leicaglow Posted March 2, 2007 Share Posted March 2, 2007 I bought a couple bricks of Forte 200/100 film for 120 some time ago. It's about to expire so I thought I should shoot it up. I shot a roll or two when I first got it, but didn't really have time to experiment with it much. Any suggestions for using this film? Is there a subject matter (landscape, street, etc.) that it's best for? Would you recommend a solvent type developer for it--any special processing suggestions? Maybe they stopped making it anyway, I don't know, but thought I'd solicit some opinions. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frank.schifano Posted March 2, 2007 Share Posted March 2, 2007 It's a bit more grainy than comparably rated films in the speed category from first tier manufacturers. In 120 rollfilm, it is very curly when dried. All in all, it's not bad if you got it at bargain prices under one of the Arista labels from Freestyle. Plays nicely in D-76. I would not pay premium prices for it though. Use it for whatever you like. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wigwam jones Posted March 2, 2007 Share Posted March 2, 2007 Yeah, my biggest complaint about Forte was not the quality, but how hard it was to get into the scanner tray. 120 and 35mm both. Yikes. But it did have a nice grainy quality. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raczoliver Posted March 2, 2007 Share Posted March 2, 2007 Forte films are really not bad (and I'm not just saying this because I am Hungarian). They do curl, but I find them very nice for portraits, but then again, portraits are what I do, so you might find them good for whatever you are doing. Developed in some pretty standard developer, like D-76 or HC-110, the ISO 100 is slightly grainier than other ISO 100 films, but depending on your personal preferences, this might or might not bother you.<div></div> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raczoliver Posted March 2, 2007 Share Posted March 2, 2007 Another one (both are 120 format)<div></div> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wieslaw1 Posted March 3, 2007 Share Posted March 3, 2007 I was going to display a detailed account regarding the quality of FORTEPAN 200, but did not have time. (Will do it whenether will print extra enlargements.) I bought 50 sheets of this film for a 1/2 price of comparable products. This film is not for me regardless of its cost. An enlargement from a 4x5 negative to a mere 11x14 gives you grain larger than that from a fine grain 35mm fil enlarged to the same size. Was developed in HC-110. I have several negatives developed in Microdol but not enlarged yet. The grain should be smaller. In any way I do not need my 10 kg Linhof Technika equipment giving me results of a 1.5 kg, 35mm Contax RTS! But as I say, I will announce a detailed account regarding this film. Perhaps, to be fair, it should be compared with other 200 ASA (24DIN) films on the market, rather than with fine grained films. But I have no interest in the high speed films. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fotohuis RoVo Posted March 3, 2007 Share Posted March 3, 2007 >>This film is not for me regardless of its cost. An enlargement from a 4x5 negative to a mere 11x14 gives you grain larger than that from a fine grain 35mm fil enlarged to the same size.<< Indeed, so the conclusion is that NOTHING is lost by the disappearing of Forte FILMS. Unfortunately this can NOT be said by the disappearing of their Forte PW (14) paper. Nice paper for several purposes and also for LITH printing. However we will find somewhere a solution to bring the PW14 back :) Best regards, Robert Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
christer_almqvist2 Posted March 3, 2007 Share Posted March 3, 2007 That's my conclusion too: nothing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raczoliver Posted March 3, 2007 Share Posted March 3, 2007 You guys should learn how to use the film properly, it really doesn't take rocket science. If a large format sheet gives you the same grain as a 35mm film, your first thought should be that you seriously screwed something up. Michael, I would say try it and decide if it's good for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fotohuis RoVo Posted March 3, 2007 Share Posted March 3, 2007 >>If a large format sheet gives you the same grain as a 35mm film, your first thought should be that you seriously screwed something up. << Last film I screwed up was probably in 1968 :) Sorry if I 'upset' you but in my search for an acceptable 35mm and 120 roll film for over 10 years the regular Forte films were a disaster. Maybe one of the reasons they put Ilford material in their film rolls last years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rich815 Posted March 3, 2007 Share Posted March 3, 2007 I found the Fortepan 400 to be surprisingly good with very nice tonality, and the grain not bad at all, at least for 120. I'm sorry to see the stuff go. Couple samples here from a roll I shoot a couple weeks ago: http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=397708539&size=o http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=398325172&size=o http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=397708498&size=o Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jim_appleyard Posted March 3, 2007 Share Posted March 3, 2007 Having shot only one roll or Forte 100, 35mm, (free sample) and souped in D-76, 1+0, I can hardly consider myself an expert with this film. However, the roll I shot came out as expected; a nice, general purpose, ISO 100 film with good grain and tonality. I'm sorry to see any film disappear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al_divenuti Posted March 3, 2007 Share Posted March 3, 2007 Robert, There was some discussion on aphog.de that Moresch, Bergger, Foma, and your own outfit (Fotohuis) were attempting to rescue Forte Photo. Have these efforts failed? Regardless, the effort is appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fotohuis RoVo Posted March 3, 2007 Share Posted March 3, 2007 http://www.schwarzweiss-magazin.de/swmag_frame_aktuell.htm Further I can not give any comments at the moment. It's a very complicated case. Best regards, Robert Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al_divenuti Posted March 3, 2007 Share Posted March 3, 2007 Thank you, Robert. I did not mean to put you on the spot. Regardless of the outcome, the effort is appreciated by many. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discpad Posted March 4, 2007 Share Posted March 4, 2007 Plugging the first two paragraphs from http://www.schwarzweiss-magazin.de/swmag_frame_aktuell.htm into http://translate.google.com/ Seit 5 Wochen stehen die Maschinen bei FORTE still. Nach unseren Informationen gibt es keine Hoffnung, daߠdie Produktion jemals wieder aufgenommen wird. Zu verlustreich waren die vergangenen Jahre, zu groߠder Wert der Grundst�cke und der Geb䵤e. Darauf l䵦t es nun hinaus: man verwertet das Gel䮤e und die Geb䵤e oder man reiߴ sie ab. Je nachdem, wer alles kauft. FORTE Papiere wurden von mehreren Anbietern unter eigenem Namen verkauft, auch in Deutschland. Aus diesem Kreis heraus gibt es Bem�hungen, bei einem anderen Hersteller aus dem �stlichen EU-Raum ein Papier fertigen zu lassen, das dem beliebten Polywarmtone Plus FB nahekommt. Diese Idee steht aber ganz am Anfang. Es ist noch v�llig offen, was daraus wird. For 5 weeks the machines stand still with FORTE. After our information there is no hope that production is ever again taken up. The past years were too involving heavy losses, to largely the value of properties and the buildings. Whereupon it runs out now: one uses the area and the buildings or one tears her off. Depending on, who buys everything. FORTE of papers sold by several offerers under own name, also in Germany. From this circle there are efforts, with another manufacturer from the eastern European Union area a paper manufacture to leave, which approximates the popular Polywarmtone plus FB. This idea stands however completely at the beginning. It is still completely open, which from it becomes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al_divenuti Posted March 4, 2007 Share Posted March 4, 2007 As I translate it ;-) a) There's no chance the present owners will re-start production b) The present owners will either sell the plant to a group that will use it c) The present owners will either sell the plant to a group that will simply demolish the buildings before putting the land to another use d) There's a group (Robert Vonk is a part of it) that is examining whether the Polywarmtone paper might be produced by another manufacturer (which I'm pretty sure is Foma) - but this plan is a very early stage and no outcome is certain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al_divenuti Posted March 4, 2007 Share Posted March 4, 2007 And d) is independent of whether c) happens or not...at least I would think so. It's been posted elsewhere that the present owners aren't under pressure to find an immediate buyer because they think the land will, if anything, appreciate in value over time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John J. Genna Posted March 4, 2007 Share Posted March 4, 2007 I like to try any film I can get my hands on at least once: I used Fortepan 100 in 35mm on a trip to Ireland about a year & a half ago. Very grainy for it's speed - and very contrasty. What made it worse was the fact that my first views of it were when I got my 4X6 quick prints back from the lab - on color paper - which put contrast & graininess over the top. I was really upset viewing these and at first regretted using Fortepan for this trip. However since then I've had digital files of the shots made and some printed on fiber paper, and this film is a lot more pleasant looking in these two media.</p> It's also possible that the lab I brought it to for processing overdeveloped it, not being familiar with it or its behavior.</p>Here are some of the aforementioned examples:<a href="http://www.photo.net/photo/4004155"></p> http://www.photo.net/photo/4004155<a></p><a href="http://www.photo.net/photo/4006304">http://www.photo.net/photo/4006304<a></p><a href="http://www.photo.net/photo/4004162">http://www.photo.net/photo/4004162<a></p><a href="http://www.photo.net/photo/4004113">http://www.photo.net/photo/4004113<a></p><a href="http://www.photo.net/photo/4004594">http://www.photo.net/photo/4004594<a></p><a href="http://www.photo.net/photo/4006472">http://www.photo.net/photo/4006472<a> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John J. Genna Posted March 4, 2007 Share Posted March 4, 2007 It was nice to try it at least once; I had no plans to use it again. If it's no longer available, IMHO it's no big loss. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andrew_gale Posted June 29, 2008 Share Posted June 29, 2008 You wont have the chance. I bought the next to last (100') roll on Freestyle the other day. I assume that they will be the last place to carry it. Goodbye Forte. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Gammill Posted June 29, 2008 Share Posted June 29, 2008 The 200 is grainy for an ISO 200 film, but at least in D-76 its tonality isn't bad. I've only used the 35mm version. In 120 you might not notice the grain. I've shot some Fortepan 400 in 120 and the grain was okay. Never tried the 100. Try a little and if you like it, great. If not to your liking, freeze the rest and wait..... after it's been off the market a while you might be able to sell on ebay for a profit. But don't get your hopes up. It is difficult to predict what will sell after being discontinued. (Well, with the exception of Tech-Pan and APX 25) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thalmees_salsa Posted May 3, 2009 Share Posted May 3, 2009 <p><a href="http://www.schwarzweiss-magazin.de/swmag_frame_aktuell.htm">http://www.schwarzweiss-magazin.de/swmag_frame_aktuell.htm</a><br> "" <em>März 2009<br />AMALOCO Photochemie: Alles wieder lieferbar!</em><br> <em>Die beliebten AMALOCO-Photochemikalien sind wieder lieferbar. PHOTOTEC ist gelungen, die Rezepturen und die Markenlizenz zu erwerben und einen Partner für die Produktion nach Original-Rezepturen in Deutschland zu finden. AMALOCO-Photochemie wird in Deutschland exklusiv von PHOTOTEC und Nordfoto vertrieben. Weitere Distributoren gibt es in Belgien, in den Niederlanden, in Frankreich und in Österreich.</em> ""<br> "" March 2009 <br />AMALOCO photochemistry: everything again! <br /><br />The popular photo-AMALOCO chemicals are available again. PHOTOTEC succeeded the recipes and the trademark license and acquire a partner for the production after the original formulations in Germany. AMALOCO-photochemistry in Germany and distributed exclusively by North PHOTOTEC photo distributed. Further, there are distributors in Belgium, the Netherlands, France ""<br> <a href="https://www.phototec.de/catalog/index.php?manufacturers_id=17">https://www.phototec.de/catalog/index.php?manufacturers_id=17</a></p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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