Fotokemika ...

mopar_guy · Aug 10, 2012

Roger Cole said:
ND filters. Plus I usually want very shallow depth of field only for portraits, and I don't shoot portraits in bright sun. If I find myself there and wanting to do so, I at least find some open shade. YMMV of course - but still not in 4x5. In 35mm you do have Pan F. It's a nice film, though I shoot it at 64 in Diafine.

I am sorry if I was not plain enough in my answer. ISO 100 film is too fast. Specifically, lets consider this lens:

The 250mm f2.0 Zuiko. Maximum aperture is f2.0. This lens takes special 46mm rear filters. As far as I have been able to determine, Olympus never made any Neutral Density filters for this lens. The only other possibility is that you can mount a 128mm filter to the front of the lens, but the only commonly available option in this size is a filter that Pentax made for their medium format tele lenses and they aren't neutral density. The only other possibility for ND filters would be to modify an existing 46 mm ND filter. If you could find me a proper 2 or 3 stop ND filter for this lens, I will pay big bucks for it.

If I just wanted to stop down, why would I bother to use a lens like this? Why not just use a common 200mm f4 lens and be done with it? For bright conditions, I cannot shoot this lens wide open unless I use a slow film.

Thomas Bertilsson · Aug 10, 2012

So did Fotokemika say they were going to continue making film or not? The news is about paper, folks.

Roger Cole · Aug 10, 2012

mopar_guy said:
If I just wanted to stop down, why would I bother to use a lens like this? Why not just use a common 200mm f4 lens and be done with it? For bright conditions, I cannot shoot this lens wide open unless I use a slow film.

Good question. Why on earth WOULD you use a lens like that in bright light? It's a special purpose built low light lens.

You were clear. There are always special cases and enough other people have made the point that I concede there is an apparent need for slow films though I don't ever personally need them. But come on - shooting that lens wide open in sun? Why?

Pioneer · Aug 10, 2012

Roger Cole said:
You were clear. There are always special cases and enough other people have made the point that I concede there is an apparent need for slow films though I don't ever personally need them. But come on - shooting that lens wide open in sun? Why?

Same reason I shoot an SMC Pentax 135mm at f1.8, or my Zeiss Nokton 50mm 1.1 wide open. It is great fun! And the results are often beautiful.

Not everyone stops down to f11 and not every low light lens is used only in low light.

madgardener · Aug 10, 2012

I've just gotten started in IE film, and after I got my first 2 rolls of IE from Efke, I was very impressed with what I saw. Now I hear that it might be cancelled as well. At least Ilford is looking closer into producing an IE film. Hopefully the reports will come back positive. I won't be buying cases of the stuff, but now that I have seen it, I'm hooked.

I have to admit that I am not as upset over the papers since the only paper I have ever tried was the Ilford MGIV RC paper, when I was developing my own pictures in beginning photography. Eventually, I want to set up a dark room in my home and start to develop pictures again.

Here's hoping that Ilford can make it profitably.

mopar_guy · Aug 10, 2012

Roger Cole said:
Good question. Why on earth WOULD you use a lens like that in bright light? It's a special purpose built low light lens.

You were clear. There are always special cases and enough other people have made the point that I concede there is an apparent need for slow films though I don't ever personally need them. But come on - shooting that lens wide open in sun? Why?

By using a wide open aperture, you keep depth of field shallow and allow the background to disappear into a blur. As I mentioned, this issue is aperture driven. Not everyone wants to have everything in the frame razor sharp. And no, these lenses were not just for low light. From The OM System Lens Handbook (1983) Page 150:

"The Joys of Wide Open Apertures
In the Old days it was a recognized photo technique to stop down the lens aperture to improve picture quality. In those times lens performance wasn't what it is now, and film performance and flatness also left much to be desired, so stopping down the lens was the sensible thing to do. Perhaps the image of those days is still with us, because many people still seen to think the lens has to be stopped down for satisfying results. But times have changed. Today's lenses are outstanding performers. Especially with lenses like this Zuiko 250mm F2 that makes use of special new types of optical glass, you can get astonishingly sharp images even at wide open apertures. If you can get really sharp images at wide open apertures, except for the narrowing of the depth of field the advantages are extraordinary. Most important of all is that you can use high shutter speeds, or benefit from the superior color rendition of lower speed films."

Roger Cole · Aug 10, 2012

Look, I KNOW about shooting wide open and depth of field.

But 250mm at f/2 on 35mm? You want one freckle on the front of a cheek sharp and ones on the back blurred? Well, ok, whatever floats your boat. I'm not questioning wide apertures for that. I'm just wondering why, say, f/4, isn't wide enough, at 250mm.

I sometimes like shooting 4x5 lenses wide open too. But the fastest one I have is f/4.7. The other two are 6.8 and 7.8. The 4.7 might be challenging in bright sun with 100 film, but I don't shoot it in bright sun.

But whatever and ok. None of us HAVE to shoot film or make photographs anyway (I mean, we may be driven to but would not die if we didn't.) So if that's what you enjoy have at it, and I hope Efke 25 continues to be available for a very long time!

erikg · Aug 10, 2012

I hope the efke film continues for many years, as for Pan-f in sheets, I think that Simon has answered that, it can't be done. The emulsion physically can't be coated on the sheet film base. Pity, I love that film, it would be fun to use in 4x5.

Roger Cole · Aug 10, 2012

I don't think Panatomic-X was made in sheets back when it was made either, was it?

mopar_guy · Aug 10, 2012

I have a box of Panatomic-X in 3-1/4 x 4-1/4 sheets marked "Develop before Sept. 1960".

padraigm · Aug 10, 2012

I am hoping Ilford has at least something on the shelf that is pan-f 'ish in case Efke does go down. Hearing different rumors so nothing surprises me at the moment. So if Efke's goes what would you replace it with in sheet format? I am not sure i know the answer to that from what I tend to like... Maybe fp4+???

Brian C. Miller · Aug 11, 2012

mopar_guy said:
"Develop before Sept. 1960".

Wow. That's some procrastination! I don't think that I can match that.

Brian C. Miller · Aug 11, 2012

Photo Engineer said:
Kodak IR film was sold independently of any pressing or huge need by the military. It was sold as a consumer film for the first 35mm cameras sold by EK. In fact, they advertize its used with the early cameras.

PE

New for 1938:
Kodak 35 camera
HIE film
A new International Surrealist Exhibition was held at the Beaux-arts Gallery, Paris.
Lysergic acid diethylamide

Ahh, the zeitgeist!

brian d · Aug 11, 2012

I have a box of Panatomic-X in 3-1/4 x 4-1/4 sheets marked "Develop before Sept. 1960".

Wow. That's some procrastination! I don't think that I can match that.

Unopened box of 2 1/4 x 3 1/4 Ansco color- Develop before Apr 1950

sorry for going off topic

So if Efke's goes what would you replace it with in sheet format? I am not sure i know the answer to that from what I tend to like... Maybe fp4+???

FOMA/Arista 100, In sheet form I always rate it at 50 and like the look it gives

brian d · Aug 11, 2012

mopar_guy said:
I have a box of Panatomic-X in 3-1/4 x 4-1/4 sheets marked "Develop before Sept. 1960".

Sitting here snickering about this post and it hit that the only readily available 3 1/4 x 4 1/4 film I know of is EFKE now I'm really worried about it

Roger Cole · Aug 11, 2012

The only ready available 127 too. The Brownie and baby Rollei folks aren't happy either.

Thomas Bertilsson · Aug 11, 2012

Are you guys nuts? Freestyle claims it's the machine coating paper that has become unsustainable. Not film. Not film. Not film. Not film. Paper.

georg16nik · Aug 11, 2012

Thomas Bertilsson said:
Are you guys nuts? Freestyle claims it's the machine coating paper that has become unsustainable. Not film. Not film. Not film. Not film. Paper.

Thomas, I was about to post something along those lines! Fotokemika's papers are special and with authentic look..
...I still hope we are not left as Slavich only...

As far as film goes, I shoot mostly slow ones under 50 and IR820 is ~ 1, so EFKE, Agfa-Belgium films are the only left.
If You use old school cameras with top speed 1/500 and stop the lens only a tiny bit then films in the range 1 - 50 are the golden ones.

mopar_guy · Aug 11, 2012

I would really like to stock up on Varycon. I was looking at my paper supply and I have gone through a fair amount of my supply.

Photo Engineer · Aug 11, 2012

Thomas Bertilsson said:
Are you guys nuts? Freestyle claims it's the machine coating paper that has become unsustainable. Not film. Not film. Not film. Not film. Paper.

If you read further in this thread, you will see that someone in touch with people at the plant claims that they are also considering cessation of all production, film and paper.

PE

darkosaric · Aug 11, 2012

I have called Fotokemika yesterday again - it looks like film is going down also

zsas · Aug 11, 2012

Oh my gosh Darko!!!!! You are the bearer of quite bad news!

Roger Cole · Aug 11, 2012

Everyone at the factory has said this all along; it isn't really news. Maybe they are right, and maybe workers are accepting rumors that are not really the plans of management. We don't know any more than we did.

semi-ambivalent · Aug 11, 2012

Roger Cole said:
The only ready available 127 too. The Brownie and baby Rollei folks aren't happy either.

This is grim. My wife has a baby grey she would love to shoot again, and I bought a 4x4 holder for my Beseler for just that purpose. Perhaps someone will begin to slice film like the 8mm folks did once. You'd have to establish a demand price floor for slicers to show up and that price wouldn't be pretty, especially for something like 4x4.

s-a

Photo Engineer · Aug 11, 2012

Look on the bright side.

The equipment for slitting and chopping film and paper may go up for sale.

An enterprising person could buy them and set up a small operation making custom film and paper from larger stock from another company. It could work.

PE

Fotokemika ...

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