What do you do with FomaPan classic 100?

I bought a 30M? roll of Fomapan100 'cos it was cheap at Macodirect and I was buying a box of the new Rollei atp and would save a bit on shipping. There was also the slim chance that it would prove to be the old Orwo np22 (It isn't. It looks different, and was made and sold back then alongside NP 22)

So I have a roll and wonder what it's good for. I'm certainly going to experiment myself, but I wonder what others do with it. Looking at samples online, it doesn't seem to give the most natural skin tones, and the highlights seem characteristically high. dunno if i'll like it, but I'm going to give it a good chance.

I have tried Neopan 400 a bit and like it and it seems to have high highlights that go way high. fomapan 100 seems to have medium highlights that go way high.

I have 3 developers: HC-110, Pyrocat HD and Diafine. Which would you pick? Would you shoot it at 100 or at something lower? Do you give it special treatment?

Last night I developed my first roll: HC-110 H 16 mins @62F agitation every 3 minutes. Haven't scanned or printed anything yet.

If you use a bunch of films including fomapan 100, when do you pick it?

I use this film whenever I have enough light. I rate it at 80 and develop in Rodinal 1:50 with 2 inversions per minute, 6 minutes at 68°. Just a lovely 100 speed film. I have found this film to be a fast developer.

Foma 100 is pretty nice stuff, if you ask me. I generally develop it in XTOL 1+2 for around 9 minutes at 68F (~ 6 minutes at 75), which tames the highlights well and allows me to get full box speed from the film most of the time. Agitation is continuous for the first 30 seconds, then for 5 seconds each 30 seconds for the remaining time. I find it's just fine for general picture taking in 35 mm formats when there's enough light, and when I don't plan to make large prints from the negatives. I've used Rodinal on this film a couple of times and have never been completely happy with the combination for a couple of reasons. First, shadow detail is a bit thin. If I bias my print toward shadow detail, then highlights are too bright. If I try to keep the highlights from blowing, then the shadows block up. Of course you can correct for some of this with judicious dodging and burning, but there's only so much you can do with those techniques before it becomes obvious that you have. Second, this is a very grainy film for something in that speed range today. Rodinal does nothing to ameliorate that, and XTOL helps quite a bit on both these counts. I also use it in medium format for portraiture under controlled lighting conditions using the same development techniques. Skin tones have never been a problem.

Fomapan 100 is a good film, close to the famous Agfapan 100.
I process this film, exposed at ASA 100, in Sandy King's Pyrocat-HD 1:1:100 for 15 min @ 20°C and agitate each 55 sec for 5 sec.

Good luck,

Philippe

I mainly use FOMA pan 100, developed in HC110 dil B for about 5.5 min (agitation every 30 sec).

I use FOMA in 135mm 120 film and always in LF...

They fix really quick too!

Good film for the money!

For tonality, I just love Fomapan 100 in Caffenol C. However, it's a pretty grainy combination, and in 35mm it might be too much so. Worth a try anyway.

-NT

I use Fomapan in my old Brownie folder. It's cheap and easy to respool.
I rate it at 100asa and develop in Atomal FF for 8mins @ 20C. Agitate for 1min then 15 secs every min thereafter. Nice negs with good tight grain structure. This is one of the first images I took using said camera and film:
(there was a url link here which no longer exists)

-Nanette

Just putting the Classic 100 in my Yashicamat now, I shoot it in 5x4 as well at 50 EI and process for 10 mins in Pyrocat HD 1+1+100 for 10 mins at 20°C

Ian

ntenny said:

For tonality, I just love Fomapan 100 in Caffenol C. However, it's a pretty grainy combination, and in 35mm it might be too much so. Worth a try anyway.

-NT

Click to expand...

me too,
the grain is just beautiful on the foma ...

jnanian said:

me too,
the grain is just beautiful on the foma ...

Click to expand...

Yes, it's a 'genuine' grain, the one "...that is supposed to be there...", unless one prefers pixels

I use Fomapan 100 quite a bit, and it plays very nicely with Diafine. I rate it at 100.

Thanks for your thoughts. I am definitely going to try it with both Diafine and Pyrocat HD. I had interesting results from my test roll which I'll post about later. I got a nice photo and an interesting failure. I think I might have an explanation for the ugly skin tones I see so often.
I think I can see why it apparently goes well with XTOL

I have been developing it in D76 1+1 with great results. 9 minutes, 68 degrees (20 C), agitate first 30 seconds, then 2 inversions each 30 seconds. EI 80. I've been using the 120 size.

R09 - 1:100 135 21m +1 EI 80 - a good one
FX-1 1+1+8 135 18,5 m EI 160-200, with the other minut agitation - uu, sharp one. highlights with too much contrast (too much agitated), very good shadow detail.

I need to test fomapan 100 in R09 stand/semi-stand 1:100-1:200 and with FX-1 at 100 EI semi-stand/minimal agitation dev.

Paul

I find it to be quite grainy for its speed, but it has a nice tonality that makes me forgive that fault. I have a cache of it in my freezer that I use from time to time.

I bought a box of 4x5 but I haven't shot it yet. I sure like it in 35mm and 120 though.

I've only developed it in D-76 1:1 so far. I intend to try it in HC-110 B and PMK as well, but haven't gotten there yet.