As prices of film, chemicals and paper continue to increase for us film lovers I thought I would see how Fomapan 200 grabs me by buying a 100ft tin of the stuff! Thats going to give me enough role to experiment with to see if I like it enough for a go to film. And with loading the cassettes myself I can decide how many shots per roll I want to shoot. I’m loading on average 20-25 exposures per cassette.
I did make a video about a year ago on the Fomapan 200 where I got good results but when my brick ran out I continued on with my favourite films.
The developer I am trying to settle in with is my own made D23. It’s a bit like Kodak D76 but it has no Hydroquinone or Borax. Just two chemicals. Sodium Sulphite and Metol. Easy to make!
I settled on shooting the Fomapan 200 at 100 and 7 minutes development time in a rotary processor at 1 part to 1 part and at 20°. I’m not pulling the film. I’m just giving it a bit more exposure.
I recently made another video where I took Photographs of a Corn Field using the Nikon F6 and a Zeiss Milvus 50mm f1.4 Lens. And the results were not great! Mainly because the film I handled bad and I had a scratch all the way along. Probably from scanning or maybe the cassette had a bit of grit inside. But, onwards and upwards.
The above was developed for 6 minutes which is when I thought I could add another minute to the development for a bit more punch. I like contrast!
So on my second attempt I went back to the Cornfield. This time with a Nikon FM3A and a 28mm lens. I also packed an Orange, a Red and a Polariser Filter. And this time I developed for 7 minutes.
The conditions were much better with nice blue sky and fluffy clouds. Ideal for the filters. The above was with an Orange Filter.
I was happy with these results which took me into the darkroom for prints.
My next shoot I wanted to try some street (people) photography so I doodled along to the local “Pride” event which was a great day full of happy people and good entertainment. The best part about taking pictures at events where people are usually dressed to impress is that you don’t get questioned why. You can just take pics and people are happy for you to do so.
This time I took the Leica MP with a 50mm Voigtlander f2 APO lens. And I used the same development, however, I shot the film at 200! It was a bright day.
The contrast in this image I like! And the grain is there but it’s not awful. Its nice.
The moment another Photographer walked into my shot. Looks cool though!
Showing through the fence for effect.
A loud trike!
I also had with me the Rollei 35LED camera. With this camera I developed the exposures in Rodinal at 1:50 and used the Rotation Processor for 7 minutes. I found these images to show more grain and a tad less contrast.
A mother swinging her child around.
A random photo I took of these Deck Chairs on the beach.
A couple posing for me. The women in the background!
All of these images turned out well and are easily printable in the darkroom.
So far I am happy with the Fomapan 200, as long as I handle it with care for the soft emulsion is easily scratched! Of course it is not on the same par as Kodak Tmax 100 or Ilford FP4 / Delta but it is a cheaper film especially if you are buying in a tin!
You can see the video from the Pride Event here.
