Ferrania P33 - Smooth as velvet

 

While we have seen a lot of “new” films being introduced in the past few years, many of them have been nothing more than rebranding an existing emulsion..  However, Ferrania has introduced a new b&w film, which they call P33, and it’s based upon an older formulation that was used many years ago. This new film was announced without a lot of fanfare, unlike the Harman Phoenix color film. It’s also not easy to find at the moment, but I was able to buy a couple of rolls from Freestyle Photo. Please note that the film is not DX coded, so use it in a camera that allows you to manually set the ISO.  

From the Film Ferrania site:

"With a sensitivity of 160 ASA, the P33 ensures a simpler and more versatile photographic experience compared to the past. Designed to overcome the processing and printing challenges faced by enthusiasts of the P30, the P33 offers distinctive features such as fine grain and defined contrast. This film not only meets the needs of professionals but also makes analog photography accessible to less experienced enthusiasts. Remaining true to the tradition of Film Ferrania, the P33 combines innovation and tradition, demonstrating the company's ongoing evolution in the industry."

To see their best practices for this film,  go to  their site.

So what does this mean, exactly? It’s a better film than P30, for sure. I’ve previously posted in 2018 about the first emulsion that Ferrania produced, and while I had good results from it, I have since felt that P30 doesn't do as well in high contrast situations.

P33 is a different film altogether, with fine grain, velvety tonality, and easy to develop with D-76. I put my first roll in my trusty Nikon FM3A with a 50mm f/1.2 Nikkor lens and shot the roll while on an Asheville Camera Club outing in Marshall, NC. The ISO of 160 was used, though I suspect that you could set the ISO dial to 200, and be happy with the results. Some of the roll was indoors, open shade, and in bright sun. I developed the roll in D076 1:1 for 11 minutes, agitating only every 60 seconds, as indicated by the online developing instructions. Then, it was a water stop, and I fixed for 8 minutes, followed by the rinse.

When I hung the film to dry, I thought the results looked good. When I scanned the negatives on my Epson V700 scanner the next day, I was amazed at the luscious smooth tones and fine grain. This is an EXCELLENT film.

It’s fair to compare this film with the P30. I think P33 is far better under all conditions, is easier to process, and of course, it’s a faster emulsion. Given the choice between the two, P33 is the clear winner. I think that it could be a great film for portraits, and there would certainly be a demand if it were also available as 120 film.

LuckyPan SHD 400 film

 LuckyPan SHD 400  what is it, really?

A little over a month ago, I received two rolls from Reflx Lab of “new” LuckyPan SHD 400 to try out.  Having memories of shooting that film almost 20 years ago, I was eager to give the new film a try.  

The Lucky Film brand goes back to 1958, as China Lucky Film Corp.  Based in Baoding, China, Lucky produces a variety of industrial and x-ray films, as well as consumer emulsions. In 2003, Eastman Kodak partnered with Lucky to produce C-41 films and to upgrade the Lucky production facilities, with Kodak backing out of the agreement in 2007.  My guess is that Kodak saw how quickly digital was overtaking the industry, and that having more film production elsewhere would hurt their bottom line.  Meanwhile, I think Lucky films were available to consumers in China for quite some time afterwards.

My first exposure (ha!) to Lucky films was in 2004, when some of the Lucky films became available in the US market.  I don’t recall where I bought the film, but it was probably online, and I have my negatives from 2005, when I first started shooting with it.   At the time, the opinion of many photographers was that the Lucky  b&w films were second-tier, compared to those from Kodak, Fujifilm, Agfa, and Ilford.  Of course, for anyone looking for a bargain, the Lucky films were a bit cheaper, and they offered something a little different.  My negatives from 2005 clearly have “LUCKY SHD400 NEW” on the film rebate, as shown below.  I wonder of the "new" designation was due to the newer coating machinery that Kodak invested in.

Lucky SHD400 from 2005

The new film via Reflx Lab is labeled on the box as Luckypan SHD 400, with an exp. date of 06/2027.  My communication with the representative from Reflx Lab resulted in shooting the film at an ISO of 200, as he didn’t think this is really an ISO 400 film.  Some internet sleuthing came up with an ISO recommendation of 160, and that the film is actually an aerial recon film, repackaged as a consumer film.  That certainly makes some sense, as there are no edge marking at all on the latest film, as shown below.   To me, the film base feels like a PET-based material, rather than  triacetate, and looks similar to some Svema surveillance films.

My first test roll of this film was shot at ISO 200 in my Nikon FE, an always-reliable SLR that has produced accurate exposures.  I shot the film mostly at Beaver Lake Bird Sanctuary on an overcast, sometimes a bit of rain day, and finished up on a sunny day in Mars Hill, and the last two shots on a cloudy day in Asheville.  Developing this film was initially problematic. While there was information inside the box, it did not give a developing time for using D-76, it was the recommended developer.    I checked the Massive Development Chart, and it gave a range of 7-10 minutes in straight D-76.  I decided on 9 minutes.    Standard water stop, and fixing routine, followed by the modified Ilford rinse method (instead of inversions, think cocktail-shaker agitation).  

Loaded into the Nikon FE

If you go to the Lucky Film website, you will eventually find their information on the films — however, the images for SHD400 show boxes labeled as C-41!   Interesting.  I did find the development time for the SHD 400, which was 8.5 minutes, so my choice of 9 minutes is pretty close.

Results

I think that rating this film at 200 is certainly appropriate.  It’s certainly not the same film emulsion that I used in 2005.  It’s grainier than the 2005 film, but not unpleasantly so.  These low-key images are quite nice.  The price of $5.99/roll for 36 exposures is definitely inexpensive.  At this price, you can't go wrong with giving it a try.  Shoot it at an ISO of 160 to 200, and I think you'll be happy with the results.

FPP X-Ray film, now in 35mm

I’m always eager to try new films, especially black and white emulsions.  This latest film isn’t exactly new, but it was only previously available in 120 and 4x5.  I have shot several rolls of the FPP X-Ray film in the past year, and found that I liked the results from this orthochromatic film.  So, I was understandably eager to try some in 35mm.

The FPP 35mm X-Ray film comes in 36 exposure rolls (Yay!), and is in a plastic film cassette, like some Lomography films and other brands.  The film is rated at 200 ISO, but there is no DX coding on the cassette. That actually makes sense for this film, as I have shot the 120 version at ISO 100.  I reviewed this film last year in the 120 version, so read about it in that post (https://randomphoto.blogspot.com/2023/04/fpp-x-ray-120-film.html).

I shot the first roll in my Nikon FE, and with a 50mm f/1.2 Nikkor that I just had serviced by Crystal Camera Repair in Asheville.  I was on a short hike up near Craggy Gardens off the Blue Ridge Parkway, and shot the roll under mostly sunny conditions.  So, it was a test of the refurbished lens and the film.  I developed the roll in D-76 at 20°C for 6 minutes, standard water stop bath, and fixer.   I scanned the negatives on my Epson V700 scanner.

Results 

While this film is considered to be grainy, I have seen far worse.  In the 120 version, grain wasn’t a problem.  The film IS contrasty, orthochromatic, and what I call “crunchy”.  That means the high contrast in sunlit situations, combined with the fact that the film has no anti-halation layer - results in a greater differentiation between bright objects and shadows, which some of the above images (especially image 4) will show.  In my opinion, this is an interesting film that in the right conditions, will give you some unique results.  I’m going to shoot the next roll under cloudy overcast conditions and also indoors with good lighting, and see how that goes. I may also try using the D-96 developer - for 7 minutes.

It's an unusual film in that the original purpose was some sort of x-ray film, and I always like using a film that wasn't originally considered for pictorial use, as a pictorial film.  The fact that it's a relatively fast film makes it all the more attractive.

UPDATED 06-01-24

I have now shot the second roll under cloudy to overcast conditions, as well as indoors.  This film really stands out under these conditions.  As you can see in the first photo, there is no anti-halation layer, and the halo around the points of light indicates that.  All taken with a Minolta X7A and 50mm f/1.4 Rokkor lens.

Inside Highland Brewery

The rest of the images are from my backyard, and as a landscape/nature emulsion, it works very well. 

 

The Nikon N75 SLR

The N75/F75 SLR with a 35mm f/2 AF-D Nikkor

Cheap and good are rarely found together, but in the case of the Nikon N75 (F75 outside North America), they coexist.  Introduced in 2003, the N75 was Nikon’s last consumer-level AF 35mm SLR, and it replaced the N65.  It sold for around $300 with a kit lens when first introduced, and it apparently was also sold as a body without a lens for less than $200.  To put things in perspective, the Nikon D100 was introduced in 2002 and cost about $2000 for just the body.  Guess which one of these cameras can be used today to produce quality images with the least amount of fussing about?  The N75.  Just put in two CR-2 batteries, a roll of film, and you are ready to shoot with this lightweight SLR that has the most features of any camera in its class.  

The control layout is the typical one for Nikon SLRs

Uncluttered controls

The N75 is definitely more compact than the Nikon N80, but the major difference between the two is that the N75 only uses the DX code on the film cassette to set the ISO, whereas the N80’s ISO can be set manually.  If there is no ISO code on the cassette, the default ISO goes to 100.  That’s going to be a limitation if you are accustomed to using low-ISO films with no ISO codes, or using hand-rolled film. However, for many users, that’s not going to be a problem. The N75 replaced the N65 and N55, which are consumer-grade SLRs with similar control layouts and features.   The N75 is also the only Nikon SLR that automatically winds all the film out of the cassette at the beginning, and pulls the exposed frames back into the cassette as you shoot. This is commonly done in Canon’s AF SLR cameras,  but is a novelty with the N75.  I actually like the feature, since it cuts down on the rewind time.  The N75 was discontinued in 2006, making the Nikon F6 the last AF film SLR produced by Nikon.  There is an excellent review of the N75 by Thom Hogan, so go to his site to learn more.  

The N75 has most of the features found in the N80 and F100 (with the above exceptions). It’s small, inexpensive and light, yet it also takes most Nikon AF lenses.  Like the N80, and similar consumer-grade Nikon AF SLRs, the N75 does not meter with manual lenses.  You can use them, of course, but you will have to shoot in Manual mode, dialing in the shutter speed and aperture manually with no meter.  That’s always been the disappointing thing about Nikon’s dumbing down of non-pro AF bodies, both 35mm, and digital.

However, the N75 is a delight to use.  It has excellent 25-segment matrix metering, as well as center-weighted and spot metering.  I use mine primarily in Aperture-Priority, but it has all the PSAM modes as well as 6 special exposure modes.  When I pair the body with either the 50mm f/1.8 or 35mm f/2 AF-D lenses, it becomes a high quality "point and shoot." It’s only a tad over 13 ounces without a lens, and with the CR-2 batteries, it should be good for many rolls of film.  It definitely is noticeably lighter than my N80, and a LOT lighter than my F100, and has most of the features of those models.  Best of all, these cameras are plentiful and inexpensive.  I have a black-bodied F75, and to me, it looks a lot better than the silver-looking N75 that we typically see.  Paired with a good flash like the Nikon Speedlight 80DX, you can do flash photography and know that your exposures will be pretty much perfect.  

The SB-80DX flash on the camera

While the N75 does have a pop-up flash, which certainly works for fill flash, I recommend using a full-featured TTL flash that will give better results in a variety of situations.  In my case, I use a Nikon SB-80DX speedlight, which is as full-featured a film camera flash can be.  The only drawback with that flash is that it won’t work with your DSLR, as it only works with the 35mm SLR Nikons.  They sell for less than $40 used now, which is a pretty good deal for a modern TTL flash unit.

I often see a lot of love for the low-cost Canon Rebel series as entry to using film cameras, and of course, they are pretty decent low-cost AF SLRs.  I’ve used quite a few of them, and yes, they are inexpensive.  Some of the earlier Nikon AF SLRs that are now inexpensive are just a bit clunky, such as the N60, which is much larger than the N75 and N80, but loud and slow.  The N75 has just that right combination of controls where I want them, ease of use, and the ability to control your exposures to a very fine degree.  Online, I see prices for N75 bodies typically less than $40.  The nice thing is that these cameras are relatively young, are very mature in the control layout, and will accept most AF Nikon F-mount lenses.  It’s a great camera for travel, as it takes up less space and weight than even a DSLR. I highly recommend a lens like the 24-50mm AF-D for travel, but the 35mm f/2 AF-D is a great lens and doesn’t weigh you down.

I recommend the N75/F75 SLR to anyone that wants a lightweight, inexpensive 35mmm SLR.   Pair it with a prime lens, and you’ve got yourself a great little camera for street photography, travel, and hiking companion.    

Here are some examples from the N75.

SHD 100 film

SHD 100 film

SHD 100 film

Ilford FP4 film

Reflx Lab 200T film

Fujifilm Superia 200

Fujifilm Superia 200

Fujifilm Superia 200

Fujifilm Superia 200

Fujifilm Superia 200

Kentmere 100

Kentmere 400

Kentmere 400

Kentmere 400