Let me introduce you to Svema

[MCB18]

Lul, what? I bought 5 meters of 120 Foto 100 from them. Granted, it was pre-war, but why would this change? I can ask them about a smaller order, if you want.

I would be interested to hear the answer, but I would probably need to make arrangements prior to ordering to get the money. I would have to get pre-ordered rolls to pay for the order even if a smaller order could be arranged, as it would still probably be quite costly for the film and shipping.

I would also be interested in the data sheets for their film, as I cannot find them online. This would be very helpful.

 

[KitosLAB]

I would have to get pre-ordered rolls to pay for the order even if a smaller order could be arranged, as it would still probably be quite costly for the film and shipping.

As for delivery, I can tell you what I know. Yes, I trade a little on Etsy, I don’t want to advertise myself, I’m not here for that. I ship to the USA through an intermediary. To Poland, parcels go by road, from Poland to the USA Feed Ex, and via the USA UPS. A package 15x10x10cm weighing about 0.35 kg costs $10. If when you need help or advice on delivery from Ukraine, I can always advise, but unfortunately I can’t on other issues.

 

[KitosLAB]

Well, film is a weapon. Kind of. Tasma still can make film, but they didn't coat anything except Type 42 and Type 25 aerial recon films for decades.

Glad to see a fellow countryman. In general, I am from the Donbass and in 2015 I tried the Russian vodka "Russian Ice", the one that Stallone advertises. This is poison. Now I don't even believe that they can even make vodka.

 

[LeoniD]

I would be interested to hear the answer, but I would probably need to make arrangements prior to ordering to get the money. I would have to get pre-ordered rolls to pay for the order even if a smaller order could be arranged, as it would still probably be quite costly for the film and shipping.

I would also be interested in the data sheets for their film, as I cannot find them online. This would be very helpful.

Their datasheets seem to be just copypaste from Soviet GOSTs, so they won't be very helpful. Hopefully when I get the factory tour they promised me, I'll be able to talk to technologists and get more info.
You're interested in 61.5mm non-perf., right?

 

[MCB18]

Their datasheets seem to be just copypaste from Soviet GOSTs, so they won't be very helpful. Hopefully when I get the factory tour they promised me, I'll be able to talk to technologists and get more info.
You're interested in 61.5mm non-perf., right?

Yes, I would be most interested in 61.5mm non-perf. 70mm type 2 perf for use in Hasselblad backs would be great, but I highly doubt that is an option in any reasonable quantity.

What films do they offer at this moment currently? Is the Foto-100 film the only one offered in the 61.5mm format?

What I am curios to see in the data sheet would be if this film has a clear base, and is it IR-sensitive (sensitive from 720nm to 775nm)?

 

[LeoniD]

Here are the price list, the latest I could find, and the datasheets Dmitry sent me in May. I used their Foto 100, it's a very sharp film, it is closer to 64 or even 50iso and it seems to have less sensitivity behind a red filter, as stated in the datasheet. Foto 200 datasheet states it has IR sensitivity.

 

[MCB18]

Here are the price list, the latest I could find, and the datasheets Dmitry sent me in May. I used their Foto 100, it's a very sharp film, it is closer to 64 or even 50iso and it seems to have less sensitivity behind a red filter, as stated in the datasheet. Foto 200 datasheet states it has IR sensitivity.

Thanks! It looks like Photo 100 is the only 120-width film on the price sheet, so I’m guessing 200 and 400 are not currently manufactured in that size. Curious that the 200 iso film is IR sensitive, but the 400 ISO film doesn’t seem to be.

Reading through the price sheet, I noticed that they list t packaging, including, black light proof bags for film (might look into that at some point) and, interestingly, “Light-proof paper, black and red, 1 kg – 1.50 EUR”. I wonder what this is, and if it’s what I think it is, can it be used as 120 backing paper?

 

[LeoniD]

Thanks! It looks like Photo 100 is the only 120-width film on the price sheet, so I’m guessing 200 and 400 are not currently manufactured in that size. Curious that the 200 iso film is IR sensitive, but the 400 ISO film doesn’t seem to be.

Reading through the price sheet, I noticed that they list t packaging, including, black light proof bags for film (might look into that at some point) and, interestingly, “Light-proof paper, black and red, 1 kg – 1.50 EUR”. I wonder what this is, and if it’s what I think it is, can it be used as 120 backing paper?

That paper is the stuff soviet bw paper was packaged in, "неактиничная бумага". Astrum used it to package orders for some time, and I think they've run out of it

 

[MCB18]

That paper is the stuff soviet bw paper was packaged in, "неактиничная бумага". Astrum used it to package orders for some time, and I think they've run out of it

Ahh. Thanks for that information!

 

[LeoniD]

Glad to see a fellow countryman. In general, I am from the Donbass and in 2015 I tried the Russian vodka "Russian Ice", the one that Stallone advertises. This is poison. Now I don't even believe that they can even make vodka.

Бачив ваш коментар у інсті, вони не розколються. По-перше чел, що її веде сам не в курсах, по-друге самі співвласники аструма все ще намагаються вберегти секрет Полішинеля. Їх треба додавити на тему екскурсії, щоб нормально поговорити з технологом. У Свеми є усі шанси ожити хоча б на рівні Ferrania з їх Р30, особливо якщо вціліла документація на лінійку ФН. Але і якщо ні, у мене є рецептура плівок типу СЧС 30х років. По суті, усе що відділяє Свему від нормальної роботи-лиш одна успішна кампанія на Kickstarter

 

[foc]

Бачив ваш коментар у інсті, вони не розколються. По-перше чел, що її веде сам не в курсах, по-друге самі співвласники аструма все ще намагаються вберегти секрет Полішинеля. Їх треба додавити на тему екскурсії, щоб нормально поговорити з технологом. У Свеми є усі шанси ожити хоча б на рівні Ferrania з їх Р30, особливо якщо вціліла документація на лінійку ФН. Але і якщо ні, у мене є рецептура плівок типу СЧС 30х років. По суті, усе що відділяє Свему від нормальної роботи-лиш одна успішна кампанія на Kickstarter

I used Google translate for the above.

Saw your comment on insta, they won't split. Firstly, the person who leads it is not in the know, and secondly, the co-owners of Astrum are still trying to protect Polishinel's secret. They must be added on the topic of the excursion in order to talk to the technologist normally. Svema has every chance to revive at least at the level of Ferrania with their P30, especially if the documentation for the FN line has survived. But even if not, I have a recipe for films of the 1930s. Basically, all that separates Svema from normal work is just one successful Kickstarter campaign

 

[Europan]

That is completely incorrect.

Thank you for adjusting my wrong information.

 

[MCB18]

Ok, so let me see if I understand what has been said so far an this thread: Astrum does own most of the equipment to coat and finish film, however, they don’t have the formulas or money to make a film batch of their own. However, they are willing to finish film from other manufacturers.

If I understand correctly, I think that if they capitalized on the fact that they can make unusual film formats, then they could make some money doing just that. There are certainly people looking for unusual film sizes to load into older cameras. 9.5mm for minox, 16mm unperfed for the submin cameras that take that, unperfed 35mm for 828 and 126, 46mm for 127, 61.5mm for 120/220/620, and 70mm (even unperfed) for the hardcore long roll shooters. These are just the common rollfilms! There are too many other unusual sheet formats to name!

If they were able to produce some of these, even in limited quantities, they could become the “go-to” for unusual film, similar to Ilford’s ULF event, but all the time! Maybe eventually, the revenue from that could allow them to coat their own film!

 

[Europan]

Some fresh 9½ mm stock would be wonderful but there has never been any corresponding equipment in use behind the iron curtain with the exception of that at ORWO. At the moment only Film Ferrania seem to be in possession of 9½ perforators, if not Gevaert equipment had survived with Agfa-Gevaert until today. Löschner of Prague advertised a projector available in three versions, for the film formats 9½, 16 mm, and 8 mm in the thirties. A 9½ ALMO, however, hasn’t been seen thus far.

The 9½ market it dormant. Any one film manufacturer can take it with appropriate stocks. Yet, it takes the will and good marketing.

 

[MCB18]

Some fresh 9½ mm stock would be wonderful but there has never been any corresponding equipment in use behind the iron curtain with the exception of that at ORWO. At the moment only Film Ferrania seem to be in possession of 9½ perforators, if not Gevaert equipment had survived with Agfa-Gevaert until today. Löschner of Prague advertised a projector available in three versions, for the film formats 9½, 16 mm, and 8 mm in the thirties. A 9½ ALMO, however, hasn’t been seen thus far.

The 9½ market it dormant. Any one film manufacturer can take it with appropriate stocks. Yet, it takes the will and good marketing.

View attachment 331300

View attachment 331296

9.5mm minox film has perforations? Huh, didn’t realize that. I thought it was just a plain strip of film.

 

[LeoniD]

I used Google translate for the above.

Saw your comment on insta, they won't split. Firstly, the person who leads it is not in the know, and secondly, the co-owners of Astrum are still trying to protect Polishinel's secret. They must be added on the topic of the excursion in order to talk to the technologist normally. Svema has every chance to revive at least at the level of Ferrania with their P30, especially if the documentation for the FN line has survived. But even if not, I have a recipe for films of the 1930s. Basically, all that separates Svema from normal work is just one successful Kickstarter campaign

It didn't do a very good job, heh. Basically I said that to get proper information it's better to talk with the engineers in person when Astrum follows through on their promise about factory tour, but it's a bit difficult because some of Astrum's co-owners are trying to protect an open secret. The rest is pretty much correct, except "I have a recipe for films of the 1930s" should be "SChS line from the 30s"

 

[removedacct2]

Despite everything, film continues to be produced in Ukraine. I want to ask if you know Svema, what do you think about it, how interesting could it be for you?
Svema

I shoot a lot of BW, mostly large format and 120, not so often 35mm, and I have been buying a lot of FOMA and some ORWO (old expired DDR and new productions) and TASMA, recent recuts from aerial because:

• FOMA is cheap, latest stocks before dissolution of ORWO can be also cheap if one search carefully and new emulsions are manufactured but availability scarse, TASMA is still produced, and cut from aerial rolls for regular photography.
• besides prices, these films are interesting for their tonal distributions and ranges, grains, contrasts stepping

so, for me SVEMA is interesting for the same reasons but:

• one point is then that SVEMA is an ambiguous name, because most of the time it's about late remaining batches soviet SVEMA, and not so often to the new ASTRUM company. The floating brand naming affects the visibility of the new films.
• another point, not easy to find. I am from Norway and I buy mostly from Fotoimpex and Maco in Germany, but some uncommon films I have to see what is available at other specialized shops around: Retrocamera in Ieper (Belgium), Ateliers Marinette in Lyon (France), Ars Imago in Rome (Italy), or sometimes on Ebay.

For instance I was actually in Lyon around Christmas and walked into Ateliers Marinette and they had canisters in 35mm of FOTO-64, FOTO-100/200/400 labelled as ASTRUM and listed on their site as SVEMA-ASTRUM:
On their online shop it's still available as I write this:
https://www.ateliers-marinette.fr/fr/15_svema-astrum
besides, this particular shop in Lyon they sell under their name, old or new stocks or ORWO, SVEMA, TASMA, that they respool. Their current "Marinette M103" is respooled NK-2SH ie. BW kino film:
https://www.ateliers-marinette.fr/en/analog-films/marinette-film-m103-100-35mm.html

the ambiguity in naming then echoes of course the question about the emulsions. The FOTO-64 name suggests it's the same soviet emulsion. And the new numberings: FOTO-100 /200 /400, well, looks like transposition of the latest used version of GOST scale 64/125/250...into 100/200/400
Their website isn't updated since a while it seems, but they mention they have/had a partnership with KODAK for aerial film:
http://www.astrum-ltd.com/ru.html
so one could wonder if they do cut that into 35mm rolls.

Of course whatever it is, also if it is just revived and tweaked old emulsion I certainly like to buy some, but availability is scarce and if they manufacture in Shostka they are now certainly affected by the effects of war on logistics, supplies, electricity, etc.

some years ago, I read online a page written in 2013, "Заброшенный завод «Свема»" with many picture of the abandonned plant in bad shape. So a section of it was rehabilited? :
http://www.fresher.ru/2013/07/07/zabroshennyj-zavod-svema/

the former SVEMA web site was closed, the one under svema.com.ua, available in archive:
https://web.archive.org/web/20180618155639/http://svema.com.ua/
the Astrum LLC site is older than the most recent archived SVEMA one, 2013 for the last novosti, vs 2018 for svema.com.ua... weird.

---

as I am writing this I just bought a roll of NK-2SH and one of SVEMA-200 found on Ebay from a seller in Germany.

 

[LeoniD]

looks like transposition

Not really, before death svema switched to 50-100-200/reporter lineup

Their website isn't updated since a while

Yeeah, since 2013. Idk why, but the email form still works, at least

availability is scarce

Not really. Shops seem to not like to get their film, because it comes in cassettes without DX code, but it's because they only have equipment for manufacturing these cassettes. If you order directly, they are more than happy to sell as much as you need

So a section of it was rehabilited?

A section of it never was abandoned. It's still a drop in a sea, Svema was almost as big as Shostka city itself, but it's better than nothing

 

[removedacct2]

Shops seem to not like to get Their film, because it comes in cassettes without DX code, but it's because they only have equipment for manufacturing these cassettes. If you order directly, they are more than happy to sell as much as you need

I think film enthusiasts don't care about DX codes I shoot 35 film with these cameras, none has a DX code reader and lightmeter: Zorki-1, Fed-2, Zenit-3, Zenit-V, Start, Miranda-D, Exakta Varex. And the revival in film is because enthusiasts.

so if the phone and email at http://www.astrum-ltd.com/ru/kontakty.html work and they sell to individual persons then the way to go is to buy bulk rolls from the factory...

 

[removedacct2]

btw, something else cheap to buy from Ukraine was/is raw chemicals. I bought metol, phenidone, sodium sulfite and bromide, benzotriazole, potassium bromide, from a seller on Ebay who is I guess, as per the labels on the parcel, from or for a wholesale or factory in Dniepropetrovsk area if I recall well.

 

[cmacd123]

• one point is then that SVEMA is an ambiguous name, because most of the time it's about late remaining batches soviet SVEMA, and not so often to the new ASTRUM company. The floating brand naming affects the visibility of the new films.

I have the understanding that the Astrum folks have fairly recently acquired the rights to use the SVEMA name. Before then, they had some of the equipment from the former plant, but had to use a new name, so they sold film as Astrum LLC. Now they can use the traditional name.

 

[removedacct2]

I have the understanding that the Astrum folks have fairly recently acquired the rights to use the SVEMA name. Before then, they had some of the equipment from the former plant, but had to use a new name, so they sold film as Astrum LLC. Now they can use the traditional name.

yet new Svema was listed for a while on runet shops under its name. Now that links RU-UA are severed it's over, but still some remain here and there, for instance a shop in Perm (unless their availability isn't updated):
http://www.fotomag59.ru/product.php?id_product=4939

now the name Svema has of course a strong echo in Russia, but not in most Western Europe, and in anglosphere everything Eastern european and formerly communist block is mostly unknown or affected by strong prejudices
So maybe something related marketing decisions?

btw, a short video summarizing the history of the plant, since the reasons for the bolsheviks to set it in Shostka, the deal back then with french Lumière, the successful conversion to mass production of magnetic tape, then decline, unsuccessful attempt to launch an industrial parc attracting foreign investments, and a panoramic view of the site after most of it was demolished:

 

[Europan]

9.5mm minox film has perforations? Huh, didn’t realize that. I thought it was just a plain strip of film.

No, it doesn’t and it isn’t 9,5 mm wide. Minox film is 9,3 mm wide. The Ninefive format derived from the Pathé KOK system which is based on film 1⅛ or 9/8 inch wide (max. size). Slit into three strips of ⅜ in. or 9,525 mm (again max. size). After about half a year stocks had shrunk to around nominal width. Eastman-Kodak introduced a triacetate base that shrinks four times slower in 1949. Pathé never had that.

 

[LeoniD]

yet new Svema was listed for a while on runet shops

Astrum acquired the trademark even before they bought the magnetic tape facility, and that was in 2020, 3 years ago.

 

[cmacd123]

Astrum acquired the trademark even before they bought the magnetic tape facility, and that was in 2020, 3 years ago.

which brings up the question, are they likly to be able to fabricate Magnetic tape? I know that I have also purchased several SVEMA tape reels form another Ukranian Seller, ad a couple of example rolls of SVEMA audio Tape.