Wonderpan 400 - whatever next?

henryyjjames · May 30, 2023

faberryman said:
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?

They could just be loading into matching DX coded cartridges and slapping a sticker label on it. The images on the website look like it’s a label. Honestly it wouldn’t be very cost effective for them to do such a small batch of custom 135 cassettes.

Donald Qualls · May 31, 2023

henryyjjames said:
it wouldn’t be very cost effective for them to do such a small batch of custom 135 cassettes.

I agree. Whereas labels are cheap, especially if you have a machine that applies them.

foc · May 31, 2023

I just got notification of Wonderpan 400 is now in stock But when I click the link or go to the site it is still showing out of stock. Tried refresh (F5) but nothing, maybe it's just me.

pentaxuser · May 31, 2023

Hmm I thought it was brand new and had never been in stock???. The original announcement was only last week wasn't it? There's something familiar with the advert's wording. Something. maybe just the sentiments that I have heard before. Still best to grab it before it is gone

These words from a song best sum it up "the rush" for me

I think I'm in love again
(In my head, yeah, you're in my head)
I think I'm in love again
(In my head, yeah, you're in my head)
I didn't think it could be true
Let alone that it would be you
I think I'm in love again
(I'm in love, I'm in love, I'm in love)

pentaxuser

henryyjjames · May 31, 2023

foc said:
I just got notification of Wonderpan 400 is now in stock But when I click the link or go to the site it is still showing out of stock. Tried refresh (F5) but nothing, maybe it's just me.

View attachment 340236

I also got that this morning, I think it was probably them just messing with the stock on the backend of the website, and it set off the notification to everyone signed up. I believe they are launching it later in June.

Ballinderry-Michael · May 31, 2023

Félim, I've asked to be notified. If that happens in due course, I'll try to get enough rolls to spare you a couple. Either send them to you or meet you at the border (the land one, that is, not the mythical one in the Irish Sea).

foc · May 31, 2023

Ballinderry-Michael said:
Félim, I've asked to be notified. If that happens in due course, I'll try to get enough rolls to spare you a couple. Either send them to you or meet you at the border (the land one, that is, not the mythical one in the Irish Sea).

That's very kind of you Michael. Of course it depends what part of the long land boarder.

dourbalistar · May 31, 2023

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

WonderPan Back Story

Based on the fictional backstory and the label design, it's a wonder they didn't call it FryingPan 400.

foc · May 31, 2023

dourbalistar said:
Based on the fictional backstory and the label design, it's a wonder they didn't call it FryingPan 400.

pentaxuser · Jun 1, 2023

foc said:

Hmm... Frying Pan, it's a good name but I always associate it with domestic violence. The downtrodden wife has given the husband 20 years of excellent marriage but he has given her 20 years of ingratitude. The tipping point comes when after a lovingly prepared excellent main course he says: What for dessert, woman, bicarbonate of soda?

She picks up the cast iron frying pan and wallops the back of his head so it vibrates like TopCat's head when Officer Dibble hits his dustbin in anger

The face on the cassette suggests the domestic bliss and happy ending of It's A Wonderful Life. It's a peace and harmony kind of frying pan which is maybe a bit too Disneyesque for me

Might just be me, of course who harbours that kind of domestic black humour scenario when seeing a frying pan in this scene and of course the word Wonderpan

pentaxuser

henryyjjames · Jun 7, 2023

Well, they finally posted the technical information with development times. I've attached it here.

foc · Jun 7, 2023

henryyjjames said:
Well, they finally posted the technical information with development times. I've attached it here.

They seem long development times for the dilutions.

For example, Ilfosol 3 with 1+9 is 12 mins or ID11 with 1:1 is 18 mins.

Is it a 100 speed film pushed to 400 speed?

henryyjjames · Jun 7, 2023

foc said:
They seem long development times for the dilutions.

Yea, I know. I feel like it's an expired film stock, and they just made the times up.

foc said:
Is it a 100 speed film pushed to 400 speed?

That's the working theory...

Niglyn · Jun 8, 2023

Unless I'm missing something,

Are these not just standard films, that are marketed under a different name and possibly with a different ISO to that the manufacturer intended?
So the end user has no idea of the provenance of the film.

Why not stick to known brands, like Ilford where all the characteristics & push/pull charts are well documented?

For weird films, why not buy from somewhere that states exactly what the film is, Russian spy or surveillance film, for example. (Bet that sentence will get picked up by GCHQ )

There is one particular good shop/mail order company in the UK that do this & have first class customer service.

npl · Jun 8, 2023

henryyjjames said:
Well, they finally posted the technical information with development times. I've attached it here.

Thanks. It's the Kentemere pan 100 datasheet with lazy rewording in some places. They're not even trying

Donald Qualls · Jun 8, 2023

foc said:
Is it a 100 speed film pushed to 400 speed?

Let's compare to CatLabs 320 times. That's effectively a 100-125 film labeled as 320...

If this is Aviphot 200 again, it'll be that -- a 100-125 film box labeled as 400 and you'll get ~40% increased times over "normal" for the true speed.

Niglyn · Jun 8, 2023

npl said:
Thanks. It's the Kentemere pan 100 datasheet with lazy rewording in some places. They're not even trying

Surely not, this is only £5.10 a roll?

Kentmere PAN 400 by Ilford 35mm ~ 24 or 36 Exposure - Nik & Trick Photo Services

Kentmere PAN 400 by Ilford 35mm capable of generating high-quality images in available light situations.

ntphotoworks.com

Tel · Jun 8, 2023

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

WonderPan Back Story

The 'backstory' explains it all: clearly you need to heat it in a frying pan before shooting.

Niglyn · Jun 8, 2023

Tel said:
The 'backstory' explains it all: clearly you need to heat it in a frying pan before shooting.

Obviously tried to advertise in a humorous way, however even humorous advertising must be factual and not make false or misleading claims.

So this is indeed a film newly manufactured for AW and not a re-badge.

Tel · Jun 8, 2023

Clearly frivolous backstory cartoons aimed at the casual user, but if it sells film....

Not living in the UK I wasn't familiar with AW but taking a browse through their catalogue I'm impressed by the depth of stock available. They seem to be doing something right.

Don_ih · Jun 8, 2023

Niglyn said:
Surely not, this is only £5.10 a roll?

They likely just copied the Kentmere sheet and put in their own information for their own film (whatever it is). It's very, very unlikely that it's Kentmere film.

foc · Jun 8, 2023

I made a quick chart of developer times and film brands for comparisons, (feel free to let me know if there should be any changes because I know you will......... )

henryyjjames · Jun 8, 2023

foc said:
I made a quick chart of developer times and film brands for comparisons, (feel free to let me know if there should be any changes because I know you will......... )

View attachment 340809

THANK YOU! I did this on a sticky note but i wasn't going to share my chicken scratch lol

npl · Jun 8, 2023

Don Heisz said:
They likely just copied the Kentmere sheet and put in their own information for their own film (whatever it is). It's very, very unlikely that it's Kentmere film.

Why would it be unlikely ? Kentmere is already sold under different names, they have a ISO 100 film, according to @foc chart the times are not much far appart, and there's the fact that they used the Kentmere pan * datasheet to make their own.

Don_ih · Jun 8, 2023

npl said:
Why would it be unlikely ?

Then it will be easy enough to tell. Buy a roll and treat it the same as you'd treat Kentmere 100, develop it the same, and see if you get the same result.
But with Kentmere 400 being the roughly the same cost as Kentmere 100, particularly in bulk, it doesn't make much sense that they'd use Kentmere 100 and not 400.
So maybe it's not very, very unlikely. It would just be very, very stupid.

Wonderpan 400 - whatever next?

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