Foma 200 Sheet film, tabular grain? What developer?

harlequin · May 18, 2021

Hello Team,

Just got a fresh box of 200 asa 4x5 and as a first time shooting this, had a few questions..

A) should this film be shot at box speed?

B) is the tabular grain similar to Tmax or Delta 100?

C) I normally use ID 11 as developer, but would there be a better choice for this particular film (Rodinal,Fx39,Perceptol??

Thanks for your feedback and input on this, any photos with your favorite sauce always appreciated.

Regards,

Harlequin

Jonno85uk · May 18, 2021

The datasheet suggests its generally an ISO125-160 speed film.
You're going to get a lot of chat about the true speed, emulsion issues, handling concerns and something else that always comes up.

cjbecker · May 18, 2021

I exposed it at ei125 and developed in d23 for 6 min at 68f. I followed the published times for d76/id11. The negatives printed straight under a diffusion enlarger on grade 2 looked perfect. I shuffle threw the sheets so each sheet gets agitated once a min. So for 6 sheets, shuffle a sheet from the bottom to the top every 10 seconds.

Switched back to hp5 because of all the micro scratches I was getting that I have never got before with hp5/fp4/tri-x

Lachlan Young · May 18, 2021

harlequin said:
A) should this film be shot at box speed?

It's a bit slower in ID-11 etc - but what your personal preference ends up at will depend on the shadow detail you want.

harlequin said:
B) is the tabular grain similar to Tmax or Delta 100?

What granularity characteristics matter to you? Fomapan 200 is nowhere near as sharp or fine grained as Delta 100 or TMax 100, but has pleasing characteristics of its own.

harlequin said:
C) I normally use ID 11 as developer, but would there be a better choice for this particular film (Rodinal,Fx39,Perceptol??

ID-11 is fine - as is Rodinal, Perceptol etc. Too often people's developer preferences belie their process/ exposure control issues rather than real, measurable sharpness/ granularity/ latitude differences.

halfaman · May 18, 2021

I use it only in 4x5" sheets at ISO 125 with Rodinal 1+50 developed normally with Foma suggested time. I like it, tones are punchier than Fomapan 100 and seems also sharper to me.

It is a mix of tabular and cubic grain. I think they are not able to do a pure tabular grain emulsion like Ilford or Kodak.

TheFlyingCamera · May 18, 2021

I've been shooting it in 5x7 at 100, develop Pyrocat HD 1:1:100, 7 minutes @ 75F. It develops FAST compared to most other comparable films.

Lachlan Young · May 18, 2021

halfaman said:
It is a mix of tabular and cubic grain. I think they are not able to do a pure tabular grain emulsion like Ilford or Kodak.

No, this is incorrect. A relatively uncontrolled emulsion with a random mix of grain types is polydisperse - the dual jet precipitation that Foma uses will produce a specific grain type of choice (anything from 3D crystals to high aspect ratio 'flat' crystals) - they aren't using epitaxial growth like Ilford/ Fuji (where you can grow 3D crystals on the points of high aspect ratio crystals). Foma are perfectly capable of making quite specific grain forms - they don't have the sensitising technology/ techniques or multilayer coating methods that lets Kodak, Ilford etc maximise the speed/ grain/ sharpness relationships (which matters as much as grain growth technique).

urnem57 · May 18, 2021

On kind of a side note - I Have been soaking my Foma 100 4x5 sheets for 20-30 minutes @ 68 degrees as Foma recommended to remove all of the anti halation layer. I was getting little whit dots all over some sheets of film. I tried new chemistry, distilled water, and it made no difference. I suspected a bad emulsion batch and emailed Foma samples. They advised the long soak or to soak already developed negs in ethanol. I develop 6 sheets at a time in a Paterson Tank w/a 20th Century Camera Reel. I now will maybe get a white speck or two, but nothing like before. I hope this helps someone who reads this.

DREW WILEY · May 18, 2021

Heck no. It's not related to TMax films. And the realistic speed is nowhere near the advertised 200. It's more like half that speed, but test relative to your own needs. Be aware that the long exposure recip characteristics are downright awful, especially if a strong contrast filter is involved, so plan on timing any of your long exposures with a Carbon 14 clock. It seems to develop very fast - for me, around 6 min in PMK pyro, tray-developed. It is the only remaining "straight line" film, but a distant cry from the quality and versatility of old Super XX or Bergger 200. I suspect the 200 rating is just a marketing ploy to place it in the same category, functionally. Its finer grained; and yes, it will dig down really deep into the shadows and provide excellent gradation over an exceptionally wide luminance range once you become accustomed to it.

But after trying two boxes of 8x10, I got fed up with the zits and cracks, and gave up on it. Perhaps those small blemishes wouldn't bother a contact printer; but I enlarge most of my negs, and wasn't amused by the dicey quality control, especially given the sheer effort that went into those 8x10 shots.

Ernst-Jan · May 19, 2021

Foto Impex suggests X-tol or Atomal 49 for Foma 200.
But it also works with Rodinal, in which I developed it. It is somewhere between a T-grain and a traditional grain.

Paul Howell · May 19, 2021

I use Foma 200 in all formats, 4X5 I have used D76 with ISO 125, with MCM 100 at box speed 200, and will use Clayton F76+ at 200. I also do a pre soak, just 10 minutes. Over the years that I've used Foma never had an issue with quaility control, just the luck of the draw.

Peter Schrager · May 19, 2021

I used it at 150 speed and developed in xtol 1+2 or in pyrocat mc and never had any quality issues

Lachlan Young · May 19, 2021

Ernst-Jan said:
It is somewhere between a T-grain and a traditional grain

Essentially it seems to be a high aspect ratio grain (anyone want to stick an emulsion sample in a SEM so we can get a definite answer?) structure but without the very high MTF performance most other high aspect ratio grain structure films have designed in - I think that a lot of people tend to confuse the improvements in MTF performance with changes in grain structures.

urnem57 · May 19, 2021

I have gained a better appreciation for this film the more I use it. The good part is that it’s inexpensive compared to most others, which allows for more experimenting. Once I got it dialed in better for my uses, I realized that I had too quickly dismissed it. I still won’t use it as the only stock on shoots where I am particularly concerned about quality. But I now bring along a few extra holders with it and I like the results in Rodinal 1:50.

Tim Stapp · May 19, 2021

I shoot it in 4x5 and rotary develop in my JOBO. XTOL undiluted/unreplenished. I pre soak for 5 minutes, developer 6 minutes, dilute acetic acid stop for 2 minutes, fix and wash, wash wash (3 times).

Foma 200 Sheet film, tabular grain? What developer?

Membership Council

Privacy & Transparency

Privacy & Transparency