Taking a trip gives me a great opportunity to take some pictures. Speaking of opportunities, it was also a good excuse to try a different film. Given the reviews about Fomapan 100 being difficult to shoot, I purchased a few rolls of Fomapan 200 around the same time. I did a bit more research this time, and it seems to have garnered slightly more favorable reviews than it’s 100 ISO brother.
Other than the ISO difference, the Fomapan 200 is a tubular grain film, like the Kodak T-Max films. It does show a bit more grain on some of the pictures. That make sense given the higher speed. Others are really smooth and detailed.
I used the amber/yellow color filter again. I think that brought out the clouds nicely. The reflection of the water looks like there’s a bit of fog along the shoreline, which I think gives this picture a nice touch.
One of the things about shooting photos out a window is that it helps to have a clean window. The road was a bit wet. Combine that with the salt on the road, and the windshield gradually became more dirty as the trip progressed.
Looking back at this roll, these came out a lot better than when I first looked at them, especially for a cheap film. I was initially disappointed with the quality, but I think my distasteful experience with the Arista film negatively influenced my first opinion on the Fomapan 200.
Overall, I really appreciate the look and feel. It’s definitely not as crisp as the T-Max, but given the price I wouldn’t mind picking up a few more rolls in the future.
Development Details
- Film: Fomapan 200
- Camera ISO setting: 200
- Developer: Rodinal with 2g Sodium Ascorbate
- Development Time: 1 hour
- Development Agitation: Stand (20 inversions first minute only)