Let me introduce you to Svema

[LeoniD]

Ultrafine Online in California has 2009 Svema Foto 100 in 35mm x 36 for sale. Have any of you tried it? Would it be similar to Plus-X, or other traditional grain 100 speed films?

If it was stored well, then it should be like a better version of Foma. Foma is 1970s level, Foto-1980s

Back in the 1980s, I used some Svema 65, and it was a terrible film. Much worse than any of the Eastern Bloc films, even Foton 65, which was probably the "export" version of the Svema. But, back then, we were thrilled to be able to buy any film at all. I still have some prints shot on Svema on the 80s. I hope the current version is better.

40 years later it's hard to tell why this happened to you, but I can say that basically all my family photos up to ~1994 were shot on Svema, mostly Foto 65 and FN64, and there's not a single defective roll in all >100 rolls. Of course, defective rolls could be thrown out, but I asked everyone, and only dad remembered a defective roll, but it was when he was studying and used a very questionable developer

 

[KitosLAB]

Of course, in my life I took more photographs in the Soviet Union. And no matter how much I shoot now, until the end of my life, I will not take as many pictures as I did in the Soviet Union. We had 4 types of black/white film available. Svema FN32 - excellent film, fine grain, good detailing. She was very picky about the light, good pictures were obtained in the studio with good lighting at slow shutter speeds. This film was considered "Portrait" FN64 is the most massive, accessible to any schoolchild in the most provincial village. Most of the pictures were taken with this film. Perhaps due to the mass character, some parties were of poor quality. FN130 - was considered "Reporting" had a very large grain. It was used mainly by reporters, where short excerpts are needed, and when printed in a newspaper, it didn’t matter much. Not very popular because of the large grain. FN250 is a peculiar and most expensive film. It was considered "Special" and had a lower grain than FN130, while it was easily pushed up to 350 if desired higher. We didn’t consider Tasma as a film at all and used it only if there was nothing even FN130))) I am already new to more modern Svema100/200/400 films

 

[aparat]

I've nothing but respect for the ukrainian people. Keep up the good work.
Слава Україні!!
Btw, what kind of developer did you use in Ukraine back in the day?

I remember names such as Fenal, Pozytal, Fomadon, and Hydrofen. And the paper was Fotobrom, if memory serves.

 

[LeoniD]

I've nothing but respect for the ukrainian people. Keep up the good work.
Слава Україні!!
Btw, what kind of developer did you use in Ukraine back in the day?

Героям слава!
ST-1 was the standard for paper, but any of the following(except ST-2 and Riap) can be used as paper dev. in higher concentrations.
PU(UP-2) from Lviv Reaktiv factory (pic 1) was the most common afaik, MP(synonymous to ST-2), UPK-1 was pretty common too (pic 2) composition of the tablet:
Hydroquinone 0.4 g
Phenidone 0.08 g
Sodium sulfite anhydrous 2.28 g
Potassium bromide 0.02 g
Sodium tetraborate (borax) 3.2 g
Boric acid 0.2 g
Sodium sulfate anhydrous 1.6 g
Sugar 0.12 g
Aniline dye 0.000136 g
Water 0.19 g

And also PB-1k and one-shot Riap, also called "Vinderman's developer"(4 and 3, 20ml of concentrate for 350ml of developer, standard tank size, only Riap is one-shot), but it was kinda less common. There were even more uncommon developers in ampules and in smaller tablets packaged like mentos, but these are the most common

PB-1k, 1l of concentrate:
Sodium sulfite anh 150 g
Hydroquinone 32 g
Pot. carbonate 150 g
Potassium bromide 6.0 g
Phenidone 0.8 g
Water up to 1l. Paper dilution- 1+9

Riap, 1l of concentrate:
Sodium sulfite anhydrous - 125 g
Hydroquinone - 16 g
Pot. carbonate - 60 g
Potassium bromide - 9 g
Phenidone or methylphenidone - 1 g
Water - up to 1 l

I remember names such as Fenal, Pozytal, Fomadon, and Hydrofen. And the paper was Fotobrom, if memory serves.

You aren't from Ukraine, are you? Or perhaps much closer to Poland?

 

[KitosLAB]

I've nothing but respect for the ukrainian people. Keep up the good work.
Слава Україні!!
Btw, what kind of developer did you use in Ukraine back in the day?

Героям Слава! When I was 14 I went to a local children's photography studio. Our Teacher was a real Soviet shadow businessman. Officially, he was a freelance photographer at a local mine and the head of a children's studio, but unofficially he photographed weddings. Yes, he used us as a labor force))) But in return we got everything. A rare photographer can be so lucky in life. We made absolutely any developers from the reference book, experimented. We filmed with a hundred cameras, the most vivid impressions are Horizon and Almaz. We shot on stationary large-format vintage cameras without a shutter. Our regular developer was D-76, we immediately prepared it for 3 liters. But if I developed not in the laboratory but at home, then my favorite was the Kiev factory concentrated RIAP

 

[KitosLAB]

I remember names such as Fenal, Pozytal, Fomadon, and Hydrofen. And the paper was Fotobrom, if memory serves.

In fact, in the USSR, the problem with paper was much greater than with film. Svema film has always been of very decent quality and at the household level there was not much difference even in comparison with Kodak. But paper is worse. It was low-contrast and gave gray colors. If you shoot on Svema and print at least on Foma, then the result was much better.
Our Teacher went to Moscow once a month for good paper. In the USSR, if you always needed to buy something good, you had to go to Moscow

 

[KitosLAB]

And when there was too large grain on the FN130 during printing, we spread a female nylon stocking under the lens and rotated it at the time of exposure of the paper. Yes, the contrast was reduced, but it was better than zarno, which "teared eyes"
Some of my today's creativity for your mood)))

 

[removedacct2]

I received yesterday a roll of Svema Foto 200 and one of NK-2SH as Astrum from a seller in Germany, ie. three days shipment instead of three weeks or three months.

I like the packaging: it's plastic reusable canister, the kind I use when rolling from bulk. Very convenient.

It was a very dark day and already late evening, very little light, I took a Zenitar-M (50mm f1.7) on a Zenit and went take few pictures.
Today there was blue sky no clouds and I took the Exakta Varex with a Tessar 50mm f2.8 and a Soligor 28mm f2.8. The Exakta is convenient for the knife. I have a changing bag along, so I shot some frames of Foto-200, cut, roll the strip into a canister, load the NK-2H.

the typical soviet developer was the so-called Standart-2 ST-2 (metol, sodium sulfit, sodium carbonate, potassium bromid and a bit of EDTA or Calgon), I am empty for potassium bromide so I had a look on Massive Dev Chart but Rodinal I don't like much, DD-X, and D-76 I don't use, Xtol/XT-3 I mix a bottle when I know I will developer many films in its shelf life but not the case now.
So I opted for HC-110, For Foto-200, there's a standing development recipe, I didn't have the time, so after some interpolations I decided to try HC-110 in H dilution (1+63) for 12 mn, first mn constant agitation, then 3 inversions/minute.
For NK-2H Massive Dev Charts mentions regular B dilution for 10mn, I decide to try instead E dilution (1+47) 15mn.

Plenty of instances of these films around the net but none with these HC-110 dilutions and times. I scanned at 5000dpi. So:

Foto-200 under low light/very grey sky:

Foto-200 again, today evening full blue sky:

this one was risky, the sun is casting strong just by the edge of the roof in the back, lens Soligor 28/f2.8

then I switched to NK-2SH, light has changed a bit as sun was getting lower:

last one for the fun, as I was curious about possible lens reflections, sometimes they are very unexpected:

 

[removedacct2]

I forgot: Svema 200 is very thin, must be a bit careful in case of loading into metallic spirals, to avoid bending.

 

[LeoniD]

development recipe, I didn't have the time, so after some interpolations

That's, certainly, a way to develop something. I am not sure how good of a way though

 

[removedacct2]

That's, certainly, a way to develop something. I am not sure how good of a way though

I found no recipes for HC-110 at higher non-stand dilutions, but i use it a lot, so i compared times ratios among other developers with ratios for other films with same developers in order to make an initial try. The 12 mn with dilution H (1+63) worked not too bad with Svema-200, for a first try.
For NK-2SH the formula provided on Massive Dev Chart is B (1+31) 10 mn but with other films I find H better and for sure forgiving, the rule is double the time of B for H (1+63) but I opted for a compromise in duration/dilution so opted for E (1+47). Again for a first try not too bad.

I guess Rodinal would have given a bit crispier images, but then these HC-110 dilutions seem to work well for grain size. By the way, grain difference Svema-200/NK-2SH is huge. I will get Svema-100 in order to compare, but just nown i'd rather buy a bulk roll of NK-2SH.

 

[LeoniD]

I found no recipes for HC-110 at higher non-stand dilutions, but i use it a lot, so i compared times ratios among other developers with ratios for other films with same developers in order to make an initial try. The 12 mn with dilution H (1+63) worked not too bad with Svema-200, for a first try.
For NK-2SH the formula provided on Massive Dev Chart is B (1+31) 10 mn but with other films I find H better and for sure forgiving, the rule is double the time of B for H (1+63) but I opted for a compromise in duration/dilution so opted for E (1+47). Again for a first try not too bad.

I guess Rodinal would have given a bit crispier images, but then these HC-110 dilutions seem to work well for grain size. By the way, grain difference Svema-200/NK-2SH is huge. I will get Svema-100 in order to compare, but just nown i'd rather buy a bulk roll of NK-2SH.

But why stand? In the first photos there's uneven development present, typical for stand. What benefits does it have over the standard "7min at 20C"?

 

[removedacct2]

But why stand? In the first photos there's uneven development present, typical for stand. What benefits does it have over the standard "7min at 20C"?

No i didn't do stand. I mentioned that for Svema-200 the only formula with HC-110 that I found is stand.
What i did is HC-110 1+63 12 mn. I may have not mixed well enough but it was 1mn constant agitation then 3 inversions/minute.

 

[LeoniD]

No i didn't do stand. I mentioned that for Svema-200 the only formula with HC-110 that I found is stand.
What i did is HC-110 1+63 12 mn. I may have not mixed well enough but it was 1mn constant agitation then 3 inversions/minute.

Oh. I see now, sorry. I've misread your posts, sometimes happens to me for some reason. Still, what caused the uneven development?

 

[removedacct2]

Still, what caused the uneven development?

The first pictures of Svema-209 are from a short, eight frames, strip I cutted from the roll and i loaded into a metal spiral. I felt under the fingers how thin the film is, easy to misalign or bend a little when loading into the spires. Maybe space between two spires was uneven, too narrow, almost touching, so not optimal fluid circulation ?
I guess plastic spirals are more error-proof.
I was more careful with the second strip next day. And with NK2-SH thickness is better.

 

[removedacct2]

I finished the 36x roll of Svema-200 playing this time with replenished D-23 I have been using for 8x10 sheets, mixed mid-june, 9 months ago, and used as marks tell 36 times.

10 mn, constant agitation 1st mn, then 3 inversions/mn.

Some white points here and there, not sure it is dust. Will need to buy more Svema to keep playing.

 

[Beverly Hills]

It was a very dark day and already late evening, very little light, I took a Zenitar-M (50mm f1.7) on a Zenit and went take few pictures.












View attachment 332529

Norway the country with long shadows ! Nice !

 

[AnselMortensen]

View attachment 332897

Very nice image!... nice bokeh and tonal scale!

(The wide shot of the camera)
That's my reply, not Antonio's.
My reply-fu isn't up to par today.

 

[MCB18]

Just got shipping receipt from Astrum/Svema! Can’t wait to get the film!

 

[cmacd123]

I have been doing some more play with the Oto 400. I happened to see a Ukranian Flag flying in the sun in my area, and took a picture with the Oto 400. BOTH of the two fields of the flag were almost the same shade of Grey on the negative. (blue and Yellow) this has me wondering if it is indeed an AERO film with some extended red or IR response. Some more play to think about.

 

[Minox]

Svema Foto 100

 

[Minox]

Svema Foto 400

 

[KitosLAB]

Perhaps someone will be interested. Svema is starting to sell color film Svema Color 125. In the near future I intend to buy 20 meters.

 

[MCB18]

Ohhh, nice! Do you know what formats? And is there a new price sheet?

 

[MCB18]

I do not understand why people consider Svema to be cheap. I wanted to order bulk film from them but after I added transport and customs it comes more expensive than buying locally film already in canisters.

For me, it definitely is. 3x4 film would cost about $120 for 100 sheets from Shanghai. From Astrum it was $40 + shipping, which is probably $20-ish. For 400 feet of 35mm the cost will be around $220-230, which is still much cheaper than I can get anywhere else. Not to mention they have 120 bulk film, which no one else sells.