Shanghai Film GP3 120mm

[Lyne]

I started noticing this film recently on B&H where I make most of my film purchases. I thought it was a new film on the market, perhaps a response to the Japan Camera Hunter Street Pan 400 and apparently the Bergger Pancro 400. Though with more surfing on the net, it sounds like Shanghai has been around and dubbed a cheap 120 film for everyday shooting and test film. On B&H, it is hardly the cheapest 120 film on the market at $9.00+ per roll. Any thoughts on seeing this product back on the market?

I wouldn't mind seeing the darkroom do a comparison similar to this review done by thedarkroom.com [The Bergger Pancro 400 vs JCH Street Pan 400 film - The Darkroom]. This review really keys in on the film tested. It seems like Shanghai was given a negative review by Lomography, which ended all other opinions.

 

[limr]

Shanghai has indeed been around for a while, and it was often bought up and rebranded by companies like Lomogragphy and Freestyle Photo (often sold as one of their Arista film stock.)

It's okay when it works. It just doesn't always work. Quality control is...spotty, I guess is the word, and with 120, you'll sometimes end up with bonus backing paper marking on your low contrast, grainy image:


Day 128 - Dam resized by limrodrigues, on Flickr


Day 176 - Limerock by limrodrigues, on Flickr

 

[Lyne]

Wow! Grainy indeed. Definitely not the same photos I saw come out of JHC and Pancro. Though it does reflect some of the war photos coming out of that region during the height of black & white film.

I bought a couple rolls of Shanghai to do my own testing in the darkroom. I am testing the JCH and Pancro now to see if I get comparable results to what I see online. Just starting up my personal darkroom space and it's slow going.

 

[vintagesnaps]

I thought too it had been around awhile and wasn't supposedly that great. Guess it's not, seeing what Leo got with it compared to what she usually gets. (You still have such nice balance in the compositions Leo, but boy is that some grain!)

 

[cgw]

I tried "Lucky" 120 b&w a few years ago and had awful jamming issues with my Mamiya RB67 Pro S and 645 Super cameras. No problems with a Bronica SQ-B, though. Looked like tar paper served as backing on that stuff which also had a slightly tacky finish that didn't make for smooth sailing. Not bad film when it didn't pleat up like a kilt.

 

[Derrel]

Wow..at $9 and with spotty quality control on off-branded film in the experiences of limr and cgw, I would run far, and fast, and run straight to a reputable, known quantity 120 rollfilm manufacturer's products. Pictures made on film are too few, and too precious, to leave to chance on cheaply-made film that is sold at normal to premium price levels.