FPP · ISO 200 B&W negative
FPP Frankenstein 200
Frankenstein 200 is one of the monster-themed black-and-white stocks the Film Photography Project has been releasing since 2020, sold through Michael Raso's New Jersey storefront under packaging that looks like an old Universal horror poster. The film is a re-cut motion-picture B&W emulsion derived from FPP's Cine16 stock, brought to still-photography speeds at ISO 200. The branding is the gag. The film underneath is workmanlike and surprisingly capable.
Grain is medium and cubic-structured, which gives the negatives an older look than what you get from T-Max 100 or Delta 100. Sharpness is good without being clinical. Contrast sits around neutral, which is unusual for cinema-derived stocks (most run hot), and the tonal scale handles the standard outdoor brightness range cleanly at box speed. It splits the difference between Fomapan 200 and Ilford FP4+: not as soft as the Czech option, not as refined as the Ilford, and noticeably cheaper than either in 4x5 sheets.
The real reason to load it is the format range. FPP cuts Frankenstein 200 into 35mm, 120, 620 for box cameras, and 4x5 sheets, which is a wider spread than most boutique B&W films offer. The 4x5 sheet price is the draw. You can practice large-format technique without the financial discipline a box of HP5+ demands.
Development is forgiving. D-76 stock or 1:1 at around eight and a half minutes is the safe starting point, and FPP publishes times for HC-110, Xtol, and their own D96 cinema developer. Avoid Rodinal at 1:25; the grain structure does not want the extra bite. Rate it at 160 in harsh midday sun to lift shadows. Box speed is honest otherwise.
Available in 35mm 24-exposure cassettes, 120, 620, and 4x5 boxes of 25 sheets, all through filmphotographystore.com.
Reciprocity exponent is 1.31. Zone Light Meter applies the correction past one second on the standard silver curve. A 30-second metered exposure becomes about 90 seconds at the negative. The correction lines up with Tri-X and HP5+ closely enough that one mental table covers all three.
How the app handles this stock
- Box speed: ISO 200. Picker exposes pull/push chips so you can shoot it at any speed you want and the meter follows.
- Reciprocity: Above one second the app raises metered time to the power of 1.31.
- Expired film: if you load an old roll, set the expiry year and storage in the app and the ISO scales for you. B&W negative decay rates are baked in.