Ultra Low ISO Film

Mike Chalmers · Feb 22, 2020

Hi folks,

I'm going to be testing ultra low ISO film shortly and, as someone who shoots Portra 400 practically all the time (and often still doesn't have enough light for my purposes), I'd love to know any thoughts / ideas / examples of ultra low iso film.

I am comfortable with how to expose it properly (a mix of long exposures, tripod use and wide apertures, depending on the shot) - and have a few ideas, but I'd love to know more before I get going.

Thanks!

Mike Chalmers · Feb 22, 2020

PS. I probably want to do portraiture, but maybe some landscapes too.

Tom Kershaw · Feb 22, 2020

Which film is this?

Mike Chalmers · Feb 22, 2020

Tom Kershaw said:
Which film is this?

Tom, I’ve been asked not to say as it’s not yet available.

pentaxuser · Feb 22, 2020

Mike Chalmers said:
Tom, I’ve been asked not to say as it’s not yet available.

It sounds like a new film but with ultra low ISO I wish the seller luck in selling it in sufficient quantities to recoup the cost of investment in making it available. It would be nice to hear about it once you can "take the covers off" so to speak

pentaxuser

Tom Kershaw · Feb 22, 2020

At one point ILFORD investigated producing a 'Delta 25' film but I think they decided there wouldn't be sufficient demand or too much competition with Pan F Plus.

pentaxuser · Feb 22, 2020

Tom Kershaw said:
At one point ILFORD investigated producing a 'Delta 25' film but I think they decided there wouldn't be sufficient demand or too much competition with Pan F Plus.

Yes and I think ultra low probably means less than 25 - more like 12, 6 or 3?

pentaxuser

TheGreatGasMaskMan · Feb 22, 2020

Is it this?
https://filmphotographystore.com/products/35mm-color-kodak-super-low-speed-1-roll

wy2l · Feb 22, 2020

Oh, come on. You can tell us. We won't tell anyone else. You can trust us.

Europan · Feb 22, 2020

I miss Kodak direct reversal film X360 and 2468 micro duplicating film. Both orthochromatic, virtually grainless. I think more could have been done to propagate those stocks, just imagining them in sheet formats.

Mike Chalmers · Feb 22, 2020

I'll be happy to share when I get the nod, but anyone here got any ideas or specific test shots they would like to see?

Kino · Feb 22, 2020

Color or B&W?

Jim Jones · Feb 22, 2020

I thought early Kodachrome rated at ISO 10 was wonderful, but was glad when they boosted the speed to 25 and then even higher.

Lee Rust · Feb 22, 2020

I've just started using neutral density filters to effectively reduce the ISO on high speed films like Portra 400. If you started out with a 100 speed film and used a 3 stop (ND 0.9) filter, you would get the equivalent of ISO 12.5. The grain structure wouldn't be like Panatomic-X, Kodachrome or microfilm, but it would be pretty close.

wahiba · Feb 22, 2020

Ilfords direct positive paper is effectively a low asa film (as I suppose are all print papers). Have some Ilford to try out but not used it yet. Is 3asa a good starting point?

Nodda Duma · Feb 22, 2020

Mike check out any of the ASA 2 dry plates I’ve posted in the media section. That will give you some ideas

Bill Burk · Feb 22, 2020

Actually the ISO range and size will help for advice.

I walked around last weekend with Agfapan 25, handheld shutter speed at 250 and f/5.6. Didn’t have to use a tripod even.

If that is the approximate speed then you could do a mix of handheld (to act like nothing’s different) and tripod (to get better effective detail).

But if it’s 3 or so, and if it’s ortho or otherwise not panchromatic, then you’ll want a tripod and cable release.

Landscapes, seascapes (maybe not the “instantaneous” type though) clouds, rivers, creeks, rocks. These all look great on slower film.

Chan Tran · Feb 22, 2020

TheGreatGasMaskMan said:
Is it this?
https://filmphotographystore.com/products/35mm-color-kodak-super-low-speed-1-roll

If this is the film I wouldn't use it. Not because of the ISO 1.5 but because the color balance.

Bill Burk · Feb 22, 2020

Has a nice Lomo feel, and some of the charm of Lomo is insanely fine grain. It would be a way to get “qualities” of a 120 Holga in 35mm.

Mike Chalmers · Feb 22, 2020

Nodda Duma said:
Mike check out any of the ASA 2 dry plates I’ve posted in the media section. That will give you some ideas

Thanks Nodda, nice work!

The film is ~10iso, no worries if nobody is interested in discussing ideas, I imagine a cool low iso idea will come to me as soo as I finish the roll.

TheGreatGasMaskMan · Feb 22, 2020

And here's some other, indated ultra low iso bw films that are below iso 10

https://filmphotographystore.com/products/35mm-bw-film-svema-super-positive-film-1-roll

https://filmphotographystore.com/products/35mm-bw-film-kodak-panchromatic-2238-1-roll

https://filmphotographystore.com/products/35mm-bw-film-svema-mz3-1-roll

https://filmphotographystore.com/products/35mm-bw-film-svema-blue-sensitive-1-roll

https://filmphotographystore.com/products/35mm-bw-film-kodak-fine-grain-bw-1-roll

And there are a few others, but they're vintage stocks.

RalphLambrecht · Feb 23, 2020

wahiba said:
Ilfords direct positive paper is effectively a low asa film (as I suppose are all print papers). Have some Ilford to try out but not used it yet. Is 3asa a good starting point?

Yes, ISO3 is about right for these papers.

removed account4 · Feb 23, 2020

Mike Chalmers said:
Thanks Nodda, nice work!

The film is ~10iso, no worries if nobody is interested in discussing ideas, I imagine a cool low iso idea will come to me as soo as I finish the roll.

open shade portraits of people and things ... and window light
is this film orthochromatic ( like paper, blue sensitive ), panorthchromatic ( like efke25 ) or panchromatic ( like modern film ) ?

Alan Johnson · Feb 23, 2020

https://www.flickr.com/photos/98816417@N08/48424157527/in/dateposted-public/

This was shot on Adox CMS 20 @ EI 12 using an improvised rifle grip comprising an aluminium tube screwed into the tripos socket on the camera .No need for a tripod.
It was developed in homebrew developer TD-LC 103 from the Film Developing Cookbook. Proprietary developer Adotech III would probably be OK for film around ISO 10.

bsdunek · Feb 23, 2020

TheGreatGasMaskMan said:
Is it this?
https://filmphotographystore.com/products/35mm-color-kodak-super-low-speed-1-roll

Well, at ASA 1.6, that's pretty low. (note: I use ASA cause I'm old). Someone talked about Kodachroma at ASA 10 - used plenty of that, both in 35mm and double-8 movie film.

Ultra Low ISO Film

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