Wonderpan 400 - whatever next?

[Agulliver]

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]

Repacked something, no doubt.

 

[pentaxuser]

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]

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

 

[Donald Qualls]

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]

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]

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]

Maybe it is Wolfen (Orwo)?

 

[Agulliver]

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]

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]

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

 

[Marcelo Paniagua]

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

By the way, canister/cassete art looks ugly.

 

[npl]

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]

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

WonderPan Back Story

 

[Don_ih]

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]

'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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

"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]

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]

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]

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]

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.