Wonderpan 400 - whatever next?

Agulliver · May 23, 2023

Analogue Wonderland are starting to advertise their first own-brand film, celebrating their fifth birthday. They're calling it "wonderpan 400".

Any guesses.....Repackaged Fomapan 400 or Kentmere 400? Or is there a chance they've actually ordered something different to currently available film from one of the companies coating film?

Andrew O'Neill · May 23, 2023

Repacked something, no doubt.

pentaxuser · May 23, 2023

Agulliver said:
Analogue Wonderland are starting to advertise their first own-brand film, celebrating their fifth birthday. They're calling it "wonderpan 400".

Any guesses.....Repackaged Fomapan 400 or Kentmere 400? Or is there a chance they've actually ordered something different to currently available film from one of the companies coating film?

Yes definitely a chance but about the same as my waking up tomorrow as George Clooney

I suppose it could be worse. At least they haven't attempted to sell the Golden Gate Bridge ...yet.

pentaxuser

relistan · May 24, 2023

It's either one of those two stocks, or something old that they found a big spool of that had been frozen.

Donald Qualls · May 25, 2023

Shoot and develop a roll, or even just look at the recommended times, and you'll be able to tell whether it's Foma or Kentmere...

foc · May 25, 2023

It's not available on their website, yet.

My money is on Kentmere as it doesn't have the Foma leader shape.

Time will tell.

Agulliver · May 25, 2023

I feel conflicted about Analogue Wonderland. I've used them to buy stuff few other retailers stock, or when they've had a special offer. Their service is excellent. I cannot fault that. the way they advertise films that we know to be similar as unique, super exciting products doesn't sit well with me. However, I think their business method strikes a chord with the younger photographers.

They're making a big thing about Wonderpan 400 now, and I get it....they're proud of their own brand of film. But if it really is Kentmere or something else 100% available under another name....all the hype is a bit disappointing. But time shall tell.

markjwyatt · May 25, 2023

Maybe it is Wolfen (Orwo)?

Agulliver · May 26, 2023

Orwo might be a possibility. And that would at least be different to the usual Kentmere/Foma.

I guess we're waiting for the product to be revealed, and someone to try it. I'm not likely to be buying this one, I have B&W film to last me a couple of years I think including some unusual examples that I really should get around to using.

Flighter · May 26, 2023

A bit more, but not much, on their website today:

Based on a best-selling black-and-white emulsion - but with a change in ISO rendering different results to the original box speed - WonderPan 400 produces monochrome images with strong contrast, dark blacks, and moderate grain in the midrange tones.

More details, sample photos, developing recipes, and more will be released in the coming days. And the LIVE date is expected to be late June!

MattKing · May 26, 2023

Oh no - it sounds like the CatLabs film!!!!!!

Marcelo Paniagua · May 26, 2023

umm Kinda remind me of Kentmere but images are too contrasty to tell.

By the way, canister/cassete art looks ugly.

npl · May 26, 2023

In this petapixel article there's a quote saying that the film is usually shot at "around ISO 100"

Analogue Wonderland's New 35mm Film is a Higher ISO B&W Emulsion

Analogue Wonderland celebrates its birthday in style with a new limited-edition 35mm black-and-white film.

petapixel.com

foc · May 27, 2023

Here is the fictional backstory to WonderPan and a few samples of the artwork as well.

WonderPan Back Story

Don_ih · May 27, 2023

MattKing said:
sounds like the CatLabs film

It does. It sounds like another pushed Aviphot 200. And the sample images look like Aviphot shot at ~200.

Agulliver · May 27, 2023

'We can't tell you who manufactures it but it's normally shot at 100 but we're calling it 400ISO because the company prefers the way it looks shot that way' is the gist.

So I'm getting Aviphot vibes. Which is good film, but if that's what it is.....I can get it under other brand names cheaper.

I understand that AW want to celebrate their 5th birthday with an own brand film, and that the options for such a film are limited. But the silly back story does put me off. Having been burned with the CatLabs film my usual good nature on these things has turned a little sceptical.

There's absolutely nothing wrong with the sample images over at PetaPixel.....but they do look suspiciously like Aviphot shot at 400 and pushed. Fine stuff, if a little contrasty but that's sometimes what one wants. But.....

Ballinderry-Michael · May 27, 2023

They haven't precisely said it's not chromogenic, have they? That would be unlikely, I agree; but their "specification" for XP2 says nothing about C41 (though they do mention that elsewhere, of course).

pentaxuser · May 27, 2023

foc said:
Here is the fictional backstory to WonderPan and a few samples of the artwork as well.

WonderPan Back Story

or should it be

Both sum up my feelings almost equally well toward Analogue Wonderland. It reminds me of the old joke told of what was then news agencies in the former Soviet Union. " There is no truth in Pravda and no news in Izvestia

pentaxuser

henryyjjames · May 30, 2023

I emailed and asked for the development times and they wouldn’t send them to me. They said it will be on the website soon so maybe then we can cross reference the times, developers and EI to find what film stock it might be.

Donald Qualls · May 30, 2023

henryyjjames said:
I emailed and asked for the development times and they wouldn’t send them to me.

"We're selling a 'new' film, and we don't want to tell you before you can buy it what the development parameters are, because if we do you'll figure out you can buy the exact same film somewhere else for less."

henryyjjames · May 30, 2023

Donald Qualls said:
"We're selling a 'new' film, and we don't want to tell you before you can buy it what the development parameters are, because if we do you'll figure out you can buy the exact same film somewhere else for less."

Exactly. Trust, we will figure it out and buy it somewhere else for less. No point in them gatekeeping it; it's not like they are making a new emulsion...

Ballinderry-Michael · May 30, 2023

As its box speed is different from its parent's, I shouldn't have thought that development times would be much of a clue.

henryyjjames · May 30, 2023

Ballinderry-Michael said:
As its box speed is different from its parent's, I shouldn't have thought that development times would be much of a clue.

I mean just look at development times for 100 speed films pushed to 400 and it’s the same story. It takes some cross referencing and a bit of patience but it’s not impossible to narrow down the possibilities.

faberryman · May 30, 2023

I wonder who is confecting it for them. The webpage says the cassettes are DX coded. That’s a step up from CATLabs. I wonder if you can buy it without the cartoon chef on the cassette?

Donald Qualls · May 30, 2023

Ballinderry-Michael said:
As its box speed is different from its parent's, I shouldn't have thought that development times would be much of a clue.

However, presuming it is in fact Aviphot 200, the time ought to be only a few percent longer than Catlabs recommendation at their EI 320 box "speed." IMO, they'd do better to sell this as a "new" 100 speed film that pushes well; the one roll of Catlabs 320 I've shot (at 125) was very nice in Parodinal.

Wonderpan 400 - whatever next?

Agulliver

Andrew O'Neill

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pentaxuser

relistan

Donald Qualls

foc

Agulliver

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Agulliver

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Marcelo Paniagua

npl

Analogue Wonderland's New 35mm Film is a Higher ISO B&W Emulsion

foc

Don_ih

Agulliver

Ballinderry-Michael

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henryyjjames

Donald Qualls

henryyjjames

Ballinderry-Michael

henryyjjames

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Donald Qualls

Wonderpan 400 - whatever next?

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