So, it’s finally happening and after two decades I’m back to 35mm film and not a better way to experience it than the very first film I ever shot on while growing up back in the Czech Republic where communists reigned free, not knowing what was coming to them. Fomapan made in the Czech Republic!

The very first film I picked up on B&H website was a Fomapan 400. Came there looking for a Kodak or Ilford and walked away from several rolls of famous Foma, well known for its knack to wrinkle and twist, absolutely horrible halation, aggressive grain and overall “cheap” look. I’m still somewhat shocked that B&H even carried this film, half-hesitant to go back and see an Orwo or something! :-)
Back then, in the times of “deep peace” as the communists used to call it, Fomapan was a cheap film (and still is cheap today), so no better and more affordable way to re-introduce myself to film on a budget. A 36-exposure roll below $6? Count me in!

As the months were passing by and I was developing more and more negatives at home and doing scans of this Foma, all the memories started flooding back into my mind, suddenly recalling why I used to hate it! :-) The grain is very pronounced even by a 400 ISO standard, so not to everyone’s taste, but I do like nice vintage grain, therefore not a problem for me. Even the inherently high contrast of this film is down my alley, since I do street photography quite often. What I did not like about Foma (despite being manufactured in my old homeland), and still do not like to this day, is that “right in your face” horrific halation.
Standard film emulsion consists of multiple layers applied to the celuloid carrier via the amazing physics of laminar flow and one of the layers is anti-halation layer, which prevents appearance of this radiant glow around brightly lit objects in the photo.
Halation gives pictures a very dreamy, radiant, glowy look, so common in infrared film where the anti-halation layer was not used, so most vintage IR film shots are very dreamy, and I love that. But not on a regular B&W film!

This halation works very well for portraits and all, but in street photography where you are looking for high contrast and sharpness, having high radiance and glow is distracting and makes the photos look too soft, often foregoing the desired grit and dirtiness of a traditional street photo. I guess it is a matter of preference and personal taste…

Foma 400 may work well for monochrome portraits, but I would not recommend it to anyone else, unless they are just starting out, learning the basics of exposure triangle, and are on a tight budget.
You’d be much better off with Foma 200 or 100 – less contrasty, but sharper and more tonally balanced. Even better, buy Arista EDU film, which is allegedly repackaged Fomapan under a school brand. Tried them and they not only look like Foma, the film feels flimsy like a Foma, but works very well in their 100 and 200 ISO versions.

I gradually switched to Ilford HP5, not much more expensive than Fomapan emulsion, and provides amazing flexibility. Those traits adn qualities are great for beginners shooting at box speed and pros alike who endeavor into pushing this film to 1600 and beyond, Moriyama-style. This is a film which grows with you for many years.