I’ve done many articles featuring Arista EDU Ultra film over the year. In my opinion it is a great black and white film at an actually affordable price. I’ve demonstrated in these articles the diversity of this film in pushing it and developing it. Therefore, I wanted to make this proper review now that I have had a lot of experience with it. Besides that, with prices of film these days, I think it is worth bringing this film back to the spotlight.
To be clear, I know this film is just Fomapan 400 in a different box, like a generic brand. It is made by Foma Bohemia, but as of the time I am writing this, Arista EDU is a bit cheaper than Fomapan at under $6 U.S. for a 24 exposure roll and 120 film. In my opinion, any savings right now is worth mentioning. You can also bulk roll it. So let’s talk about it.
Foma Bohemia
Foma Bohemia is a photographic company from the Czech Republic established in 1919, but didn’t start making film until 1964 with their color films, and black and white film in 1990. However, it wasn’t until the mid 2000’s that they started to produce the films we now know, such as Arista EDU here in the U.S in 2015.
Arista EDU Ultra
- In my research, I found that the EDU represents this film for educators and schools who choose it for its price and features.
- It doesn’t have a DX code on the canister so keep that in mind if you’re using a point and shoot style camera. However, it looks like the UK is producing a DX Coded version of this film at the time of writing this article in 2024.
- It is available in 35mm and 120.
- Arista EDU Ultra comes in ISO 100, 200, and 400
- Slightly pronounced grain structure for sharpness and use in all lighting conditions
My Experiences with Arista EDU Ultra
As you can see in my photos below, I tried 200 and 400 ISO versions of this film, and I pushed the 400 two stops. I really liked my results at 400, 800, and at 1600. I wouldn’t recommend pushing it any farther than that because at 1600 I found it didn’t do well indoors but it was great after sunset outdoors.
You can see here that when pushed to 800 the highlights do start to lose information, but the shadows still seem to hold up.
Personally, I tend to prefer to develop using D-76 developer, but when pushing films I use Kodak HC110 B. The HC110 B however tends to enhance the grain but you get shorter developing times. It all depends on your preference.
I don’t normally shoot film under 400 speed, but I did try a roll of Arista EDU Ultra 200 and I really liked my results outdoors. It is a nice, clean film stock.
Final Thoughts
This is a film that I will definitely be stocking up on and in the future hope to bulk roll. Like I mentioned, being that it is the same as Fomapan, you can choose whichever is cheaper at the time and it will give you the same results as sampled below.
What do you think? Is Arista EDU Ultra an option for you, especially at that price in this economy? Let me know in the comments. Also, if this article was helpful to you at all, please consider donating to the site so I can keep it going. Click the button below to make a donation or even buy one of my zines. Anything is hugely appreciated. Either way, I am always grateful to you all for stopping by and until next time, stay motivated and keep shooting.
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