Arista Premium B&W 100 ISO

I just received my latest catalog from Freestyle today and see that Arista Premium B&W 100 ISO is now being

offered in nice burgundy boxes. Im excited as I think this might be a substitute for the no longer carried

Fortepan. I dont want to jump right in without knowing what im going to get and I dont want to order a single

roll, wait for it to come, shoot it, decide i like it and then order 200'.

 

So, has anyone used this film yet and does it have characteristics of another film? Is it just a re-branded film

or is it specially made for Freestyle?

 

Im tempted to just get 100' and mess around with it.

<p>It is definitely not Forte. The most prevalent theory is that it's likely Plus-X; the ISO 400 Premium is widely agreed to be Tri-X. Freestyle are advertising the film as "Made in the U.S.A.", which in B&W means it pretty much has to have come from Kodak.</p>

<p>You might want to wade through <A href="http://www.apug.org/forums/forum37/53037-new-arista-premium-100-400-films.html">this thread</a>, where people more knowledgeable than I have discussed these films at length.</p>

<p>I have a couple rolls (ISO 100) on order; I'm not a huge fan of Plus-X, really, but it's even cheaper than their Arista EDU Ultra (rebranded Fomapan), which is just nuts...</p>

<p>Now if they only made it in 120...</p>

It's been heavily discussed over on Rangefinder Forum as well. Here are a couple of threads over there:

 

http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=62732

 

http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=62810

There has been speculation as to the "made in USA" and many surmise that to be equivalent to Kodak. It would not surprise me if it were Kodak, but Fujifilm is also a player in the USA and here is a quote from the Corporate Profile:<p>

"Fujifilm companies in the U.S. serve a broad spectrum of industries including medical, chemical, graphic arts, electronic materials, optics, recording media, motion picture, and photographic technologies. We operate in more than 75 facilities nationwide in 32 states and employ approximately 6,000 people engaged in R&D, manufacturing, sales, and service. Fujifilm companies in the United States support a global commitment to environmental stewardship and good corporate citizenship."<p>

I think you should get a few rolls, shoot them and then decide to pursue it. Brand is unimportant if you love the results!

Referencing the APUG thread mentioned above, Freestyle's own recommended development times (esp. for D-76) are the same as that of Plus-X and Tri-X.

 

Those who have been able to get their hands on some say other than the edge markings they look and behave like Plus-X and Tri-X.

 

I haven't tried them myself yet, but if they look like ducks and quack like ducks...

It is also noted that a "Legacy" film will be carried starting in January. Any bets that this will be Fuji product?

Jim

AFAIK, and some days it ain't much, Fuji only coats color film in the US. I have no proof, it's just the word on the street.

Double-checked the announcement in Freestyle's catalogue to be sure, and yes indeed, they do say that the film is from Japan. Can't believe that Fuji wouldn't answer a challenge from Kodak, especially since they have already been in to private branding for awhile (ie, Walgreens). With premium products being rebranded like this, my concern is that the smaller players will really be put into a bind to stay competitive price-wise.

Jim