I just finished developing my second roll of Arista Edu 400. I shot both rolls in 120 format using my Bronica S2. I have a few thoughts about the experience.
I love film that renders well no matter the lighting conditions. It was overcast and dreary both times I shot this, but the film delivered moody tones that worked well.
Arista Edu is about the cheapest film one can find, so having such an inexpensive option that actually looks good is amazing.
The quality control seems fairly iffy. Some of my shots had some splotchy patches, particularly in areas that would have a fairly smooth gradient otherwise (such as the sky).
The grain looks great (I developed in XTOL 1+3 for both rolls).
While this is a panchromatic film, it renders reds almost like it’s orthochromatic.
I have never seen dustier negatives in my life. I took the same level of care as I always do with the first roll, but after seeing how covered they were I took pains the second time around to avoid dust. That didn’t make any difference. Having such a contrasty film that’s a veritable dust magnet? That’s a ton of time in Photoshop spotting all that dust away. Huuuuuuuuuge pain, that is.
Will I shoot this emulsion again? Absolutely. When one shoots the cheapest there is, everything can’t be perfect about it. I can deal with the quirks for now. I already have ideas as to a project this could work well for.