Verichrome Pan lives?

[athanasius80]

A fellow photographer told me today that after Kodak axed Verichrome Pan in 2002 the same film started being manufactured in Hungary. Has anyone heard this, and is there any veracity in it?
Thanks.

 

[donbga]

A fellow photographer told me today that after Kodak axed Verichrome Pan in 2002 the same film started being manufactured in Hungary. Has anyone heard this, and is there any veracity in it?
Thanks.

Yeah, along with Agfapan 25 and Ektar 25.

 

[braxus]

I would really doubt this. Unless someone can find info on a Kodak site to back this up.

 

[athanasius80]

The only thing I could think of is that VP was a double layer emulsion film, one fast and one slow. Fortepan 400 is double layer emulsion as well. I suspect thats as related as the two films will ever be, but had to ask. Hope springs eternal after all.

 

[Markok765]

What is double emulsion?

 

[Photo Engineer]

Chris;

Almost all films today are double or triple emulsions. Some are blended in 1 layer and some are coated in 2 or 3 light sensitive layers. Only films with the most primitive polydisperse emulsions are single emulsion films.

PE

 

[braxus]

Ron,
If thats the case with most films today, then what really was unique about VP anyways? I know its grain size was quite small for a 125 speed film. And it had a creamy look to it. Any ideas?

 

[dmr]

Stupid question here, was Verichrome Pan ever made in 35mm?

I remember using this in my old Brownie Starflash (127) and in my dad's Monitor (620? 120?) when I was very young, but I really can't remember if it was available in 35mm back then.

 

[glbeas]

Yes, I've used verichrome in 35mm. It went away before the medium format sizes did.

 

[Photo Engineer]

Polydisperse means that one emulsion had coarse, medium and fine grains. Mixed or blended emulsions means that a coarse, medium and fine are mixed together in appropriate concentrations.

One type gives a typical bump up or down in mid scale and a shoulder.

The other type gives a straight line with a long latitude. This is more typical of modern emulsions.

A side by side comparison will show better results with more modern emulsions in general when compared to the older type.

As for 'creamy' this might refer to the greater turbidity of the old emulsions which decreased sharpness.

PE

 

[glennfromwy]

Ah yes, it does live on but not for long. I'm about 1/3 of the way through my last brick of the stuff.
The film was made primarily to give good results when used in simple cameras. Box cameras and such. The two layers were designed to give two different contrast levels. Higher and lower. It worked very well when the casual snap shooter would drop off the film from his Brownie at the drug store, where it went off to be dunked in D-76. All for the same amount of time, no matter what the exposure was. I often wonder how such good pictures ever came out of such haphazard photography. Then, VP got "discovered" and sadly, it got discontinued.

 

[OlProfBear]

Interesting.

So what would you say is functionally the nearest thing you can get today in 120?

 

[Tom Hoskinson]

Interesting.

So what would you say is functionally the nearest thing you can get today in 120?

My choices are Ilford FP4+ and Efke 100.

You might also like Fomapan 100 and/or 200.

In addition, Ilford Delta 100, Fuji Acros 100 and Kodak TMax 100 are all capable of delivering excellent results.

If you are an Alternate Process Printer, be aware that the current version of TMax 100 blocks UV light.

 

[Mark Layne]

Interesting.

So what would you say is functionally the nearest thing you can get today in 120?

Probably Plus-X

 

[Tom Hoskinson]

Personally, I've never liked the look of Plus-X. However, I do like Tri-X 320 Professional.

 

[momonga]

FWIW, from Kodak's Professional B&W Films F-5 (2nd edition, 11/76):

'Verichrome Pan Film is often considered a film for amateur use only, but it is sometimes used by professional photographers. It has emulsion characteristics similar to those of Kodak Plus-X Pan Film. It could be considered as an alternative to Kodak Plus-X Pan Professional Film, without the retouching surface...It is capable of recording very professional pictures.'

So what are the emulsion characteristics of Plus-X Pan?

'Plus-X Pan, Plus-X Portrait 5068, and Plus-X Pan Professional have very similar emulsion characteristics. While the graininess is in the same category as that of Panatomic-X films, the resolving power and degree of enlargement are one category less. These films have short toe and long straight line characteristics, making their use ideal in high-flare conditions such as are usually encountered outdoors, as well as giving them unusually good tone reproduction characteristics.' However, elsewhere in the same publication, Verichrome Pan is described as having a medium toe.

BTW, there are (were?) two other Plus-X films: Plus-X Pan Professional 2147 and 4147. These are 'all toe' films designed for unusually good highlight tone separation.

Of course, this is all from 30 years ago, and perhaps not very relevant to today's version of Plus-X and the last version of Verichrome Pan. But I have to confess to getting slightly misty-eyed when I look over this well-written, information packed book, thinking of the film choices that once existed. Also thinking of the many excellent publications Kodak used to have for professional photography.

 

[Mike Wilde]

Two sides of the same coin on VP

I was out last week to shoot the last roll I had of 120VP. The shoot was a bunch of long duration exposures (25-65seconds, F22) of traffic flow on a high mast illuminated expressway interchange; The processed negatives (overdeveloped 30% to bring up detail in the marginal areas - the highlights would be solid black regardless of development time) gave good detail was in the edges of the of high intensity headlight streaks, as well as detail in the shadows on the sides of the road. It worked beautifully. Goodby, good friend.

Then this past weekend I was cleaning up a bunch of stuff in the basement of my mom's house. I came across a box of semi-organized photos takem 35-40 years ago. Included was a large trove of 127VP negatives taken about the time of my birth. They look nice and clear, so someone long ago fixed and washed them well. I am looking forward to contact printing them, and catching a slice of life of small town Canada circa 1965-70. It is amazing what the quality of image appears to be, and I can recall the camera - the classic plastic drug store roll film cameras of the day. Use a flash bulb inside, or shoot near a window. Shoot anything outside. No focus, but useable range 3' to infinity.

The early C-22 process colour negatives do not look to be in nearly as good a shape as the B&W offerings.

 

[BrianShaw]

But I have to confess to getting slightly misty-eyed when I look over this well-written, information packed book, thinking of the film choices that once existed.

I get so misty eyed looking at these old Kodak guides, especially as I recall Plus-X in 4x5, which I LOVED, that I often think of throwing them in the trash. The memories are good, but the reality of not having those films anymore makes me sad.

 

[braxus]

A few years ago I bought a box of Plus X 4x5 which I have yet to use. Its in the freezer at the moment. I think I have 1 or 2 rolls left of VP 120. That and needing to use up my Pan X. I had a guide from early 90s and it seems strange to read it again today as so much has changed.

 

[Gerald Koch]

Of the various 120 films that I have used recently, J&C Classic Pan 200 reminded me the most of Verichrome Pan.