Fomapan 400 and Rodinal

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NickT

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Trying out Fomapan 400 for the first time and following the times on the Massive Dev chart, I expected a very grainy result when I developed it in Rodinal.
The results I got using RO9 1:50 @ 20 degrees for 11 minutes, agitating once a minute, were truly awful. The negs appear so thin there's hardly any image at all.
Has anyone else tried this combination and could recommend development times? I know the camera is OK as I shot some Tri-X with it a couple of weeks ago.
 
It's a grainy film to begin with, and a lot of people believe it isn't really an ISO400 film anyway - so exposing it at ISO400 already means you are likely to be underexposing it, and then adding a developer ill suited to >ISO 200 dev is just not going to achieve very useful negatives. Negatives with character, maybe, but thin and extremely difficult to work with.

I'd use either a modern liquid developer like HC-110/T-Max Dev or a modern powder developer like XTOL.
 
freecom2 said:
It's a grainy film to begin with, and a lot of people believe it isn't really an ISO400 film anyway - so exposing it at ISO400 already means you are likely to be underexposing it, and then adding a developer ill suited to >ISO 200 dev is just not going to achieve very useful negatives. Negatives with character, maybe, but thin and extremely difficult to work with.

I'd use either a modern liquid developer like HC-110/T-Max Dev or a modern powder developer like XTOL.
Click to expand...

I have to conclude that you're correct. I'll put this down to experience, file the negs in the dustbin and stick to Tri-X in future.
 
Some people can tame Fomapan, and it does have a very classic look, but the thin negatives, difficulty loading onto reels, small emulsion defects and difficulty scanning it put me off. I had a couple of rolls left that I used to test some Hasselblad backs for light leaks, but that's all they are relegated to. The Kodak ISO400 films are superb (as are Neopan 400, but they are more expensive).
 
Fomapan is awful stuff. So grainy, and curlier than a very curly thing.
 
Quite like 100 iso fomapan but struggled to get decent results from the 400.

Shame really as it put me off trying the 200 iso

Perhaps I'll pick a roll up simply out of curiosity.

As for curlyness, i never had any real problems tbh...perhaps just lucky or maybe i have a skill in a changing bag that you guys don't:p:D
 
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