Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1999/03/04

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Subject: [Leica] Re: Seattle Film Works
From: "Michael D. Turner" <mike@lcl-imaging.com>
Date: Thu, 04 Mar 1999 19:53:26 -0800

At 04:58 PM 3/4/1999 -0800, Joseph Codispoti wrote...
>Bill,
>
>In the past Seattle Film Works marketed  repackaged ends of 35mm motion
>picture film. I believe they use the same stock to this day. The film is
>balanced for tungsten and compensation for exposure without the appropriate
>filtration is made by SFW chemically during  processing at their lab .

It's easy to tell the difference between the motion picture stock and
normal c41 process film. The motion picture stock has an anti-halation
backing which sloughs off--it's visibly obvious. The c-41 film looks and
feels like you would expect it too. The latest film I've seen has the same
style markings Agfa uses. Don't know what emulsions, but definitely Agfa c-41.

>SFW provides a set of prints and slides as well as a new roll of film for
>the price of developing the previous roll. Unfortunately, the slides are
>made by "optical contact printing" (whatever that means) which results in a
>reversed image (in respect to the emulsion).

They had a pretty good concept going. The spooled motion picture negative
film to distribute to consumers and offered both slides and prints. The
negative film was contact printed onto motion picture "positive" film to
make slides. An optimal match since it was designed to make positives for
motion picture distribution essentially the same way. Nowadays, they can
accomplish the same thing with conventional materials since they have
control of the emulsion and the process for the negatives--the film they
distribute and process--no variables, such as other film emulsions
processed elsewhere.

>To compensate for this, the slides are inserted in the projector backwards.
>the result is a slide whose film has a curvature opposite that of the
>projector's optics thus making the image impossible to focus across the
>entire slide.


>However, you don't have to toss the film you received. Use it to practice
>loading  M cameras in the dark.

If you find a lab to process it, use it for non-critical work. Just don't
subsidize their misleading practices by sending it to them.

'nough said...


Mike

"Sing whatever is well made..."
- -W. B. Yeats