Maco UP 400 plus

The Maco UP 400 plus is a black and white film. It was offered by the German company Hans O. Mahn & Co. KG. It was likely manufactured by another company.

The UP 400 plus is characterized by its panchromatic sensitization, which can capture a wide spectrum of light. This ensures images with impressive depth of field and a multi-layered grayscale reproduction. Despite its higher ISO sensitivity, the film retains impressive detail and provides results with good grain and high sharpness.

One of the greatest strengths of the UP 400 plus is its increased sensitivity with an ISO of 400/27°. This makes it ideal for low-light situations or for motion photography where shorter exposure times are required. The film’s resolution is 90 lines/mm (based on a contrast ratio of 1000:1), ensuring excellent image sharpness despite its higher sensitivity.

The layer structure of the UP 400 plus has been carefully designed to achieve optimal results. At the top is a protective coating, beneath which is the light-sensitive emulsion. A special anti-halo coating, which decolorizes during wet processing, ensures that the final image is free of unwanted reflections and halos. All of this is on a light gray base layer. With an emulsion thickness of about 8μ, the UP 400 plus offers an excellent balance between robustness and image quality.

Use of Expired Film

Given the lack of new film, much of what is currently available on the market may already be past its intended shelf life. However, it should be noted that this date mainly determines the quality of the material, not its functionality.

A sign of aging in films could be a loss of light sensitivity. Both the age of the film and storage conditions play a role here. To prevent underexposure, it might be helpful to use a lower ISO value than recommended. Another point: film quality can vary depending on storage.

Film Processing

The UP 400 plus should be processed with a black and white film developer. You can perform the development process at home with the right tools and chemicals or entrust it to a professional lab. There are various developers like Rodinal, D-76, XTOL, ID-11, and Ilfosol 3. The choice of developer can significantly influence the final result.

Calculation of the development solution
How much development solution do you need?

If there are no specific development guidelines for the UP 400 plus, some experimentation may be required. The developed film strips are the result of this process. Subsequently, one can either have photo prints made or digitize them. One can also directly produce photo prints in various formats.

If you prefer digital images, analog films can be scanned. Various scanners, differing in functions, quality, and price, are available. The scanned images can then be digitally processed or printed.

Availability and Alternatives

The UP 400 plus was only offered for 35mm cameras. A roll of film is enough for 36 pictures. The film cartridge has a DX code. Based on the coding, some camera models can automatically set the film’s sensitivity. There are various camera manufacturers that produce suitable models for the 35mm format, including Rollei, Agfa, and Kodak.

There is no longer any new material from this film. A replacement for the B/W film in 35mm format could be the Kodak T-Max 400*. There is no direct successor for the Macophot UP 400 plus.