First time shooting Fomapan 400 Black and White Film

Curiosity finally got the best of me, so I went ahead and purchased a few rolls of Fomapan 400 black and white film. I normally prefer 100 or 200 ISO film, but occasionally I like or have the need to shoot something a bit faster. To this point I have used Ilford HP5, Kentmere Pan 400, Ultrafine eXtreme 400 and Rollei RPX400. Harman Technology owns and manufactures both HP5 and Kentmere 400 as well as a general consensus among film shooters that they also manufacture Rollei's RPX400 and Ultrafine's 400.  I have to say - ( and this is only my opinion ) - that besides HP5 the other three film stocks do have a similar look.

Getting ready to load the Pentax Program Plus with some Fomapan 400  

Fomapan 400 on the other hand is a different story. Located in the Czech Republic Foma has been manufacturing film since 1921 so this is not a rebranded film and from what I understand brands like Arista EDU 400 and Holga 400 are repackaged Fomapan 400. At first I was a bit leary due to the varying opinions and reviews of this film stock. Even though I am a big fan of Fomapan 100 and 200 I felt that the 400 might be a bit to grainy for my liking. After much pondering though, I decide what the hay! Why not give it a try. So I now have another 400 ISO film stock added to my list.

Photo from my 1st roll of Fomapan 400 shot a 200 ISO  

Ok so my 1st photo is not shot at box speed. Something I do most times with 400 speed film, and that is to shoot it at 200 ISO instead of 400, then decrease the normal developing time of my film developer ( which is Clayton F76+ ) anywhere between 25-40%. This helps keep the grain down and gives my negatives a bit more latitude which helps keep the highlights from blowing out. Very helpful in obtaining a more dramatic look to scenes with a lot of sky and clouds in the frame. Based on the developer I use I have to say I am very pleased with the results so far. The grain is not overpowering and I get a very nice tonal range with a bit more contrast than the Harman films I have used to this point. 

Moving up the ladder, Fomapan 400 shot at 320 ISO

Liking the grain and tonality of Fomapan 400 rated at ISO 200, I figured next time I would try and move it up the ladder a bit and shoot it closer to its box rated speed and rate it at ISO 320. I would then compensated the normal development time slightly by decreasing it 10%. I may not get quite as much latitude this time but this might still keep the film grain down a bit. So I grabbed my K1000 and took a trip to Princeton a couple of weeks ago and shot a couple more rolls of Fomapan while strolling around campus. Once again I have to say I am pleasantly surprised with the results, this time at ISO 320. I know I will be shooting a lot more of Fomapan 400 in the future. The technique I use when overexposing my film and under developing it is called pulling vs the opposite and very popular technique of under exposing and over developing called pushing. If any one would like more detailed info. in regards to pulling and pushing film, check out the link to the YouTube video by Professor Will Agar called Developing Your Film Wrong!

Fomapan 400 shot @ ISO 320 - Princeton Campus - NJ

Fomapan 400 shot at ISO 200 - The Philadelphia Watch Case Bldg. - Riverside - NJ

To view more photos of Fomapan 400 shot at 320 ISO and 200 ISO click on the link to my Fomapan 400 Gallery and once again thanks for viewing :-)