Derev Pan 400 - A fine-grained, high speed film with great tonality

It's great to have so many 35mm film stocks to choose from these days.  If you are not aware, The Film Photography Project Store started offering some new b&w films very recently.  In mid-March, Mike Raso released three new films, all fresh from Ukraine, that were originally produced for scientific and aerial survey work.  The new films are Derev Pan 100, Derev Pan 200, and Derev Pan 400.  Much to my liking, they are in 36 exposure rolls. The naming of the film, according to Mike, is for the forests of Ukraine, the film's country of origin. All of the films are on a thin Mylar base, and all are fine-grained, with each film having different characteristics.   I have so far only tried the Derev Pan 400, which I am reviewing here.

photo courtesy of the FPP

Roll one -- Started in January when I  put the cassette into my Canon T60  on a snowy day. I finished it a few weeks later in downtown Ann Arbor, fittingly, while I was there to watch the Garry Winogrand documentary at the Michigan Theater, All Things Are Photographable.  It was definitely a fine movie, and worth seeing if it arrives in your area or is on Netflix.
I developed the roll in D-76, diluted 1:1 for 10.5 minutes at 20°C. 

Roll 2  was loaded into my Leica R4 SLR while at  Lake Lure, NC, and finished also in Ann Arbor.  Development was in straight D-76 for 8 minutes at 20°C.

First thing -- Mike advises that because the film is on a thin polyester (Mylar) base, light piping is possible.  On roll 1 it wasn't noticeable because I loaded indoors in subdued light.   Roll 2 was loaded outdoors, and the first 4 frames were impacted by light piping.  It's not like this is only going to happen with this film, but any Mylar-base film will have similar characteristics regarding light piping. So, when Mike says to keep the cassettes in black film cans and load in subdued light, you should!   The film loads fine in my Jobo reels, but it does take some care to get it started.

Second thing -- I love the films that lie absolutely flat in the scanner holder, and the Derev Pan 400 (and I assume the others, as well) lies flat and is easy to scan. 

Third thing -- Thin Mylar-base films are notoriously hard to place in Printfile negative sheets.  Make sure you wear a rubber glove or white cotton glove so that you can gradually work the negative strip into the plastic protective sheet. 

Fourth thing -- I love the tonality and fine grain of this film.  I was more pleased with the results with straight D-76 at 8 minutes than the divided D-76 at 10.5.  I feel that the divided time might be closer to 12 minutes, but have yet to test it at that time. 

Photos! All negatives were scanned in my Epson perfection V700 scanner.

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roll 2

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I am glad that the FPP is supplying this film in 36 exposure rolls!  I can burn through a roll pretty quickly, and even though I do my own processing, it saves me time to develop fewer rolls.  I advise you to always load in subdued light indoors, if possible.  The fine-grain is excellent, and I hope to do some print making in the darkroom once I am moved to a new place.  For now, the scanning negatives works fine.  Give this film a try!!

The Canon T60 SLR - A sweet shooter!

Last month, a friend gave me this Canon T60 that she picked up at an estate sale for $10.  I promised her that I would shoot with it.  The Canon T60 was the very last FD-mount SLR that Canon sold.  Note the emphasis on sold.  Canon didn't make it, but Cosina did.  Like a bunch of other manual cameras produced at the end of the reign of manual SLRs, The Canon T60, Nikon FM10, Olympus OM 2000, Yashica FX-7, and Konica TCX, were all made by Cosina.  Whatever is on the outside, it's Cosina inside.  Not that it is necessarily a bad thing, as you'll see.

The Canon T60 appeared in 1990, well after the Canon EOS series had been introduced.  There was enough demand for cheaper alternatives using the FD-mount, that Canon contracted the camera's production with Chinon, and in the process, ended up with a traditional-looking sleek SLR that was certainly quite different from all the other FD-mount cameras, as well as the rest of the T-series.

The GOOD
The T60 is a lovely, all-plastic camera. It is lightweight, and coupled with a standard 50mm f/1.8 FD lens, makes for a sweet carry-around SLR. Unlike most Canon FD-mount cameras, it has a vertical Copal Square shutter, APERTURE-priority and manual control, and requires 2 LR-44 cells to operate.  The vertical metal-bladed shutter keeps it in line with the rest of the T series cameras - T50, T70, and T90.  Unlike the other T-series cameras, it has manual film advance.  Again, this is a Cosina camera, not a Canon! The controls are easy to use, and the camera has a nice feel in the hands.  The viewfinder is pretty good, and the shutter speeds show on the left side of the viewfinder. Focus is with a split-image center spot, surrounded by a microprism collar.

Particulars
ISO settings: 25-1600
Shutter speeds: B, A mode, 1-1/1000 sec. L for locking the camera and turning off the meter.
Exposure Compensation dial: none
Depth of Field Preview: none
Film door has a small window to see what film is loaded.
Self-timer: yes
Tripod socket: yes
Film Advance and Rewind: manual
Flash - ISO hot shoe, for generic flash. No PC socket. The sync speed is 1/60 sec.
Shutter release: ability to use screw in cable release.
Lens Mount - Canon FD and FL(?), metal lens mount.

The BAD
Basically, it's the plastic body.  I am sure if handled properly and not abused, the T60 will be just fine. If the 2 cells lose power, there is no manual mode on the camera, so it's dead until you put in fresh LR-44s. It would make a great "student camera" and certainly does not suffer from the AE-1 squeak and issues with older FD-mount cameras.  As an A-mode camera, I would love it if it had a +/- compensation dial. But face it, this camera was designed for a particular price point, and in that, it succeeds.

RESULTS
The feel of this camera reminded me of the Yashica FX-7 Super, which I really liked.  Its light weight and precise feel of operation really made it a fun camera.  I shot with a Sunpak Auto 311 flash and had great results.  After putting 4 rolls of film through it, I cannot find any fault with the exposures in A mode, or the flash photos at 1/60 sec.  I shot it with Ilford HP-5+, and here are a bunch of examples, including some with the FPP gang in NJ.

grain silo and ladder, Chelsea, MI

BBQ, Chelsea, MI

Alley in Chelsea, MI

Mike Raso with Canon Sure-shot Max

BMW dealership, Wayne, NJ

Obscura Darkroom, NJ

Tick-Tock Diner, NJ

Mat ponders the 4x5

Start them young!  Obscura Darkroom Opening, NJ

Buying one?  This is a more recent camera than any other FD-mount Canon. The FD series of lenses are quite affordable, and typically good quality. The only factor might be the mirrorless uses that could drive up the prices on some of the lenses.  Put a 50 mm lens on it and be done.  The T60 cameras on ebay are usually in the $25-$60 range, depending on lenses, etc.  It's certainly a more ergonomic camera than the T50 and T70 cameras, and not a beast like the T90.  Its sleek, all-black finish will charm you into buying one.  Make sure that you get one that has not been mistreated.