Svema Foto 100 is a fine-grained, medium-high-contrast panchromatic black-and-white negative film from Ukraine. I bought several rolls to try. My takeaway: this is quite a good film—a high-quality film, not an experimental budget film like some of the less mainstream “compromise” options. It has a distinctive tonality, with less blue and more red sensitivity than most panchromatic films, even extending into the near-infrared up to 750nm. It has good exposure latitude and retains plenty of shadow and highlight detail. It performs very well for general-purpose scenes and shines for portraiture and landscape, and its spectral response offers very real advantages. It’s well worth shooting for its own sake, and is an obvious choice for the tonality, detail, and contrast it delivers. If you want a film with good performance that looks different from the rest, this is one to consider. After using it I’m eager to shoot more of it, I can see it becoming a go-to choice in my bag, and I’m excited to try other Svema films.

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