Re:Seattle Film Works

[P3D Derek Gee <73157.2172@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Greg writes regarding SFW film:

>No, I don't believe it's motion picture film.  It appears to be ordinary
>color negative film, complete with DX codes on the bottom edge.  (It's
>possible of course that SFW adds these codes while loading the canister.)
>I believe the number on the top edge of the film was "1041", but I don't
>recall for certain.  There definitely was no manufacturer's name on it,
>unlike every other roll of film I have shot, which have "Kodak" or "Fuji"
>plastered all over them every couple of frames.  Never having seen a
>developed motion picture negative, I don't know if that's consistent or
>not.

I talked to a SFW rep on their Customer Service line a few months ago,
and the film in question is Agfa Motion Picture film, not standard
Agfa negative film.  How else did you think you were going to get
pictures and slides from the same neg?  I suspect SFW switched to
Agfa because Kodak refuses to sell them Motion Picture film and
it's probably difficult to buy enough unused 'ends' to support such a
large business.  Apparently, Agfa has no such qualms about selling
them film.

>I have heard that a lot of "house" branded films (like Lucky's,
>Wall-Mart's, etc.) are made by Agfa.  Maybe I'll have to shoot a
>roll and compare.

True!  Look for 'Made in Germany' on the box.  If your generic box
says it's 'Made in Japan' it's probably Konica.  'Made in USA' on
the box currently means it's 3M, but this will be changing in the
near future as Kodak is planning to enter this market.

>The prints were not particularly warm, even though they were shot in
>late afternoon sunlight.

My prints and slides look OK, but they're very grainy for 200 ASA
film.  The cost for processing at SFW is too high, unless you absolutely
have to have both prints and slides from the same neg.   And don't
forget that this motion picture film has limited archival stability.
Derek's recommendation:  Stick to standard films!

                                              Derek Gee



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