I have never used this film before. What I have used though from Fomapan was the 100 and 200 type. While I wasn’t impressed by the 200 version of it, the 100 gave quite nice results. I do not process it in Fomadon or Microphen, although this is about to change, as I have acquired more of this film and I intend to make some tests involving different developers. What I have noticed is that this film, no matter its box speed, has to be shot and processed at half the values, both ASA and processing time. No idea why is that, but Fomapan 100 yields very nice results if shot at 50 asa.
This film here is 400 asa, and had cut some Minox format out of a roll, just to see how it behaves. I am not exactly thrilled, but I am not disappointed neither; the negative looked initially overexposed, so I thought this film will be a failure. It was not, although it could’ve been better. Much better.
It was shot in a Minox camera, model B, and the metering done by the camera’s own light meter. Still in good shape, it reads almost on par with Lunasix 3. Quite all right, if you think at how old it is the selenium cell inside it. Camera ASA setting was as per box, 27/400, which in retrospect I believe it should’ve been set at 200. I will keep this in mind when I will shoot the next Fomapan 400 roll.
The shadows are black (ish), with highlights quite prominent. It could use a bit of exposure compensation, but I believe that I may be at fault here, re my shooting and development of the film. The development was made by D76, stand dev processing. I need to change this as well, see if anything better happens.
Not a cutting contrast, which i like in my Minox photographs. But then again, D76 is not known for this particular quality when it comes to developing negatives. At least this is my own understanding. As tonality goes, I like it a lot: in some of the frames, a velvety grey in several shades is something that I enjoy.
As grain is concerned, I somehow expected it to be the size it is, but I admit it would’ve like it to be less, well, pebble-size. If you ask me, it doesn’t do the film any favours and contrary to the TriX or HP5 one, it doesn’t give that “sharpish” look and it does not add anything to a better, altogether perception of details as such.
It is obvious for me that I cannot pass serious judgment on this film, after just a roll shot with a Minox camera. But I am going to load a couple of 35mm cameras and also a Minox LX with the Fomapan 400 and have another go at this film. Perhaps change the developer as well as the processing time.