Hello APUG from FILM Ferrania (PART 2)

[Nzoomed]

An update is imminent.

Im excited!

 

[Roger Cole]

Buying colour film these days makes me wince-prices have more than doubled in the last 20 years

Inflation overall has increased things by over 50% in that time. Granted color film has outstripped inflation but still, 20 years ago was probably the peak or near to it of film use and prices were lower, adjusted for inflation, than they had probably ever been. What we have now are not that historically high (at least for roll film and non-Kodak sheet film. Kodak has priced themselves out of my 4x5 as long as Ilford and Foma are available, and both Kodak and Fuji color film in sheets is outrageous.)

 

[Roger Cole]

Don't be so sure. Call me a pessimist but I'd say the odds are not terrific that Kodak will still make film in a few years and the recent Ilford changes have things quite vague and uncertain there too. Only a couple/few left after that and too few for my taste. Besides I do not think Ferrania can survive on color chrome alone and the faster they do come out with B&W too the better. Even if to help support their infrastructure for doing the color chrome.

I'd hate to lose Tri-X but otherwise Kodak is gone for me anyway. The last other holdouts were TMY-2 in 4x5, since priced out of consideration for buying any more, and TMZ, since happily replaced with Delta 3200.

I would really, REALLY hate to lose Ilford, but I COULD still do significant (to me) black and white photography with just Foma and Adox. And hopefully if we lost D3200 one of them would step up with something similar.

I could replace Tri-X with HP5 except that Tri-X responds a bit better to Diafine, but even there the difference has shrunk with the newest iterations of Tri-X. And I like HP5 just dandy at box speed (or 200 or so in 4x5.) Kodak has become, if not irrelevant, at least very unessential in black and white for many of us. (Yes I know Drew loves his TMY-2 and I understand why and why it may be important for some folks. For what I do though I could change to HP5+ and hardly notice. And if TMY-2 went away maybe Ilford would bring back Delta 400 in sheets. Maybe.)

 

[wblynch]

I wouldn't mind getting Ferrania 'Scotch Chrome' in 4x5 sheets!

But I'm really hoping for some 126 Instamatic carts!

 

[Sirius Glass]

An update is imminent.

Some of us are waiting as fast as we can!

 

[Nzoomed]

I wouldn't mind getting Ferrania 'Scotch Chrome' in 4x5 sheets!

But I'm really hoping for some 126 Instamatic carts!

Im pretty confident they will do this.

Ferrania was the last producer of 126 film.

In this day and age of instagram, im surprised that lomography have not produced 126 film yet, while at the same time they have introduced 110 films.

In the meantime, there is plenty of solaris available on ebay in 126 film.

Would be cool to see reversal film in 126 format also!

 

[railwayman3]

126 was actually a great format, easy-use for the snap-shotters but with some high-quality cameras available. And 35mm width, so no outlay for expensive special equipment for home or commercial labs. There was a supposed issue that the "pressure-plate" was in the cassette and therefore perhaps less accurate in holding the film in the frame, but I have some remarkably sharp slides taken with a very cheap Instamatic 126 way back in the 1980's (on Kodachrome) which stand comparison with any 35mm.

Contrast that with APS...I have two mid-range APS cameras, and a stack of film frozen since new, but can't get anywhere with them even for quick family snapshots when I thought they might have been useful.......poor sharpness, weak flash, expensive and hard-to-find commercial processing, and no easy way of DIY. I'll probably stick the films on Ebay after Christmas and not waste further time and effort.

And, to get back on topic, I'd be happy to see Ferrania also producing B&W in due course. I, too, am not confident in the long-term prospects for Kodak film at all (who would have thought in 2005 that Kodachrome, Ektachrome, some B&W and most of Agfa products would be gone by 2015), while Ilford/Harman, has become a bit of an unknown quantity. Another manufacturer in the market could only be good.

 

[ME Super]

An update is imminent.

Good. I can't wait any faster. I've got 4 rolls of Agfaphoto CT Precisa 100 in the fridge, and looking forward to buying and loading some Ferraniachrome into the camera.

Oh, and +1 on the 126, railwayman3. Those instamatic cameras could take some amazingly sharp pictures. Most of my parents' photos of my childhood are on 126 in Kodachrome.

 

[Dr Croubie]

If Dave is listening... that suits me just fine. The weather around here* doesn't usually clear until almost summer anyway. I don't really want to be trying out such a momentous new film offering... trapped down inside my cramped basement... because it's 20F/-7C outside in the howling wind...

ditto, but replace 20F/-7C with 110F/45C and I don't mind if I don't get anything until March when it's cooled down a bit either...

And hopefully if we lost D3200 one of them would step up with something similar.

If not, I'd be boned. I've shot more D3200 than anything else in the last year, I burn through that stuff indoors. When I'm out of it I've been shooting Tri-X, but that's only because I've got a heap of it in the freezer, I could easily put in TMY/D400/HP5 instead. But I prefer D3200.

 

[Sirius Glass]

What kind of film camera is a D3200? Who makes it?

 

[FILM Ferrania]

126 was actually a great format, easy-use for the snap-shotters but with some high-quality cameras available. And 35mm width, so no outlay for expensive special equipment for home or commercial labs. There was a supposed issue that the "pressure-plate" was in the cassette and therefore perhaps less accurate in holding the film in the frame, but I have some remarkably sharp slides taken with a very cheap Instamatic 126 way back in the 1980's (on Kodachrome) which stand comparison with any 35mm.

We have many ideas for the future of course - and we have been discussing for quite a while the potential for a 126 "comeback"... There are of course hundreds of thousands (perhaps millions) of 126 cameras out there, but most of them are trash because they were manufactured so cheaply (and handled roughly by their original owners).

The good ones command collector prices. But if anyone wants to shoot some 126, there ARE choices.

Personally, I think 126 could be a great option for new users who just want to pop in a cartridge and go without dealing with winding-on regular 35mm...

We have salvaged the finishing equipment for 126 film and it's now in our storage building. We do plan to install it eventually - but this is firmly in the somewhat foggy "future" part of our timeline...

 

[Sirius Glass]

Why not start with the strongest two markets 135 and 120?

 

[Roger Cole]

What kind of film camera is a D3200? Who makes it?

Not a camera, a film. Delta 3200.

What, you thought I was talking about one of those electronical contraptions?

I do love Delta 3200. I just abbreviated the name. The quality you can get out of it shot at 3200 is absolutely amazing, especially in medium format.

 

[AgX]

There are of course hundreds of thousands (perhaps millions) of 126 cameras out there, but most of them are trash because they were manufactured so cheaply (and handled roughly by their original owners).

Not quite true. There are high-end type 126 cameras too.

But by time they likely have acquired aging issues.

 

[Derek Lofgreen]

Thanks for chiming in David! Like the others I just can't wait fast enough. 35mm, 120, super8.... whenever its ready I will be. Looking forward to the imminent update!

D.

 

[Sirius Glass]

Not a camera, a film. Delta 3200.

What, you thought I was talking about one of those electronical contraptions?

I do love Delta 3200. I just abbreviated the name. The quality you can get out of it shot at 3200 is absolutely amazing, especially in medium format.

I feel so much better now. What a relief! I thought you were talking about one of those electronic devices that lower the cost of film equipment.

I am waiting for the Hasselblad C 500mm lens to get back from KEH where it is getting a CLA. It has a fastest shutter speed of 1/500 second with an aperture range from f/8 to f/64. I will have to use it tripod mounted and I think Delta 3200 would be perfect for wildlife. If I put it on the 2X Mutar extender that would mean a range of f/16 to f/128.

 

[wblynch]

Kind of sad you have the 126 equipment but will keep it hidden away

 

[Roger Cole]

I feel so much better now. What a relief! I thought you were talking about one of those electronic devices that lower the cost of film equipment.

I am waiting for the Hasselblad C 500mm lens to get back from KEH where it is getting a CLA. It has a fastest shutter speed of 1/500 second with an aperture range from f/8 to f/64. I will have to use it tripod mounted and I think Delta 3200 would be perfect for wildlife. If I put it on the 2X Mutar extender that would mean a range of f/16 to f/128.

You'll find this advice is very common, but I get best results from Delta 3200 if I develop for one Ilford's recommendation for one stop more push than I expose. In other words, if I shoot it at 3200 (which I almost always do) I follow Ilford's recommendations for EI 6400. I develop it in T-Max developer which, perhaps ironically, works fantastically well with it, though I'd guess that DD-X would as well and I will probably try that next.

No it's not going to look like FP4 or even HP5 (way better than HP5 pushed that far though and HP5 pushes reasonably well to about 1600) but I'm astonished at how good it actually is for the speed.

I was going to embed some shots from that treatment but realized I had them on my Comcast web storage, which went away, and don't have them on Flickr. No time to fix that right now but I can show them later if interested.

 

[Sirius Glass]

Roger, I wonder how Delta 3200 with do in replenished XTOL with Jobo processing or Rollo Pyro with Jobo processing.

 

[Ken Nadvornick]

...but realized I had them on my Comcast web storage, which went away...

Yeah... Don't even get me started. Most of my shares on APUG just went dark because of that. So did my online resume that's been up since 2009, and whose Comcast link is now dead in likely dozens of locations. I'm about ready to strangle those guys with my bare hands.



Sorry for the off-topic rant...

Ken

 

[Roger Cole]

Roger, I wonder how Delta 3200 with do in replenished XTOL with Jobo processing or Rollo Pyro with Jobo processing.

I don't know as I haven't tried it. Worth experimenting with, if you already have replenished Xtol, but if you don't like the results give it a try with T-Max, DD-X or perhaps Microphen or Acufine. I have used my Jobo for all my Delta 3200 with no problems (but all in T-Max developer.)

From what I know about Pyro probably not my choice for pushing but that doesn't mean the film would be bad in it, I just don't know. It's actually an ISO 1000 or so film that builds contrast slowly with development so pushes very, very well. Some people say that at 1000 it is reminiscent of 1950s era Tri-X. Could be; again I haven't tried it though maybe I should. But for EI 1000, 1250 in daylight (like heavy overcast) I like Tri-X in Diafine. I generally go to Delta 3200 when I need more speed than that.

 

[Sirius Glass]

I have always stuck to box speed and gotten good results. I have not needed a denser negative so why shoot it at 1000 instead of 3200?? At 3200 I can shoot with a yellow or orange filter and still have a decent f/stop at 1/500 second, my fastest shutter speed. Remember I am shooting wildlife with a 500mm lens or 1,000mm lens on a tripod.

 

[Roger Cole]

Well you probably wouldn't shoot it slower for that project.

But like TMZ "box speed" doesn't really mean the same thing for this film as for most. You won't see that speed labeled "ISO" for example. Tested by ISO standards it's about 1000. It's just designed for pushing. You can shoot it from 1000 or even less to 6400 I'd guess (I haven't tried but did shoot TMZ at that speed) and develop accordingly. You would get less grain and more shadow detail at the lower speeds; those would be the reasons to shoot at 1000 or 1600 when you didn't need 3200.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk and 100% recycled electrons - because I care.

 

[aoresteen]

..... We have salvaged the finishing equipment for 126 film and it's now in our storage building. We do plan to install it eventually - but this is firmly in the somewhat foggy "future" part of our timeline...

I just hope that you do 127 BEFORE you do 126 My Baby Rolleiflex 4x4 is hungry!!!!!!

 

[Roger Cole]

I'd like 127 to use my mother's old Brownie. Probably the first camera I ever used, and very special to me because it was mother's. I'm going to get some of the Rollei stuff but it's expensive and only one emulsion.