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.