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"V\7Tith any good story, you need aW beginning. We have been

testing film for almost two decadesand thought it was high time to tellyou just how we do it. Our first filmtest was in May 1981 for a sisterPetersen publication, Skin DiverMagazine. The magazine wanted acomparison of Kodachrome andEktachrome films for underwaterwide-angle and close-up photography.We suffered through a trip to theBahamas to conduct this first test. Itwas a tough job, but someone had todo it.

In March of the following year,PHOTOgraphic Magazine asked us toevaluate an extremely fine-grain black-and-white film still in use today calledKodak Technical Pan Film. For thenext few years our film tests weresporadic because few new filmemulsions were introduced. Instead,

44 PHOTOGRAPHIC I NOVEMBER 1999

by Jack and Sue Drafahl

we concentrated our literary efforts onextensive how-to articles. Because ofincreased competition among filmmanufacturers, now several new filmfamilies are introduced yearly, whichconstantly challenges us to stay aheadof them all.

THE D R A F A H L FILM

T E S T I N G P R O C E S S

The key to keeping readersinformed is to find out which films aredue for debut and get our hands on asmany rolls as possible. Sometimes thiseven means signing a non-disclosurestatement so we can be involved in theBeta testing stage of a film. Moreoften though, we go to trade showssuch as PMA, and arrange for newfilms to magically appear on ourdoorstep. We are in constant contactwith all the film manufacturers tomake sure that PHOTOgraphic readers

hear about it first.Once we receive a batch of the new

emulsion, we try to run one test roll toensure we won't run into anyproblems. We added this step after weonce received a batch of fogged filmfrom a manufacturer. Halfway into thetest, we found the resultsunsatisfactory and called themanufacturer for clarification.Immediately we were sent a new batchof film and the test continued withouta hitch. It seems the film sat in adelivery truck with temperatures over100° for hours.

In order to carefully research thetechnical information regardingchanges in any new film, we wadethrough PR releases, tech sheets, andconstantly surf the Web. Electroniccommunication enables us to obtaindetailed information in minutesinstead of waiting weeks. We try to

house. In order to obtain the best,most consistent results possible, we usea computer-controlled one-shotprocessor called the Pro V from Wing-Lynch Corporation. This processoruses new chemistry for every roll offilm, constantly checks the chemistrylevels, maintains the temperature to±0.1°, and automatically adjusts thetime/temperature curve anytimethere is a change in the process. Wealways test the chemistry with a single

test roll, and then run the remainingfilm in several batches to checkconsistency from roll to roll. In allthe years of testing film using thisprocessor, we have never lost a testdue to bad processing.

TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS

OF E V A L U A T I O N SEvery time we put a roll of film in

a camera, we are testing the film,review due or not. We process the

film and evaluate the results in orderto gain additional knowledge and addcredibility to our reports.

The overall quality of films todayis excellent. The range of ISOs is vastand the grain structure minimal. Eachcompany is constantly conductingresearch and development to devisenew, innovative technology to puttheir films on the leading edge.According to all the PR information,each new film is leaps and bounds

Fuji's films arewidely used bypros and amateursalike for theirbeautiful colorsand great imagequality. FujicolorPress 400 (top left)is a great color-print film for

photojournalists,offering accurate colorsin a variety of lighting,and wide exposurelatitude. The FujicolorSuperia consumer color-print film line, in ISOTOO, 200, 400 and 800(top right is 400), offersfine grain and greatcolor. The Sensia IIconsumer slide films(middle right) come inISO 100, 200 and 400,and offer great sharpnessand fine grain along withthe lovely colors. SuperHG 1600 (bottom left) isa superfast print film.Velvia (bottom right) ISO50 slide film is favored bypro nature photographers.

46 PHOTOGRAPHIC I NOVEMBER 1999

and specific niches. Only once in ourfilm evaluation history have werefused to review a film. It was toutedas one of the latest, greatest, but ourinitial testing divulged otherwise.When we contacted themanufacturer, they readily admittedthey had rushed it to market toofast. It was withdrawn from themarketplace almost before it wasintroduced.

A constant problem we encounter

is keeping the film names straight.We are not sure, but we think thefilm manufacturers do it just toconfuse us. It is not uncommon tohear the terms: plus, extra, II, super,or some odd name no oneunderstands. One manufacturerchanged the name of the film threetimes in one month during ourtesting. We ended up shooting thefilm box three times before thearticle went to press.

48 PHOTOGRAPHIC NOVEMBER 1999

R E F L E C T I O N S A S T H E

C E N T U R Y TURNS

As we close this century and turna millennium, it is hard to believethat 35mm film is less than 70 yearsyoung. The photo industry has madegreat strides and film leads the pack.Slides, initially the front runner, nowhave a market share of less than 5%,but color negatives have soared tocapture 94%. It is no wonder thatmanufacturers have new film families

ONICAKonica is best known for itscolor-print films—superfastSR-G 3200 (below), theImpresa pro line and theCenturia consumer line (400at right; 200 at bottomright)—but also offers a fineISO 100 color-slide film, anexcellentblack-and-whiteinfraredemulsion,and a finechro-mogenicblack-and-whitefilmcalledMono-chromeVX400.

Of course, everyone is familiar with the nameKodak, which offers a wide range of films for prosand consumers. The Ektapress color-print film linecomes in ISO 100 (top), 400, 800 and 1600 speeds,tailored for excellence in rugged conditions facedby photojournalists. Portra pro color-print filmscome in ISO 160 and 400 speeds, and normal andvivid-color varieties (the photo of the girl at left is

on Portra 400NC), and iswonderful for portrait andcommercial work. Kodak Black &White + 400 film (far left) is achromogenic black-and-whiteemulsion that's processed instandard C-41 color-print-filmchemicals. It was introduced asan APS film, but now is availablein 35mm, too. Ektachrome EIR(bottom left) providesfascinating false-color effects,and can be processed in normalE-6 color-slide-film chemicals.

above its predecessor, when in fact,the changes are often minor. Ourjob is to carefully evaluate thoseminute changes and help you withyour film buying choice.

We are often chastised forgiving glowing reports on all thefilm we report. Believe it or not,technological advancements havemade it really tough to find a filmthat provides unsatisfactory results.They all have their good points

OF THEMILLENNIUM !

llford has recently added color-prifilms to its lineup, but is best knownfor its excellent black-and-whiteemulsions, such as SFX 200 (top),which can produce infrared-likeeffects, and the superfast yet high-quality 3200 Delta (bottom).

PGPM Pattern Maker The PGPM accepts any3 1/2"1 Rosco Pattern which can be easily be combinedwith |ils for more impact. The Pattern Maker comes withtwo rer|%able holders, one for holding gels, the secondfor holding the patterns. It has a focusing tightening knobto vary the intensity of the pattern, and comes with an

ate that fits on any Photographer's Warehouseneter jight. Weighing only 1 1/4 Ibs., the pattern

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How-to articles from Petersen publications offer informativeand authoritative answers to many customer questions.

Call 800-256-8271 today for more information.yV/PETERSEN

PHOTOGRAPHIC I NOVEMBER 1999 47

emerging yearly to compete in the"film wars."

The new buzz word for themillennium is digital. All the filmmanufacturers have made largeinvestments in the digitalindustry, and are slowly movingin that direction. We look at filmtoday as silver pixels, and just oneof many ways to capture data forthe digital world.

One of the photos selected for

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our first film test forPHOTOgraphic Magazine was ofour daughter, Kristy, shortly afterher first birthday. Severalthousand rolls of film later, Kristyis off enjoying college life and shestill is a reluctant participant inour film tests. Sorting through thevast rolls of film and reflecting ona few of our favorite images, onlyshows us just how far film hasreally come. •

50 PHOTOGRAPHIC I NOVEMBER 1999

Polaroid is famous for its self-processing "instant" films, but alsooffers conventional-process color-print films in ISO 100, 200 and 400speeds (above). It also offers 35mm"instant" films—black-and-whiteand color-slide emulsions andspecial-purpose films.

After all these years, the authors(and the editors) are amazed by howmuch films have improved sincethey first started testing them forPHOTOgraphic. In fact, today's filmsare by and large quite excellent—the color-print films, the color-slidefilms and the black-and-white films.And it's also interesting to note thata few of the films that werepopular back then are still availableafter all the years—Kodak's Plus-X,Tri-X and Technical Pan, forexample. Jack and Sue have greatlyyijoyed testing all of those films,

id look forward to trying out stilljtter films in years to come.