Arista makes pretty decent B&W film. I use the 400 Speed in 8X10 and am satisfied with the performance. They also make a B&W fiber base variable contrast printing paper. Does anyone out there have experience with this paper? I'd like to order a large quantity but hesitate without at least some feedback on performance.

-- Steve Barth (wsbarth@networld.com), July 27, 2000

Answers

I used some of this paper a couple of years ago and it was very good, I have since changed over to Azo, since most of my work any more is contact printing and use Peckham's Amidol for developer, there is no paper better than Azo for tonal scale, except alt. processes. Pat

-- pat krentz (patwandakrentz@aol.com), July 28, 2000.

I use the 400 speed film as well and I tried the fiber. I like the film not so crazy for the paper though.From that i switched to SEagull and I like it a lot better. I dont really have a good reason, I just did not like the way the arista looked. It some how seemed "cheap"? IMHO spend a little extra and multig IV, or buy a small quantity to test.I also use the arista RC to proof it looks kinda dull and muddy. -J

-- josh (devil_music@usa.net), July 28, 2000.

Noting that the Arista product line is made in England and consists only of items which also appear in the Ilford product line (e.g. papers with the same surfaces and films that have the same development times and come in very Ilfordesque boxes if you buy them by the 100 feet), I made identical exposures of a step wedge onto Ilford MG IV RC Pearl and Arista VC RC Pearl. I could not distinguish them.

I have some Arista VC FB Glossy, but have not tested it against Ilford MG IV FB Glossy yet.

-- Matthew Hunt (mph@astro.caltech.edu), July 28, 2000.