Films from the Good Old Days
Are again available in the U.K.
Those dear readers who are as long in the tooth as I am will remember with some fondness names such as Adox (which later became Efke) and Foma. It is with not a little excitement that I can announce that once again KB25, KB5O and KB100 are still being manufactured to the same specification as in those far-off days.
Efke (Adox) KB25 in 35mm and its 120 roll film counterpart, R25, is the slowest black and white negative film in the world at 2OASA with the finest grain (with the possible exclusion of Kodak’s Technical Pan requiring specialist development and another similar emulsion to be mentioned below).
KB5O is a stop faster than KB25 and is in 35mm and 120 roll film size (the latter being known as R50) and is rated at 4OASA. Still pretty slow and very fine grain.
KB 100 is a stop faster again and not only is this available in 35mm but also in 120 roll film size (Rl00/120) and, can you believe it, 127 roll film size (Ri00/127). The latter enables all those Baby Rollei cameras to be dug out of mothballs and once again put into action. Wonderful!
The Foma company produces a faster range of black and white, IOOASA, 200ASA and 400ASA. All these stocks (Efke and Foma) are silver rich and produce the beautiful range of tones that were so common a couple of decades ago. No modem emulsion comes near the results produced by these films. Most interesting in the Foma range is their black and white transparency material and
movie film. Alas the b/w slide film comes only in 35mm, so sorry Medium Format guys and gals. Not only are the above 35mm films available in cassettes of 24 and 36 exposures, but there bulk lengths too for those who want to save money and load their own. Some members have tried Kodak’s Technical Pan film which, with special processing, produces fantastically fine grain. The only bother with this is that if you don’t get the developer right you get very contrasty negs. A similar European film is unusual in that each cassette comes with the required amount of developer to get the best results from it. (The rest of the process uses conventional stop bath and fixer). Called Gigabit, the 35mm version comes in 36 exposure cassettes, and it is also available in 5 x 4 inch sheet film, again with the requisite developer.
Are all these films fantastically expensive? Well, as it happens, they are all quite remarkably modest, price-wise, as the following will prove:
Efke (Adox) KB25 13 5-36 £2.98
KB5O 135-36 £2.98
KB100 135-36 £2.35
KB25 30.5 metres (lOOft) bulk £24.59
KB5O 30.5 metres bulk £24.59
KB100 30.5 metres bulk £24.59
120 roll film R25andR5O £2.18
R100 £2.04
127 roll film Rl00 £3.58
Gigabit 135/36 + developer £5.39
Fomapan 100 Classic 135/24 £1.65
Fomapan 100 Classic 135/36 £1.95
Fomapan 100 17 metres bulk £12.93
Fomapan 100 30.5 metres bulk £26.99
Fomapan RI 00 (Slides) 135/36 £3.49
Fomapan Rl00 Slides 30.5 metres £35.25
Above (plus postage) all come from Photoworld, 7a Victoria Street, Craig-y-don, LLANDUDNO LL3O 1LQ
(01492 871818) and a few other sources.