Love it or hate it - Arista Premium 400 ASA is it Tri-X?

daleeman · Feb 17, 2011

Greetings,
I just ordered my second brick of Arista Premium 400 ASA from Freestyle in Hollywood, CA.

The first one I used up certaily walked like and talked like it was Tri-X film. This may all have been kicked about before but is it Tri-X? The original or the newer flavors? Wish it came in 120 size.

Does anyone else use this film beside the proor and staring photo students? I can not beet the $ 2.19 a roll of 36. But then there is shipping... but no state sales tax. (That is a big plus, unless you live in CA.)

Lee

lns · Feb 17, 2011

It's Tri-X, and it's from Freestyle. What's not to love?

-Laura

BetterSense · Feb 17, 2011

It's Tri-X. Tri-X itself is a fine film, but I don't see why so many people like it. I think Kodak "fixed" all the unique things about it over the years and decades. People say it has classic grain, but it actually has very fine grain unless you are trying to exaggerate it. People say it has a classic "look" but I find it is a pretty vanilla film with a straight curve and without a real "look" or anything (which is a virtue in a negative film). In a sense it's just a conventional-grained TMAX for those who are still allergic to superior TMAX films, but I have switched to TMY for more shadow speed and standardization with 4x5. If I get bored of TMY, I shoot Foma or Neopan--films which actually differ enough to be worthwhile.

daleeman · Feb 17, 2011

I shout a lot of the old metal cap Kodak films in the day and tri-x was easy to use and did seem rather grainy when I had no idea about what I was doing. My dad encouraged me to learn by doing. My father and grandfater could get great results out of it and yet they always said this is a really fast film only use it when you have to.

Really the only other films I use in B&W is Ilford Delta 100 and 400. That gives me a very different look, maybe more contrast out of the Delta 400 than the tri-x. The Arista film is nice to have in the rangefinder and and fits most situations although I still hear my dad telling me in my head, its a really fast film, only use it when you have too.

Lee

tkamiya · Feb 17, 2011

I recently bought a bucket full of Premium 100 and 400. Price is great and they indeed look like PlusX and TriX.

Vaughn · Feb 17, 2011

And their shipping is fast.

I will be trying out their Arista 76 (D-76 clone -- $5.70/gal instead of $7.70) and their Aristdol (Dektol clone - $5.09/gal instead of $7.10) -- bought and received 40 gallon packets of each to give them a serious try. We go through a few hundred gallons each a year, so that is a big savings...especially with the budget cuts.

Thomas Bertilsson · Feb 17, 2011

It is Tri-X 400 and Plus-X indeed. I shot some side by side and there is no doubt.

I'm just sad they no longer offer the dressed down Fuji Acros and Neopan 400 as Legacy Pro. Looooove me the Acros in 35mm.

- Thomas

daleeman · Feb 17, 2011

When I ordered the first batch of 400 (Freestyle Tri-X) I got a few rools of the 100 too. I'll try some of that Arista Plus-X today and into the near future while the speedy Freestyle delivery comes. I'll even try some with on-camera flash tonight.

Athiril · Feb 17, 2011

I've pushed Tri-X to 6400 and beyond in Rodinal, pictures came out.

A friend reckons he tried the same that I did with Arista Premium 400 and it came out clear. I have some Arista Premium 400 rolls here.. I'll give it a go and see what happens, if it doesn't push like Tri-X it isn't Tri-X.

PVia · Feb 17, 2011

Great film, beautiful tonality...and the 100 is great, too.

Absolutely the real thing...

MainerAl · Feb 17, 2011

I bought a bulk roll of Arista Premium 400 last Fall with an expiration date of 06/2013, when developed it says "K'odak 400TX" on the edge markings so yes, it's Tri-X.
Al

Harry Lime · Feb 18, 2011

What are the expiration dates you guys are seeing on the Arista Premium 400 boxes?

Athiril · Feb 18, 2011

I've got Sep 2012 on mine.

But the world will end shortly after that anyhow.

Harry Lime · Feb 18, 2011

Athiril said:
I've got Sep 2012 on mine.

But the world will end shortly after that anyhow.

At least you won't run out of film documenting it...

I think I'm going to order 150 rolls myself...

Wade D · Feb 18, 2011

I've been using both the Arista 400 & 100 and find them to be identical to Tri-X & Plus-X. The Arista 76 & Aristadol also produce the same results as D-76 & Dektol. For someone like me on a retiree budget these films and chemicals are a blessing.

Dali · Feb 18, 2011

Other indication that it is pretty similar to TRi-X: it works beautifully with Diafine, much better than HP5+.

Too bad it does not exist in 120 format...

daleeman · Feb 18, 2011

Dali said:
Other indication that it is pretty similar to TRi-X: it works beautifully with Diafine, much better than HP5+.

Too bad it does not exist in 120 format...

I am a die hard Diafine fan, so I am with you there on that.

It would be wonderful to see it in 120 format and sheet film too but after thinking about this for a while... Kodak needs every dime it can from a shrinking market and Pro users or the die hard film shooters are the only one using 120 or above. I do not think Kodak could live with 1/2 the revenue stream from letting its pro grade films slip further by being sold for almost half the current price by one vendor. Actually I am suprised that Freestyle could pull off 35mm deal with them under current decline in film sales.

Who apprached who in the Kodak / Freestyle deal for private packaging? I bet there was/is a Kodak office charged with private branding film like from Walmart, drug stores and the like. Fuji has done this for quite a while too.

Either way we win in 35mm format with these films. I like it and with 1600 ASA on the Arista 400 in Diafine its a bit fast but with a quiet rangefinder you can get some very unnoticed images in unique places @ $ 2.19 a roll

Lee

wblynch · Feb 18, 2011

daleeman said:
I am a die hard Diafine fan, so I am with you there on that...

...I like it and with 1600 ASA on the Arista 400 in Diafine its a bit fast but with a quiet rangefinder you can get some very unnoticed images in unique places @ $ 2.19 a roll

Lee

Hi Lee, do you have some examples of Tri-x (ahem, Arista Premium 400) at 1600 in Diafine that we can see?

What developing times do you suggest?

Thanks, Bill L.

Lee L · Feb 18, 2011

wblynch said:
What developing times do you suggest?

Thanks, Bill L.

http://www.digitaltruth.com/products/acufine_tech/acufine.pdf

(another) Lee

cmacd123 · Feb 18, 2011

"when developed it says "K'odak 400TX""

They really goofed on that - mine says Arista Premium 400. The sequence of Emulsion numbers on what I have bought is consistent with the Tri-x I have bought at the same time. (freestyle must wonder when I buy twenty rolls of Premium 400 and one roll of Tri-X}

2F/2F · Feb 19, 2011

I has been out for over two years, so this was settled definitively in 2009. Search the archives. It is Tri-X.

As for developing times, use any published times for Tri-X 400, except in HC-110 dilution B. Kodak publishes a WAY wrong time for that combination. They use the time for dilution A, and apparently refuse to correct it. The time for dilution B is between six and seven minutes, not 3:45! They give a similarly fouled up time for Plus-X in dilution B. It should be six-something, but they list it as three-something, if my memory serves me correctly.

BlueTrain · Feb 26, 2011

Harry Lime said:
What are the expiration dates you guys are seeing on the Arista Premium 400 boxes?

just received my order today, and the exp. on the Arista Premium 400 is 07/2013.
the Arista Premium 100 has an exp. date of 05/2012.

daleeman · Feb 28, 2011

wblynch said:
Hi Lee, do you have some examples of Tri-x (ahem, Arista Premium 400) at 1600 in Diafine that we can see?

What developing times do you suggest?

Thanks, Bill L.

Hi Bill, I'll be doing some this following weekend, (I hope) I have been consumed by the class I am in. To my downfall, I am not the best archivest of my negs so I would be remissed if I pulled one out and scanned it, I may have done it in something else.

I have been doing 4 1/2 to 5 minutes in A and the same in B and getting reasonable results at 1600 ASA. I'll try to do some this weekend and shaer some results from my lousy scanner.

Lee

wblynch · Feb 28, 2011

Thanks Lee and Lee. I'll look forward to those examples.

I have Plus-X in my Mamiya 645 right now but will get a roll of Tri-X and some Diafine.

Colin Corneau · Feb 28, 2011

BlueTrain said:
just received my order today, and the exp. on the Arista Premium 400 is 07/2013.....

I just got a few bricks to experiment with this film, and the same dates are on mine.

Love it or hate it - Arista Premium 400 ASA is it Tri-X?

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