Fomapan 200

Darren Lewey

Darren Lewey

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Having being using Fomapan 200 for portraits and being quite happy with it, I decided to try some exteriors. I have to say, I'm impressed by the tonality. It's holding up as a decent all round film. Rated at 100 ISO, Pyrocat 8 mins, 20 Degrees.Image (162)b copy.jpg
 
FomaPan 200 is sheet film is my main everyday film, I think it has a nice tonal range to it.
 
That is very nice indeed, whatever the film. All that fine detail and the control of focus are a good example of the strengths of LF.
 
Fomapan 200 my main large format film too , Ilford for 120 & 135 .
Can't fault it it captures the detail and tones well .
I usually expose it as ISO 125 and develop in Rodinol where I like the results .
 
I recently bought 40 rolls of Fomapan 200 in 120 & 35mm, I've used a lot of Fomapan 100 & 200 120 and some 5x4, Next time I buy 7x5 or 10x8 film it'll be Fomapan 200 it's a no brainer 50 sheets at half the price of an Ilford box of 25 sheets.

I've always shot Foma films at half their box speed,and did my own reciprocity tests some years ago realising that it wasn't anywhere near as bad Foma's recommendations, or many other films.

Ian
 
greetings to all and thanks to Ian Barber for the welcome. in 2019 I retired and therefore I can be a photographer without thinking about the earnings, I dusted off all the devices that I used in over forty years of work from the 24x36 format to medium and in these days I have double checked the Toyo 4x5, it seems all right,
I still have a still intact Ilford FP4 box, expired only in 2015 and I will start with that. I recently ordered Foma movies,
especially for the really convenient cost per meter from 100 ISO and in rolls both 135 and 120 from 200 ISO for the moment I tried a 120 developed in Fomadon R09 photos taken with Zeiss Super Ikonta 531 but I'm not very satisfied but I want to try with other developments and I will almost certainly order 4x5 foma and when I think I have results
It's a very difficult moment but thanks to analog photography I'm almost happy to be able to repeat what I learned many years ago and also thanks to your forum, again soon a greeting. Lorenzo52
 
Just remember Fomapan 100 & 200 both build up contrast very quickly so need 70% of the development time of other makes of film. With RO9 dilution is the best way to control contrast, I'd suggest 1 to 50 with Foma films but don't have a time offhand.

When I first used Foma films I was living in Turkey and they were the only films available in bulk (120) on my dealers shelf, so I did some practical Zone System tests with Pyrocat HD and found I needed so shoot at half the box speed and cut development compared to Delta 100 (5x4 & 120)& 400 (only 120) and also HP5 (5x4).

Ian
 
Hello Ian, thanks for the advice, I took the foma 100 by the meter because I have several 24x36 devices to control from the first pieces in ID11 1: 1 with the recommended development times the negatives were too contrasted,
so I reduced the development time by 10% and I reduced the agitation of the tank but still not satisfactory for contrast and grain. Tested with Foma R09
1: 25. 4 ', 30 "contrasted and overdeveloped. Tested with R09 at 1:50 for 9' shots with strong contrasts therefore no improvement,
I will try to follow your advice I have never used Pyrocat HD, but I thought I would do it especially for 120 and 4x5, it is not easy to have it and then I also thought about Diafine and then I also consulted the BelliniDuo Step technical sheets.
I read that you know this type of development very well so I will follow your advice and if it is the case I will change the film because it is a sin with Foma I can afford a lot of material for now thanks a lot. LorenzoLeica, dev Fomadon R09 4' 20°
 
Lorenzo, before I switched to Pyrocat HD I used a lot of Rodinal for about 20 years there's some similarities. Rodinal works better with some films than others, it's particularly good with Tmax100 and the old genuine Agfa APX100 in fact some of the best 35mm negatives I've seen were on Tmax 100 and APX100 developed in Rodinal superb very fine grain with excellent tonality.

RO9 should be OK with Fomapan 100 & 200 it's one of the recommended developers. I never liked 1 to 50 and instead used 3 to 100 for normal use only using 1 to 50 in extreme contrast or 1 to 25 when light was very flat.

Ian
 
Thanks Ian, as long as I developed and printed I used the D76 the Rodinal used only occasionally before I used the Tri-x and the T-max and FP4 for the 120. I will try with your dilution, so much I am doing tests and tests then when the quarantine I leave with the Mamiya RB 6x7 for the fomapan 200, and in case I will also try the Pyrocat,
these days I am building a small tank for the 4x5, I will show you the results, a greeting

Lorenzo
 
Ian I reread the dilution that you recommend for the Foma film and it's 3 to 100, maybe you meant 1 to 100 for how many minutes. thanks and sorry for the trouble. Lorenzo
 
No, sorry to confuse you, I've not used Rodinal/RO9 with Foma films, I preferred 3 to 100 with Tmax 100 @ 50EI and Agfa APX100 at box speed, I think I'd start with 1 to 50 with Fomapan 200 @ 50EI.

Essentially when I do my tests usually on 35mm film I bracket a test shot metering at box speed, then stop down a stop, for the second exposure, a half stop for the third at metered aperture, 4th open up half a stop, 5th to a full stop and sixth is a stop and a half, then in the dark I open the camera and remove the exposed portion of film develop those frames for my expected time, once dried evaluate. Then I can make adjustments do test prints of the most suitable negatives, however I've 50+ years of printing some of that commercially so I can read a negative.

Ian
 
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