FOMA-r factory issue.

avortex · Jan 16, 2015

OK, time to eat my own words. Foma finally replied my message asking for more information about the problem and assured me that they'll keep me updated very soon.
Still don't know if they'll be kind enough to send me some new films or something to compensate for the defective ones.
A bit of hope at last!

avortex · Feb 18, 2015

A new update: FOMA refunded my money back through the dealer who sold me the films.
They weren't able to send me substitution films because all they have now is the defective master roll, but... they were fair and recognised the problem.

R.Gould · Feb 18, 2015

avortex said:
A new update: FOMA refunded my money back through the dealer who sold me the films.
They weren't able to send me substitution films because all they have now is the defective master roll, but... they were fair and recognised the problem.

who says Foma don't care ?

mnemosyne · May 24, 2016

avortex said:
[JAN 04, 2015] I don't know, Alessandro. I wrote to Foma yesterday about this issue, so I still give them the benefit of the doubt.
I'll let you know whatever happens.

avortex said:
[FEB 18, 2015] A new update: FOMA refunded my money back through the dealer who sold me the films.
They weren't able to send me substitution films because all they have now is the defective master roll, but... they were fair and recognised the problem.

Alessandro Serrao said:
After more than THREE YEARS???!!!

That makes six weeks, if I reckon correctly.

Ricardo Miranda · May 24, 2016

Alessandro Serrao said:
After more than THREE YEARS???!!!

May I ask why did you pick up this thread after being dead for more than a year?
Instead of trying to put down one of the few manufacturers still producing and introducing new products in a very reduced market, why don't you help them by actually using their products fresh and if you have any issue, then write directly to them instead of coming to a forum and lambasting them in public?
Now, that's a new idea for you!

R.Gould · May 24, 2016

Ricardo Miranda said:
May I ask why did you pick up this thread after being dead for more than a year?
Instead of trying to put down one of the few manufacturers still producing and introducing new products in a very reduced market, why don't you help them by actually using their products fresh and if you have any issue, then write directly to them instead of coming to a forum and lambasting them in public?
Now, that's a new idea for you!

Hear Hear

Ricardo Miranda · May 24, 2016

Yes, and just for information:
Fomapan 100-R in 35mm cassettes is no longer available.
Only formats are cine: 16mm, Double Super8 and Double8.
This is the last B&W film for some of these formats.

There must be countless Regular8 cameras lying around here in the UK as well as in the rest of the world not being used simply because their owners think they are museum pieces or that film is no longer in production.

Ricardo Miranda · May 24, 2016

I am questioning your motives, not your right to write.

Production of Fomapan R100 in the 35mm format was stopped last year.
You see no mention of 35mm here: http://foma-cz.cs4.cstech.cz/en/catalogue-fomapan-r-100-detail-273
Production was halted for the same reasons you don't see any Kodak slide film: lack of sales.
Pure and simple.
I hope the film you like best will fare better.

Shelf life for most Foma films is 3 years, so you might find some even with 2018 date.

Ricardo Miranda · May 24, 2016

Alessandro Serrao said:
This is even worse: it means that Foma totally didn't care for product defect that goes back to 2012.

Alessandro Serrao said:
It's not only me evidently...
(there was a url link here which no longer exists)

Oh dear!
Quoting a post from 11 years ago is not good enough.

Yes, there might have been issues with specific batches in the past.
What you don't know or want to ignore is that Foma Bohemia has continued to R&D problems and has has made changes when appropriate.
Case of Fomapan 200, case of backing paper, etc.

It is also the only company to have introduced a new B&W film since Kentmere was introduced in 2009.
That is while Fuji and Koda keep discontinuing emulsions.

RauschenOderKorn · May 25, 2016

Michael R 1974 said:
Why am I not surprised. And yet people are still determined to not use Ilford and Kodak products.

Foma, Adox, Fuji, Berger and many other manufacturers have good products, too. Sometimes, at very reasonable prices ...

And sometimes, even Kodak or Ilford have quality issues ...

Ricardo Miranda · May 25, 2016

Alessandro Serrao said:
It's the care for the customer that bothers me first.

Nope, you are wrong.
Foma do care for its customers.
You are choosing to ignore other threads where that is shown.
I've already posted above examples.
You only have to search for it.

Xmas · May 25, 2016

One of the problems EU countries have is factory act compliance for worker health. It changes frequently.

The reversal film is different from the negative film and the reversal development process different from the negative development.

The last batch may have been last cause they cannot manufacture more within rule sets as raw materials are contraband. The failure cause of rule change.

They may have spent three years on a prototype coater...

This is not new lead and thorium were contraband 1950 ish for optics but other materials to replace were available.

There were other direct reversal cine films available when I last looked.

Foma probably have recycled the film master residue to recover the silver.

Any clear film base film can be used for direct reversal if you can avoid emulsion damage.

We need to hope we don't get more shield hits cause the economy of scale is finishing, there are current threads about similar other problems with other suppliers.

I've got some of the last batch of R100.

Xmas · May 25, 2016

The backing paper numbers in the sky have been on APUG since last summer.
Nigh on a year.
When I shot Kchrome 25 for weddings I bought sufficient blocks of the same batch and test shot several, cassette to projector.
Nothing has changed.
Cept 25 vanished '02.
I never had a frame fail.
Kodak managers told me from '80 on they were going to dogs.

blockend · May 25, 2016

I haven't followed the thread so I'm not sure if the claim is Foma have stopped production of monochrome reversal film entirely, or just in 35mm cassettes? I bought a 30m bulk roll earlier this year, so it was available then.

Foma are one of the few remaining traditional manufacturers, and deserve our support (along with the others!)

Xmas · May 25, 2016

Alessandro Serrao said:
Please let's inform us if also the last batch is affected.
Thanks.
However, if Foma is experiencing all what you said, why halting only the 35mm production while not the 8mm and 16mm ones?

No information but I'll tell you if my 16mm processes ok.
I don't think they are coating R100 and they may have had sufficient cine from the last master or penultimate that passed QA tests to keep selling. 35mm is higher volume than mono cine.
APX100 from Leverkusen was available her till fall of 13 dated Dec14 last coated 06...
All the EU suppliers have compliance difficulties, eg VW... It is only the marginal ones that 'fail' or were not able to relax the rules, or get caught in time.

chrisaisenbrey · May 25, 2016

Alessandro Serrao said:
Please let's inform us if also the last batch is affected.
Thanks.
However, if Foma is experiencing all what you said, why halting only the 35mm production while not the 8mm and 16mm ones?

Well I wonder if you see the defects at 24 or 18 fps

Xmas · May 25, 2016

blockend said:
I haven't followed the thread so I'm not sure if the claim is Foma have stopped production of monochrome reversal film entirely, or just in 35mm cassettes? I bought a 30m bulk roll earlier this year, so it was available then.

Foma are one of the few remaining traditional manufacturers, and deserve our support (along with the others!)

Think the R100 coating has stopped but we won't know for a while.
My shop had no 35mm last summer only 16mm could you say where you got yours?

Xmas · May 25, 2016

chrisaisenbrey said:
Well I wonder if you see the defects at 24 or 18 fps

Donno but I understand your point.

My 16mm is for my sub min cameras so I'll notice any problems with my dinky slides.

Ricardo Miranda · May 25, 2016

blockend said:
I haven't followed the thread so I'm not sure if the claim is Foma have stopped production of monochrome reversal film entirely, or just in 35mm cassettes? I bought a 30m bulk roll earlier this year, so it was available then.

Foma are one of the few remaining traditional manufacturers, and deserve our support (along with the others!)

It is just in 35mm that isn't been cut any longer.

Fomapan 100R is still in production for cine formats as I understand it.
I still had it in Double8 last year.

Xmas · May 26, 2016

Alessandro Serrao said:
Just to be clearer, the following IS THE WAY a company should react to a customer complaint.

"I've had a response to my enquiry to Thomas Mooney (profilm@kodakalaris.com) about the 6 un-exposed pro-packs (30 rolls) of TMY-2 that I have that fall within the batches identified as problematic.

I quote:

"As of the beginning of this year, we’ve made some modifications to the backing paper which should minimize the potential for this type of issue moving forward. The first TMY-2 product made with this paper is emulsion 0153.
Please send me your address, and I will send you six (6) replacement ProPacks of T-Max 400 spooled with the new paper."

I'd stick with Fomapan400 and Kentmere400 in 35 mm on that basis. Only 5% of my film is Kodak long term average, used to be 100%.

I've a second current Tmax400 problem in that the current rebadged Lomo cassettes won't load into my Pentax SP. The plastic spools are out of tolerance with a vernier calliper.

Every spool out of six in two off three packs.

Unlike Ratty I don't complain.

Just buy alternates.

Xmas · May 26, 2016

Ricardo Miranda said:
Oh dear!
Quoting a post from 11 years ago is not good enough.

Yes, there might have been issues with specific batches in the past.
What you don't know or want to ignore is that Foma Bohemia has continued to R&D problems and has has made changes when appropriate.
Case of Fomapan 200, case of backing paper, etc.

It is also the only company to have introduced a new B&W film since Kentmere was introduced in 2009.
That is while Fuji and Koda keep discontinuing emulsions.

Adox has introduced CHS II after their supplier of CHS I closed (EFKE)?
Same speed same style PET base but rather different emulsion layers.

Ricardo Miranda · May 26, 2016

Alessandro,
I don't know where you got that, but the old Adox CHS I made by EFKE had a warning about the PET base.
You probably didn't see this.
http://www.adox.de/Photo/discontinued-chs-100-type-i/
http://www.adox.de/Photo/discontinued-chs-50/
http://www.adox.de/Photo/discontinued-chs-25/

And, yes, Adox tried to reproduce CHS I on the same base and speed, but using more modern machinery (Innoviscoat did the coating or so it is assumed).
And that's what Xmas said above if you read it properly.

petepictures · Mar 14, 2017

Hey guys, has anyone got a great results developing this film as a negative?
I am really struggling to get rid of the anti Halo layer.

FotoD · May 4, 2023

Do you also have a bunch of black spots when the film is backlit?

Maybe start a new thread about your problems instead of reviving this 11 year old Foma-bashing one? You may have a more constructive discussion. That's just a suggestion.

Agulliver · May 8, 2023

petepictures said:
Hey guys, has anyone got a great results developing this film as a negative?
I am really struggling to get rid of the anti Halo layer.

I know this was old, but as the thread has been revived.....

I don't think anyone has ever successfully processed Fomapan R 100 as negative. I've also enquired around still and cine forums and the problem is that the anti-halation layer of this film is designed only to be removed by the reversal bleach. It's not like the Tri-X sold as cine film, or some other films which can be processed as negative or reversal.

FOMA-r factory issue.

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