Foma B/w Film - Any Good?

[ARCHIVIST]

Can anybody tell me what Foma b/w films are like?

I was considering using their 100 ISO Classic film for my 4x5 camera but have no user feedback to help me decide if this will suit my purpose.

I understand they make this film in 35mm and 120 also.

Any information will be very much appreciated.

Regards
Peter

[BSchall]

I've started using Foma 100 (actually Freestyle's Arista.EDU Ultra) in 4x5 and also 35mm and 120. I find it a very good film. I develope it mostly in HC110 Dil H but have also used Rodinal. The 35mm and 4x5 have a clear base but the 120 has a blue base. Here is a link to a couple of shots using the 4x5 on another forum.

http://nelsonfoto.com/v/showthread.php?t=11800

I plan to continue to use Foma.

[xayraa33]

I used their 400 iso film, it is a good film but grainier than HP 5+.
I heard that the 200 iso Foma is very excellent.

[BSchall]

Foma 100 and 400 are traditional films while the 200 is a T-grain film, I think.

Here's another Foma 100, 35mm this time, developed in Rodinal.

[peter_n]

Foma 100 in particular is highly regarded in other film forums. The most frequent comment is that it is the nearest thing to Agfapan 100 and that is praise indeed.

[Cale Arthur]

Originally Posted by xayraa33

I heard that the 200 iso Foma is very excellent.

True indeed. A very nice film..

I believe it was once named Foma T200, which is why people sometimes think it's a t-grain film.. it's not.

Here are a few shots w/the 200:

Pic 1
Pic 2

--c--

[ARCHIVIST]

BSchall - great images.
The 65mm does an excellent job.
I have recently purchased an old Linhof Color 4x5 monorail. The lenses were shot but the body good. I was going to base my wide lens in the 90mm range but the shots with your 65mm have made me think again.

Based on the replies so far I am sure the Foma film will be very good and suit my needs.

Peter

[EmilGil]

I got a bulk roll of Fomapan 200 in the freezer. I've shot some of it but not developed it yet, and from what I've heard EI200 is about a stop too optimistic, go for EI100 or 125 instead. Don't know if this applies to the 100 and 400 films as well.

[lushd]

This is Foma 400 in very poor light:

http://www.rangefinderforum.com/phot...57&ppuser=1346

And this is Foma 100:

http://www.rangefinderforum.com/phot...19&ppuser=1346

Like lots of users, I think Foma films are great and the similarity to Agfa products is quite marked.

[payasam]

Back in the 1960s, India imported only film from eastern Europe: Foma, Forte and ORWO. As I recall, Foma gave rather thin negatives. I assume that things have changed for the better.

[Mael]

Foma 100 is a great film. "The always good picture's film!" as claimed an old Foma ad.
Very wide exposure range, very nice to work with.

[peter_n]

Cracking Kings Cross Donald!

[ARCHIVIST]

That's it - I'm sold!

[principe azul]

http://www.retrophotographic.com/foma.htm

Retro Photographic is a good UK source for these things. Yeah, I appreciate you're the other side of the world, but if you click on the light bulb icons on the page, you'll find a useul collection of data sheets for obscure films.

[Uncle Bill]

I love Foma 200, I shot a roll through my M3 back in the spring. I shot it a 160 and processed in Rodinal. I got perfect negatives.

[x-ray]

The 100 is a nice film with good tones but is quite grainy. I run it in HC ilford / HC-110 as well. It's very classic looking and reminds me of images shot in the 40's and 50's. Grain can be heavy though. I find it nice for a nostalgoc look and shooting with uncoated lenses, 50 elmar, 90 elmar and 28 hektor.

[Turtle]

Foma 100 and 200 behave like APX 100 in that both produce relatively poor speed in Xtol (not getting the boost many films do), but the grain mysteriously vanishes. in Xtol 1+2 Foma 100 has noticeably finer grain than FP4+. Odd, but true!

Foma 100 looks interesting in Rodinal but I am not sure about the midtones yet... looks like lots at both ends of the scale but not so great in the middle. Just experimenting on some loose rolls.

[djonesii]

I find that it takes much more care than HP5, is seems much more fragile and scratches easily. I really like the look though, and at ISO 100 in 4X5, I don't find the grain an issue. This is in D76.

[kshapero]

I like the exposure latitude of Foma 400. 200-1600 although I have only pushed to 800 and with good results.

[Dave Wilkinson]

Is there a 'bad' black and white film - these days?

[Ronald_H]

I tried some Fomapan 100 in 35mm and 120 and developed in Diafine. At 100ISO it's a bit contrasty, but nicely so on overcast days. Rating it a bit lower will probably solve this.

Never used XTOL but Diafine normally gives quite a lot of extra speed to traditional films (FP4+, Tri-X). Not so with Fomapan 100.

Grain looks like the classic films mentioned above and resolving power is good. It costs half of what FP4+ costs and the images looks just as good. FP4+ will be noticeably faster. To my eye at least, Fomapan 100 looks a bit less grainy.

It's cheap and it is good, just a bit different. I will definitely order more.

Btw, I've heard that the T200 film is a mixture of cubic and T-grain technology, if such a thing is even possible But I've heard good stories about it so I will try it soon. I believe Roger Hicks was/is a great fan of this film.

[kshapero]

Originally Posted by Dave Wilkinson

Is there a 'bad' black and white film - these days?

HA! An interesting question.

[Sanders McNew]

I tried Foma 200 in 35mm on Roger Hicks'
advice and now it's the only film I shoot in
35mm. I expose it at EI 100, process in
Rodinal -- it gives luminous highlights.
The bonus is that the negatives dry flat
as a pancake -- the easiest film to work
with I've ever used. Here are some links
to stuff I've shot on it:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sandersnyc/2812323205/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sandersnyc/2633540398/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sandersnyc/2397305939/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sandersnyc/2322669911/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sandersnyc/1512089964/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sandersnyc/727349174/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sandersnyc/535616331/

[rover]

Sanders, what concentration and time on the Rodinal?

[Obrecht]

Here is another example: Fomapan 100, leica m2/jupiter 8, stand dev. 1 hour rodinal 1:100.