which black and white film?

[dennis]

Here's is my 1st attempt - I know it is not vertical, just an omission! It will probably not be accessible, that's a 1st too. Dennis.

[Andrew Plume]

..........as I suggested earlier, if it's Adox in particular, have a word with Matt, he will give an unbiased view despite being a large retailer of Adox

I've always felt that Adox25 is fairly tricky, now if anyone wants to use a 25 speed film, then Pan F is terrific, one will need a rf back however

andrew

[Alan Clark]

Thanks again for your comments everyone.
Neil, as you say the Adox50 does have a distinctive look. I enjoyed looking at your photographs. As I also have an old lens that I use quite a bit, I think I could see its low contrast influence in your pictures. Very nice.
Hello Ian! Thanks for the recommendation for Foma films. I may well give them a try. Is there a reason why you use Foma 100 in 5x4 but Adox in 10x8?

Alan

[Peter B]

I can't remember if it was on here or APUG or both, but searching for "reciprocity" might be indicative of potential problems with some films, especially now that the darker days are with us. I bought some Shanghai film in 5x7 (cheap on eBay) but have only managed to shoot a few sheets and can't give any reasonable comment other than it loaded well enough and didn't have a problem with pinholes. It didn't take well to underexposure when the sun disappeared just as I started the exposure.

[IanG]

Thanks again for your comments everyone.
Neil, as you say the Adox50 does have a distinctive look. I enjoyed looking at your photographs. As I also have an old lens that I use quite a bit, I think I could see its low contrast influence in your pictures. Very nice.
Hello Ian! Thanks for the recommendation for Foma films. I may well give them a try. Is there a reason why you use Foma 100 in 5x4 but Adox in 10x8?

Alan

My stock of 10x8 film predates my first trying Foma films. I made a very large purchase of materials from Fotoimpex just as Forte finished production, I recently discovered that the last two boxes of what I'd assumed where Adox/EFKE 25 are actually Fortepan 200

I hadn't planned using Foma films but in Turkey all I could get on one visit to the nearest proper photostore was 20 rolls of 120 Fomapan 100, so I gave it a test to detrermine film speed and dev times and shot away. The results are excellent so I've used it in 5x4 and also 9x12 (cm) since then, when in the UK I was buying it from FomaFoto in Norway because the Uk price was too high, but now RK Photographic, Silverprint & Ag Photographic are closer in price. In practice delivery from Norway is almost as fast as buying in the UK.

So I will probably use Fomapan in 10x8 in the future but my 10x8 as you know is not the best kit to fly with so it's sat largely idle while I've been living abroad.

BTW the Foma papers are also excellent.

Ian

[Alan Clark]

Ian,
Thank you for the very informative answer to my query. Yes I do remember how big your 10 x 8 camera is. As I recall it was raining when we met and we sheltered under it for half an hour or so 'til it eased off !
I think I will give Foma film a try, based on your comments.

Alan

[IanG]

Ian,
Thank you for the very informative answer to my query. Yes I do remember how big your 10 x 8 camera is. As I recall it was raining when we met and we sheltered under it for half an hour or so 'til it eased off !
I think I will give Foma film a try, based on your comments.

Alan

The reality of meeting Alan with my 10x8 Agfa Anso is another story. . . . . . .

It was a bundle of fun with a very drunk film crew from Heart Beat, in Goatland, say no more Alan sold a few prints that night, the next night I sold a few more

Ian

[Alan Clark]

That's true Ian. I think they bought my prints when they were drunk, and your prints when they had sobered up .

Alan

[Charles Twist]

I've just posted a couple pics for critique which were both taken with Adox CHS25. I have to say I use that film extensively and I like the way it comes out. I print digitally so fabrication defects like pin holes are not a problem. The emulsion is quite soft when it's wet, so that may explain some of the holes.
Thanks for looking.
Regards,
Charles

[Alan Clark]

Charles, I have just looked at your photographs taken with Adox 25. I didn't really like it for landscapes but it seems really well suited to buildings, judging particularly from your second photo. Did you use a filter on this one?

Alan

[Charles Twist]

Hello Alan,
Not that I remember. I very rarely use filters with my b&w work.
I expect you're referring to the detail in the sky of the second picture. I had to under-expose because the Selfridges building was so bright. I waited till the steeple was in the sun and the discs were in the shade. In post, I held the sky back a bit around the base of the steeple and lightened up the church, but that's all.
I find that CHS25 works well with the uncoated lenses. The blurb goes on about its 60-year old recipe - I don't know if that has anything to do with it. Somehow the character marries well. That you can appreciate at screen size, but the great thing for me is how it can also deliver on the resolution of modern lenses to create clinical results. Kind of a win-win. What is it that drew you to the second picture?
It also works for landscapes although I find that I need to up the contrast. I am told that traditional printers prefer flatter negs, so maybe this film has some legs yet.
Best regards,
Charles

[Alan Clark]

Charles, thanks. Just off out, will reply later!

Alan

[IanG]

I find that CHS25 works well with the uncoated lenses. The blurb goes on about its 60-year old recipe - I don't know if that has anything to do with it.

You often here people mistakenly say it's an old fashioned emulsion. in fact these Adox - Schleussner designed films were way ahead at their time of launch in terms of fine grain and sharpness ands it was a few years before other companied caught up.

They are unique in that they are faster than the box speed in daylight, the box speed is in fact the tungsten light speed which is lower becuase of the reduced red sensitivity, in addition over exposure knocks the edge of their sharpness. They were originally marketed by Luminos in the UK then seemed to disappear for a while, a new imorted pushed the films well in the 1970's which is when I first started using the KB14 (14 Din - now called KB25 ASA/ISO) and they were later sold as Jessops B&W films, all marked at double the current box ISO.

This is a 10x8 image shot with a late 1930's 12" Dagor made on EFKE Pl25 developed in Pyrocat HD, taken the day after we met up with Alan. (The Dagor is coated).



EFKE films stain well with Pyro developers and there's the additional benfits of the tanning (hardening) effects of the developers as well.

Ian

[Alan Clark]

Ian,
Thanks for the extra information, which I will put to good use as I now feel really confident about using Adox films. Very nice photograph. Falling Foss?

Charles,
You ask what I like about your second photo. It is the visual interest you have generated by contrasting the new architecture with the old. This is emphasised by the tone values; dark for the old and light for the new. I also really like the rich tones. The film looks to be an excellent choice for architecture. I don't do architecture as such but really like photographing the fishermens' huts near you at Skinningrove, and further along the coast at Port Mulgrave. So I plan to have a go at these with 5x4 Adox 25.
Many thanks!

Alan

[IanG]

Ian,
Thanks for the extra information, which I will put to good use as I now feel really confident about using Adox films. Very nice photograph. Falling Foss?

Yes this deceptive image was made about 10 years before at the top edge It's cropped becasue the Polaroid E6 (100D) quickload leaked light



Ian