Old Verichrome Pan in even older Kodak Pony 828

<p>The Bantam film, of 828, was probably phased out while I was in college in the late 1970s. Yet another example of Kodak trying do make another format from 35mm wide film (as in Instamatic 126). I loaded a Kodak Pony 828 camera with a roll of long-expired Verichrome Pan, dating from the 1960s. There are only 8 exposures on the roll, which is the same width as 35mm, but the frames are a bit longer than the 24x36mm of 35mm cameras, and the rolls are paper-backed, like 120 film. Developed in D-23 for 6 minutes. The negs came out pretty good. Here are a few negative scans:</p>

<p><a title="secret garden by mfophotos, on Flickr" href=" title="secret garden by mfophotos, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2770/4162602377_365cb8d1ef.jpg" alt="secret garden" width="500" height="304" /> </a> taken in late summer at my house<br>

<a title="411 Lofts by mfophotos, on Flickr" href=" title="411 Lofts by mfophotos, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4001/4163361532_9aef2d731e.jpg" alt="411 Lofts" width="295" height="500" /> </a> taken in March 2009</p>

<p><a title="Burton Tower by mfophotos, on Flickr" href=" title="Burton Tower by mfophotos, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4002/4162601489_a90357dea5.jpg" alt="Burton Tower" width="303" height="500" /> </a> Burton Tower on UM Campus.</p>

 

<p>I would be very happy with those. My father-in-law had a bantam, it seems to me the slides were slightly bigger. Is that because there is no perforations?</p>

<p>Like the photos. Have a Bantam RF. It's a good slide film camera. So, I bought some Bantam Slide holders.</p>

<p>Nice quality Mark, and and interesting format. Despite the fact that Verichrome was an "amateur" film, I preferred it to the "professional" Plus-X, and used it commercially for quite a few years. Verichrome and Microphen...ah yes, that was a good combination...</p>

<p>superb results. Very nice tonality and composition, hard to believe from an expired film. I just took out a roll of expired verichrome pan from y rollei sl26(126) format and will see if it will turn out as good as these.</p>

<p>In the early 70's when I was learning this photo stuff on my college yearbook photo staff, our official photographer who took the portraits, gave us a about 20 rolls of 120 verichrome pan when he ran out of tri x. We fell in love with this film. It had pretty good latitude, helpful when the camera meters were less than accurate. We had a bunch of yashicamats and a few rollei TLR's that were not that fashionable as 35 mm took over. But most of what we shot in those yashicas and rolleiflex TLR's was usable in the yearbook.</p>

<p>Verichrome Pan had an unbelievable ability to handle overexposure. Kodak marketed it as box camera film, but its latitude and tonality were loved by many a pro. I used it my first camera, a Kodak 110.</p>

 

<p>Mr. O'Brien...</p>

<p>828 film exposure nominal size was 28mm x 40mm. Most of the Bantam cameras had "lesser quality" lenses on them but a few had Ektar lenses which were VERY sharp for their day. </p>

<p>Tom Burke</p>

<p>Lesser quality? My two tiny bantams, the flash and without flash, have both Anastigmat Specials, lumenized, and they are fantastic. My Bantam RF has an ektanon I believe, still very respectable, even though only 3 elements.</p>

Very Nice photos.. amazing when you figure how out-of-date this film is... they really ought to bring it back.

Like many have mentioned it's latitude was great and it's tone 1:1 against plus-x; I would also take the

verichrome pan. I was actually able to find it in the early 1980s in some drugstores. I made a sweep through

the local stores and bought all they had.. Even then it was clearly on it's way out! They'll bring it back... but it will cost 2 x Kodachrome and call it "professional".... Famous last words!!

<p>Good work with the Verichrome Pan, Mark. Cool images! The Pony kicks out some nice quality images.</p>

<p>Thanks for the comments! I did a piece on my blog about the pony -- you can find it here:<br>

http://randomphoto.blogspot.com/2009/12/tale-of-two-ponies.html</p>

<p>Speaking of the Pony 828, I found one this week for $3.50. When I picked it up I initially thought it was a piece of junk, but on further observation discovered the collapsing lens barrel, and decided to grab it. It strongly resembles the Braun Paxina 29, which is virtually a larger version with remarkably similar features.</p><div></div>