Monday, November 06, 2023

Arista Edu Ultra 200

 I have a little film left on a bulk roll of Arista 200, so I loaded a short roll and shot it in my Olympus Pen-FT.  I chose familiar subjects in Old Town with the intension of comparing the results from the Arista with the Kentmere 100 and 400 that I had used previously in the same camera.



All three films were developed in PMK Pyro.  I don't see any very significant difference in the quality of the images.  The Kentmere 100 has a bit finer grain than the 200 or 400 speed films, but I think the tonal values are pretty similar among them, and scanner and Photoshop adjustments can easily over-ride other factors.

The prices of all three film  are under six dollars for a 24-exposure roll.  Bulk rolls of Kentmere are a few bucks cheaper than Arista at B&H.  So, any of these three films seem like they will be fine for half-frame negatives.  I have a couple fresh rolls of $6.99 Kodak Gold 200 in the refrigerator which I'll try in the Pen-FT as soon as I get a new Cinestill C-41 kit.

4 comments:

Constantine said...

Those are great images Mike. That half frame does an amazing job.

Mike said...

Thanks. I imagine it is pretty clear that I regard the Pen-FT very highly. I'm working now to put together a system with a couple more lenses and some accessories. Hope to have something to post about that in a day or two.

JR Smith said...

Nice photographs. Perhaps you have found your camera soulmate?

Mike said...

I've always liked the lenses on my Olympus cameras, but the little 38mm on the Pen-FT does seem extraordinary to me. If I were often making prints I might not be so enthusiastic about the half-frame format, but I almost never make an image larger than what easily fits on my computer screen.