.

There is still some in the supply chain if you want it.

Hmm, I didn't know it was available in 127... I also thought it was a cross processed film or something, and wouldn't look good as a real E-6 processed film?

 

[Arctic amateur]

Rollei Crossbird is CR200 (E-6 film) packaged as a C-41 film.

 

[theoria]

Agreed, however, I will say I do hope somehow that Velvia and Provia survive, I am drawn to their over saturation. I love them for long exposure sky work. If the Ferrania stuff is sort of muted, I might be a little disappointed, or if its very mucky grain, but I think with todays technology even a smaller plant could produce some nice stuff. Though now that I'm in the LF world, I think the most impressive thing is to sell a print with a massive 4x5 sheet, massive not to LF guys it's "small" but to most people, seeing a 4x5 transparency on a light box just blows their mind.

I love Velvia and Provia too, loved Astia even more, and I hope that Fuji will keep alive as many slide films as possible. Nobody (but the company accountants probably) knows how things will evolve. What the reemergence of Ferrania might show is that to some, which have a more hands on perspective, slide manufacturing looks like a viable business perspective. So it should be to Fuji, unless the overcapacity problem is more important than we think (well, you might add to that various factors such as differnet labor costs or the exchange rate which have nothing to do with market size).

 

[clayne]

I too love/loved Astia, but you know, Provia and Velvia are perfectly fine. I only wish the deletion of 400 wasn't done.

 

[Roger Cole]

as I said in the other thread, it's about offering options not available by larger competitors... sizes not available like 127 for example, also another E-6 option, maybe one that isn't over saturated in red/blues and is still beautiful would be an option. If they are able to also to sell their films in kits for example, you could buy a "home pro pack" that consisted of 5 or 10 rolls of E-6 plus the full chemistry packets to process it at home, that would be a great package deal, especially in the US where you can't buy E-6 kits in small amounts anymore (except the 3 bath crap kits).

Lots of ways to compete in a niche market ... just have to be creative.

Have you USED the three bath kits? They are not crap.

When three bath E6 came out I was using the regular six bath, and made a comparison. When I saw the results I slightly preferred the THREE bath, so I switched.

Now I've read PE's comments and the longevity could be affected. I don't know about that. But the results were anything but "crap."

 

[clayne]

Yep, I also use the Tetenal 3-bath kits. They're perfectly fine. I'd use the Fuji 6-bath kit if I didn't have to ship it all across the Atlantic. Price is similar for capacity. I've considered mixing up my own E-6 bleach and fix to head off any "longevity" issues though.

Roger, it's past your bed time.

 

[StoneNYC]

Yep, I also use the Tetenal 3-bath kits. They're perfectly fine. I'd use the Fuji 6-bath kit if I didn't have to ship it all across the Atlantic. Price is similar for capacity. I've considered mixing up my own E-6 bleach and fix to head off any "longevity" issues though.

Roger, it's past your bed time.

Yes Roger I agree I meant the blix factor. And Clayne, I've thought the same thing. I'm trying to recover the full info on E-6 though to do the whole thing myself. Dev and color dev and bleach and fix and stabilizer and there's something I'm missing.... Reversal bath? Lol


~Stone | Sent w/ iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Ian Grant]

Ferrania have just confirmed (by email) that large format sizes would be available as well.

Ian