Need to order some more...

[ryan s]

...film, of course...not lenses! You should know me better than that by now

I'm looking to get some ISO 100 and 400 films, and at this point, I'm pretty much going to try everything at least once. Tri-X is next up...I guess I should see what all the hype is about, eh?

As long as it's B&W and can bathe in Ilford DD-X (and it's too expensive!) I'm looking for suggestions.

Freestyle offers the Arista series (EDU, Premium, Legacy) which are re-branded Foma, Kodak Tri-X(?) and Fuji Neopan(?). That last ones aren't confirmable from what I've read but who else in the Czech Republic makes film other than Foma?

Has anyone used the "house brand" films side-by-side with the comparable name brand? Honestly...from the (literally) thousands of prints I've seen from Walgreens film which is made in Japan and used to be from Germany, I prefer it over the comparable Kodak Gold and would rate it next to the C41 Fujis. Therefore, the "Product of Japan" label would be logical. Can films be "seconds" or "2nd-class QC'ed"?

And now what about Kentmere? Never heard of them...I guess they also make their own developer.

Anyone have ERA/SHD 100 from China? I'd LOVE to try some but don't want to buy 5+ rolls at once. 1 or 2 would suit me.

Ugh this is getting long OK, here's what I'm looking for:
-100 and 400 on the cheap for snapshots/always having a camera loaded
-100ish with fine grain such as FP4, but cheaper? Cake and eat it too?

When I get around to using my dad's old bulk loader, I will be rolling my own...most likely HP5+. Works out to like $2.50/roll for 36exp..translating into $1.50 savings per roll over 18 rolls = $27 saved over pre-rolled. Plus it can be pushed to 800 and 1600 easily, almost eliminating the need for anything else for more speed.

One more thing. I'm so tempted by this. With C41 processing (no CD) it works out to about $3 a roll if I'm better at math than I think I am. Frugalphotographer has 100ft rolls of Portra 160NC for $25! I HAVE to try this film! At $.72/roll plus processing you can't really argue!

[ChrisPlatt]

Kentmere black and white papers are highly respected, though I have never tried them.
They were recently acquired by Harman, which also owns Ilford.

In a recent APUG thread someone suggested that Kentmere 35mm films are repackaged Ilford Pan 100 and Pan 400,
less expensive films similar to FP4+ and HP5+ sold in some markets.
A Kentmere spokesman denied this, saying they are unique new products.

I am interested in trying these films, but have yet to see a review from someone who has actually used them.
Maybe it will be you Ryan?

Anyway, B&H has them, too: 35mm Print Film | B&H Photo Video

Chris

[ryan s]

Chris, the Kentmere films seem like a good budget option. I just might grab one each of the 100 and 400. ISO 400 in DD-X @ 20C is specified for 11.5 minutes. What other films would be similiar in time rating? It's a full 2.5 minutes longer than HP5+ and the Massive Dev Chart doesn't list the Pan films besides Pan F+. Hmmmm...

I'd also like to try an "old" emulsion like Rollei Retro since Efke seems too much extra work to mess with. Well...that'll come later since my scanner software is acting up lately.

From what I've seen/read on the net...Kodak TMax in DD-X either pushed or pulled should be fun Rate it at 100 and shower it with DD-X for 7.5 minutes...I like the results I've seen on the net.

Also trying to locate some ascorbic acid to do some Caffenol developing