There was a period of time, almost a decade in fact, where I was using Fomapan film almost exclusively. I’m not going to deny I started down that particular path because the film was incredibly cheap and I’ve never been a photographer who could spend a lot of money on equipment. Just to date me a little bit, I used to buy Foma film in 120 format for $1.09 a roll. Yes indeed you read that right, just a $1.09 a roll. At that price I was able to experiment and take a lot of risks with my photography and I would say I learned more about technique and exposure during that period than at any other time in my life.
Now days I’m lucky to find Fomapan film for around $5.00 a roll, and while that is still cheaper than both Kodak and Ilford, it’s not such a killer savings that I feel compelled to make a special effort to find the stock on-line. The camera shop three miles from my house sells Ilford FP4 and HP5 for $5.99 a roll and the extra 99 cents is worth it if it means supporting a local business and buying a film with more consistent quality control. So with that mentality in mind, Fomapan film has been by and large put on the back burner.
Photographed with Fomapan 100 speed film and a Hasselblad 500c/m
A few months ago however I just decided for the heck of it to buy about ten rolls of Fomapan 100 . I paid about $4.99 a roll for it…grrrr…. The weather was really nice at the time and I was feeling nostalgic for the good ol’ days. That seems to be happening to me more and more then older I get. Looking at the results I had forgotten how much I actually enjoyed the look of this particular film stock.
There are a lot of subtle aspects to it that are completely unique. Skin tones have a tiny bit of “glow” and the grain structure is both pronounced, and yet blends perfectly into the background of the image. It’s hard to describe, and perhaps even harder to see on-line or through a smart phone, but images from Fomapan film have a very cinematic effect to them. The images are sharp, but not too sharp. Despite the fact that I was working in fairly bright sun the tones are nice and even. The shadows aren’t all bunched up and yet the image still has the impact and contrast of classic black and white.
In short, everything I used to love about Fomapan film is still true, except for the price!