Gast
Dear lab technicians!
I’m from the narrow-gauge film scene and would like to ask about Fomapan R here.
I shoot on 16mm; for black and white, I’ve always used Kodak Plus X reversal film, but I’ve been keen to try Foma for quite some time now.
What are your thoughts on this film, particularly in reference to Kodak Plus X, in terms of sharpness, resolution and dynamic range?
I can find that out for myself, but what about consistency in quality and perforation quality? Does the film tend to flicker, or is the quality consistent?
Many thanks
Ernst
Gast
Mirko,
Since the question has come up, there used to be an ADOX U 17 cine film (same emulsion as the KB 17) in 16 mm and Double 8 formats. Efke could actually just cut some KB50 raw material from that as a side project; the base is transparent anyway, and Efke certainly has the machinery.
Or (purely hypothetically), could Efke actually supply 35 mm cinema film in 300-metre lengths? Perhaps that would be quite interesting for film schools and a source of income (without the need for new developments) for FOTOIMPEX and Efke?
Schwedenstahl
Hello Mirko,
If I’m not mistaken, the market for film stock is getting smaller and smaller, making things increasingly difficult for both 8mm filmmakers and the 16mm community, now that Kodak is closing its lab in Lausanne and discontinuing the K 40. Why not get in touch with Schmalfilm Magazin? They cover just about everything, and Mr Jürgen Lossau is sure to know exactly what options are available. You can see just how important new film stock is within the scene by checking out the various film forums on www.super8.de; there’s currently a heated discussion there about the availability and import options for film stock from North Korea. Interestingly, word of this has already spread as far as the USA.
In any case, I’d welcome more information on this.
Best regards,
Marwan
MirkoBoeddecker
Unfortunately, Efke no longer has these machines.
Standard film for cameras is far less demanding in terms of perforation accuracy than cinema film.
These cinema perforation punches are high-precision devices.
Our films would ‘flutter’ in the camera and produce images that are out of focus.
With Super 8, the problem is that cassettes are no longer available.
If the North Koreans were to mould these cassettes, I could have a look at them to see if it’s possible to load better-quality film into them.
Best regards,
Mirko
Schwedenstahl
There is a refillable cassette made in Russia; I’m not entirely sure, but cassettes are also produced in some Eastern European countries. And then there’s Kodak – don’t they sell cassettes? After all, they do offer a successor to the K40, and as far as I know, Fuji film is also sold in cassettes by a few small suppliers. Fuji only makes Single 8 film, so they must be getting the cassettes from somewhere, surely?
Regards
Marwan
